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April 30, 2010
From concept to completion
New JI column will share some movie-making highs and lows.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
The cover letter was addressed “To whom it may concern.” It came with the business card of a very young-looking director/actor with a mop of red hair, as well as an invitation to see a film called Avoid Confrontation, presented by Redhaired Productions. The location of the screening was the only thing I recognized – the Ridge Theatre.
“My name is Adam Bogoch. I am a 16-year-old filmmaker living in the wonderful city of Vancouver,” the letter began. Adam had recently finished his first “professionally finished film,” which he planned to “send off to film festivals all over the world.” He concluded, “It would be fantastic if you would be able to attend the screening,” before signing off with “Highest regards.”
I was intrigued: a 16-year-old with a feature film. I was impressed: such a polite a young man. I went to the screening.
My notes from that day are garbled – writing in the dark is not easy – but a few I can make out clearly: the lead actors were enjoyable, the smaller parts were weak, but the writing and directing were very solid. I wanted to know more about Adam, so I contacted him and he agreed to do an interview with the Independent. (The article can be found in the July 24, 2009, archives at jewishindependent.ca.)
Since then, Avoid Confrontation has become a multiple-award-winner, from all those festivals Adam mentioned in his introductory letter, and Adam has continued to juggle “film life” with high school and other more common teenage pursuits. He has not only been working the festival circuit but he’s been hard at work on his next movie.
About a week after Avoid Confrontation screened in May 2009, Adam started writing what he hopes will be an even “bigger and ultimately better project.” The working title is Complexity, and the Independent plans to follow the entire production process, from concept to completion. The hope is to give readers insight into how a movie gets made, so a range of topics will be covered, including some of the personal successes and challenges faced by the main “players,” including Adam himself, who will be one of the principle contributors to this monthly column.
Adam’s first movie was from a male perspective – through a journalist named Daniel Moores, who is dealing with the tragic death of his father – so he wanted his second venture be from a female viewpoint. According to the synopsis, Complexity is about a young woman, Clara, who is “stuck in a place of uncertainty, being pushed and pulled in all different directions by her family. When Clara meets Scott, a man very interested in her, things take a drastic turn from bad to worse.... Complexity is a coming-of-age romance that explores many types of relationships but, ultimately, it’s about making decisions for yourself.”
The script has gone through about seven drafts, said Adam. After finishing up the final touches, “we finalize the locations, costumes, props, etc.,” he explained. “As this is going on, we’re trying hard to get some amazing talent on board for both in front and behind the screen. It’s all about showing these guys we mean business and we’re taking this incredibly seriously. I think the level of excitement and stress has doubled. But so far everything’s totally smooth.
“We are in talks to shoot the first half of the film in June and, if necessary, the second half and pick-ups in early July. These dates are looking incredibly promising to us day by day, even with the script in constant, but important, rewrites.”
All of this is happening while Adam is finishing up at King David High School. He graduates June 3, but has classes till mid-June.
“I have booked off time for me to enjoy graduation and everything that comes with it, but as soon as I get the chance, I want to be on set,” he said. “The rest of the year is devoted to the film, and hopefully we’ll be finished everything by November/December. After that, I have some plans, but currently things are a bit up in the air.”
With his drive, skill and charm, Adam has managed to secure much-needed support from some talented people. One of them is producer and casting director Mattie Shisko.
“I met Mattie at Vancouver Film School about two and a half years ago,” said Adam. “I was in a workshop and she was the teacher, we quickly became friends. At the end of pre-production for Avoid Confrontation, she recommended Dean Williams to me (who shot and edited Avoid Confrontation). The day of the première, she came up to me and said, ‘I want in, I want to produce your next project.’” Adam took Mattie’s offer and said, “The new possible incredible opportunities that are on our doorstep could not even be thought of without her!”
Another colleague of Adam’s that JI readers may have a chance to “meet” is composer Ron Philips. Adam has known him for about seven years and Ron, who wrote the score for Avoid Confrontation, has signed on for Complexity. Adam enthused, “The music he has written for Complexity so far ... is staggering! It’s so different than anything he’s done, and it all ties in with one another.”
Making sure everything goes according to plan is executive producer David Bogoch – Adam’s father. And Adam? In addition to writing, he’s again in the director’s chair, as well as taking on a small part in the film, as Clara’s younger brother.
As for other casting, all Adam could share right now is that actor Patrick Spencer – who was awarded for his performance in the play Ashes, which was at the Firehall Arts Centre last year – will play the romantic lead, Scott.
In the next instalment of In Production, Adam will offer some “North Hollywood” insider news, as well as his take on how Complexity is shaping up – maybe he’ll even share some details about what he’s planning for grad.
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