In this talk in Session 6 of TED2013, the Canadian filmmaker Martin Villeneuve explains how he made the film he dreamed to realize since he was a child. Being unable to use millions of dollars, he utilized his creativity, time and love.
When we think of Canadian movies, probably the sci-fi genre is not the first one that comes up in our mind... And maybe not even the tenth! Taking this into consideration, Martin Villeneuve's feat gains even more merit. Martin is a Canadian filmmaker who gave a speech at TED about Mars et Avril, a movie he wrote, produced and directed.
"I made a movie that it was impossible to make, only I didn't know it was impossible" says the 35 years old producer during the TED speech. The movie is set in Montreal, but 50 years in the future, where there is a subway that takes you directly to Mars! The movie has top-notch actors such as Robert LePage, the shots are amazing and the visual effects are jaw-dropping. But what it is even more extraordinary, it is the budget of this movie: only $2.3 million. Of course this number may seem a lot of money, but considering the quality and the amount of work put into this film, it is unbelievable how Martin was able to realize his childhood dream with such a small budget.
Before moving forward, I would suggest to take a look at this video which shows how the effects were done.As many of you may think, the realization of this project did cost a lot to Martin in terms of time. the whole process took seven (7) years of work, and the distribution phase outside Canada has only started few months ago.
Watching his speech at TED conference, one thing remained cemented in my mind: "constraints boost creativity."
Many times, on a daily basis, many people prevent themselves to run after their dreams because they see nothing but problems and insurmountable challenges. This young Canadian producer proved they are wrong.
According to Martin, one essential ingredient for the realization of his project was love. His love for his dream of course, but also love and "tons and tons of generosity from everyone involved". Every problem was seen as an opportunity, which boosted Martin and his team's creativity. Not having the necessary budget such a movie would require, they had to rely only on their skills and their fervid imagination to make it happen.
To a certain extend, it is what Martin did. Faced by the fact he did not have enough money to realize his movie, he filled the gap with his great creativity. He did not give up, but rather he came up with solutions that could make up for the absence of funds.
In my opinion this movie is a great piece of work, and I really hope Martin and his team will be able to sell it and earn what they deserve. The task may seem very difficult, considering is a sci-fi movie in French that talks about love and philosophical topics, but Martin has already proved to overcome difficulties and larger problems. In addition, being a young producer who dreams big, it is always nice to take a look at who realized his dreams where everyone else predicted nothing but failure.
Here is the video of his speech, which I find very inspirational. Besides creativity, I do believe his talk will boost hope to everyone out there chasing after their dreams, whichever field they are related to. Enjoy!
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