Will Beauchamp

William Beauchamp is a Canadian filmmaker from Edmonton, Alberta.

His directing credits include the drama "Pariahs" (2002), which won for Best Feature Film in the Toronto International Teen Movie Festival and garnered Beauchamp a $20,000 scholarship from Warner Brothers. His subsequent films include the short drama "Scotch and Soda" (2003), the futuristic feature "Little Pictures" (2004), the short documentary "Marianne" (2004), which was one of CBC Radio's "picks" in the Hot Docs Film Festival, and "Fly Away" (2006), a short drama which raised funds for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. Beauchamp has also produced two short dramas for director Jamie Cussen, "The Great Fear" (2006) and [http://www.rubbingbellies.com "Rock, Paper, Scissors"] (2007).

Beauchamp has interned with independent Canadian producer [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0294928 Camelia Frieberg] . He has also produced several commercials, and served as a marketing representative for Warner Brothers. He holds a BFA in Film Production from York University and lives in Toronto.

Aircastle Films

In 2007, Will Beauchamp and Jamie Cussen founded [http://www.aircastle.ca Aircastle Films] , and are currently developing new projects.

Links

Will Beauchamp on "Internet Movie Database" [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2322939/]

Aircastle Films on "Internet Movie Database" [http://www.imdb.com/company/co0237999/]

"Teen director wins $20,000," CBC News [http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2002/08/28/bully280802.html]

University of Alberta Profile [http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/education/news.cfm?story=15204]

A Review of "Pariahs" [http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol10/no12/pariahs.html]

"Marianne" in YLife Magazine [http://www.yorku.ca/ylife/2006/05-May/05-01/hotdocs-050106.htm] [http://www.yorku.ca/ylife/2006/06-June/06-01/filmstudents-060106.htm]

"Marianne" at "Streets to Screens" [http://publicspace.ca/fspn_dec28.htm]

Press

"Little Pictures... big dreams: Award-winning 20-year-old filmmaker leads with iron fist, velvet glove and some plain old talent"

"Will Beauchamp: you can't laugh when this headphones-wearing white guy introduce his friends as "my crew."

It could be pure coincidence that 20-year-old Will Beauchamp, an Edmonton native on the verge of his film career, resembles a young James Cameron. But after watching the talented, focused director on the set of his latest feature, "Little Pictures", it's clear he's definitely shooting in the right direction.

Little did Beauchamp know that the Christmas present he received in seventh grade -- a Handicam video camera -- would change his life's course. With his third eye he began making horror movies with a couple of his friends; as junior high went on he improvised to add to his movie-making equipment -- like the golf ball retrievers turned boom poles.

While he and his pals usually co-directed their horror flicks, Beauchamp increasingly took on the main role. "For whatever reason, I can still remember quite clearly, I kind of started taking the lead that way."

In Grade 9, a new path opened when Beauchamp's science teacher walked into class and delivered the news about the Columbine shooting. He and a good friend, Russell Bell, immediately knew they wanted to do something about it.

That something turned into a three-year project that ended in a feature-length film titled "Pariahs" -- meaning social outcasts or untouchables -- which was shot in his last year of high school.

They entered the movie into the International Teen Movie Festival, sponsored by Warner Brothers. Much to Beauchamp's amazement, it won for best feature and he was awarded a scholarship to shoot a short film in Toronto.

That win cemented his feet on the movie-making path. "It told me that OK, maybe I can do this for a living."

Since then, there has been no turning back.

In Toronto, Beauchamp impressed Blackwalk Productions (producers of music videos for Nickelback, Creed, Hootie and the Blowfish and others). Blackwalk agreed to provide the majority of the funding for "Little Pictures".

Not that there's a lot of funding involved. The film is ultra-low-budget at a mere $20,000, but that was enough to shoot the entire film last month in Edmonton.

Likely, it could not have been shot anywhere else as cheaply. Beauchamp's crew and talent devoted their time and energy free of charge, he has paid next to nothing for many of his locations and he got a steep discount on equipment rentals.

"I find Edmonton is awesome. Everyone that we've dealt with from equipment to locations has been really receptive to what we want to do."

"Little Pictures" was penned by a high school friend who also worked on the script for Pariahs. It's a Stepford Wives-ish tale about a young man who lives in a highly controlled and manipulated world. His own thinking is so limited that he views the world in little pictures, like those in children's picture books. His younger sister helps him free his mind and then, with the help of another free thinker, he starts a revolt against the society responsible for his former state of mind.

Beauchamp has kept the tone on the wacky side and admits to being influenced by the works of directors Ingmar Bergman and Stanley Kubrick. He admires both for their work in "normal," mainstream films and in their smaller, more experimental pictures.

Still, Beauchamp has developed his own style. His crew call him intense, focused and passionate. He describes his style as directing with "an iron fist and a velvet glove."

And a good dose of humble pie. Beauchamp refuses to take credit for his work, chalking up his good fortune to smart decision-making.

"The biggest thing I've learned is you only have to make about 20 smart decisions ... and that's all the people that you pick to play the certain roles, and then I feel my only job is to make sure that everyone is contributing their best."

This fall he's moving to Toronto with Bell, who plays the lead in "Little Pictures". They'll both attend the film program at York University.

Despite Beauchamp's seeming interest in serious, thought-provoking films, he'd love to tackle comedy -- simply because it's a lot more difficult to shoot.

And as for his ultimate dream? "The coolest thing that I can think of happening is if you fly to Chicago ... and there's your movie, or you fly to Winnipeg, there's your movie."

Sounds like a dream that's not too far off on the horizon.

-"Edmonton Journal", Saturday, August 14, 2004