Laura Power
Northern News Services
Friday, July 20, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - You don't need to be a filmmaker to be a part of Western Arctic Moving Pictures' (WAMP) newest competition.

Christopher White, the new project manager at WAMP, has started monthly competitions to get people involved with the co-op. This month, the competition is for people at any level who have an idea for a script.

Aspiring scriptwriters, whether they have a one-minute film in mind or a feature length film, can win memberships in WAMP or time with their equipment to bring their ideas to life. White said he is not picky about the writer's choice of genre, length and format.

"As long as you send in the dialogue and you've got characters," he said.

"If other people can make sense of the script and know what to do then we'll take it in... that's pretty much the only requirement for this."

White said it's not necessary that submissions come from those with filmmaking experience, as there are several people with the organization who may be interested in helping with directing or other jobs to get the film produced.

"That's what the essence of filmmaking is, is it's a very collaborative process and so our job here is to bring all these people together with all their experience and expertise and get them making movies together," he said.

White said there may also be a workshop in the future for those who want to learn some of the basics of filmmaking.

"We are lagging behind a little bit in terms of support for film production," he said in reference to the Northwest Territories as compared to other provinces and territories, but he said he feels there is "enormous potential" for the territory to have a film industry.

The deadline for submissions in this particular competition is August 15. The next contest being planned is for music video production, a contest in which White would like to get local musicians involved.