More press coverage about the Sunflower music video, directed by Edward Platero & produced by RedCat Film for artist, Stacey Zegers.

A-Channel London News story:

Today, the London Free Press ran the print article of this story on the front page of the newspaper:

Bully and bullied.
By KELLY PEDRO, THE LONDON FREE PRESS

As a child, London country singer Stacey Zegers was both teased and did the teasing.

Zegers, born with cataracts, wore thick-framed glasses as a child until she got contact lenses as a teenager.

“The reason I did the teasing was because I felt so out of place,” she said.

Zegers explores the world of bullying in her new song, Sunflower, and the powerful music video that accompanies it, released a week ago on YouTube.

London filmmaker Edward Platero, of Red Cat Films, got the idea for the video — meant to expose the vulnerable part of Zegers — less than two weeks ago.

“If you watch videos on TV now it’s all about indulgence, catering to the musician’s ego. You look at a video of Christina Aguilera all done up to the max. I thought it would be neat to take that concept and turn it on its head, so you take someone whose done up to the max and deconstruct it,” he said.

In the video, Zegers shows a picture of herself as a child — wearing her thick-rimmed glasses — and throughout the song she strips off hair extensions, fake eyelashes and eventually her make-up as she sings about a young girl who bullied another girl.

By the end of the song, the singer sees the young girl she bullied in a new way. The video ends with Zegers wearing her glasses and holding up a sign with the website for Kids Help Phone.

They conceived, shot and released the video in three days. It hit YouTube Feb. 4 and by the following Monday, Feb. 7, Sunflower became Zegers’ top-selling song on iTunes.

Platero sent the video to Kids Help Phone, who plan to use it on their website. The agency has already posted the video on their Facebook page, linked to it via Twitter and asked Zegers to be a celebrity ambassador for the organization.

Everyone is taking away their own story from the video, said Platero.

“From what I’ve found, it’s hitting people on a very profound level, causing a deep emotional connection between the song and the video,” said Platero, whose son has been bullied.

The response has been incredible, he added.

Since the video was released, viewers have been contacting Platero and Zegers through e-mail and Facebook, thanking the two for shooting the video and sharing its story.

“It’s nice because (people) feel they’ve developed a connection with the video. They love the message behind it,” said Platero.

Zegers was in Nashville co-writing songs for her album, Famous, when she heard the song Sunflower and started crying and knew she had to add the song to her album.

Sunflower hasn’t been released to radio yet, but has been promoted through social media sites.

Zegers will be performing her song at an annual walk for Kids Help Phone May 1 in London.

E-mail kelly.pedro@sunmedia.ca, or follow KellyatLFPress on Twitter.

RedCat Film’s Val Petrov has been nominated for a 2010 London Music Award.

Vote for Val here: http://scenemagazine.com/phpQ/fillsurvey.php?sid=8
in the category for “Composer”

Photo by Kevin Van Lierop

November 6th, 2010, RedCat film’s short film “Shhh…” had it’s public premiere at the 2010 London Short Film Showcase.  ”Shhh…” was awarded with one of the evening’s 3 People’s Choice awards.

The following is press from the event:

Gian_Verano-LSFS

Val Petrov of Red Cat Film of London sets up for an interview with Alan Smith, head of economic development for Elgin County, as part of a day-long county-wide video blitz for the Fox News program Today in America hosted by Terry Bradshaw. The five-minute segment is set to air in Canada and the U.S. in six to eight weeks.

Elgin County is ready for its closeup

Is shining a spotlight on the community, but viewers won’t see much of St. Thomas in the five-minute segment

QMI Agency ST. THOMAS — A video segment showcasing Elgin County for Fox News in the United States is now in the can.

But don’t expect to see Jumbo or much from St. Thomas — it’s a county-only project.

That’s after a London-based film company joined county staffers for an all-day, countywide blitz Tuesday to produce a five-minute segment for the Fox program Today in America, hosted by former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw.

In six to eight weeks, the segment is to air on Fox News, on Home and Garden Television (HGTV) in Canada and on 16 regional stations in the U.S. and Canada.

“It’s been an amazing opportunity to showcase Elgin County south of the border, and not just in the U.S. but within Canada as well,” said Kate Burns, the county’s economic development and tourism assistant.

“It’s incredible that they found us. One of the producers found our website, Progressive By Nature, they searched energy and the environment, and renewable energy and technology. And we turned up.”

Earlier this year, Elgin County Council approved $25,000 to pay for broadcast licensing and rights for the segment.

Fox didn’t send a team from the U.S., but hired Red Cat Film of London for the video shoot.

“They’ve been great to work with,” Burns noted.

The crew started at 7 a.m. in Bayham at Etbo Tool and Die, then it was off to the Integrated Grain Producers Co-operative ethanol plant in Aylmer before heading to Port Stanley and the county-administration building near St. Thomas.

They wrapped up with shoots at Ontario Plant Propagation near Shedden and the Arts and Cookery Bank in West Lorne.

Along the way, the crew grabbed “beauty shots” of Port Burwell, Port Stanley, Aylmer, Port Glasgow and some footage of West Elgin secondary school.

“We’ve been everywhere today,” noted Val Petrov, who shot the segment with his father, Larry Petrov. He said they do all the shooting and interviews, but had some direction from Fox.

“They always tell us what the episode is about, so we get a feel for what the segment should be,” Val Petrov said. He said he knows Elgin fairly well, “but we’re learning more today.”

Exactly when the segment will air hasn’t been determined, Burns said.

“My Charlotte was my personal favourite film of the night, as I realized I never felt manipulated as an audience member. It was as if I was looking onto the director’s ideas without having them forced upon me. I felt able to let the plot affect me, without feeling as though anyone else could possibly be planning the emotional attachment I experienced. The overall flow of this piece built up so wholly, and was accompanied by such terrific acting, that the film’s scheme just made sense to me. The second line I scribbled down as soon as I heard it this evening went something like, “I can’t play her last note, or else I’ll forget her… Like all the rest.” Let me tell you, if this film were shown to a group of teenage girls, you’d get squeals. Fortunately, I am not a squealer. I am however, the type to rave about eloquent lines such as this one, and take the time to scribble it all over notebooks until I feel someone has connected with it as I did. In this case, I believe the director simply found a more effective means in which to share their idea. To this director I would just like to say, “I get it.”

Emma Flemington – The Beat Magazine, London, Ontario
Original Article