Strategy – Hot Wheels drives toward big boys

What’s a suitable age for a boy to start putting down his toys? Hot Wheels seems to think the answer is pretty much never.

This summer, the toy car company is reaching out to a wider target demographic of males, looking to keep all ages young at heart with events, tours and sponsorships.

The everything-to-do-with-cars promotional campaign features a new Hot Wheels website, a promotional live tour that will be making stops at the Honda Indy and Canada Diecast Convention in Toronto and a lineup of new Hot Wheels toys. The brand is also hosting a party in Toronto to live-screen the “Fearless at the 500” stunt being performed in Indianapolis by the Hot Wheels stunt team that is set to mark the Indy 500’s 100th anniversary race on May 29.

“While we continue to offer a great line of Hot Wheels toys that are continuously evolving with today’s trends, we want to also expand into areas that would interest an older target audience,” says Melissa Chau, brand manager, Hot Wheels. “Things like clothing, video games and online gaming.”

For Hot Wheels, targeting a broader range of consumers is a challenging task.

“We found the best way to do that is through online and social media,” explains Chau. “We have been working vigorously on our website, but we also have additional layers in support of that, which includes Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.”

Campaign events will be supported through TV, online and OOH advertising. Promotional spots include TV and display ads on CP24, hockey arena board ads as well as tune in spots, online banner ads and contests on both YTV and Teletoon.

“We were a sponsor at last year’s Honda Indy [Niagara Falls] but this year we will have a [more] dominant presence with double the amount of track signage, on-site activation, on-site 30-second TV spots and public announcements,” says Chau.

Creative was handled by Trojan One, with Carat undertaking the media buy.

Media in Canada – Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart raises ‘social’ money for kids

NHL fans need not feel guilty for couch surfing during this year’s hockey season. With Canadian Tire’s charitable program, Jumpstart, viewers can now simultaneously watch the Stanley Cup playoffs and raise money for kids.

The “Playoff Payoff” initiative invites hockey fans to raise money for the Jumpstart program by registering on the program’s Facebook page. Participants then set a personal target of the number of games they’ll watch on TV, invite their family and friends to sponsor their quest, and then donate the proceeds to Jumpstart, which helps cover the costs associated with recreational sports for families who can’t afford it.

Facebook offered an affordable and simple media strategy to reach the program’s target audience of male sports fans, Carolyn Solby, director, marketing and communications, Canadian Tire Jumpstart, tells MiC.

“We have to be very careful with every dollar spent,” she says of Jumpstart’s marketing. “[Social media] is untested, uncharted water for us.”

Campaign strategy was handled by Taxi in Toronto and according to account director Megan Snider, the goal was to create a program that made fundraising easy.

“Jumpstart is using this as a fundraiser. The best way to do that is to make it really easy for people to participate,” she says. “You can’t make it much easier than to make people do something that they already want to do, like asking Canadians to watch playoff hockey.”

Promotional spots include a Jumpstart ad in the Canadian Tire flyer, reaching 11 million Canadian households, an ad in the retailer’s e-flyer and a video ad on Facebook.

The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness and money, to drive traffic to Canadian Tire’s Facebook page and to engage with a target audience that the retailer hasn’t really reached out to in the past.

“Our target audience is Canadian Tire shoppers and parents with kids,” Solby explains. “This allows us to broaden that to sports fans. It’s a more male audience. We think it will skew slightly younger, in terms of young guys watching the playoffs.”

NHL is an official sponsor of the campaign, with Hershey as a prizing sponsor.

Media in Canada – Ontario Colleges call youth to action

A multimedia direct marketing campaign, coupled with the slogan “Break Your Own Trail,” was launched yesterday by Colleges Ontario in hopes that it will encourage Canada’s Aboriginal youth to enter into post-secondary institutions.

The $400,000 campaign will include advertisements directly targeted at Aboriginal-focused media across Canada, reaching an audience of younger and older generations, Sally Ritchie, media relations and communications, Ontario Colleges tells MiC.

Print, online and radio advertisements, designed and executed by Spirit Creative in Vancouver, direct potential students to Yourowntrail.ca where they are encouraged to explore the 24 Ontario colleges listed on the site.

