Every year, six talented, new filmmakers are chosen from hundreds of applicants to make a short film for Crazy8’s.
Crazy8s provides filmmakers with a significant boost to their projects. Six finalists receive $2000 each, plus an in-kind production package and post-production service valued at up to $50,000. This includes professional equipment, mentorship, and access to locations, helping them complete their short film within eight days.
There is a huge gala screening at the Vancouver Centre. You can read Nick Wangersky’s March 31st article, where he interviews all six filmmakers. We met again with Spencer Zimmerman for a more in-depth conversation about his movie Headcase.
HNMAG: You grew up in Saskatchewan?
Spencer Zimmerman: I did, for nineteen years in Saskatoon.
HNMAG: There was a song by the Guess Who about your hometown.
Spencer Zimmerman: Yes! Running Back to Saskatoon.
HNMAG: A good one.
Spencer Zimmerman: Johnny Cash has one too, Girl in Saskatoon. It’s like a deep cut. I only know about it because I am from Saskatoon.
HNMAG: It’s nice when art can put geographic places on the map through more popular recognition.
Spencer Zimmerman: Here I am eight years later and I haven’t quite gotten to that myself for Saskatchewan, but I’m working on it.
HNMAG: You got time. We can put Canadian film in our front and center in terms of telling our stories.
Spencer Zimmerman: Yes Yes! It’s incredible to me that one of the greatest, most influential moments in Canadian history, like the trial of Louis Real hasn’t had the proper movie treatment with a whole Red River rebellion. There’s a movie in there.
HNMAG: The greatest Canadian of all time, Kiefer Sutherland’s grandfather, was the premier of Saskatchewan in the 60s.
Spencer Zimmerman: Yes, Tommy Douglas. This province that has this amazing rich history of rebellion, socialist policies, and ideology that has done so much good for the world.
It’s so disheartening to see how far we fell from grace. That’s not who we are. There’s a whole other side to the province that most people don’t even think about. The birth of Canadian healthcare came from Saskatchewan. Crazy to think about.
HNMAG: It’s important that we tell these stories to have that come full circle. When you were growing up, were you interested in film & television?
Spencer Zimmerman: Absolutely, it was always movies for me. Little kids want to be an astronaut, a nurse, a brain surgeon. I guess the film bug came from my dad because that was the thing that we did together. We all watched movies all the time, that was our way of spending time together. When I turned twelve, I found out that my mom’s camera had a video recording setting. That changed everything.
I made little sketches. I found out how to do special effects and then suddenly I realized that I can really make movies.
HNMAG: That was how that path started.
Spencer Zimmerman: In high school, I went to this media program. A dedicated semester that’s sort of a mini film school at a high school in Saskatoon. That’s where I really realized that I could make this a career and not just a hobby.
HNMAG: Right.
Spencer Zimmerman: We went on a field trip to Vancouver, and that’s when I saw that Vancouver was a place to make that career happen. We checked out a lot of the studios and VFX facilities. I remember thinking “Vancouver is a beautiful city. That’s where they make movies. That’s where I should go.” I didn’t even think about LA or New York.
HNMAG: You got to see the real Hollywood North.
Spencer Zimmerman: Yes, It was so inspiring, like, there’s an industry here. It’s really happening here. It’s not just me and my basement with my friends and a camera. There’s a way to make real stuff there. And then school became a goal, and so I moved out here.
HNMAG: A school in Vancouver?
Spencer Zimmerman: Yes, I went to Capilano University. It was a great time. I met so many amazing people who I still work with to this day. A lot of the people who I met, worked on Headcase, and all the movies that I’ve made.
HNMAG: Is that where you met Pat?
Spencer Zimmerman: Sort of. They didn’t actually go to the film school. I found them when I was doing my senior thesis. It was about an astronaut on a mission who was debating whether or not return to their family. One of the actors who was in that movie is Siobhan, who is the producer and lead of Headcase.
HNMAG: What was that called?
Spencer Zimmerman: It’s called Darkside. We were really pushing the boundaries of what the resources of the school could pull together.
HNMAG: How did you come about applying for a Crazy8?
Spencer Zimmerman: After making a Shits N’ Giggles short, I really wanted to work with Pat and Siobhan again because I hadn’t really gotten a chance to work with Pat and I knew he is a really solid actor.
HNMAG: Ok.
Spencer Zimmerman: He called me one night, and asked if I wanted to put together a project for Crazy8s. I asked what the deadline for our pitch was and he’s like “tomorrow”.
I went over to his place and we just put together the script in a few hours. Honestly we just went for it without being too precious about it. We wanted to make something that was fun that we thought was kind of silly and entertaining.
HNMAG: There was amazing prosthetics for Pat’s head.
Spencer Zimmerman: We talked about a lot of different ways to approach it, always with the idea that we wanted to get as much practical as we possibly could. We also only had two days to edit, so it would’ve been impossible to do any serious, major VFX work.
HNMAG: It looked really good.
Spencer Zimmerman: Anytime you see the head in its entirety and talking, we would lay down Pat on his side. My production designer Raine built a platform for him, so he could lie down sideways completely and wouldn’t have to kink his neck.
HNMAG: Sure.
Spencer Zimmerman: Pat had a prosthetic dressing around the mid part of his neck that matched where it was on the fake head. Once we got his take, we would just pull that out and then we would line up the head to match Pat’s take. We would roll a plate of that and sometimes we rolled it in a few different angles just to get some options.
HNMAG: What are your plans for Headcase now?
Spencer Zimmerman: We’re going to try to get it seen by as many people as possible. We’re putting together a festival tour. We really wan to hit up some Canadian festivals.
HNMAG: What is your biggest takeaway from making Headcase?
Spencer Zimmerman: We had incredible collaborators on this movie. It was an amazing experience working with these people. I can’t overstate how privileged I feel having had a chance to work with everybody. Before Crazy8’s, I had really only worked with a student crew. We still had amazing people but you’re bound by whatever you can assemble. On this movie, I had the best of the best in every category. Everybody wanted to do it. Everybody gave 120 %. It’s when everybody can get on board, to get behind the movie and go for it. That’s when the movie comes together. In the end, you can see the love on the screen.
Headcase is a dark comedy with a twist. It’s a fun ride and really worth seeing, Spencer Zimmerman is on a fun ride as well, and it’s easy to tell. He has a bright future that hopefully will lead to more feature films set in Canada. We all share that goal.