Vanessa Shah
email : monkeyme07@yahoo.ca

Objective
With 10 years of diverse experience in film production, research, coordinating, as well as, photography and marketing and communications. I am looking for a position that can utilize my qualifications and maximize my potential

(Most recent project, researcher for Discovery Channel, Mighty Ships. May/June 2008)

Skills
Research/Production
Search/retrieve information, extract, present, analyze applicable data
Proficient in excel, word perfect, filemaker and internet tools
OMDC and production research-
Please see appendix for list of productions.
Most OMDC scripts required breakdown, assessment as per period to be shot in, requirements for locations, transportation, studio, historically accurate prop requirements, researching animal wranglers dealing with animals needed for story line, transportation (trains, boats, ships, cars … with historical accuracy), researching all required elements people, clothes, products, etc., establishing contacts, arranging access, setting up schedules and liaising between contacts and production staff, researching locations suitable to replicate other countries and other periods in history as per script requirements, scheduling surveys, producing production packages for producers and directors, sourcing out props and wardrobe contacts, tracking available studios, equipment, and often crews.

Project management/coordination: Develop and design, research and implement, organize and maintain data.
I.E.: Filmvote 2004 for Directors Guild of Canada - Ontario. This project was designed to count all active film production professionals living in the GTA. Goal to combine all data from participating unions along with data compiled from independent sources to achieve a finale count to be divided by postal code sectors within the GTA. Its goal was to produce a white paper to be presented to the Mayor of Toronto.
Information management: Process, organize and present large amounts of data
I.E.: researched, organized, processed, edited and produced more than 250 locations combined with research and data for each location for Ontario Ministry of Cultures’ (Media Development Corp.) On line digital locations Library
Liaison: Point of contact between industry leaders, government, public and other stakeholders

Industry and related knowledge:

. Photography – free lance portraits (head shots), digital photographer OMDC (6 years), locations photographer OMDC 35mm (3 years), locations shooting for various productions (10 years), research shooting for various scripts (10 years)
. Marketing – OMDC Film marketing department over 10 year period
. Script breakdown – OMDC more than 100 breakdowns (some listed in appendix)
. Research – various script, production and marketing project listed below
. Production logistics – commercials, TV and Features locations prep
. Permits and procedures – locations prep for productions, permits, contracts
. Locations/scouting – scouting and research for specific script needs
. Contracts – liaison between clients and the city and the production companies
. Co-ordinating – all information pertaining to locations
. Data research, editing and data entry – OMDC,DGCO, and production companies, OMDC Digital Library maintenance, editing and inputting. Substitute Locations Librarian on various occasions.
. Liaison – between the public and the industry for various companies, trouble shoot for the city, the production company and the public
. Scheduling – multiple shoots (on location) in one day or one shooting schedule
. Writing – for OMDC and DGC to present marketing packages
. Development of proposals – writing proposals to entice foreign companies (commercial and feature) to Ontario for production purposes.

