Morgana first caught the filming bug at age 11 when she wanted a video memento of her grade 6 class. She brought her camera to school and recorded video clips over several weeks. Unbeknownst to her parents, she taught herself iMovie and edited the clips into a commemorative video to music, called “Grade 6 Class Memories”. She gave copies to her classmates as a gift at the end of the school year in June 2011.
For her 12th birthday, Morgana asked for money to put towards the purchase of her first camcorder. Armed with her savings and gift cards from various family members, she purchased a Canon Vixia M40 Camcorder and a tripod. Inspiration for her first movie came shortly afterwards when she went to see Super 8 with her parents. Within a few weeks, YET ANOTHER ZOMBIE FILM was shot in one hot July afternoon with 4 of her friends. After editing the film using iMovie, Morgana presented it to her delighted father for his birthday in Oct 2011. The following Christmas she received a DM-100 Directional Stereo Microphone as a gift from her parents.
Shooting in the rain
Morgana came up with the idea for MIRROR at her grandparent’s house:
“My grandparents have a huge mirror in their bathroom. After a shower, It looked mystical and foggy. The plot just came to me.”
MIRROR was completed in December 2012. From January to March, Morgana developed the script, cast 9 of her friends, decorated the “set” areas in her house, and scouted potential forest locations with her father. She shot the film over 5 months in 7 shoot days, between March 31 and August 28 using a single camera. Morgana dealt with many challenges that came with directing her own peers, rainy days, absentee cast members, lost footage, minor injuries and even poison ivy!
Morgana editing with Final Cut Pro X
Morgana used Final Cut Pro X to complete her own editing and colour correction starting in April 2012. She finished the trailer over Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend on October 8th, and screened it to the families of the cast at her home a few weeks later. By November the MIRROR web site was launched. Prior to film festival submission, a private screening will take place in Ottawa in January 2013.
More about Mirror
- Trailer
- Credits – cast, crew, music, and special thanks
- Screenings & Press – where is MIRROR?
- Photos – peek into the production