Media outlets where “Break Your Own Trail” ads will run include Turtle Island News and Anishnabek News as well as radio stations in French and English -CKWE and CFJB FM – all of which reach Aboriginal community reserves.

According to Ritchie, campaign posters using a mix of indigenous symbols – such as forests, land and streams – appeal to the campaign target audience and will be distributed in reserves across Canada.

With Spirit Creative’s focus on designing promotional content for groups reaching out to Aboriginal communities, the creative agency was a good fit as it understands the needs and challenges that the communities face, explains Ritchie.

“The campaign was developed to reflect the needs of the community. We wanted an advertising firm that is Aboriginal in nature,” she says. “Ken and John Sioui, who run the firm, are both Aboriginal Peoples. They led the consultations of the campaign and they developed the creative concepts for the ads.”

The “Break Your Own Trail” campaign is set to run in April and May, and again from October to November.

Travis magazine – 15 Minutes of Student Fame

So the impressive artwork splashed across this month’s issue of Travis caught your attention? Well of course it did. What would the point of hypnotic orange and blue concentric circles be if it didn’t demand your attention? Hell, that’s why we chose it. Out of all the images sent to us for our illustration issue, we strongly believe that this is the one most likely to make the magazine shelves pop, and have you reaching for a copy. Thanks to Scott Forbes and his mesmerizing illustration, we have successfully managed to lure you in.

Now, not only is this image printed on a bucket load of Travis magazines, but it also makes up the inaugural cover of a comic book series entitled 27. Writer Charles Soule found Forbes on a message board a few years back. The young artist posted a couple of his pieces on the forum, hoping they would catch the eye of a potential employer. Fortunately for both the writer and artist, their paths crossed and they have been in contact ever since. Forbes illustrated a previous comic book cover for Soule but because of conflicting ideas, the piece was scrapped. The two stayed in contact and in the summer of 2009, they came together to work on the series 27.

The cover was recently ranked 25th on the “Top 100 Comic Book Covers” of 2010 by IGN, and has helped Forbes gain tremendous recognition in the industry. The 21-year-old artist was born in a small town in Nova Scotia and claims that his mother is the source of his creativity. His older brother is an actor and his father is a businessman. Forbes enjoys hiding his signature in obscure places within his artwork. He also has an identical twin who shares his love for animation and all things visually creative. The brothers both attend Sheridan College, but are completing different years in the program. Forbes was a little surprised when the college accepted him before his brother, Benjamin. “I know I’m not the strongest animator,” said Forbes. “I honestly thought he would get in before me because his work is a lot more cartoony than mine. You would never expect me to be in animation. My style of work is a lot more realistic and grounded.” He believes that his work is more representative of an illustrator and filmmaker than an animator.

Forbes admires the ability of an animator to create something from nothing. His goal is to always produce a piece that will tell a story.

“I think it’s important about delivering a message,” said Forbes. “There are all these technicalities to be learned, but for the most part you want to come out knowing how to be a good storyteller.”

“I am trying to find my own look. Subconsciously I am influenced by other styles as they trickle in, but I try not to let too much in,” said Forbes. “I draw whatever comes to mind and I try not to be too influenced by others. I don’t want to purposely look at their stuff and want to be them.” Forbes admits to not being able to think outside of the box. He prefers to create realistic and proportional images with clean, ornate, and open lines. His images stand out like a sore thumb when placed next to those of his friends. Everything sits perfectly and each has a life-like feel. His style is far from a typical “cartoon”. His work seems inspired by European artists who take a more realistic approach.

This is what made the art behind 27 so difficult for Forbes. His style is clean and the writer wanted something a little more rough and edgy to complement the subject matter of the book. He produced a cover, sent it off, went to bed and woke up the next morning really unhappy with the piece. He felt that the face was too dull looking and that it lacked life. He tweaked and continued to chip away at it until it felt right. “That face,” he said while sighing and thinking of his struggles with the piece.

“A musician’s inspiration seems to come from the troubles in their life and so they often use drugs or alcohol to self medicate,” said Forbes. “The cover itself shows that the musician is withered away. It speaks of the music industry and the people who died of drug overdose and suicide.” If you look carefully at the artwork, the outer orange circle reveals a black bandage, which covers the subject’s left hand. It indicates who the musician once was, and the broken man he is today. Forbes plans to further work with Soule on the comic series and produce more tributes to those who are a part of the “27 club”. He’ll also be attending the Wizard World Comic Con in Toronto.

