PRIMAA.org - Grande Prairie and Peace Region Filmmaking Collective

Annual General Meeting 2020
2020-11-26 18:30 - 20:50 (America/Edmonton)
Annual General Meeting
Nov. 26 | 6:30 - 8:30PM
Annual General Meeting, Nov. 26, 2020 at 6:30pm MST. The meeting will be conducted virtually using Zoom (details below) and is open to all current members as well as members of the public.
You can review the Meeting Agenda here.
If you'd like to find out more about PRIMAA or get more personally involved, then this is a great chance to share your opinions or meet other media artists.
We also have several board positions up for election and are looking for volunteers willing to contribute to one or more committees, including:
- Events
- Workshops
- Equipment Rental Program
- Communications
If nurturing media arts programming in our Peace Region communities is important to you, then please consider joining our volunteer board and lending a hand. PRIMAA is only as strong as we collectively make it.
Join The Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/97080691974?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 970 8069 1974
Passcode: [REDACTED]
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Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aysxZeXLg

Pitching 101
2020-12-03 18:30 - 21:30
How do you make your project stand out when you are submitting a proposal or pitching to a potential investor? This three-hour session will provide participants with an introduction to pitching and what goes into a proposal. Topics will include an overview of: Understanding investors/partners, targeting audience, introduction to story, identifying themes, requirements/deliverables, and project finance.
Instructed by Ava Karvonen
Ava Karvonen is multi-platform producer and the founder of Edmonton’s Reel Girls Media. She has produced and executive produced more than 200 hours of content for the global market including TV, web and mobile. Her work has seen more than 90 worldwide screenings and been internationally recognized with more than 45 awards.
Ava has mentored 33 TELUS Storyhive teams, executive produced the web series How to Learn Anything (now in production on Season 3), and is in development on a feature film project supported by the Harold Greenberg Fund with writer/director Anne Wheeler and producer Michelle Morris (Red Snow). She recently produced the critically acclaimed feature documentary, Finding Bobbi, that tells the story of an actor who returns to stage as a woman in the iconic role of Aunt Eller in an LGBTQ+ interpretation of Oklahoma! 20 years after last performing on stage as a man. Her credits include producing six series, twelve hour-long documentaries, more than 150 webisodes and podcasts, animation, games, and an online companion to an animated TV series where the audience uses digital assets from the series to create their own comics and stories. In addition to producing, Ava also writes and directs. She directed two seasons of Chaos and Courage for APTN; was one of the directors on the CBC series Keeping Canada Alive; wrote and directed The Lie Detective; directed and produced Homefront (a project that took her to Afghanistan); and directed Seeds of Change (taking her to China).
Ava believes in giving back to her community. Ava has been teaching credit and non-credit courses for NAIT, FAVA, MacEwan, and Raindance. She has also helped develop industry policy while serving for the past 20 plus years on the boards of the Edmonton Arts Council, AMPIA,
Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), and DOC AB. She is the chair of WIFTA (Women in Film and Television Alberta), Vice President Film for IATSE Local 210, and sits on the advisory committee of the Edmonton Screen Industries Office.
$20 - PRIMAA Members
$40 - Non-members
REGISTER HERE

The Role of Social Media Marketing For Filmmakers
2021-01-26 19:00 - 21:00
Instructed by Danielle Smith
Let’s dive into the role of social media marketing and learn how to make it work for you, and your film or project. Social media marketing is a powerful tool that not only grows your film or project reach, but it encourages your targeted audience members to help join in with the leg-work.
You’ve already created the content, so let’s work together to encourage users to share it. We will discuss what goes into setting up a social media marketing campaign, how to execute a successful campaign and some growing and monitoring tips for your next campaign.
Free - PRIMAA Members
$20 - Non-members
Register: https://primaa.wildapricot.org/event-4094457
About Danielle Smith:
Born and raised in a small Nova Scotian rural town, I always dreamed about where my future career would take me. My passion for learning, communications and desire to connect drove me to a profession in Communications and Marketing. I’ve always been a collaborator and curious about individual’s passions and sharing their stories.
My aspiration for adventure, new experiences and meeting new people pushed me to take the leap and move across the country to Alberta. Grande Prairie has quickly become my home away from home where my passion of helping individuals connect and communicate effectively, social media strategy and bringing comic relief to every situation continues to grow.
Currently, I work as a Public Relations Specialist, a marketing freelancer and take every opportunity to teach and educate businesses and content creators on proper social media and communication tactics
REGISTER NOW

