Writer/director/lead actor: John Kalangis – Producer: Simone Urdl – Coproducer: Jennifer Weiss – Executive producer: Atom Egoyan – Cinematographer: Luc Montpellier – Diary by: Cheryl Binning

Without any previous feature film credits to back them up, and working with the ultra-low budget of $300,000, the odds were stacked against the production team behind Jack and Jill when they set out three years ago to make their first film.

But what they lacked in solid experience and hard cash, they made up for in tenacity. Never taking no for an answer, Toronto producers Simone Urdl and Jennifer Weiss and writer/director John Kalangis were determined to gain the confidence of wary funding agencies and potential distributors and prove that they had what it takes to shoot their feature in a mere 13 days and deliver a quality film on time and on budget.

Late 1993/early 1994: Performing in live theater by day and working in a bar by night, John Kalangis manages to squeeze in time to work on two screenplays which eventually merge into the Jack and Jill script.

The romantic comedy follows the turn of events when Jack, suffering a case of cold feet, calls off his marriage to Jill, deciding that commitment just isn’t up his alley. The couple agree to an ‘open’ relationship and continue to live together. However, they quickly discover that the return to the dating game serves only to add to the confusion and complications in their relationship.

While many first-time directors opt for the short film route, Kalangis instead decides that short films are too difficult to finance and the material calls for a full-length film. He plans a 10-minute trailer to get the ball rolling on the feature.

April 1995: Kalangis meets Simone Urdl, Luc Montpellier and Dameon Kindler through mutual friends. Urdl has worked on many of Atom Egoyan’s films in roles ranging from producer’s assistant to post-production supervisor. Montpellier has shot several award-winning student videos. Kalangis gives them a copy of the script and invites them to team up on the project.

July 1995: Pulling in favors and throwing in cash from their own pockets, the foursome shoot a black-and-white 16mm trailer in two and a half days. They ‘beg, borrow and steal’ to land locations, equipment and production services. Final price tag on the trailer is $2,000.

September 1995: Armed with stacks of Jack and Jill postcards and packages and the recently completed trailer, the team haunt the Toronto International Film Festival trying to drum up interest. No bites.

October 1995: A package is dropped off at Alliance Communications.

January 1996: Response from Alliance. They are interested but do not make any firm commitment.

Spring 1996: Although none of the production team is a Canadian Film Centre graduate (and therefore ineligible to apply), they send the script to the Feature Film Project just to see what reaction it receives.

Feature Film Project executive producer Colin Brunton reads the Jack and Jill screenplay, loves it, and asks to buy the script and produce it at the cfc.

The decision is made not to take Brunton up on the offer. Says Kalangis: ‘We all decided that if we didn’t give it a shot and make this film ourselves we would always wonder what might have happened.’

July 1996: They meet with Telefilm Canada to find out if the agency will consider financing a project with such a low budget – $300,000 – and from first-time filmmakers.

Telefilm has some concerns with the number of shoot days – only 13 – and the low budget. But there is hope. Telefilm says the Jack and Jill project is a solid idea backed by a strong business plan, and if they come back with other elements attached it will seriously consider funding the film.

Fall 1996: They flog the project to distributors in Canada and the u.s. Many show interest but no deal is signed.

January 1997: TMN-The Movie Network says it does not invest in projects as small as Jack and Jill, but Urdl begs Jamie Wynne to read it anyway. He calls back immediately and says he has never done this before but will prelicense the film for $15,000.

Around the same time, Kindler decides producing is not his forte and returns to his tv scriptwriting career. Jennifer Weiss, who has worked on several tv documentaries and also held a position at the Toronto International Film Festival, comes on as coproducer. Meredith Lushnik of Vancouver is brought on board to scout for money on the West Coast.

February 1997: They put together an elaborate package of caviar, wine, candles and the script in a papier-mache box of Jack and Jill postcards and send it to Victor Loewy at Alliance Releasing.

‘It was huge, the kind of thing you couldn’t ignore if it landed on your desk,’ says Urdl. ‘Either it was going to work or they would think `This is cheesy, you can’t buy us.’ ‘

Luckily, the team at Alliance get a kick out of it. Word comes from Charlotte Mickie and Ted East that Alliance will take Canadian and international distribution. Alliance kicks in 30% of the $300,000 budget.