Forbes believes networking is essential for starting a career in animation. He encourages everyone to get their images out there and expose themselves to the people who are looking for artists. Think about it. If Forbes hadn’t posted his work on a message board, he wouldn’t have created the artwork for an entire comic series. He wouldn’t have been recognized by ign for his work, and he wouldn’t have his piece on the cover of Travis today. It all just goes to show what a little luck and selfpromotion can do for your career.

Travis magazine – Mark Zibert profile

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Where in the world is Mark Zibert?

Have you ever tried to get a hold of Mark Zibert? I mean, really tried to get a hold of him. Should you ever decide to honour him in some way, like in a magazine, it might be a challenge. But for us folk at Travis, we attempted this all in the midst of a terribly chaotic work schedule. We followed photographer Mark Zibert’s footsteps to get the story, and some might even say we had to hunt this Sheridan graduate down. We really wanted to talk to Zibert, like really wanted to talk to him. So we went after him like good journalists should. This entailed endless pestering e-mails, consideration for an at-the-airport photo shoot, and early morning wake up calls. Because if you don’t already know, he’s pretty damn fantastic.

Why you ask? Well for starters Zibert is an award-winning Sheridan photography graduate, and for that he’s down in our books as a rock star. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is. We are Sheridan crazy, and despite the fact that Zibert was planning on shooting in Argentina, we were still able to sit him down for 15 minutes. He focuses on the advertising industry, but occasionally gets his creative hands dirty with commercial film work. He admits to steering his efforts toward film school at first, but after being rejected by various colleges he was left to follow through with plan B.

“It’s not like I was super disappointed,” he said. “Film was my first choice, but photography was right there and in hindsight, I’m glad it went that way.”

At age 19, Zibert was eager to start a career forHimself in the world of media arts. Sheridan College provided just what he was looking for, a program that based its teachings on techniques, practical work, and theory. “Because I was young I didn’t really care about theory. I just wanted to take pictures. The technical approach was very good for me though.”

As Zibert will say of any industry, going to school provides you with a good base and after that you still have to continue learning and making mistakes. “School is great to give you the basics and you definitely learn a lot at Sheridan as with any other photo school,” he said. “You’ll know enough on how to become a good assistant and give you a general understanding of the tools to do it. But once you start assisting and shooting your own stuff, it really forces you to learn.”

David White, a photography lecturer who once worked closely with Zibert, said that he remembers him as quiet, laid back, and down to earth. When this busy photographer isn’t flying around the world on location shoots, the two will try to meet at least once a year to catch up. When commenting on Zibert’s work, White affectionately described the connection he has with his subjects. “He does exceptional work. You get the sense that he’s enjoying it. It’s very playful,” White said. “When he’s working with a particular character in a shoot, he is definitely comfortable with them and gets them to really work for him. He gives them the direction he is looking for. You see the connection he has with people, he’s genuine that way and he draws it out of people.”

After leaving Sheridan, Zibert wanted to get right into doing his own shoots and so avoided taking the assistant route – which he realized the hard way, is not the most effective way to go about it. He set up meetings with companies only to be turned away for not having done enough work. The photographer spent the next year freelance assisting in order to work on his portfolio.

“Photo assisting is like another form of school, it’s more like a continuation of school after college.” He acknowledges not only the importance of assisting itself, but also the choice one makes in regards to a mentor.

“I think it’s important that when you do an internship that you find photographers that you are excited about,” he advises students at Sheridan. “Work with photographers whose work you admire and who you will really learn from.”

Zibert boasts an impressive line of clients obtained in the short amount of time he has spent in the industry. Nike, Adidas, Pepsi, and Nokia are just a few that have taken him on to shoot for their advertising campaigns. He constantly travels the world, at one time spending 8 months on the road, as he shoots not only commercial but documentary photography too.

He’s also won a Lucie Award for Best Print Advertising Campaign, one of the highest achievements you can accomplish in the industry. He played a big part in China being awarded their first Gold Lion award in the Cannes Festival when he shot the Adidas Olympic advertising campaign.

