Partner Pictures Inc. is a creative services company representing the direction and design work of mine: Trevor Smith. Reflecting a mix of motion pictures, graphic design, and film art direction, this site is a sampling of my continuously growing output in the arts community here in Alberta, Canada. Never one to be pigeon-holed, I can pretty much do anything you ask of me. Quitting is rarely an option and once I'm in, I'm in all the way. Ideas are plentiful but unless someone's willing to roll up their sleeves and execute, the hot air dissipates. Trevor Smith is the top to bottom package: the biggest, most ambitious thinker, the first to grab a corner and lift, and finally, the boldest to decide when something is too heavy to continue with. Accountability is paramount. Without it, we're all liars and forever failures.
Partner was meant to reflect the collaborative nature of filmmaking and the comradery necessary to bring visual media to life. It's as much about the people as the process. I'd rather not leave a scorched earth behind me but instead enable everyone involved in a project to get their good and bad ideas out early, then focus and deliver on the ones that stand up to critique. Nobody's an island and no project is so precious that it can't be adjusted. "Dream" is one of the most overused idioms in the language of movies and arts culture. It's a passive and utopian concept. Expressing oneself is as much about standing in the cold, when the sun's about to go down, and knowing everyone is there, right then, committed to creating the best shot under those circumstances. Usually, when you see it later in the edit suite, it's the most perfect thing you never imagined.
I believe firmly in admitting when I don't know where to put the camera, spray glue, shooting an alternate, ninja-accurate trimming when making props, using a dry fly even when they're nymphing, and always going five hole within four feet of the net. Everything else works itself out if you've got the right team--- and most importantly, leader. Follow me. I'm always looking for partners.
April 2010
The Dan Mangan video "The Indie Queens Are Waiting" has been nominated for four AMPIA awards in the categories: Best Director Drama Under 30: Trevor Smith, Best Cinematography Drama Under 30: Craig Wrobleski,Best Editing Drama Under 30: Darren Bierman, and Best Music Video: John Kerr/ Crowsnest Films. Better yet, Trevor's work on all three JPMF PSAs (Put Yourself In Our Boots) is being highlighted too. All three commercials are up for Best PSA and the spin-off corporate video is up for a Rosie (AMPIA) too. Not bad-- eight nods from my collected efforts. I think that makes 30+ nominations my work has garnered with partners.
September 2009
The final touches have been put on Corb Lund's first video for his new album and it should begin airing on CMT Canada mid-September. The song is "A Game In Town Like This". It should be a hit. Also, the recently completed video for Vancouver sensation Dan Mangan, "The Indie Queens Are Waiting", is not only garnering buzz online, it's nominated for the Best of Alberta Competition at this year's Calgary International Film Festival on October 3rd. Both vids, and some new commercials, should be on the website soon.
August 2009
While finalizing the edits for JPMF's public service announcements (via Joe Media Group) and Dan Mangan's "The Indie Queens Are Waiting" (Crowsnest Films), Trevor has continued his collaboration with Albertan country star Corb Lund. Cameras roll mid-month on the single "A Game In Town Like This". The newest video will be a combination of casino bling, Tom Mix hats, tuxedos, and scruffy poker noir. Corb, as usual, is centre-stage and as unique and hard-to-pin-down rootsy as ever. Watch for it on the website soon and in CMT rotation.
July 2009
With Joe Media and Crowsnest Films backing me, I've been shooting like a full time director this month on a couple of great projects. The John Petropolous Memorial Fund has me shooting three separate public service commercials for Fire, Police, and Emergency Medical Services. We'll also crank out a larger workplace safety video from the material covered in 4 days of runnin' and gunnin'. Big thanks to Craig Wrobleski for lensing my ideas and making these ambitious projects look ten times as gorgeous as the budgets allowed. John Kerr had my back as usual and I've been lucky enough to discover another editing partner/talent, in addition to Ian Day at Joe Media, Darren Bierman at 940. Both guys have been sculpting the miles of footage I've been blasting through this month. Darren will be colour timing and cutting the upcoming Corb Lund video that I'll be directing.
Trevor Smith is an independent filmmaker, prolific designer, and pervasive presence in the media arts scene in Calgary. Pictures, in all their manifestations, are his passion and he loves to make things look better. Having studied film academically at the University of Alberta and then technically at SAIT's Film/Video Production program, he has learned his biggest lessons in the trenches as an Art Director for features and television while ever carving out a local name for himself as an emerging director and writer to monitor. With a larger focus on actualizing feature films and realizing ideas of his own 100 percent of the time, Trevor recently signed on to be the Program Manager for the Calgary International Film Festival and immerse himself in the world's finest cinema to spurn his imagination further. Plus, if he ever decides Edmonton is the place to return to, he can always dive back into the 20,000 plus title collection of films housed in his boutique video store: Sneak Preview. That being said, Calgary is definitely home. He likes the fish in this particular pond a lot and hopes in his small way to make the city's filmmaking landscape a little more captivating.
Developing features, pitching music videos, juggling design work, and now picking films for the festival, Trevor's diverse expressive efforts reflect a work ethic, desire, and creative integrity essential to surviving and making noise in the Canadian cultural climate. He hopes you notice and appreciate the work.
