2012 Collaborations

Welcome to 2012! What a great sounding year, Twenty-Twelve, it just rolls off the tongue.  With the start of a new year often comes new beginnings and that is exactly what I’d like to introduce you to, right now.

I first began Rockey Shores Productions Inc in 2007 as an opportunity to work closely with by best friend, Matt Hamilton.  The year prior I had spent exploring the world and “finding myself” in Australia.  It was during that time, that I was able to reflect on my life’s experiences and find a new direction for myself.  I won’t get into how I had previously spent my entire life working towards the goal of becoming a Marine Biologist only to find myself 3 years into my post secondary education with the realization that I didn’t want to be that person any longer.  Fast forward through a couple years of  exploring management, training and finance to find myself in the Vancouver Airport after making rash decision only 2 months prior to leave my home, my family and my friends to go traveling, alone.

Oddly enough, just a couple months before my departure from Canada, I had worked with Matt who had just graduated from Vancouver Film School as a screenwriter, on his first short film, Diary of a Leafs Fan. Together, with a few of our friends, we created a funny piece in just a few short hours of filming.  (At that time I was only involved in an acting capacity, so I have no idea how long the editing process was).  While I was away in Australia, Matt sent me the completed version on DVD.  I laughed all over again and relived the collaborative efforts and fun we had while ‘on set’.  It was right then and there that I had decided to pursue a career in film and more importantly, hang around my friends more often.  Could you image…getting paid to be creative with my friends?  I had always been an appreciator of films, but now I was hooked.

The only caveat was; I didn’t want to be in front of the camera.  For all the obvious and cliché reasons, I preferred to be behind the scenes. I wanted to be a Producer.  What’s really amazing is that all my previous experience in management, training and finance could serve me well in my new role.  Further more, all of the time I spent as a server helped me develop my communication and organization skills and gave me the tools to feel comfortable building relationships with people.  A couple months after I had returned to Canada and some bills were paid off, I started Rockey Shores and invited Matt to be my partner. I’ve been stuck with him ever since.

Four Years later, I’m often asked what my favourite part of the job is. Truth be told, it’s all about the collaboration.  I always look forward to the productions days the most.  After weeks and months of pre-production and preparation, it’s then when we have all of the players and creative minds in once place that I reinforce why I chose this path.  The exchange of ideas, the sudden flashes of inspiration, the problem solving, and of course all the laughter.  Now, it does make it more interesting for me to have the last word and the final say, but I’d like to think that I’m extremely receptive to good ideas and input. You can ask the people that I work with if that actually holds true…just not Matt.

Then, when all is said and done, and all the hard work is completed, sitting back and watching what you have helped to create is brilliant.  We’re only now getting to the point where we can start sharing all of our creative endeavours with the world, so I really look forward to sitting in a theatre with the entire team as an audience enjoys our work…or doesn’t.  I guess that will come with the territory, too.

That brings us back to this blog and the reason you’re reading this. (Since I highly doubt you just like reading the words that I put to the page.)  I’ve never been much of a writer, but fortunately I know plenty of people with a real passion or propensity for it.  That’s why I have decided to start this series of blog posts where most of the pieces will be submitted by guest writers from our network.  It’s taken a couple months of preparation and often a great deal of cajoling to gather pieces from various people in our network. Over the coming weeks and months, you’ll be able to hear from many different aspects and positions in the film industry; from sound designers and colour correctionists, to production assistants and screenwriters.  It’s our hope that not only will having guest writers expand our network and their own networks, which will increase everyone’s exposure, but it will also provide a resource for those in or trying to get into our industry.  Perhaps you are thinking that pyrotechnics isn’t the direction you’d like to pursue, and you’re curious about what it’s like to be a director instead.  Perhaps you’re curious about what the introduction and subsequent retraction of the HST will mean for the film business in Vancouver?  Here, you’ll find someone’s take on those very questions.

Ultimately, I’m once again attempting to build another collaborative effort that’s bigger than just me and our small production company.  As the posts get released every Wednesday, we would love to hear your feedback and discussion.  Share these posts with your network and see if anyone you know is in or considering being a part of the film industry.  They might find the opinions contained within helpful. The also might find them enraging, which could be entertaining as well. Maybe you just want to start a discussion around the topic of the week.  Either way, we’d love to hear from you.  If you too would like to become a guest writer for this series, then be sure to contact me and let’s have a little chat.

So thanks for checking out this first post of many.  Have you had any particularly special or even disastrous experiences while collaborating on a project? Leave us a comment and share them.

With Warm Regards,
Tim Rockey

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