The Official trailer for SICK: Survive the Night has been released as an exclusive through Fangoria magazine online. Read the Fango exclusive by clicking HERE. Starring Christina Aceto along with Richard Roy Sutton (The Beginning of a Rise), Robert Nolan (Worm, Familiar) Jennifer Polansky (Neverlost) and features scream queen and recent Fango cover star Debbie Rochon (Tromeo and Juliet, Slime City Massacre). Written and directed by Ryan M. Andrews (Black Eve), EP Cengiz Fehmi, Produced by Bruno Marino (Anything Goes) and Michael Jari Davidson, Co-produced / written by Chris Cull, Director of Photography Michael Jari Davidson, Editor Navin Ramaswaran (Nara). View the Official trailer by clicking HERE.
Program director Tara Woodbury at Toronto's CityLife Film Project invited MJD to lead a "Working with a Cinematographer" director's workshop for current program participants. This progressive program gives young talented filmmakers the foundation and skills to build towards a career in film and television. RT! from The NE Inc. is the acting director's mentor for CityLife and was on hand to provide input while MJD worked through a lecture and practical lighting and camera exercises for participants on August 28, 2012.
CFC PM Kerry Young (Ruby Skye P.I.) has invited MJD to team up with three new directors from this year's CFC Director's Residency program on the In Character! shorts. MJD will be shooting with Cory Bowles (Trailer Park Boys), Ravi Steve (How To Be Indie, Remix to Rio) and Daniel D'Alimonte (The Haymaker).
Parkland Media has brough MJD on board to shoot a broadcast spot titled RV Dream 2012 for ORVDA. The spot goes to camera on the RED in Grimsby Ontario August 19, 2012. Airing in the Toronto market October 2012.
Presented by Cinemabox and Ubisoft, Richard Powell's film Familiar headlines the 2012 Small Gauge Trauma program at the 2012 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal on July 30, 2012. Mitch Davis, co-director of Fantasia, says "You will be squirming." To view event details, click HERE.
From Executive Producers Ingrid Veninger (pUNK FILMS) and Stacey Donen (Director of Programming for The Royal Cinema, Toronto) and The Butler Brothers directing-duo comes Mourning Has Broken, a day-in-the-death feature film that shows how a man breaks down over a day realising that his long-time wife is dead. The Butler Brothers have brought MJD on board to shoot the film. Think Fubar meets Falling Down. Starring actor Robert Nolan, the film premieres at the Royal Cinema in Toronto in September 2012.
From CSI creator Anthony Zuiker and Yahoo comes Cybergeddon, a 90-minute scripted drama exploring the growing threat of cyber crime. Starring Missy Peregrym (Rookie Blue) and Kick Gurry (Speed Racer), Cybergeddon is directed by Diego Velasco for Aircraft Pictures / Dolphin Media. Director of Photography Samy Inayeh csc invited Davidson to shoot 2nd unit for him on the show shooting Arri Alexa. Cybergeddon gets its world-wide release in the fall of 2012. You can read about the show in The Hollywood Reporter article by clicking HERE.
From director Gebriel Deneke, Temple Street Productions and producer Tara Woodbury, news comes that Cul-de-Sac has been chosen as an Official Selection of Cannes Court Métrage - Festival de Cannes 2012. MJD shot the film on the Panavision Genesis camera system with Deneke directing in October 2011 as part of the CityLife Film Project program. Sincere congratulations go out to Gebriel and all involved.
Familiar (see Fangoria magazine issue #305), the shocking Cronenberg-esque body horror from Fatal Pictures Inc. (writer / director Richard Powell and producer Zach Green), wins Best Short at Chicago Fear Fest. The film, starring Robert Nolan, Astrida Auza, and Cathryn Hostick, with special practical effects by The Butcher Shop, was co-produced and shot by MJD. Congratulations to all involved!
Studio M Digital Productions EP Mike Mills brings MJD in to shoot a series of spots for Te Aro Coffee Roasters at the request of director Navin Ramaswaran. The series of spots will be used in Te Aro's new branding campaign to be released in the near future. For now, you can see some BTS photos of the shoot by clicking HERE courtesy of director Navin R's blog.
Producer Heidi Tao Yang brings MJD on board to shoot The High Note from writer Dan Trotta and director Mars Horodyski (who also worked with Davidson on The Dance) for the Canadian Film Centre as part of their 'TV Teasers' program. Starring Dan Abramovici, Jessica Greco, and Richard Zeppieri. See the film HERE courtesy of Horodyski's Vimeo page.