White even goes on to say that Zibert is probably one of the leaders in the industry and only a handful of students have reached the level he is at right now.

Yeah, thats right, he’s a rock star. But its better to understand who he is through his work and appreciate his drive that keeps pushing him forward in the industry. It makes you wonder, with the right tools, and a little bit of luck, you could be the next photographer we end up hunting down.

 

 

Travis magazine — Gillian Saunders profile

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Who the hell is Gillian Saunders?

There’s always something to learn when interviewing someone new. This time around I learned the power of an icebreaker. I am going to log this in as Rule # 21, utilize your accent to get the conversation rolling.

I’ve slowly become unaware of the fact that I sound different to everyone else around me. To me, the South African accent is not a very pleasing one. But without fail, it will always be the first thing on the conversation agenda. The first few minutes I spent talking with Gillian Saunders involved dodging chatty students and looking for a quiet place to sit. I wasn’t able to tell immediately, but my interviewee had a few uncommon twangs in her voice. I didn’t want to assume, but she acknowledged my accent immediately. “Where’s the accent from?” she asked. She understood how I felt about this accent business. “I get that all the time, people think I’m from South Africa. Probably because I’ve lived all over the place, it’s a mix of everything,” she said smiling. She swiped her access card along a door near the art wing, and we stepped into a silent room where her English accent was clear as day.

Saunders was born and raised in England. She spent the first 10 years of her life in Liverpool with her working class family. For the next eight years after that she lived in London with her rich and prestigious family of ballerinas. Her story similar to Billy Elliot. Humble beginnings that later led to a life of status and distinction.

From there, she auditioned for a position in the Royal Ballet School. The year she applied almost 2,000 other girls had made it through to the final audition. Only 19 were chosen to enter the esteemed school. Saunders was one of them. She trained with the school for eight years, and at the end of each school term she would visit her family. She moved to Canada one year after graduation, which didn’t improve the already distant relationship with her family. When she visited her family one summer she realized how little she knew about her older brother and sister. “It becomes important within your craft to have family around. You become so insular and almost self absorbed, you’re not the best creative person that you can be. You need those outside influences. It’s the only thing that kept me sane in the business.”She visits them every year now.

Saunders danced for the National Ballet School of Canada for five years, after which she transitioned into musical theatre. “Everyone always assumes that if you are a dancer, you can do any style. But because I was classically trained, I nearly had to throw my training away.” She went on to learn a variety of different styles of dance including hip-hop, tap, and jazz. After leaving the National Ballet School of Canada, she performed in The Phantom of the Opera for three years, and then Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. Saunders toured around the country, and in her last year with the show she gave birth to her son. Now retired from performing, a friend from the ballet company asked her to teachEvening classes at his studio in downtown Toronto. She had never drawn up lesson plans or instructed classes. She was usually the one attending them. But after her first day of teaching, she knew that all the years spent training and performing had finally led her to this place. “I thought to myself, ‘this is almost too easy for me’. It comes naturally, just flowing out of me. It evolved organically and it just felt like it was meant to be.”

Another friend suggested going for an interview at Sheridan College to be a part of their dance department. When she walked in, she didn’t even know what she was interviewing for. She made quite the impression though. A week later they hired her as the head of the dance department. “I guess they trusted me,” she said laughing. “But I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants.” Saunders has been with us at Sheridan for nine years now. Her job entails running the department, hiring faculty, managing the program, and marking the student’s dance performances. Last year she joined the panel of judges for So You Think You Can Dance Sheridan and hopes to be a part of it again this year. “I feel my brilliance is in my teaching ability. I know that I can get through to my students on a level that they can understand and not feel threatened. I make them the brave person that I never was.” She feels so passionate about teaching that the only way she admits to being able to Get Loose is by doing exactly that. Work is her comfort zone, and if she has to do a couple dozen pirouettes to feel relaxed, then start counting.

 

Canadian Society of Cinematograpers magazine — Michael Jari Davidson

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Anything Goes on an Indie Film

Change is constant. An inevitable force that pushes and pulls, even when one pushes back. Revolutionizing the film industry is a constant struggle for image-makers. Standing out and making an impact is a competitive sport, one that CSC associate member Michael Jari Davidson relishes as he takes on more than any rational human being ever should.

