VELVET ROPE

by: Andrea Kowk
Photo: Courtesy of Suddenly Super‘s Facebook Page

There’s a hidden artistic secret in Waterloo Region and it’s about to be shot to the forefront with a locally made independent film called Suddenly Super.

When people think indie films, they think that they are some lame films done by students with horrible acting and not much else. But Scott Clevely a video producer who has worked on TV productions in Toronto plans to rip that stereotype apart with his new short film called Suddenly Super, starring local talent Jennifer Cornish, Gary Kirkham and Steve Robinson.

The movie is about a woman with a secret. She has super powers and she uses them to save her husband. There’s a villain from her past that has returned to steal her powers from her and now she has to fight her past while keeping her secret. “I feel that this movie has a hidden message,” says Clevely. “ It shows that everyone has a unique talent and for me personally I feel like the movie is a little about me and my creativity.” The movie is sure to bring in all the excitement of a full-on action movie with the depth that you can get in an independent film.

The real secret of the movie, though, is behind the scenes as well as in front. Every person working on the film (from the cast to production, crew, sound, editing, etc.) are all from Waterloo Region. “Everyone is local, the only things that I got from Toronto is some of the equipment that you can’t get in town,” Clevely remarks, adding, “Hopefully, the MultiCultural Cinema Club will be able to get the equipment for future works. That would be a good investment.” Clevely is not alone on this project; he has joined forces with Ryan Wilson and Justin Radar from Authority FX and Erik O’Neill from Hey Cadet Films who are local companies that specialize in special effects and media production.

With production comes the need for a lot of crew members and for that they are looking to volunteers. Anyone who wants to learn can sign up to work on the movie, especially those high school students who need to fulfill their forty hours of community service. “We would definitely accept high school students,” Clevely says. “It would be a great opportunity for the students who want to get into film making to learn what it’s all about.” The creative ideas don’t stop with using local people. They are also using new ways to market their film. Facebook has been a big help in getting the word out, as well as Twitter and LinkedIn, which Clevely feels hits different groups of people and is less cluttered than Facebook. They are also using indiegogo.com, which is a site very similar to Kickstarter. People are able to go online and give to help support the movie. “I think it’s a great site and it gets the community involved,” Clevely tells me. “If films both short and features are going to make it on the region the community has to get involved.” Donating on Indiegogo isn’t just where you give money and hope everything goes well; one of the perks of donating allows you to build your own superpower and get a photoshopped picture of you using the superpower. Others include a DVD of the film and tickets to the Private Screening and After Party where you’ll get the chance to meet the cast.

The filming for Suddenly Super will begin in July and the visual and editing wrapping up in September. The film will then go on an international film festival tour where it will hopefully get distribution. For the Producers, though, it will be off to the next film.

For more information or to donate, visit their Indiegogo site at suddenlysuper.com.