Spring 1997: Working every day in Egoyan’s production office, Urdl often goes to him for advice on her film. One day in passing, Egoyan says he is willing to exec produce. The first-time filmmakers realize that bringing an experienced producer on board will help their cause with funding agencies. Urdl takes Egoyan up on the offer.

April 1997: Applications are submitted to Telefilm and the ctcpf’s Licence Fee Program.

June 1997: The lfp program is oversubscribed. The only money available is through the cbc envelope. The producers were counting on the lfp to put together the final 20% ($68,000) of the budget.

Urdl calls the cbc and makes an offer: cbc can buy Jack and Jill for one dollar, allowing the film to access the lfp.

cbc says thanks, but no thanks.

June 1997: The male actors from the original trailer are cast for the feature and include Scott Gibson, Don Ackerman and David Sutcliffe, but most of the female leads have gone actra. The production cannot afford actra rates so these parts are recast. Shauna MacDonald, Kathryn Zenna, Tara Johnson and Meredith Vuchnich tale the roles.

Kalangis begins rehearsing with the actors right away.

July 1997: An application is submitted to The Harold Greenberg Fund.

August 1997: A fundraiser is held at a downtown bar to cover some administrative costs and to schmooze with potential private investors. They raise $4,000.

Urdl decides to forego the private investor route. The potential financiers they come in contact with all want first-tier recoupment, some creative control, and top credit billing on the film.

July/August 1997: Scouting for free locations throughout Toronto, the producers find numerous doors opened to them. The David Mirvish bookstore, Kalendar Restaurant and Southern Accent all donate their facilities. Kalendar agrees to cancel its lunches for four days so they can shoot from midnight to 10 a.m. and Southern Accent gives them space for wardrobe and makeup and actor holdings.

September 1997: They ‘harass’ The Harold Greenberg Fund by sending packages to every board member. The stumbling block – the fund has never been involved in such a low-budget film and there is concern that Jack and Jill cannot be made for $300,000.

‘You need time or money to make a good film,’ says Kalangis. He definitely doesn’t have the money so preparation time becomes crucial.

Over the eight-month rehearsal period, Kalangis revises the script. For some scenes he gives the actors some nuggets of dialogue and the intent of the scene and allows them to improvise while he takes notes.

‘The script,’ he says, ‘found a life of its own through the actors and the action.’

Montpellier, Kalangis and first ad Chris Binney make detailed floor plans of every shot in every location.

October 1997: The intense preparation impresses the fund board. The Harold Greenberg Fund comes through with 20% of the budget and Telefilm kicks in 49%.

Nov. 22, 1997: Production begins over 13 days, mainly in the evenings. The tight schedule means that, at times, 15 pages are shot a night. With the help of killer deals from local suppliers, such as Lightsource and 16mm Shop, the production stays on budget.

Winter 1998: Editing takes place at The Post Group. Owner Gary Freeman gives the filmmakers a great deal. There is some discussion of shooting a couple of more scenes but finally they decide to make the best cut possible with the shots they have.

‘We jumped the gun, we hadn’t realized the potential of what we had and started questioning ourselves,’ explains Kalangis.

Steve Himel composes musical scores.

April 1998: Steve Munro at Trackworks does sound edit and mix, foley and adr for ‘a ridiculously low price’ and does a great job considering that the sound is not in the best of shape when he receives it due to the quick shoot, low budget and relatively inexperienced crew.

August 1998: deluxe toronto is no longer processing Super 16 and Medallion is not set up yet, so timing and Super 16 interpositives have to be taken to Gastown in Vancouver.

June 1998: Jack and Jill is screened for Toronto International Film Festival programmers. Halfway through sync is lost. The programmers keep their sense of humor through the mishap.

September 1998: On the third anniversary of the start of the production on the 10-minute black-and-white trailer, the feature film version of Jack and Jill debuts at tiff.

Public screenings:

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 9:30 p.m.

Varsity 2 and 3

Thursday, Sept. 17, 9:30 a.m.

Cumberland/Alliance 2

Press & industry screenings:

See Website for daily updates: www.bell.ca/filmfest