Jared Valkki, a graduate of our Broadcasting—Film, Television, Digital Media and Radio program and Script to Screen–Advanced Television and Film program, brought his ideas to life to create the pilot episode of his show, The Director, which has been awarded Best TV Pilot at the Toronto Independent Film Festival of CIFT.
Having been in development for almost a decade, The Director is a comedy mockumentary series that Jared says pays homage to B-movies and notoriously bad and eccentric directors. "It began as a series of short web series sketches initially made in 2014. During that time, I was a student in the Broadcasting and Film program. After many years, I kept receiving feedback that the idea had a lot of comedy potential and should be revisited. From 2018-2022, I began developing a pilot script and show ideas. In 2022, James Naunton, a colleague of mine, was brought on as the other showrunner," he says.
In September 2022, Jared explains that the team crowdfunded and shot a full pilot episode in the TV Studio at the Story Arts Centre (SAC) campus. “The campus helped us with the space and provided gear for the project, which we are extremely grateful for.” Reflecting on this time, Jared adds that this project had much of himself in it, as he and the other showrunner often laughed and enjoyed the comedic themes and jokes during the scriptwriting and editing process.
Numerous Centennial graduates have actively participated in the creation of The Director. Among them are Script to Screen graduates Navneet Virdi and Deep Desai, who served as producers. Additionally, other talented graduates from our Script to Screen, Broadcasting, and Children’s Media programs took on diverse roles, adding their unique expertise to the project.
Deep reflects on his experience working on The Director, as he shares, “Being fresh graduates, the first thing that pops into our mind is what next? Thankfully after I returned from a break, Jared already had the answer for me. I was introduced to this project after the script was written and things were starting to develop. Completing our course at the SAC, one thing we were already prepped for was the time crunch we would be in, as well as major budget restraints. Thankfully, SAC also helped us with location/equipment, which helped calm a lot of the producer nerves.”
He continues, “Secondly, studying in Advanced Film and TV with such amazing fellow students/colleagues made our process smoother because we already had a crew that was dedicated enough to their tasks that when it all came together, The Director was the result. With a beautifully written script, a great crew, and some in-depth casting, the collective effort was to produce laughter and entertainment for the masses, and we hope to continue the same. At the end of the day, it is up to us as students and fellow filmmakers to take the experience and skills that are provided to us by our peers and make the most of it.”
The full list of crew members who graduated from the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design include:
Script to Screen:
Director: Deep Desai; 1st Assistant Director: Aysegul Alpay; Script Supervisor: Karen Keynoso; Director of Photography: Navi Virdi; Gaffer: Poncho Navarro; 1st Assistant Camera: Camilo Calderon; Digital Media Technician: Vu Cong Huan Le; Sound Recordist: Gabs Santos; Sound Assistant: Yash Ghandi; Stills Photographer: Camilo Calderon.
Broadcasting:
Location Manager / Line Producer: Waqas Bin Idrees; Production Coordinator: Steven Kumala.
Children’s Media:
2nd Assistant Director: Tal Katz
It is evident from this significant list of graduates that they each brought their exceptional skills and knowledge from their respective programs, making their contributions invaluable to the creation of this pilot.
When Jared saw the news that the pilot received this award from the Toronto Independent Film Festival of CIFT, he said he was ecstatic and explained that filmmakers often spend years working on projects, and every so often, recognition feels rare. “I just feel so grateful that the entire cast and crew who helped on this can also be rewarded. Everyone on this project is an emerging filmmaker and actor, and helping them get their names out there makes me feel so proud,” he shares.
Currently working and applying for several funds and grants to develop the project and produce the first season, Jared adds that they are also submitting the pilot to different festivals. In addition to their Best TV Pilot award, The Director was selected to be screened at the Toronto Lift-Off Festival for the category of Best Ensemble Performance.
Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this project! We are thrilled to continue following its progress and witness the show's development.
Article by: Alexandra Few
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