The Silhouette Media Group Inc. has brought MJD on board to shoot the TV teaser for The Deacon. Starring Simon Northwood as The Deacon, and featuring Veronika London as Payne, the teaser was written and directed by Randy Daudlin (Bottom Feeder) with Matt Whelan (TRON:Legacy, Three Musketeers 3D, Cosmopolis, Silent Hill Revelations) supervising visual effects. UPDATE: The project is in packaging for various television networks.
Hellfire Pictures has teamed up with MJD to produce and lens the post-Apocalyptic infection feature film Sick, starring Christina Aceto (Let It Out), Richard Roy Sutton (Cinderella Man), Robert Nolan (RED: Werewolf Hunter), Jennifer Polansky (Neverlost) and scream queen Debbie Rochon.
From writer/director Ryan M. Andrews (Black Eve), executive producer Cengiz H. Fehmi, producer Bruno Marino (Anything Goes), production designer Josh Heisie (Mail Order Bride) and editor Navin Ramaswaran (Nara). Special visual FX by Derek Grime (Fight Club) and fight choreography by Tommy Chang (X-Men, Dawn of the Dead). Sick goes to camera on the RED in Toronto, Canada on November 3rd, 2011.
The music video for Khaili Conway's single EnTwined has been released. Toronto-based production company Splice Productions brought MJD onbaord to lens the video in July 2011 with director/editor Navin Ramaswaran. View the video in 1080p by clicking HERE.
Writer/director Josh Heisie (Mail Order Bride) has brought MJD onboard to lens his forthcoming Western-themed horror short The Prospector's Curse
Set in the Yukon gold rush of the 1890's, Theodore “Tubby” Ellsworth (Dave Roberts) and Jack Smith (Johnny Quinn) are two criminals on the run. When they discover a mutilated Prospector (Robert Nolan), they promise to deliver his gold to his widowed sister. The fugitives break their oath, but that night, the Prospector's corpse returns to make them pay for their sins.
With special make up FX from Carlos Henriques at The Butcher Shop, The Prospector's Curse goes to camera on the RED in Pontypool, Ontario on October 17th, 2011.
Stunt Coordinator Branko Racki and Fight Choreographer Tommy Chang have brought MJD onboard to shoot a fight scene previz for Guillermo del Toro's forthcoming feature film PACIFIC RIM (A.K.A STILL SEAS). According to reports, del Toro "loved" the previz and approved the fight sequence for the film. PACIFIC RIM goes to camera in Toronto October 2011 through to April 2012.
Call of Duty: Operation Kingfish opened to an audience of 8000 people to kick off the 2011 Call of Duty XP event in Los Angeles California. Directed by Jeff Chan, produced by Evan Stasyshyn, DoP D. Gregor Hagey, csc, and 2nd Unit DoP (Soap / Sheppard debrief scenes) Michael Jari Davidson. Enjoy the short film in all it's hi-def glory by clicking HERE.
The dark comedic feature film Anything Goes, starring Sean Kaufmann, Vanessa Broze and Saffron Cassaday premieres at the Isabel Bader theatre in Toronto to a full capacity crowd (see the November 2010 issue of Canadian Cinematographer for details). Written and directed by Bruno Marino and produced by Michael Sousa, DoP MJD supervised the colour correction of the film at REDLab Digital in Toronto with senior colorist Walt Biljan. Anything Goes premieres August 24, 2011. To find out more, visit the film website by clicking HERE.
Program director Tara Woodbury at Toronto's CityLife Film Project invited MJD to lead a "Working with a Cinematographer" director's workshop for current participants. The progressive program gives young talented filmmakers the foundation and skills to build towards a career in film and television. RT! from The NE Inc. is the acting director's mentor for CityLife and was on hand to provide input while MJD worked through a lecture and practical lighting and camera exercises for participants on August 22, 2011.
Producer Evan Stasyshyn and director Jeff Chan from Secret Projects have brought MJD onboard as 2nd unit DoP to shoot additional scenes for their upcoming Activision-sanctioned short film Call of Duty: Operation Kingfish. Working under and receiving style notes from main unit DoP Gregor Hagey, csc, MJD will shoot the debrief scenes with the characters Soap and Sheppard for the follow up to the group's wildly successful fan film, Find Makarov. The film premieres at the Call of Duty XP event in Los Angeles, California on September 3, 2011.
