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Welcome to Reel Stories, where Canadian filmmakers describe how they developed, produced and marketed their films, and the lessons they learned along the way. Each of these "tales from the trenches" offers a unique look at the skills and focus needed to navigate the shoals of the business end of filmmaking. You'll also hear from the people filmmakers deal with, including funders, distributors, bankers and festival organizers. They offer advice and tips on how filmmakers can work with them to make sure their movies are made and seen.

Articulate Your Vision for Funders User Rating: / 3 John Galway has looked at hundreds of scripts over the past decade, both at Telefilm Canada and, since September 2005, as President of English-Language Program at Astral Media’s Harold Greenberg Fund. “I don’t think people spend enough time thinking about what they can do to their script to make it stand out among the 75 to 100 scripts we consider,” he says. So what can filmmakers do to improve their chances of getting funded? Read more...   Financial Success Starts With a Strong Script User Rating: / 1 To Wiebke von Carolsfeld, the financial success of a feature film rests on having the right script. Von Carolsfeld, a director, won the prize for best Canadian first feature at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2002 for her film Marion Bridge. Read more...   Collaborate With People Who Know a Lot More Than You Do User Rating: / 0 Jeremy Podeswa is one of the rare directors whose role on the business side of a film is to maintain creative control while others worry about the money. Read more...   Producer’s Passion is Key to Broadcast Deals User Rating: / 1 “I’m a very big supporter of first-time filmmakers,” says Shelley Gillen, head of Creative Affairs for Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central. “Not that we need so many that the economy can’t support them all, but our industry always needs new blood, new talent to keep the engine oiled.” Read more...   Tougher Climate Calls for More Ingenuity User Rating: / 3 If Alexandra Raffé were making her first feature film today instead of 20 years ago, when she produced the hit I've Heard the Mermaids Singing, she'd do it totally differently. Read more...   Don't Be Afraid to Self-Finance User Rating: / 1 When Wendy Ord is asked for the single most important advice she could offer to any filmmaker, she replies: “Do not be afraid.” Read more...   Tight Budget? Work With What You Have User Rating: / 0 Elliot Grove has a mission: to prove that a feature film can be made with little or no money. Read more...     To Co-Produce or Not to Co-Produce? User Rating: / 0 Anna Stratton and Robin Cass, two of the founders of Triptych Media Inc., one of Canada’s leading independent film production companies, have run the gamut of international co-production deals. Read more...   Filmmaking is a Business of Building Relationships User Rating: / 2 The secret to Ruba Nadda's success as a filmmaker is this: Just keep asking for free stuff. Her reasoning is that if you don't ask, people won't give. Which is how she's made three feature films and 13 shorts while penniless. Read more...   Selling Canadian Films Abroad User Rating: / 0 Read more...

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