There are two sides to Davidson. Much like what he describes as a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality; the good vs. evil style that he has embraced since day one of his film career has helped guarantee a spot on his challenging road to success. He shies away from creating a toxic or abrasive environment on set, and instead combines eccentric and militaristic techniques to earn respect and dedication from his crew.

“I don’t see the value in treating people poorly and demeaning them. I don’t understand the ‘end justifies the means’ mentality or rationale,” Davidson says of his management style. “I would rather keep it civil and have a good time, especially when you are working 16 hours a day together. There really is no point in me creating a toxic environment with my crew during production. I can motivate them if I need to, but there are also times to let loose.”

His style holds true in his most recent independent feature film, Anything Goes. The dark comedy provides a humorous look at the how a romantic gesture can go horribly wrong when unexpected role players come into the picture. What starts off as a light-hearted film suddenly transforms into a fast-paced ride full of twists and turns. Davidson found himself reading down the pages of the script as opposed to across the page, working to predict what would happen next.

During production, the DOP often uses his eccentricity to release the pressure and stress that comes with shooting for 21 days on an independent fi lm. To understand, one would have to picture Davidson’s set, his crew and the rituals that they use to take the edge off. “We are always looking for ways to build on that camaraderie and that bond,” Davidson explains. “This is a really aggressive production schedule. We are just looking for ways to blow off steam.”

What better way to let loose than to parade around in Viking helmets one night after wrap? What better way to bond than to pretend it’s that time of the year, and have a Secret Santa? Lunch without a jam session to Rage against the Machine for Michael and his crew is like a sandwich without the bread.

While some may find his foolery slightly odd, others find it a breath of fresh air. Director of Anything Goes, Bruno Marino, says he quite enjoys it. “It really just shows a human side to him. It’s refreshing when someone brings his personality to set.”

Marino admires Davidson’s ability to bring life to a set and speaks highly of his technical skills and creative insight. “He makes an independent set feel Hollywood,” he says. “Michael brings a level of professionalism that you don’t normally see on an indie level. He definitely knows his craft and any shot that I’ve imagined or conjured up in my head, he executes flawlessly. He brings my vision to life and I’m pleasantly surprised by how easy he makes something that I would assume to be quite difficult.”

Marino also points out the way the crew interacts as a unit rather than as individuals on an assembly line. He talks of how the six-person crew that Davidson has cultivated over the years will finish each other’s sentences. They know exactly what must be done when, without even a word exchanged. According to the director, Davidson will just give a look to one of his technicians and before anything is said, the framing of a shot is corrected.

His crew has been affectionately named the Navy Seals in reference to their strict routine and regimented workflow. “We come in with a set amount of equipment, we each have a defined role, we come in to perform a job and we fulfill our obligations and the operation with precision,” Davidson explains. “That’s how I look at it, as a military procedure. We only have so many soldiers and so we have to make strategic plans. Everything is tactical. We’re are always early, the gear is always there, and we plan everything.”

Davidson talks of his love of film and how he went from life as a musician, playing in a band, touring and producing albums, to life as a filmmaker. He graduated from the University of Western Ontario. Even before entering the industry, Davidson had already made a name for himself as he worked on any and every set he could get his hands on. Growing up in an immigrant blue-collar family has helped him to embrace a standing-on-shoulders mentality. “I have this respect for anyone who has come before me in this role. I look at all the greats, all cinematographers, with the utmost respect and reverence,” he says. He understands the chain of command, the way the fi lm industry works and the line of image-makers that have made a mark in movie history. “I don’t just look at it as me being a cinematographer. I look at it as though I am a part of this long chain that’s been going for 120 years. I find myself as an integral link in that chain. So, in 50 years or so, someone might look at me with reverence and say this person did it this way and now they are following my footsteps.”

Being mentored by George Willis csc, sasc pushed him to be creative with little funding and time in order to make a low budget film feel high budget without all the expensive toys. “He taught me to read the script and imagine what it should look like,” says Davidson. “Use your imagination to fi nd out how you will create a great film with those limited resources.” The punk rock ethic he brings to the set means he knows what he wants and takes it. Where some may talk of taking chances and not follow through with their plans, Davidson demonstrates an innate ability to take the bull by the horns and just do it. “It all really boils down to tenacity and determination on what you want to be in life,” he says.

