So I'd like to take this blog moment for a sec, and just grind down indie filmmaking to its most absolute core truth: as a director, you're only as good as your crew.  And your cast. But I will blog about them separately.  Let's use this moment to shout out to the unsung heroes of Coopers' Camera.  My crew.

My crew is the best crew there is. Many other filmmakers will say the same thing, scream it from their rooftops, but it's not true. My crew is the best. And here I would like to make a sacrifice at the alter of the Film Gods to give thanks to them, for without them.... I would not be writing this blog, sending my wife to line up for tickets for me this Sept. 3rd at 7am (I am in Vancouver shooting a new movie and can't score tickets myself! - thank you my Sweet Sarah!!)  or have stayed up all those sleepless nights with Aden Bahadori, my co-editor, post supervisor, and best friend,
editing this film. There would be no need to, because the film would not exist. It only exists because I have the best crew in the world.

Let's put it this way. In 11 days, we shot a 104 page script, didn't drop a scene, added 23 new ones, and did it with smiles on our faces. Look how happy Aden looks here -- and he's just dumping P2 cards! At 2 in the morning!! Yessir, I certainly had to raise my "A" game to keep pace with these cats. That's why in every production photo you will see of me, I am wearing a Santa Hat. This is the NBA.

Samy Inayeh, as far as I'm concerned, is a genius. You would have to be to shoot Coopers under such crazy conditions. This man is fast, furious and a master of light and camera movement. And even though we basically ended up creating a lo-fi VHS world (thanks to Samy and Chuck Nosworthy's work at NOTCH and Mike Sevigny & Nick Flook at PIXALITE) - it's the most cinematically crazy VHS-simulated world ever committed to tape since.... Capturing the Friedmans. Which, you know what? Has a lot dysfunctionally in common with our Cooper clan believe it or not.

Diana Abbatangelo has been my production designer for years now - gruntin' with me in music videos, with hopes to tell longer stories with bigger budgets. Well, at least we got the longer stories part completed. Her and her crew made 2008 look and feel like 1985 and always had some spare mistletoe to boot. My favourite is her attention to detail. Every day on set, there'd be new and suprising things to shoot or put in the shot - my favourites include many of Teddy's "Drawings" done by Mr. Chris Lazar, a certain gift given to Gord to help his lazy love muscle and of course the Coopers' video camera itself.

Dee Daly and Laura Montgomery are my Glam Squad. You have to check out the period wardrobe and hairstyles. I think Sam Bee is still having nightmares! They're amazing and quick and crazy enough to go with me from Coopers' Camera in February, right to my next feature "Puck Hogs" which we did in May/June of this year. In fact, most of the Coopers' clan followed me onto "Puck Hogs" because - like I said, I have the best crew in the world. They are also a glutton for punishment.

Take my production team of Chris Pavoni (PM), Ben Iscoe (1st AD), Katrina Saville (Script Supe) and Joel Burch (Coordinator who later became Associate Producer b/c he kicked ass so much). They were the first ones on set, last ones to leave. Look at them sitting in this production meeting going, "How the hell are we going to do this?!" while Samy scratches his head and wonders how to pare down his lighting list. Again. Somehow, some way, they made it all happen for us.

There's certainly more peeps here - like Rob Beal, Luke McLean and the rest of the most tasty and clear location sound dept. on the face of the planet, Simon Fon, our stunt coordinator who did the most amazing tumble and fall under frigid conditions, MAX FX who always saves my ass on set and this time brought along some vomit to boot, Rogelio the unit manager and all the grips and gaffers and camera assistants and operators and craft peeps and location managers and PA's and post sound (Boomtang) and VFX guys (which I will blog about later)... everyone really. And if this blog is feeling like just a big love letter to my crew, then you sure did call it. Because if you ever made a movie with the best crew ever, you'd want to blog about them too.

I love you guys. Through fire and water and snow and back again.

Until the next blog post,

Shoot Good Film.

WPS