The Sky's the Limit: Tri-City Film catches up with Director Melissa Sky
By: David Briggs
(Originally posted June 22, 2011 on Tri-City Film)
Things are looking up for Melissa Sky. The Kitchener filmmaker has recently returned from an incredible two-month mentorship program and is ready to put her sharpened skills to work. OUTtv, Canada’s only national gay / lesbian television network provided the opportunity. They recently held a contest and invited filmmakers from across the country to participate. Each participant would pitch a short film concept, and those with the most votes would have a chance to participate in the mentorship program and be the subject of a documentary series Hot Pink Shorts:
The Making of, which will let viewers see what these filmmakers created
while in Vancouver. Only six contestants were chosen, and Melissa made the cut.
The experience, she assures me, was amazing albeit called for some quick adjustments. “On a Monday I opened my email and found out that I won the contest and they asked if I could be there for Saturday. Oh my god, I had to completely rearrange my life within five days,” she jokes. “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I went there.”
The Making of, which will let viewers see what these filmmakers created
while in Vancouver. Only six contestants were chosen, and Melissa made the cut.
The experience, she assures me, was amazing albeit called for some quick adjustments. “On a Monday I opened my email and found out that I won the contest and they asked if I could be there for Saturday. Oh my god, I had to completely rearrange my life within five days,” she jokes. “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I went there.”
Upon arrival OUTtv provided an intense mentorship program, a film school’s curriculum packed into two month. Industry professionals mentored every aspect of production, from script writing, casting, directing, and the technical expertise to put everything together. More accustomed to creating documentary and experimental works, producing a short narrative film offered a unique challenge.
“The film is called The Prince’s Sword and it’s based on a true story. It’s the story of what happened in my family when my son wanted a sword, and I’m a pacifist so it kind of conflicted with my values of being peaceful and nonviolent, so I had to find a way to navigate that and I turned it into this
screenplay.”
“The film is called The Prince’s Sword and it’s based on a true story. It’s the story of what happened in my family when my son wanted a sword, and I’m a pacifist so it kind of conflicted with my values of being peaceful and nonviolent, so I had to find a way to navigate that and I turned it into this
screenplay.”
She is happy with the product and believes the film’s story will resonate with viewers. “It’s a very specific story, the story about being parents and their particular values being challenged by their child. So I think it’s a more universal story in that it’s about having to balance your own
realities of parenting and allowing your children to be who they want to be so that you’re guiding them but not controlling them. Sometimes it’s important to know when to stick to your values, and other times you have to know when to re-negotiate. Finding that balance is what the film is about.”
OUTtv provided a budget for the film, which allowed Melissa not only to work with a professional crew, but to pay them as well—an indie filmmaker’s dream. For her this “was fantastic because I could actually pay people which I loved. So many people will work because
they’re passionate about it and are happy to do it but it was a relief and a joy really, to be able to reward people for their hard work that they put into it.”
As mentioned, whoever received the most votes for their pitch would win the Hot Pink Shorts
contest. Melissa gratefully acknowledges the outpouring of support from the local community whose votes allowed her to participate. “Contributing to the community is a core value to me and I love that they contribute back. It’s a mutual relationship and that’s something that’s really special, and you don’t find that everywhere and that’s something I find about Kitchener Waterloo.
It’s big enough that you can find a network with other people. There’s a lot happening here, the art scene is alive and vibrant, but it’s not so big that you can’t make connections and contribute.”
realities of parenting and allowing your children to be who they want to be so that you’re guiding them but not controlling them. Sometimes it’s important to know when to stick to your values, and other times you have to know when to re-negotiate. Finding that balance is what the film is about.”
OUTtv provided a budget for the film, which allowed Melissa not only to work with a professional crew, but to pay them as well—an indie filmmaker’s dream. For her this “was fantastic because I could actually pay people which I loved. So many people will work because
they’re passionate about it and are happy to do it but it was a relief and a joy really, to be able to reward people for their hard work that they put into it.”
As mentioned, whoever received the most votes for their pitch would win the Hot Pink Shorts
contest. Melissa gratefully acknowledges the outpouring of support from the local community whose votes allowed her to participate. “Contributing to the community is a core value to me and I love that they contribute back. It’s a mutual relationship and that’s something that’s really special, and you don’t find that everywhere and that’s something I find about Kitchener Waterloo.
It’s big enough that you can find a network with other people. There’s a lot happening here, the art scene is alive and vibrant, but it’s not so big that you can’t make connections and contribute.”
