The Film Student TV – Silent Night
The season finale of The Film Student presented the panel of judges with two tough competing film pitches. On one hand “A Nation Turns Gold” pulled at the patriotic heartstrings of any Canadian who remembers the excitement in the air during the 2012 Men’s Olympic Hockey Finals. On the other hand, “Silent Night” is a hopeful story of a brother’s efforts to preserve the spirit of Christmas for his younger sister. In the end, Danny Sedore’s holiday film edged out “A Nation Turns Gold”.
Danny Sedore is a multi-talented filmmaker who sought to showcase all of the skills and tricks he learned during his 18 months at Toronto Film School. Danny chose to create a silent film to amplify the somber setting his characters lived in, so that the viewer could experience the pure emotion behind the scenes and to be fully rewarded in the end for that emotional investment. Danny also expertly omits just enough information about his characters to leave room for interpretation of various events.
Working with child actors is not the easiest job for a young director, but Danny kepy his rule of treating everyone with respect which to him is key when it comes to earning the respect of children. He interacted with them like they were adults, and they idolized him for it. In turn, this encouraged the children to perform even harder.
The Director of Photography, Jeff Alderson, is also Danny Sedore’s childhood friend. They both decided to go to film school together, and now they are working together as a dynamic filmmaking duo.
Don’t forget to The Film Student every Monday on Rogers TV (channel 10 or 63) at 7:30pm. Each episode will provide an insider look into the trials and tribulations film students face during production, and will include a full screening of the resulting short-film.
Watch Episode 6 right here!
To learn more about the Film Production program, click here.
