All Lauren Graham wanted to do was make a movie that would make people happy for four minutes.
She says so herself right at the beginning of Insert Meaning Here , the winning entry at this year’s World Ski and Snowboard Festival Filmmaker Showdown.
An elegiac, surreal journey culminating with the point-blank question "What did you do to change the world today?" the film thrilled a packed house at the Telus Conference Centre at the finalists’ screenings on Wednesday, April 21, and succeeded in making the judging panel very happy. Supported by her crew of friends, Graham was awarded the grand prize of a Lumix digital camera from event sponsor Panasonic, valued at approximately $5,600.
The film stood out in concept, format and art direction.
After Graham’s self-narrated introduction a vibrant yellow long stem daffodil was introduced as the visual focus.
Did the cutting of the flower condemn it to death, or did it reward it with an exceptional life other non-picked daffodils would never know?
As the philosophical question hung in the air like the smell of rain, the camera followed the flower through a series of exchanges between mostly faceless human carriers to off-screen narration and a perfectly integrated score of original music composed by Graham’s older brother Peter.
It was an ambitious concept to say the least and the seamless editing required was exceptional under any time frame.
Considering that production under the contest’s rules was restricted to 72 hours the film truly awe-inspiring.
Graham says while challenged, she never felt daunted.
"I’d been thinking about it for a really long time and I was really well prepared. I storyboarded everything," she reflects over a plate of Mongolie Grill stir-fry.
"It came together in the editing room for sure but I knew the pieces would fit together."
It’s not the first thing Whistler has seen from the 23-year-old graduate of the Capilano College film program, who can be spotted earning money to support her projects slinging pints at the GLC. She’s the server who’s got "Help me make my movie" painted on her apron. Every tip helps.
Since moving to Whistler two years ago Graham has established herself as an active member of the local filmmaking community. She claimed the skull-head trophy at the first ever Heavy Hitting Films B-Grade Horrorfest in 2002 with a gory spectacle called Hagridden . She was a finalist in last year’s Filmmaker Showdown with the moody art piece Static , and released an all-girl snowboarding short film called Shot in the Dark last fall. She made a stab at defending Hagridden ’s title at the second annual Horrorfest last Halloween with the psychological thrill-kill piece Slow Fade . A second all-girl snowboarding short is currently in the works.
Those who have seen Hagridden or Slow Fade exclusively might be surprised that Graham’s latest stars yellow daffodils and ends with an introspective challenge to live life to the fullest. But her apparent duality is a surface quality. Deep down, it’s the art of filmmaking that inspires her.
"I like being able to make people feel a certain way," she says. "I don’t know if it’s this weird issue I have with power. I just think it’s beautiful to be able to create something where someone’s going to be scared, or feel sick, or laugh, or feel good, or cry, or go home and think for four hours about what they can do to change the world.
"That’s the goal, to try and make people feel the way you feel about the film."
While all her projects have been artistically rewarding, Insert Meaning Here has produced the biggest financial reward.
Career rewards may also be forthcoming. Graham drew public accolades from legendary action film producer Greg Stump, who from his vantage as event host called unabashedly (as is his style) for someone in the industry to "hire that girl!"
"I was stoked," says Graham. "Greg Stump is awesome. I saw an interview with him once where he said: ‘above everything, you have to refuse to let it suck.’
That’s been my motivation ever since… If you refuse to let it suck as much as possible I think you’ll be OK."
She’s as stoked on the sentiment as she is on the source. She doesn’t just see herself in the industry in 10 years, she sees herself in the industry in 10 minutes.
"I want to make movies for the rest of my life. I don’t want to do anything else," she says definitively.
Since its Showdown screening and winner’s encore, Insert Meaning Here has also been earning Graham the best type of artistic feedback. She’s thrilled with the honest testimonials she’s gotten from people she doesn’t even know, who have said her film has really made them think, has made them go out and take the first step toward following a dream.
"No roomful of people applauding, nothing compares to that," she says, "because that was the point of the movie. I wanted people to sit back and think about what they could do, maybe not for the world, but for themselves, you know?
"That was what I did to change the world."
Lunch draws to a close and Graham cracks a fortune cookie over her empty plate.
"You have a deep interest in all that is artistic," it reads.
"I always get that one," she says.
Of course she does.
Long after its Showdown screenings, Insert Meaning Here , like its creator, is not going to fade away.
What did you do to change the world today?
I gave people a glimpse into the mind of a visionary filmmaker.
Insert Meaning Here is currently playing on Whistler Cable 6 along with a the other finalists from the Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival’s Panasonic Filmmaker Showdown event. The film will be broadcast on Global TV later this year. For more information on the Filmmaker Showdown or other arts events at this year’s World Ski & Snowboard Festival go to www.whistler2004.com.