With just five years of filmmaking under his belt, Davidson has managed to develop a distinctive style to his work while creating award-winning films that will be the groundwork to his successful career. To add to his rise in the film industry, he became a director ex-officio of the CSC executive in March 2010 and was accepted as a director of photography in IASTE 667 in September 2010.

His inspiration being foreign films and gritty 1970s American cinema, Davidson plans to continue making dramatic narrative films that he hopes will place him on the historical film-industry map, all while continuing to let his eccentric artist loose.

Sheridan Sun — Gay & Straight Alliance

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College comes out to support Gay & Straight Alliance

They’re here! They’re queer! And we’re getting used to it.

The Gay and Straight Al-liance, founded by Media Arts student Khotso Young, recently celebrated its one-year anniver-sary and appears to have received an overwhelming welcome from Sheridan College and many of its students.

The GSA is a student com-munity that consists of men and women categorized as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. Straight students can also participate in meetings and fundraisers to help create awareness.

“I thought that starting up a club would be a perfect oppor-tunity to do something for my community. Seeing as there was nothing for the gay community at Sheridan even though it is an arts school. It seemed a bit odd to me,” said Young.

The number of members signing up to be a part of the GSA has increased three times the amount since its establishment last January.

Straight females attending meetings make up around half of the members, whereas only a tenth are straight males. Topics of discussion at meetings range from Aids awareness and sex education to security at Sheri-dan and safety tips that help stu-dents to protect themselves from verbal and physical abuse at the college.

“Unfortunately, there is a lot of gay bashing that happens at college. My girlfriend and I have been called names and have had students throw things at us,” said Young. “I don’t really care that much. But what bothers me is when physical and verbal abuse happens to somebody who can’t stick up for themselves. It bothers me to know that this does happen and that there are some people who feel uncomfortable to walk the halls of Sheridan.”

The GSA’s number one rule is strict con蠀dentiality.

It aims to provide a safe and secure environment where students feel comfortable enough to discuss their problems and share coming out stories.

One of its co-founders is Young’s transgender brother Boho Young. Currently transitioning from female to male, Boho feels that the best way to come out to family and friends is to take it slow.

“Talk to your parents about being gay and see how they react. Slowly come out to them. Maybe have a friend with you for sup-port,” said Boho. “It’s different for everyone; no one really knows how their parents are going to take it. ἀey could be liberal people, but then again it is their child that is coming out and they still have to worry about discrimination.”

A mini gay pride march at Sheridan College organized by the GSA is planned to take place at the end of the semester.

Gay and straight students will march from the Student Union building and around college as they celebrate who they are and who they love, says Young.  After the march they will host an afternoon of games and a barbeque on campus to give both gay and straight students a chance to interact and get to know one another.

For more information  about the Gay and Straight Alliance, contact the Student Union offices or join the Sheridan College GSA Facebook group.

Sheridan Sun Online — Film Photography

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Is film photography a dead art?

It’s the end of an era. That is, the Kodachrome era. After decades of its existence, Kodak finally pulled the plug on production and the final date for film processing fell on New Years Eve of 2010. But, does this mean the beginning of the end of film photography?

According to Ilich Mejia, art director and photographer for Roots Canada, there is still a place for film.

Although Mejia primarily shoots digital for Roots, his passion lies in black and white film photography. He is saddened by the discontinuation of the film, but believes that websites like Lomography are helping to preserve film and inspiring people to be creative.

The organization has bought out plastic cameras that produce interesting and artistic photographs at a reasonable price.

“It’s sad that these things are disappearing because half of these films are off the market now,” said the photographer. “Lomography is doing a great thing though. They’re bringing back what people liked about film and they’re helping keep up the sales of the small amount of film that’s still being produced.”

“We waste a lot of time looking at the screens on the back of our cameras and we’re actually missing a lot of the moments.”

Mejia says that even though there is still hope for film, its place in the industry will be limited. Digital cameras have revolutionized photography allowing both professionals and amateurs to shoot fast and cheap. This has pushed conventional film to the margins where now it’s used mainly for fine art photography or personal projects.

