“I want to make films and television programs that affect people. That’s why I got into this business. I have had the pleasure of working with amazing cinematographers who know how to tell stories. A great cinematographer can manipulate film and use it to their advantage. They can integrate different film formats that almost become characters in the story. I never say that people work for me. They work with me. It’s a team effort. When you work with talented people, the images are amazing. With film, you also have a lot more flexibility to be creative and to solve problems in postproduction. That often results in time and money saved. I’m hoping to produce my first independent feature soon, and I plan to shoot it on film.”

Avi Federgreen is a line producer based in Toronto. He has been a member of the executive board of the Directors Guild of Canada for many years. His credits include the television programs Northern Town, Heyday!, It’s Me Geraldand Charms for the Easy Life, and the feature films Hollywood Flies, Emotional Arithmetic and All Hat.

A CONVERSATION WITH AVI
FEDERGREEN

QUESTION: How did you become interested in filmmaking?
FEDERGREEN: I was born in Calgary and raised in Edmonton. One night when I was about nine years old, I went downstairs to say good night to my dad. He was watching a black and white horror movie called Mystery of the Wax Museum. My mouth dropped open. I thought it was really cool. I turned to my dad and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ Later, I applied to Radio and Television school but I wasn’t accepted. I studied computer science at DeVry Institute of Technology in Calgary and then in Phoenix, Arizona. I worked in that field in Edmonton and Toronto for almost ten years, but decided I didn’t really like what I was doing. Most of my friends were in the film business. A friend said he could get me a job as a location production assistant. He said that the work was not fun, the hours were long and the money wasn’t good. I said, ‘Sounds good to me.’

QUESTION: What was the next step?
FEDERGREEN: I slowly moved up the ladder. In 2000, I worked on a series called Twice in a Lifetime for Marilyn Stonehouse, the guru of production management and producing in Toronto. I was one of two location managers, but it turned out to be a very difficult job in part because the other location manager left. That led to an opportunity to become assistant production manager. I eventually worked as production manager on Soldier’s Girl, I Accuse and other projects. I moved up to line producer on It’s Me Gerald, Northern Town, Heyday! and All Hat. I’ve worked on productions across all of Canada, including in the Yukon, Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, and Ontario, which is rare. There are many other people to whom I’m grateful, including Danny Iron, Moira Holmes, Anna Stratton, Robin Cass, and Jennifer Jonas. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am.

QUESTION: Tell us about Northern Town.
FEDERGREEN: Northern Town was produced in the Yukon, a place I had always wanted to go. I fell in love with it. It was a winter show. The first week I was there it was 51 degrees below zero. We put together six episodes of some of the funniest, most intelligent television I have ever seen. Luc Montpellier [CSC] was the cinematographer. He used Super 16 film and sometimes shot with a Bolex camera, and it looked phenomenal. Luc is a visionary. We had a lot of fun.

QUESTION: What makes a project like Northern Town click?
FEDERGREEN: There were no hidden agendas and no greed for money. Everybody was there for the right reason, which was to make a good television show and have a great experience in the Yukon. This was also true on my next project, which we made in Newfoundland, called Heyday!, and then on All Hat, which was shot all over southern Ontario. I got into this business because I wanted to make films and television programs that affect people—shows that people would see and then sit around in a coffeehouse with their friends and talk about. I think that’s important.

QUESTION: Explain your responsibilities as line producer.
FEDERGREEN: After the director, I’m one of the first people hired. The producer hires me, and I’m involved in the hiring of many of the crew members. Many times my job includes production management. This entails overseeing all aspects of the production, including responsibility for maintaining the budget. Relationships are key. I can honestly say that I have great rapport with the unions and crew members. You have to be completely open and honest and fair with people. I never say people work for me. They work with me. It’s a team effort. I can’t do it without them. It’s all about relationships and honesty and integrity. My door is always open. People know that they can come and talk to me about anything, anytime. When we’re filming, I’m on set all the time because you can’t solve problems on the set unless you are there.

QUESTION: From your perspective, what makes a great director of photography?
FEDERGREEN: I’ve had the pleasure of working with some amazing cinematographers, including Miroslaw Baszak on Rescuers: Stories of Courage and The Naked City, Jean Lépine [CSC] on Charms for the Easy Life, Paul Sarossy [CSC, BSC] on All Hat and Soldier’s Girl, and Luc Montpellier on Northern Town and Emotional Arithmetic. When you have a chance to work with such talented people, the images are amazing. They have an answer for every situation, and attract excellent crews because people are drawn to them. We have Canadian producers, directors and actors who are talented and passionate about what they are doing, cinematographers who put the story on the screen, and technicians who come together to make amazing shows happen.

QUESTION: Why is it important for you to shoot on film?
FEDERGREEN: A great cinematographer can manipulate film and use it to their advantage. They can integrate different film formats that almost become characters in the story. On All Hat, we used tiny Eyemo cameras to grab amazing horse racing footage. You see the colors and the richness in everything in the silks on the jockeys and in the hair on the horses. Personally, I don’t think you can get that on video. It’s night and day.

QUESTION: Tell us more about All Hat, the film you did with Paul Sarossy and director Leonard Farlinger.
FEDERGREEN: We had inclement weather pretty much every day. There were days it was coming down so hard that we had to stop, but when it slowed up a bit we would shoot. It was unbelievable what Paul did with that film stock. They called it the magic stock, [Kodak VISION2 500T] 5218, because when the sun was almost gone we would keep shooting. We crossed our fingers and the next day at rushes was unbelievable. If we didn’t get that shot, we would have had to pick it up the next day. But what if you’re not back to that location the next day? We’d have to drop a scene. But what if that scene was important? We’d have to go again, which adds costs. That kind of thing can blow your budget apart. That film stock saved our necks. You can’t do that with video. I’m one of the only line producers in Canada who also works as post supervisor, and I know that with film you have a lot more flexibility in postproduction to be creative and solve problems. That often results in time and money saved too. And if you use a digital intermediate path, your options expand further.

QUESTION: Are there misconceptions about costs?
FEDERGREEN: Budget obviously affects your decisions. Today, you can shoot on Super 16 mm film and release on 35 mm. An HD package can be more expensive than a basic 35 mm package, and a Super 16 package is a few thousand less than that. But when I’m in the Yukon and it’s below zero, what gives me a better chance to survive the cold and continue working? I can tell you the answer is film. Film is dependable. Our camera did not hiccup once. The footage looks great. I wouldn’t bet any money on electronics in that weather.

QUESTION: What’s next for you?
FEDERGREEN: I’m hoping that soon I will be able to produce my first independent feature. I want to shoot film. It’s worth the money, every penny.

   
AVI FEDERGREEN