A filmmaker teacher in Windsor

 

Kids, aged eight to 15, are sitting in a circle, discussing imaginative movies they will make this week. Their teacher is Aaron Fauteux, a filmmaker and visual artist, from Maidstone, Ont. 

“They have movies they act, direct, film and edit by themselves. They do everything as a team,” Fauteux said. 

On Monday, kids discuss their movie topic. They write scripts in a proper script formatting.  

On Tuesday, they learn cinematography and start shooting. Over Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, they go out to the community and film at local restaurants, then camps and different parks on the street. They put footages together into the movies by Friday. 

“The most interesting thing working here is the children’s ideas and some of them have wild crazy imaginations. You never know what they are going to come up with,” Fauteux said.  

“Because they write scripts as a team, so on Monday morning you come to the camp, you have five days to make it. You have no idea what it will be. It is exciting to see their ideas. For instance, you get weird costumes and sets. There are stories about a ghost who is chasing the two cowboys.”  

Fauteux is a filmmaker and visual artist. He graduated with distinction from York University’s BFA-Film Production Program in 2017, and each of his student films have been nominated or won awards. His films deal with important social issues in surreal or unusual ways, combining meaningful stories with creative and stunning visuals. 

He is a director, cinematographer, screenwriter, and production designer for film whose diverse body of work includes fiction, documentary and alternative.  

Fauteux is also a painter, sculptor and leatherworker whose artwork was featured in the Windsor-produced feature film The Birder, for which he earned a credit as key scenic painter. 

When he studied at the university, he came to the camps to teach kids every summer. He has worked with the camp for six years, becoming the full-time Program Coordinator in summer 2017.   

“My passion started when I was in the fifth grade, I had a great teacher who was really inspiring. She had the class that read The Hobbit which is a fantasy book. After that, I watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Then I became a huge fan and saved all my money to buy and watched out all the bonus features. I feel like making movies rather than just watching them,” Fauteux said. 

“Windsor needs infrastructure for the film industries. The camps are just one piece of the puzzle. The Film camps show kids it is possible to do something in film industries in Windsor. You don’t have to be born or live in Hollywood. You can do it in right here.” 

Fauteux said the Film camps create some opportunities from a young age that the kids can pursue and learn more in the universities or colleges.  

“Eventually they are going to open the media art community centre which allows them work and produce right here in Windsor,” he said. 

“There will be editing suits, sound studios, offices for the designers which we are lacking now but we are working on it.” 

Fauteux said a movie industry in Windsor would be beneficial for many reasons. 

“It does not only benefit the art world, it also can benefit many areas such as tourism, restaurants, hotel and manufacture even paint stores,” he said. 

“If there are more movies shooting and producing in Windsor. They create a lot of jobs which is important right now.”