| In telling the story of Calgary filmmaker Cameron Chapman, there are two possible approaches.
The first is a mournful look at the current state of local film production (if you cut taxes, they will come – if you don’t, they’ll go elsewhere). The second is a profile of a young filmmaker new to the scene who aims to create something uniquely local. However, both approaches are linked. Made by an all-volunteer crew of some of Calgary’s finest film production talent (who, if they were busier couldn’t take the time to shoot all night for free), Chapman’s The Gravity at or Near its Surface promises a film by Albertans for Albertans.
Originally written a decade ago while Chapman was still in high school, and titled I Remember Doogie Howser and Other Potpourri, The Gravity at or Near its Surface tells a simple story of two characters with the same name – Chris (Stuart William James) and Kris (Liz McMullen) – who meet at a New Year’s Eve party and reminisce.
"(They talk about) all the things they take for granted, like gravity and time travel and Doogie Howser, and then also about the things they think way too much about, like gravity and time travel and Doogie Howser," says Chapman. "A big part of it is about all of those things insanely popular for a couple of months in our lives, but then totally disappear – like virtual pets and neckerchiefs."
Pop culture always recycles its own references and, as a result, Gravity’s timing is impeccable. "I wrote this play in 1996, and when we put it up it was talking about things that at that time were already obsolete. Now we’re doing it in 2005 and Doogie Howser comes out on DVD, Thundercats are doing the same, virtual pets are selling out all over the city because they’re über popular again and Rubik’s Cube is celebrating its 25th anniversary. So in a strange way it’s kind of timely."
Given Chapman’s other films and scripts (most recently, The Sound of Willie Nelson’s Guitar, which he wrote, showed at the Calgary Underground Film Festival), Gravity aims to be both poignant and hilarious – a calling-card debut whose importance is not lost on its creator. "When I look back and I’m directing, or writing, or pumping gas somewhere, I want the first thing I made to be this. It’s always been such an important script to me personally."
Having racked up his time working on American productions shot in Calgary, Chapman’s got a lot to say about the present state of film in our city.
"In Calgary, what we do is we bust our ass for these stupid pilots of TV shows that never plan to even shoot their series here. They use our beautiful backdrops and experienced crews to get their pilot picked up, and once that happens they’re out of here," he says. "If you do enough of those in a row, you start wondering, ‘Who am I helping? What am I doing?’" Rather than dashing off to the wilds of Toronto or Vancouver, Chapman’s staying put, with plans in motion to revitalize Calgary’s own film scene.
"I think Canada in general has a unique voice. If you look at the American shows on TV doing really well, they’re all about the exact same thing – rich people who are really stupid spending money on things they don’t need, like Antique Road Show and Arrested Development, Paris Hilton and Pimp My Ride. When you look at the Canadian shows that are popular like Corner Gas and Trailer Park Boys, they’re the total opposite. These shows are about real people in small towns doing funny things. I think Canada’s getting a bigger voice of its own and that there’s a market for it. I want to accomplish something for Alberta, making films for and by Alberta people."
Here’s hoping Chapman’s ideas don’t head the way of the Hypercolour T-shirt. |
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