Funding Basics for Indie Filmmakers
2021-02-10 18:30 - 21:30
3-part workshop, 3-hour sessions weekly for 3 weeks.
Dates: Feb. 10, 17, & 24
Instructed by: Ava Karvonen
You’ve got a great idea but how do you get access to the cash to help you tell your story?
This three-part course will introduce the participants to a range of public and private funding opportunities in Canada. Course will include guest presenters who will present their projects (including the evolution of the project, pitch material, showing a short clip, and sharing overall budget and finance strategy) followed by a Q and A. Case studies will include low budget feature film, web series, dramatic short, documentary, and animation.
About Ava Karvonen:
Ava Karvonen is multi-platform producer and the founder of Edmonton’s Reel Girls Media. She has produced and executive produced more than 200 hours of content for the global market including TV, web and mobile. Her work has seen more than 90 worldwide screenings and been internationally recognized with more than 45 awards.
Ava has mentored 33 TELUS Storyhive teams, executive produced the web series How to Learn Anything (now in production on Season 3), and is in development on a feature film project supported by the Harold Greenberg Fund with writer/director Anne Wheeler and producer Michelle Morris (Red Snow). She recently produced the critically acclaimed feature documentary, Finding Bobbi, that tells the story of an actor who returns to stage as a woman in the iconic role of Aunt Eller in an LGBTQ+ interpretation of Oklahoma! 20 years after last performing on stage as a man. Her credits include producing six series, twelve hour-long documentaries, more than 150 webisodes and podcasts, animation, games, and an online companion to an animated TV series where the audience uses digital assets from the series to create their own comics and stories. In addition to producing, Ava also writes and directs. She directed two seasons of Chaos and Courage for APTN; was one of the directors on the CBC series Keeping Canada Alive; wrote and directed The Lie Detective; directed and produced Homefront (a project that took her to Afghanistan); and directed Seeds of Change (taking her to China).
Ava believes in giving back to her community. Ava has been teaching credit and non-credit courses for NAIT, FAVA, MacEwan, and Raindance. She has also helped develop industry policy while serving for the past 20 plus years on the boards of the Edmonton Arts Council, AMPIA, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), and DOC AB. She is the chair of WIFTA (Women in Film and Television Alberta), Vice President Film for IATSE Local 210, and sits on the advisory committee of the Edmonton Screen Industries Office.
$50 - PRIMAA Members
$100 - Non-members
REGISTER HERE

The Instagram Aesthetic: Content Building for Media Artists
2021-04-15 18:30 - 21:30
Instructed by: Danielle Smith
Instagram is one of the most popular platforms today for creators, but it is also one of the most competitive and intimidating platforms. Understanding the creation of hashtags, presets, stories and reels is needed to set your content apart. Although anyone can launch an Instagram account, it takes work and pre-planning to launch a successful account to create the opportunity to watch your brand grow.This workshop will dive into launch content ideas, dos and don'ts, setting your feed up for success, content creation and how-tos for stories, presets and more. Although this workshop is for Instagram, it will also help with content creation strategies for other social media platforms.
Free - PRIMAA Members$20 - Non-members
About Danielle Smith:
Born and raised in a small Nova Scotian rural town, I always dreamed about where my future career would take me. My passion for learning, communications and desire to connect drove me to a profession in Communications and Marketing. I’ve always been a collaborator and curious about individual’s passions and sharing their stories.
My aspiration for adventure, new experiences and meeting new people pushed me to take the leap and move across the country to Alberta. Grande Prairie has quickly become my home away from home where my passion of helping individuals connect and communicate effectively, social media strategy and bringing comic relief to every situation continues to grow.
Currently, I work as a Public Relations Specialist, a marketing freelancer and take every opportunity to teach and educate businesses and content creators on proper social media and communication tactics.
REGISTER HERE

Frantic IX
2021-05-21 18:00 - 2021-05-30 18:00
It's time!
Time to gather your team and make a short film!
AND, because we would like everyone to do this safely, we ask that you do this challenge following the current COVID-19 public health regulations in your province of residence (Alberta & British Columbia) so we can all keep doing what we love!
And you'll have more time to do so (9 days!)
Time's a-wastin'!
Time to see WHAT'S NEW
and REGISTER NOW

