A student-led TV series is being filmed at Windsor’s Walkerville Collegiate Institute. The production is called BuzzFlix and it is under Vortex Media. It will include four 90-minute productions based in a fictional ‘Walkerville High School’, based on the existing school, filming within its walls throughout the summer. On top of being filmed locally, it is young filmmakers paid, hands-on experience on a real production set. The announcement was met by loud cheers from Walkerville students, excited to see the behind the scenes in the coming weeks. “It’s tough out there right now. We see the job market being rough, we see the opportunities being perhaps less than the opportunities previous generations have had, but we’ve got to do something to change,” said Bill Marks, executive chairman of Vortex Media and the founder of BuzzFlix. “We’re going to hire 70 students and we’re going to make four films, and they’re going to do every single job on the films, directors of the movies are current university students, the writers, the cinematographers, the costume designers, the sound mixers, everyone making these films is a current university and college student in Ontario.” The project is expected to spend over $1.8 million on youth employment, part of the overall budget of $8 million. “BuzzFlix is built around a simple idea: The best way to learn how to make movies is to make them,” said Marks. “We’re creating paid opportunities for young people to gain real-world experience, build confidence, and work alongside industry mentors on professional productions. Windsor is an ideal home for this launch, and we’re thrilled to be bringing this level of production activity and youth employment to the region.” The films will be part of a television series, as Marks says it is easier to finance, compared to four independent films. At Wednesday’s announcement, Marks was presented with a certificate of appreciation by MP for Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore, Kathy Borrelli, for the contribution it is making to Ontario youth and to the city. Mayor Drew Dilkens was also present at the event, expressing excitement for the production. “Filmmaking is about storytelling. The story here in Walkerville is incredible. I’m proud of the students here, I’m proud of the leadership of this school and what they do to foster the spirit of creativity for our community, and we believe in film,” said Dilkens. The first of the four productions, “SUPERSTAR”, is set to begin filming later this month. More productions will follow throughout the summer. BuzzFlix says the stories touch on youth, identity, reputation, digital culture, acceptance, and entrepreneurship.
