On the weekend of November 20-23, teams of actors, writers, editors and directors competed in the Laughing Stock 72 Hour Comedy Film Competition. The competition included acting schools and individuals from around greater Vancouver including our very own New Image students from the Professional Acting Diploma Program. Headed by one of our newest faculty members, Amir Aghelnejad, the student group was tasked with producing a 7 minute short film.
On the first day of the competition, the competitors were given a mystery inspiration package which included a mandatory prop assigned to each group which was required to be implemented into the Plotline and Story in a creative way, a character profile which was used as a main or supporting character and directly influence the film and a theme. Our group of 8 students were given a Barbie Doll for their prop, Nosy Nelly (a country kid who was always getting into other peoples business) as their character profile and "Contagious" as the theme by which the film would be based around. The students found the experience to be fun and educational as they were given the opportunity to learn about the production side of film making. The group managed to wrap up shooting within 48 hours with the remaining 24 left for editing. The students involved in this competition included: Cameron Gordon, Kimberly Brassard, , Justin Jones, Christine Wallace, Avery Bell, Michelle Miller, Tameem Osmanzai, Otto Wichman
The director, Amir Aghelnejad has been working closely with New Image for the past few years as a Director of Photography and post production editor. He was recently added to the list of Faculty members in early October. He knew from a young age that doing something creative for living would be his calling in life. During his time in highschool, he found that photography was where he was most comfortable and given room to demonstrate his creativity. He began direct his focus on slide films where he became proficient because of the vibrant and aw inspiring colors. After highschool is when his attention really turned to moving photography
Shortly after high school, He decided to get into moving photography at which time he was also into punk rock music spawing his first project capturing moments with a camera. He began to tape punk bands in stinky basements and gymnasiums and edit a tape from it. Realizing his hobby was quickly becoming a passion, he decided to start studying more about film and the filmmaking process by enrolling in the Film Studies Program at Capilano University. He continued to shoot live bands and create short silly films as he worked on actual film and Television sets as a Production Assistant (PA).
If you ask he would tell you being a PA was awful, but the truth is the practical knowledge he received just by being on set and watching other directors taught him the techniques of making films and framing shots. After a few years of being a PA he was able to absorb and implement everything he learned and apply it to larger and more advanced projects. He was hired by MTV Canada to produce and host a segment aptly named 'Aghelnejads word of the day". He has since edited , poduced and shot a multitude of Tv shows/pilots.
If you have not had a chance to formally tour the school, I would love to show you our facilities and have you sit-in on one of the classes. Don't hesitate to send me an email if you have any questions at all.