Having made documentaries herself, I asked if the Hot Pink Shorts camera crew bothered her as she was filming her own short. “I got used to it being there,” she says. At first, I was not used to being in front of the camera; it’s not the same, at all. I was used to asking the questions and now I was being asked questions everyday all of the time. It was
awkward at first, but I developed empathy for my subjects, and over time I got used to it and ignored them.”
Melissa’s documentary 3 Questions: KW’s Queer Women Tell All, was her first adventure in filmmaking. Although she had little experience at the time, she decided to go for it. “After all,” she jokes, “how hard could it be?” The idea for 3 Questions came about during a conversation with Shelley Secrett, whose event company Secrett Events, hosts Cliterature, an annual celebration of women’s sexuality in the arts. While discussing possibilities for the event, the idea of including a documentary came up and lightning struck.
awkward at first, but I developed empathy for my subjects, and over time I got used to it and ignored them.”
Melissa’s documentary 3 Questions: KW’s Queer Women Tell All, was her first adventure in filmmaking. Although she had little experience at the time, she decided to go for it. “After all,” she jokes, “how hard could it be?” The idea for 3 Questions came about during a conversation with Shelley Secrett, whose event company Secrett Events, hosts Cliterature, an annual celebration of women’s sexuality in the arts. While discussing possibilities for the event, the idea of including a documentary came up and lightning struck.
“It would be a challenge, right? So I literally just picked up a camera and I interviewed local queer women and I asked them three questions about their sexuality and I compiled it into a documentary. Now it’s become a series, and the last one, 3 More Questions, won the Audience Choice Award at the Rainbow Reels Queer Film Festival. And I’m hoping to do one more to make it a trilogy, but right now I’m focused on other projects but I will get back to it.”
Asked if she had difficulty getting people to participate in the project, she says that everyone she approached was supportive of the idea and willing to contribute. She also believes that the low-fi production philosophy helped the project. She was a one-woman crew, and with camera in hand, she hit the town conducting interviews.
“The films have a raw, indie quality to them when I watch them now, but I have a fondness for the rawness of it in the sense that it was me and my camera and I think that sometimes in documentary if you take the time to properly mic and set up you lose something. I had just returned to the queer community in Waterloo and people didn’t know me very well so I’m like a stranger going to their house asking question about their sexuality on film and I really don’t think I would have gotten the honest answers if I had taken the time to stick a big light in their
face.”
Asked if she had difficulty getting people to participate in the project, she says that everyone she approached was supportive of the idea and willing to contribute. She also believes that the low-fi production philosophy helped the project. She was a one-woman crew, and with camera in hand, she hit the town conducting interviews.
“The films have a raw, indie quality to them when I watch them now, but I have a fondness for the rawness of it in the sense that it was me and my camera and I think that sometimes in documentary if you take the time to properly mic and set up you lose something. I had just returned to the queer community in Waterloo and people didn’t know me very well so I’m like a stranger going to their house asking question about their sexuality on film and I really don’t think I would have gotten the honest answers if I had taken the time to stick a big light in their
face.”
Melissa is revving up her production company Femme Fatale Creations to begin work on another short narrative film called Cherry On Top. According to the casting call synopsis, it promises to be “a satirical introduction to female anatomy for dummies,” and is adapted from local writer Beth Murch’s short story. After her intense film sabbatical in the mountains, she is eager to begin shooting. “I feel so much more confident in my filmmaking. Nothing compares to that experience of having two months dedicated to one on one personal mentorship with industry leaders. It was phenomenal, and I feel super confident now. I know that as long as I surround myself with good people that I can make it happen. And the level of my work has just skyrocketed. One of my problems originally was that I was trying to do everything myself. I was trying to be a Jill of all trades, and realized that the end product is so much better with other people’s input.”
With such a diverse range of films to her credit, one wonders where Melissa’s future cinematic endeavours will lead viewers. “I intend to hit the floor running and I think there will always be certain recognizable notes and themes within my work, and a lot of my work focuses on the LGBT community and tends to have a positive spin to it or a seductive spin to it. And I like to surprise people...I don’t always want to be predictable.”
With such a diverse range of films to her credit, one wonders where Melissa’s future cinematic endeavours will lead viewers. “I intend to hit the floor running and I think there will always be certain recognizable notes and themes within my work, and a lot of my work focuses on the LGBT community and tends to have a positive spin to it or a seductive spin to it. And I like to surprise people...I don’t always want to be predictable.”