From Studio M Digitial Productions, EP Mike Mills and director Bryan Reid, the MJD lensed spot for Interactive Toy Concepts' Duck Hunter Launch N Load (see the June 27th, 2011 news item) is released for broadcast in the US market. You can view the spot HERE in 720p.
On July 23-24, 2011, the first annual Heavy T.O. music festival rolled into Downsview Park in Toronto Canada. Featuring metal acts such as Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax and Motorhead, the festival closed with headliner Rob Zombie. MJD gets an all-access pass to chat with Rob about his upcoming film The Lords of Salem, going to camera in Salem, Massachusetts this October. View the whole interview by clicking HERE.
From writer / director Martin Edralin and Circus Zero, the MJD lensed short film Jane (see the October 21st, 2010 news item) gets it's premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival. The film screens August 19, 20, and 21, 2011 at the Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin cinema in Montreal, Canada. The logline for the film, starring Tiffany Browne, Candy Pryce and Thomas Duplessie, is "Jane, 17, has feelings for a boy but fears having to tell him about her condition." For more information, visit the MWFF website by clicking HERE.
The MJD lensed short sci-fi film The Ballerina from One Four Three Films and director Jacob Wiebe (see June 10, 2011 news item) gets cross Canada news coverage in the 'Ampersand' section of The National Post. The film, currently being edited in Toronto, is headed to Vancouver to have the live action actor Graeme Robinson replaced by a full CGI alien on picture lock. Click HERE to read the National Post article and HERE to view preproduction on the film itself.
Splice Productions has brought MJD onboard to lens the music video for Khaili Conway's chilling new single "EnTwined". The video, directed by Navin Ramaswaran, features an exotic dancer and creepy nurse alongside Conway performing. Khaili Conway is making a splash on this side of the Pond, after graduating from the BRIT school, whose alumna includes singers Adele and Amy Winehouse. The video goes to camera on the RED in Toronto on July 16, 2011. Preview the track HERE before the music video's release.
Legendary horror magazine Fangoria gives Fatal Pictures' FAMILIAR some ink in the print version of issue 305, on newsstands now. Starring Robert Nolan, Astrida Auza and Cathryn Hostick. Special makeup FX by The Butcher Shop. Read all about the forthcoming film from director Richard Powell and Producer Zach Green (Co-produced and Cinematography by MJD) by clicking this LINK.
Studio M Digital Productions Inc, a Toronto-based production agency, has hired MJD to shoot a broadcast spot for Duck Hunter Launch & Load from Interactive Toy Concepts. The action-packed spot hits with a twist of humour, featuring a live duck among other things. Launch & Load goes to camera on the RED in Maple, Ontario on Monday, June 27th, 2011.
One Four Three Films has hired MJD to lens their upcoming CGI-rich sci-fi short, The Ballerina. Directed by Jacob Wiebe and produced by Charles Smith and George Petrovic, the film follows a series of existential conversations on a distant planet between a woman (Elisabeth Largsoff), the last survivor of Earth, and an alien (Graeme Robinson). The three day shooting schedule will be followed by eight-months of post-production to replace the alien performer with a full CGI alien, headed by VFX Supervisor Justin Steele. The Ballerina goes to camera on the RED M-X in Toronto June 10, 2011.
The Canadian Film Centre invited MJD to shoot a speech by Academy Award Nominee, director Norman Jewison at his office in Toronto to be screened at the 2011 Mendocino Film Festival in California. Mendocino was used as a shooting location for Jewison's 1966 film The Russians Are Coming! and organisers will be screening the film at this year's festival. Mr. Jewison gave wonderful anecdotes about the production in his speech that will be screened as an introduction to the film.
Fangoria Magazine editor-in-chief Chris Alexander interviewed Canadian horror icon, director David Cronenberg in Toronto recently and brought MJD onboard to shoot the interview. The interview will be screened at the 2011 Fantasia Film Festival as the fest honours Cinepix producing duo Dunning and Link with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Mr. Cronenberg spoke at length on how the duo helped his early career by producing films such as Shivers and Rabid. You can view the complete program, which includes the Cronenberg interview, by clicking HERE.
From director Martin Edralin (Jane) and lensed by MJD, the dark comedic short The Tragedy of Henry J. Bellini is currently screening on the National Screen Institute's Online Short Film Festival. View the film by visiting the NSI website and learn more about Henry by visiting the IMDB page HERE.