2021 Annual General Meeting
2021-11-25 18:30 - 20:30
Annual General Meeting, Thursday Nov. 25, 2021 at 6:30pm MST. The meeting will be conducted virtually using Zoom and is open to all current members as well as members of the public.
If you'd like to find out more about PRIMAA or get more personally involved, then this is a great chance to share your opinions or meet other media artists.
We also have several board positions up for election and are looking for volunteers willing to contribute to one or more committees, including:
- Events
- Workshops
- Equipment Rental Program
- Communications
If nurturing media arts programming in our Peace Region communities is important to you, then please consider joining our volunteer board and lending a hand. PRIMAA is only as strong as we collectively make it.
REGISTER HERE

Frantic Film Challenge 2022
2022-03-25 19:00 - 2022-04-03 19:00 | Online
IT'S TIME!
Time to blow the dust off your film gear or wipe the greasy smears from your cell phones, because the 2022 Frantic Film Challenge is coming to the Peace Region once again!
Gather your team, challenge your rivals, and get ready for another nine days of filming mayhem - with great news on the horizon, because you'll be able to show off your masterpiece on the BIG SCREEN! Reel Shorts Film Festival is back this year, and we're pleased to be a part of such a legendary local short film showcase.
So come on out and show everyone what you've got!
Early bird registration is $10 for members, $20 for non-members, increasing to $20/$30 respectively after March 1st.
REGISTER YOUR TEAM NOW!

Film Stew
2023-07-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Card's Board Game Cafe, 10001 100 Ave, Grande Prairie, Alberta, T8V 0V2, Canada
Review the script, delegate the crew, add responsibilities, and audition for roles.

Info Session - Frightening 48
2023-10-03 19:00 - 21:00
At the Info Session you can expect:

An overview of how the Frightening48 Film Challenge works
Beginner filmmaking hacks
Tips from past Frightening48 Film Challenge participants, Louwrens Olivier and Wade Whibley
Opportunity to connect with other media artists

Frightening 48 2023 edition
2023-10-13 18:00 - 2023-10-15 18:00
Over the course of an adrenaline-filled weekend, filmmaking teams compete to write, shoot, and edit a short horror film based a provided line of dialogue and a given prop. The films will be screened online on PRIMAA's Youtube page.
All participants will be entered into a draw for various participation prizes. PRIMAA will be handing out two award titles for Judges’ and Audience’s Choice, but the real prize will be bragging rights.
6 pm Friday Oct. 13, 2023 until 6 pm, Sunday Oct. 15, 2023
ALL FILMS must be handed in by 6 pm on Sunday to qualify.
ENTRY FEE
Team Registration Fee - $30
Only one fee is required per team. PRIMAA membership is not required.
Details here

Frightening 48 Screenings
2023-10-29 18:45 - 22:00
Live Screening at GPLT
We have BIG NEWS!
We decided that we are going to screen all of the Frightening48 Films on the BIG SCREEN at @GPLT on October 29!
We will be screening the films from this year’s Frightening 48 Film Challenge, giving out prizes and awards for Frightening 48 Challenge participants, plus we have a special test screening of Remolded, a locally produced horror film.
Watch the Remolded trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaQLJZ5Q3ww
Come out, get your scream on and support local independent media arts!
When: October 29, 2023 - Doors open at 6:45pm
Where: Grande Prairie Live Theatre
Tickets: $15/person
Get tickets online at the GPLT box office:
https://tickets.gplt.ab.ca/TheatreManager/1/tmEvent/tmEvent1492.html

Online Screening On YouTube
View Our Frightening 48 films on PRIMAA's Youtube page beginning at 7:00 PM Oct. 29

PRIMAA AGM
2023-11-13 19:00 - 21:00
On November 13 PRIMAA will be holding our AGM. Please join us!
7-9 PM at the Centre for Creative Arts, 9904-101 Ave Grande Prairie
Calling on all PRIMAA members and former members:
3 members of our 4 member executive are resigning from their positions on PRIMAA’s board when their terms are up in November, and the organization is in serious danger of not being able to continue.
If you are interested in seeing PRIMAA continue, and even if you only have a couple of hours a month to contribute, please consider volunteering as we rebuild the organization in the wake of the pandemic. Our greatest need is to fill our executive positions, and if your experience lies in that area, please come and help, we really need you!
We also need people to help with our events, and would welcome people who can help fill supporting roles in the organization - committee members, grant applications, the rental program, etc. We look forward to meeting and working with you!
Please see our facebook page for details.
