Here is an interview conducted with Jon about his experience:
Cap: Award aside, what is the value to participating or submitting your film to the Leo's?
Jon: It’s said that it’s always an honour just to be nominated, let alone win, and so I felt greatly honoured to be awarded the Leo for Best Student Production for “Marathon”, along with my producer Malcolm Oliver. But what makes the Leo Awards extra special is that everyone involved (organizers, jurors, nominees) are all a part of this great BC film community we have here, and so a nomination is a validation not from some anonymous, distant jury but from your friends, co-workers, peers, and mentors. To be selected and honoured by these people is an incredibly wonderful and humbling experience.
Cap: You could use some humility, the way you carry that trophy around with you. But credit to you because your project was ambitious. I doubt the Leo Awards have ever had a 3D submission for Best Student Production.
Jon: I'm extremely proud of “Marathon." But it was a race to the finish. It was part of many firsts for myself and the Film Centre. It was the first year of the 4 year Bachelor of Motion Picture Arts degree, the first year in the new Nat and Flora Bosa Film building, the first student stereoscopic 3D film done at Cap, my first science fiction film, and my first film with a significant number of visual effects. The 3D hardware and software was so new that we were often figuring things out as we went - there simply wasn’t any precedent to follow. The entire process was probably a three way split between research, practice, and crossed fingers. After shooting in 3D, I had to edit in 3D, then do the visual effects in 3D. Adding the extra dimension isn’t double the work, as you’d guess, but more like 10 times the work. But in the end, I think it’s fair to say that all the effort was worth it.
Cap: You get to keep the trophy but I'm sure that you want to thank people. Go ahead, name names.
Jon: None of it would have been possible if it weren’t for the tireless support and encouragement of all the staff and faculty at the Film Centre. It’s very hard to make a good short film, let alone a good 3D short film, and honestly there were a few moments where I debated pulling the plug, but there was always someone to give me a friendly kick in the butt to keep moving, or some helpful advice to get around yet another technical hurdle. I’d like to say a special thanks to James Wallace, Julian Bruce, and Tim Laks for their technical support and expertise with the 3D camera systems and post production, and Bill Thumm and Murray Stiller for their undying support and encouragement, as well as their reminders that as neat as the technology is, the heart and story have to come first.
Cap: Nice. Now they'll hit you up to do 3D seminars. You know how they can be. So when they do, what lesson will you pass on to future student projects?
Jon: Looking back, the most important lesson I take away from this whole experience is that you should always strive to push beyond your boundaries and take advantage of new challenges, no matter what you think the outcome might be. I definitely bit off more than I could chew with this project, and when I decided to shoot 3D, I had no idea how to actually do that. But I was staring at a studio full of 3D equipment and figured, “Well, it’s here. What’s the worst that could happen?” And instead of ending with the worst outcome, I wound up with one of the best.
Cap: Thanks Jon. Now put that trophy away. You're going to poke someone in the eye with it.
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