Telling stories through film and conversation.
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WILDsound's The Film Podcast

In each episode, the C.E.O. of WILDsound, Matthew Toffolo, chats about all things storytelling and film. Conversations with talented individual from all around the world.

Posts in Education
#29 Background Actor

Who is that in the background? Often under mistreated, almost always underappreciated, today Matthew and Kierston put on their most non-descriptive clothing and put their phones on silence to take a whirl into the wordless world of background. Well, not exactly wordless for Matthew and Kierston, since they have a whole world of film magic to talk about today on WILDsound's The Film Podcast! 

#28 Third Act Twists

Grab your mallets and get ready to Break into Three as Matthew and Kierston discuss the beauty and complexity behind third act twists, why they work and they made audiences feel so wonderful! 

Festival Friday Round Up! August 17th

Every Friday Matthew and Kierston get together and talk about plthe festival they did the Thursday Before. Come hear about the awesome shows and the awesome audience at the August 16th Experimental Film Festival! 

Here is the list of films that played at the festival: 

GLENDALE, 6min, USA, Dance
Directed by Sean Wehrli

A portrait of Detroit and the passion its people share. The same passion fueled by love and joy can be flipped to motivate crime and destruction.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

FOR REST, 16min., Japan, Experimental
Directed by Shinya Isobe

A feast is laid out on a table nestled among the roots of a tree in a forest. In a 16mm time-lapse the food gradually rots. Watching this time pass, our imagination conjures images of various things, including death, and spins its own tales until eventually, as the table becomes a mound of grass and new shoots begin to grow, while being struck and shaken by the mystical nature of time we come to embrace the rebirth of hope.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

SARAVA, 3min., Brazil, Music Video
Directed by Luma Oquendo & Mauricio Pisani

A music video for music SARAVA from Funk Buia & Arcanjo Ras feat. Paula Pretta. Produced by Pitcho Z’Africa Brazil.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

SEPARATE SENTENCES, 15min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Amie Dowling and Austin Forbord

Incarceration is not a single or discrete event, but a dynamic process that unfolds over time and affects families for generations. Separate Sentence (2016) is a 15-minute dance/theater film that draws upon individual experiences and physical memories of a cast comprised of Bay Area artists – some of whom are fathers or sons who have experienced incarceration. The film was shot throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

DUEL CITIZEN, 9min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Marcel Giwargis

An Iranian immigrant confronts his American self.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

SILHOUETTE OF A STORM – BENT TREET, USA, 4min., Dance
Directed by Nick Zoulek

In Silhouette of a Storm-Bent Tree, saxophonist and multimedia artist Nick Zoulek fuses all of his creative endeavors, serving as performer (bass saxophone), composer, producer, director, cine- matographer, and engineer, in order to fulfill his artistic vision.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

THE POET, 6min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Adam Cushman

After the Second World War, an inspired poet takes the stage.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

WAITING, 5min., Canada, Experimental/Comedy
Directed by Hans Grossmann

Waiting for the inevitable is all that’s left for many of the folks at this retirement home, but one of these feisty grandmas has found her passion in the weekly Bingo game! Never winning has become a frustrating problem though, especially with the popular grandma always taking home the winnings! But enough is enough! When the taunting boils over, this little old lady has had more than enough, and decides to throw the first punch – or pie, rather!

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

SOLARIS, 5min., Australia, Music Videov
Directed by Stephanie Peters

The clips journey into the twisted and depraved mind of a psychopath is inspired by none other than the Crawford Family murders whose deaths rocked Australia’s Great Ocean Road community in the 1970’s and to date whose killer has never been found.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

FUERZA, 4min., Australia, Dance

Directed by Grace Moore

Dancer Cameron McCormack takes us on a journey of strength and space in this short ballet film.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

AUGENBLICKE – A BLINK OF AN EYE, 4min., Animation/Drama
Directed by Kiana Naghshineh

Three perceptions of only one truth – hers, his and ours.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

 

#23 Yarn Stories

Well hello there- how would you like to cozy up by the fire and hear about Yarn stories- the story within a story within a story. Today, Matthew and Kierston dive into the age-old type of tale and snip their yarns for listeners along the way. What exactly are Yarn stories? What do they have to do with Pokemon and Crazy Wife-murdering rulers? Do they still exist today? If so, in what form? Find out all on this episode of WILDsound's The Film Podcast!