Work experience

Feb. 2004 To May 2004 Project Coordinator Filmvote 2004, Directors Guild of Canada, Ontario
• Designed and implemented Filmvote 2004 • Filmvote was a project designed to count film/TV professionals living in the GTA • Developed a data base to count and store numbers and sub-divide them into sectors broken down by postal code • Researched and documented data collected from unions, production heads and independent sources • Liaison between industry leaders, studio heads, union leaders and other stakeholders • Main point of contact for public inquiries • Responsible for the integrity of incoming data • Implement project to correspond to DGC standards • Many thousands of entries were input, segregated, edited and input into excel and organized for a finale count and next phase of project • A finale package was designed to present all collected data • Including maps, charts, a descriptive white paper and summary of the project
1999 to ongoing 2004 Marketing, Research. Ontario Media Development Corp Ministry of culture, OMDC, Industry development department
• Location scout, location researcher and coordinator, Location librarian and photographer • Location manager • Release coordinator (Co-ordinated 6 photographers, to shoot 1200 locations over a six week period of time. Detailed the logistics, mapping of locations, researched weather patterns and contacts for each photographer. Produced finale presentation for each photographer.) • Financial analysis of film industry expenditures in Ontario • Pre-production script research • Research visual details of script. I.E. architectural style of locations, geographic details of script locations, weather patterns of predicted shoot date, historical accuracy of locations, budget restrictions
2005-6 ALM Ghostly Encouters TV Series 27 Episodes for Wraith Films
ALM Daily 2004/2005 Slings and Arrows TV Series Rhombus Media
ALM-Scout Daily Steppin' Up (Save The Last Dance 2) Feature DTV Pro
2005-6 Scout Daily "It's A Boy Girl Thing" Feature
Locations Manager "Mutant" Documentary Rhombus Media
ALM Scout Various Commercial Spy Films (Tim Hortons, Trident, Leons)
1993 to 1996 Locations Scout, Producers Assistant The Partners Film Company
• Location scout • Research • Co-ordinator
1993 to 1996 Locations Scout, Coordinator, Producers Assistant The Players Film Company
• Location scout • Research • Co-ordinator
1993 to 1996 Various Freelance Positions IMAX Systems Inc.
• Film Distribution Assistant • Video Library Developer • Story Boarding, locations stills photography and organization of stills library for the Graphic Arts Department • Coordinator for the IMAX 3D films “The last wilderness” and “Cosmic City” • Producers Assistant, researcher

Education

1 Ryerson Polytechnic Institute (University), Journalism and Photo Arts
2 George Brown College, Photo-Darkroom Technician, apprenticed with David Walton Studios
3 Ontario College of Arts, Computer Design (2D and 3D) single class

Additional information

1 Volunteer with The Toronto International Film Festival for 9 years. Working the Red Carpet and Green Room, liaison between festival staff and talent, and the public.
2 Greenpeace Canada Educational Services
Part time over one year

Appendix A: Productions

The table below shows the main productions I worked on, as well as a statement of my
role in each.

Please note: I have worked on many commercials only some are listed below.
(Tim Horton’s, Nescafe, Cadburys, Trident, Banks, Ontario Lottery, Public Service, IKEA, Labatts beer, etc)
Production Houses- Spy, Mad, Sparx, Partners

2008 Mighty Ships, CTV Discovery Network- researcher

Wraith Films Inc. For the W Network
Ghostly Encounters TV Series 2006 ALM, Scout

Disney
Stepping Up 2005- Scout 2005

Boy Girl Productions Paramount Pictures
It’s A Boy Girl Thing - Scout 2005

Rhombus Media
Slings and Arrows True (2seasons)last two seasons ALM/Scout
Mutant (Documentary)2004, LM-Scout

Cineflix Productions Toronto-Montreal-London
Crimes Zero Hour Birth Stories 2004- LM Scout

LM/Scout Ontario Media Development Film Marketing Board
OMDC Duke of Deception Scott Rudin Location scout and researcher

1995-04 Cover Girls Disney Location scout and researcher

Cigarette Papers HBO TV Location scout and researcher

Focus Location scout and researcher

The Three Stooges ABC/Columbia TriStar Location scout and researcher

Murder She Wrote Corymore Productions Location scout and researcher

Rockville HBO/Tribeca Location scout and researcher

Down with Love 20th Century Fox Location scout and researcher

Fantastic Four- series 20th Century Fox Location scout and researcher
Billie Beats Bobby Alliance/Atlantis Location scout and researcher
Growing Pains (the movie) Location scout and researcher
Bad as I Wanna Be: the Dennis Rodman Story Location scout and researcher
Down in the Delta Location scout and researcher
Fargo: the series Location scout and researcher
Cider House Rules Location scout and researcher
The Santa Clause Location scout and researcher
To Die For Location scout and researcher
The Saint Location scout and researcher
Batman Location scout and researcher

Videos
1997 Queen’s Ryche (music video) Cuppa Coffee Productions Location Manager
1997 FX - The series Daily Location Scout
1996 The Wise Men (German music video) Hoo-Doo Films LM Location scout and researcher
1996 C-Block (German music video) Hoo-Doo Films LM Location scout and researcher
1995/ 1996 The Long Kiss Goodnight Juno Pix Productions for New Line Cinema Location scout and researcher