A COLLECTION OF PERSONAL ARTICLES
**PRESS RELEASE**
New book by John Pozer reframes film education for the next generation. Filled with tips and tricks, PRIMER lays out a practical approach for creative success and scholastic achievement in an easy-to-read format.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW BOOK BY JOHN POZER
REFRAMES FILM EDUCATION FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
21st CENTURY FILM STUDENT PRIMER
Everything You Need to Know and Do Before You go to Film School
VANCOUVER, February 19, 2019 – 21st CENTURY FILM STUDENT PRIMER: Everything You Need to Know and Do Before You go to Film School, the straight-forward new book by award-winning filmmaker and educator John Pozer, reframes film education for the next generation of filmmakers. PRIMER lays out a practical approach for creative success and scholastic achievement in an easy-to-read format.
Based on years of research and interviews with educators and former students, PRIMER relates challenges faced by Pozer’s many students and offers a slate of easy-to-follow exercises to help navigate them, including valuable strategies on how to choose the right school, create a strong portfolio, and arrive with clear ideas on how to maximize the opportunities of any film program.
Pozer has taught scores of emerging filmmakers at leading film schools and launched his own career by shooting his debut feature while a university student. That film, The Grocer’s Wife, was showcased by both the Cannes and Toronto festivals and won a slate of international awards.
Pozer says, “I wanted to write a no-nonsense guide that is educational, entertaining and, most of all, useful. Pursuing a post-secondary film education requires a major investment of time and money. I think it’s imperative for students to know what they’re getting into and be as prepared as possible. Film school is like filmmaking: the more prepared you are, the better your chances of having a successful and rewarding experience. No matter which program one plans to attend or what kind of films one wants to make, readers will find comprehensive exercises and techniques on how to develop their voice, accomplish their best work, and make the most out of their creative efforts.”
21st CENTURY FILM STUDENT PRIMER: Everything You Need to Know and Do Before You go to Film School is now available in paperback and ebook and can be ordered on-line through all major book retailers.
ABOUT JOHN POZER
John Pozer is a Vancouver-based filmmaker, author and educator. He wrote, directed, edited and produced The Grocer’s Wife, which was selected to the Cannes Film Festival as Opening Film for the International Critic’s Week in 1992. The film garnered numerous accolades including the prestigious Prix Georges Sadoul (French Critic’s Award) and Pozer won the inaugural Claude Jutra Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for Best Direction of a First Feature Film.
Pozer returned to Cannes as an executive producer and editor with the independent feature Kissed. He also executive produced After Eden, which premiered in the New Directors section at the San Sebastian Festival. Pozer has also directed a slate of network television, including drama, comedy, animation and documentary.
Pozer’s career began at a young age as an actor. He went on to study film and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University in Montreal. Over the years, he has taught film as a senior directing instructor at Vancouver Film School and adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University, The Art Institute, LaSalle College, British Columbia Institute of Technology, and the University of British Columbia.
21st CENTURY FILM STUDENT PRIMER: Everything You Need to Know and Do Before You go to Film School is his first book.
#
My Most Mesmerizing Mentor: Graeme Campbell
Meeting the right mentors is one of the most important steps in one’s life. Having that protective figure in your corner, someone with experience and authentic wisdom that you can trust, is a rare blessing.
Today, January 18th, I raise a glass in memory to one of my earliest and most influential mentors, the highly-respected actor, Graeme Campbell, who passed away on this day in 1992. I was blessed to be taken under his wing as an actor at the age of 15. He was a kind, generous, and impressive man who nurtured my development as a creative artist.
We first met in rehearsals for the theatrical production of Treasure Island in 1972. I played cabin boy ‘Jim Hawkins’ and Graeme was the formidable one-legged ‘Long John Silver’, hobbling across the stage with his crutch and a squawking parrot on his shoulder. His performance inspired everyone who shared the stage with him. He raised the bar.
Meeting the right mentors is one of the most important steps in one’s life. Having that protective figure in your corner, someone with experience and authentic wisdom that you can trust, is a rare blessing.
Graeme was genuinely interested in my development as an actor. He listened to my concerns. He was enthusiastic about my goals and my life. He championed me. He taught me to believe in myself. I cherished our time together.
Meeting Governor General Roland Michener and his wife, with Graeme Campbell and Director Paddy Crean following the opening performance of Treasure Island at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. (That’s me on the left)
We performed together a year later in the musical, Camelot. Graeme was unforgettable in the role of ‘King Arthur.’ I played ‘Tom of Warwick,’ the young page who dreams of fighting for the Round Table. In the powerful closing moments of the play, Tom is knighted with the King’s legendary sword, Excalibur. Then, Arthur instructs him to circumvent the pending battle, run back to Camelot, and carry out his commands.
There are moments in one’s life that one never forgets. For me, it’s the unique and magical few minutes of this final scene. Night after night, show after show. It was mesmerizing. Our characters would disappear. There was no stage. There were no costumes. Graeme would look down, his eyes full of love, like a father speaking to the son he never had: “For as long as you live, you will remember what I, the King, tell you.”
Recounting it here, many decades later, brings a flood of emotions. Thank you, Graeme Campbell, for your mentorship. Thank you for teaching me about greatness. I have never forgotten your words.
“Don’t let it be forgot
that once there was a spot
for one brief shining moment
that was known as Camelot.”
Graeme Campbell (Nov. 30, 1940 - Jan. 18, 1992)
12 Angry Men (1957): Script to Screen
Sidney Lumet’s first feature film, 12 Angry Men, is a model for low-budget filmmakers.
Sidney Lumet’s first feature film, 12 Angry Men, is a model for low-budget indie filmmakers. Set in one main location, an ordinary jury room, the story unfolds in one day and focuses on the contentious final deliberations of a murder trial. It’s a directorial tour-de-force in blocking, composition and performance. A film to be thoroughly studied for many reasons, including financing, production methodology and visual direction.
The screenplay clocks in at 180 pages. Long by contemporary standards, and not in the format that we see in today’s screenplays. Still, going from “script to screen” is a valuable exercise to understand how Lumet approaches the narrative, visually shaping it through camera position, character placement, and lens choice.
Download script: 12 ANGRY MEN