#22 Friday Festival Round Up Drama/Crime & Under 5 minute

 

Every Friday Matthew and Kierston meet up to discuss the festival from the night before. Every Thursday at the Carlton Cinema in Toronto, WILDsound screens amazing films from around the world. Last night it was our Drama/Crime and Under-Five-Minute night. Let's hear about what the audience was like, and what the films were like as well! 

A showcase of 12 short films from around the world: 

#1 - UNEARTHED, 9min., USA, Drama/Crime
Directed by Daniel Bergeson

A mother must come to terms with her guilt after committing a heinous crime of vengeance. 

#2 - SNIP, 6min., New Zealand, Drama/Crime
Directed by Kenneth Clark 

A new hair style can change your life. 

#3 - KALTRINA, 10min., Drama/Crime
Directed by Evi Stamatiou

Centers around Kaltrina, a nurse from Kosovo who lives and works in NY and the conflicts that occur when a stranger who breaks into her apartment. 

#4 - THE GHOULIES, 5min., Australia, Drama/Crime
Directed by Harrison Lane 

Two brothers have their relationship tested when 11 year old Cooper wants to become a part of his older brother's gang. 

#5 -PERSONA, 2min., UK, Animation/Experimental
Directed by Thomas Donnelly 

Persona is a metaphorical film which uses masks in order to depict the destructive nature of Communism in pre-Soviet Russia

#6 - GIRL IN YELLOW, 3min., USA, Drama/Family
Directed by Christopher Tjajadi 

A switch in perspective reveals that nothing is as it seems. 

#7 - BROTHERS, 5min., USA, Drama/Family
Directed by Randy Kerr 

Set in the Pacific Northwest, three brothers find refuge and redemption from a troubled home through their love of fly fishing for steelhead and the enduring relationships they forge on the river. 

#8 - KCLOC, 3min., India, Documentary/Animation
Directed by Ninaad Kulkarni 

KCLOC is a 3D animated documentary on people's perceptions of time. A selection of brief interviews provide the voices for ten meticulously designed CGI clock characters, in a variety of real-world settings, as they respond to a single question: "What does time mean to you?" 

#9 - THE CORD, 5min., USA, Drama
Directed by Catherine L. Allard 

Adam and his friends enter the house. The mood is going to turn cold. He is about to do something that will change everything. His mind is made up. He is ready to cut the cord. 

#10 - NOT THE SAME RIVER. NOT THE SAME MAN, 4min., Animation/Experimental
Directed by Michelle Brand 

A fisherman takes his boat out on the river. While he and his surroundings are in a constant flow, the viewer observes the passing of time, watching everything go through movement and change. In an ever-flowing cycle, things come to be, change, evolve, and pass on.... 

#11 - IN THROUGH THE NIGHT, 4min., Drama/Experimental
Directed by Josiah Cuneo 

By recalling a childhood story, a world of daydreams and longing unfold against a quiet backdrop of the quotidian. 

#12 - FIREFLIES, 3min., UK, Drama
Directed by Aram Atkinson 

Camping is a magical time for any child, but for this particular young girl and her father, it is an experience they'll never forget. Fireflies is about the dedication and love of a father to his daughter, and the mysterious and magical things that can happen when you let your imagination run wild 

#21 Festival Friday! RoundUp from August 2nd!

Every Thursday, WILDsound hosts a Film Festival! Matt and Kierston meet on Friday mornings to talk about the festival, the themes, the crowd, the comments and the films that made the night so great! 