From director James Dubbeldam and lensed by MJD in 2009, Fallen Before Falling has won Best Canadian Feature at the 2011 Canada International Film Festival in Vancouver Canada. Congratulations to James for his vision! Find FBF on IMDB by clicking HERE.
Producer Zach Green has brought MJD onboard to lens Fatal Picture's newest horror short FAMILIAR. Written and directed by Richard Powell (Worm, Consumption) and starring Robert Nolan (RED: Werewolf Hunter, A Date with Fear), Astrida Auza, and Cathryn Hostick, the film shoots on the RED in Brampton Ontario. Special make up FX by Ryan Gerard Louagie and Carlos Henriques at the Butcher Shop.
To find out more, visit Fatal Pictures on the web by clicking HERE and join the FAMILIAR fan page on Facebook by clicking HERE.
Synopsis: In Familiar, Jonathan Dodd (Robert Nolan) learns through a series of tragic events that the negative impulses plaguing his mind may not be his own.
MJD teaches Cinematography 2, March 3rd through March 18th at Toronto Media and Film College. For more info on TMFC, visit them on the web by clicking HERE.
Producer Ted East (Possible Worlds, New Waterford Girl) brings MJD onboard to lens the teaser trailer for the upcoming feature film THE DEAD OF WINTER from writer Roger Rousseau. Directed by award-winning director Audrey Cummings (Best Emerging Canadian Filmmaker - Worldwide Short Film Festival, and the WIFT Kodak award for Best Emerging Female Director), MJD shoots the teaser on the RED in Toronto Canada. Chris Bridges of Gas Light Studio Inc. provides the chilling make-up effects and Michael P. Mason (Scare Tactics) serves as the editor. Once the teaser is completed, Ted East will be using it as part of the effort to raise financing for the film.
Writer Ben Courtman from the film community website FilmThrill caught up with MJD to discuss the cinematographer's rising status in the Toronto film scene. Read the full interview by clicking HERE.
Kodak’s InCamera Magazine caught up with MJD to discuss his award-winning 35mm short film from director Sam Catalfamo, Teen Getaway (Winner – Best Film – 2010 TIFF Student Showcase). Read the full interview by clicking HERE.
Producer Lauren Grant (Savage, Tomorrow Doesn't Look Good Either) has brought Michael onboard to lens three of the "Ready for My Close-up" shorts for the Canadian Film Centre's Actors Conservatory.
MJD will work in collaboration with the following on the shorts: "Patti" - dir. Audrey Cummings (Burgeon and Fade, Les jeux d'enfants), actor Kate Corbett (Family Biz, How Eunice Got Her Baby); "Steve" - dir. Fabrizio Filippo (Billable Hours, the Human Kazoo), actor Eric Murdoch; "Nate" - dir. James Genn (Todd and the Book of Pure Evil), actor Keon Mohajeri (Flashpoint, Circumstance).
The CFC RFMCU shorts go to camera in HD in Toronto on Tuesday, January 25th, 2011.
Rising Canadian cinematographer Michael Jari Davidson has announced his recent signing with high profile agent Charlotte Rose at Green Light Artist Management in Toronto. Rose’s existing clients include directors Jeremy Podeswa and James Allodi, as well as cinematographers Thom Best, csc and Jim Westenbrink.
The move is the capper to what was, in 2010, a banner year for the noted artist, which saw Davidson named as a Director Ex-Officio of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers, the Davidson shot horror feature Nostrum picked up for broadcast in Canada by SuperChannel, his 35mm shot short film Teen Getaway named Best Film at the 2010 TIFF Student Film Showcase and the Davidson lensed music video for rapper D-Sisive’s track West Coast called “Best Video Ever” by CHART Attack.
Now, with the recent signing at Green Light Artist Management, expect 2011 to be an explosion of exciting, visually disarming work from the cinematic eye of Michael Jari Davidson.
Visit GLAM on the web by clicking HERE.
Journalist Jenn Horn interviews MJD on set of his latest feature film, Anything Goes, a dark comedic feature directed by Bruno Marino. The film was shot through the month of September 2010 in Toronto and surrounding areas on the RED. The film is currently in post-production with the trailer being coloured by Walt Biljan at REDLab Toronto. Read all about the production by reading the Canadian Cinematographer article HERE.