Even so, Mejia believes that digital photography can be detrimental for some photojournalists.

“They miss something because they are too busy looking at what they shot before,” said Mejia. “We waste a lot of time looking at the screens on the back of our cameras and we’re actually missing a lot of the moments.”

Another point to note about film, he says, is that a lot of photographers who shoot digital will work at manipulating images in Photoshop to make them look more like film images.

“People sometimes want a photo to look vintage, but its digital. So they go back and add film elements to the photo to make it look like it was shot on 35mm. That’s got to tell you something,” said Mejia. “We’re taking something modern and trying to make it look old and rustic through the computer.”

“It has an old, nostalgic feel. The whole idea that you don’t get to see your photos right away. You don’t know what you’re going to get.”

Alex Lysakowski, an aspiring photographer who is in his second year at OCAD for photography, dreams of shooting fashion models in Paris one day. And he plans to do it all with film.

The photographer, who has primarily shot film since high school when he picked up his fathers 1980s-era Canon AE1, says that there is something romantic about it.

“It has an old, nostalgic feel. The whole idea that you don’t get to see your photos right away. You don’t know what you’re going to get,” said Alex.

Using film is not an easy process though. One must understand the settings of a camera and the rules of composition in order for a successfully exposed image to come out.

“You have to be extra careful, expose your shots correctly and set your camera at the right aperture and the right shutter speed,” he said. “Then you go and develop your film and your film just comes to life before your eyes in the darkroom.”

Lysakowski admits that shooting film can be an expensive choice, but there are ways to get around that.

“I go out and take random shots here and there. That’s when I buy Shoppers film which is $10 for three rolls,” he said. “If I want the more expensive stuff for a school project or if I know I am going to be shooting something with a model, I will buy the good stuff, which is normally $10 to $14 a roll.”

When it comes to film, Lysakowski advises amateurs to be patient and to train their eye. It can become very expensive as you learn. But, keep at it and the patience will definitely pay off, he says.

“It took me a really long time to get where I am right now and a lot of wasted rolls,” said Lysakowski.

Oakville.com — Aradia fitness studio

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Dance & Fitness Studio for Women in Oakville

The phone rings. Twice. A chirpy young woman picks up and voices over the receiving end that she would love to answer questions about pole dancing. “I am a little busy at the moment though,” says Jane Wilson, owner of the Aradia Fitness in Oakville. “I am about to perform.” Awkwardness fills the air and she abruptly responds mid-sentence while giggling, “Oh! By the way, I’m not performing on stage, if you know what I mean? It’s for charity”.

For most, the initial thought of a woman performing the art of seduction by way of a pole in a room full of spectators, usually leads them to places where there is an abundance of one dollar bills, neon lights and gold bikini’s. This is something that Jane is well aware of and the kind of thinking she is working to eradicate. For two years now, she has managed to successfully open up women’s minds and their bodies with Aradia’s specially designed Pole Dancing for Fitness program.

Jane admits to being a part of the recurrent judgments passed down on the untraditional workout method. Her first reaction to pole dancing as a way to work off the extra 40 pounds that crept up on her after giving birth to her second child, was not a favourable one. “At first, I thought real mommy’s don’t pole dance. I can’t do this; I’m not supposed to do be sexy.” But, after her first lesson at the Aradia’s Burlington branch, she was hooked.

Not only do the pole dancing routines help in toning and strengthening, she says, but it also allows women to think differently about their body and their sexuality.

“A lot of ladies that come in don’t realize that pole dancing is not just about getting a great workout. It’s about creating bonds, sisterhood and building up self-esteem. The wonderful by-product that they gain is self-esteem and empowerment.”

The fitness group offers a range of interesting classes to help women build their upper body strength through the use of brass poles. The instructors, who are former students of Aradia, provide lessons on how to condition your body, to perform sensual stretches, as well as burlesque inspired choreography. Specialty classes where Jane teaches women how to walk in stiletto heels, among other boot camps, will open up in the fall.

For more information on how to attend classes, workshops or book a private function, visit their website or contact Aradia Fitness in Oakville at (905) 844 7746.