Also Listen on: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-film-podcast/id1406973270?mt=2

7 Documentary Short Films were presented at the August 2nd Festival. Here is the lineup:

SAN GUERRERO, 4min., Argentina, Documentary
Directed by

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

A portrait of an american ex-patriot lilving in Buenos Aires and working as a city tour guide during the day and a prostitution tour guide during the night

WATER, 4min, USA, Documentary
Directed by Mark Knight

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Window Channel Network takes you on a four-minute journey to some of the planet’s most spectacular glaciers, waterfalls, beaches, rivers and waterways. 

WEEKEND WARRIOR, 6min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Jonathan Harris

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

ISIS WAS HERE, 25min, Iraq, Documentary
Directed by Farman Abdalrahman Karim

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

HAART KENYA, 13min., Kenya, Documentary
Directed by Danielle Da Silva

An organization dedicated to ending modern slavery (human trafficking) against women and children in Kenya and East Africa. Simas spent two weeks photographing their workshops, community, and grief-stricken survival stories.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

HEARING FILMS, 8min., Canada, Documentary
Directed by Arsen Martyrosian

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film! A story of visually impaired film enthusiast Joe Sidarose, that questions the perception of film as a visual medium and exposes the way descriptive cinema influences audience.

BEYOND THE WALL, 26min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Jay Root, Todd Wiseman

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Get past the rhetoric and experience the reality of the U.S.-Mexico border. The film puts viewers into the shoes of undocumented immigrants, Border Patrol agents and a Texas borderland rancher to explore the nation’s most pressing border and immigration issues.

#14 Diegetic and Non diegetic Sound

Today on WILDsound's The Film Podcast, Matt and Kierston take a deep dive look into the world of cinematic sounds. What is Diegetic sound? What is non-diegetic sound? Join Matt and Kierston as they relate these common film terms back to pop culture, mass media and some films you may never have heard of before. 

#10 The Alan Smithee

This is it! The season Finale of Season one of The Film Podcast. We hope you enjoy Matthew and Kierston's discussion on The Alan Smithee- the great name of Shame of the Film and television world! 

show notes

  • DEFINITION 
    • Coined in 1968, and formally discounted in 2000, “Alan Smithee” was a pseudonym used by film directors who wanted to disown a work or their contribution to a work. The idea behind this is that for whatever reason, the director was not able to extend their true creative vision to the piece, thus it is not an example of their work they want to follow them on their resume or be linked to them creatively. 

      EXAMPLES Fade In aka Iron Cowboy (1968) and City in Fear (1980) both directed by Judy Taylor


      Why it is used: When there are extreme conflicts on a set, where a director feels their role is not being utilized, their creative vision not being created, then they do not want their name attached to the work.  
      • It takes away any credit that filmmaker has to claim the work as their own. 
      • It allows a creative to distance themselves from work that could harm them in the future.
#9 Screwball Comedy

Kierston and Matthew take a hilarious look at early Screwball comedy- what was the world like that produced screwball comedy? What factors were at play that brought screwball forward, and would end up influcencing comedy antics for generations to come. 

show notes

  • DEFINITION:  Popularized in the 1930’s during the Great Depression and building an audience into the 40’s in North America, Screwball is a specific style of comedy film that is notable by a few distinctive traits: Fast, stichomythia-type banter, ridiculous, farcical situational comedy, and often feature of the central strong female character. On a deeper note, they tend to break down the struggle between classes and can touch of larger social themes. 
    • GENERAL EXAMPLE: Classic films like Bringing Up Baby (1939), You can’t take it with you (1937)


      Why it is used: When we think back to the Great Depression we can see why a population in economic hardship might be drawn to films that critique the social establishment, the upper class, and of course, have humorous and optimistic overtones.  
      • If you want to talk about how difficult it is for artists to find paying work, and how there are limited options for women except to marry rich, have your characters cross dress to get a job and the make the central love interest focused on finding a rich husband.  
      • If you want to talk about the awkwardness of single-session sexual encounters with your partner- set it at your best friend’s wedding and make it funny! 
      • Screwball comedy allows for social commentary through the sense of humor.