Harmony Wagner
 
After years working as a performer and writer in film, TV, theatre and gaming, Harmony founded Periscope Pictures and began to produce and direct in 2010.  Her IPF Preschool Web series Bunnybop was nominated for Best International Pilot - Children and Youth at the Banff World Media Festival. Her directorial debut short VAST won the Audience Award at 2011 IMAF and was selected for the Atlantic Shorts Gala at the Atlantic Film Festival.  Queen of the Crows, a CBC PEI 3-2-1 winning short, broadcast on CBCs Short Film Face Off and was selected for Telefilm Canada’s Not Short on Talent program at the Cannes Film Festival.  Kooperman garnered funding through the Telefilm Micro-Budget Production Program and is her first feature film.

Jason Rogerson
 
A graduate of York University’s Film & Video program, Jason Rogerson has been telling stories with words and images on PEI for over 15 years.  He honed his chops as a writer, producer, video director, and editor with sketch comedy troupe, Sketch-22, producing over 80 short videos for the group.  As a producer, projects of note include VAST, Queen of the Crows, andKooperman.  Films he’s written and directed include the Lucy Maud Montgomery returning as a zombie short, Picking Lucy’s Brain (featuring a very young Jenna MacMillan!), sci-fi comedy web series Bunkerdown, and CBC PEI 3-2-1 winning short, Lucky 7.

Jason and Harmony are the co-owners of 

When the owner of a struggling comic book store faces eviction, he must snap out of his fantasy world in order to save his reality, his friendship, and himself.
 
Kooperman is a smart, character-driven comedy bro-mance that blends rich visuals with a driving laugh-out-loud plotline, while commenting on society's obsession with superheroes in an age of apathy.
 
“Kooperman is wacky, zany…it’s current…it’s meaningful, it’s meaningless.”
- John Dunsworth, A.K.A. Mr. Lahey of The Trailer Park Boys

Kooperman was selected for the Telefilm Canada Micro-Budget Production Program in May, 2014.  Pre-production began that summer, including location scouting and auditions.  A script reading with the principal actors took place in August, followed by a week of rehearsals in early September.  Meanwhile, the art department was busy ensuring things were ready for the first day of shooting.  The film was shot over 13 days between Sept. 22 and Oct. 6, 2014 in various locations in Charlottetown, Brackley Beach, and Bonshaw.

 
Editing took place in January, 2015.  And February.  And March.  In early March a close-to-fine cut, minus sound design, was screened for a group of peers, including trusted filmmakers and people with no connection to the film whatsoever.  Based upon their valuable feedback, and the fact that the film was running short, two more days of shooting were arranged for mid-March (goodbye contingency fund!)  
 
The film was locked by mid-April, then rushed to the amazing Adam Gallant at The Hill Sound Studio for sound design and the PostMan Post Production Studios in Halifax for colour correction/sound mix. 
 
By early July, 2015, the final version of the film was in our hands!  Finished, right?  Nope.  On to marketing.  We were just getting started… 

KOOPERMAN WORLD PREMIERE! 
THE 2015 ATLANTIC FILM FESTIVAL, SEPT 19.

















Harmony and Jason talking about Kooperman at AFF2015.


The Premier at the premiere.
 

• Watch the interview with TV1

• Read the Graphic Policy interview with Dylan Miller (a.k.a. Griffin Kooperman)

• And Kooperman gets some ink in G! magazine

PEI Premiere

 

Kooperman hits the road as Harmony and Jason go down the wonderfully surreal rabbit hole known as Hal-Con.

NB Premiere

Kooperman Sold-Out Screening at Cineplex!
 

Harmony addresses the crowd. 

Filmmaker Harmony Wagner was able to shoot her first feature film, Kooperman, in her hometown of Charlottetown (P.E.I.) with the support of our Micro-budget Production Program. The film stars local talent and features original music from 19 local bands/artists including Paper Lions, & Catherine MacLellan.

Where do you plan on taking it in the next year?
 
Film festivals, comic-ons, universities, your living room.


What are your future plans in the world of filmmaking?
 
More features, television, shorts.  Whatever we can make happen on PEI!  Oh, and selling Kooperman to Hollywood for a soulless remake starring Seth Rogen for a disgusting amount of money and toasting it on a beach somewhere.
 

Telefilm Canada's Micro-Budget Production Program is most likely happening this year. Make sure you get your applications ready early. That means an outline, trailer and marketing plan. It's best if you have at least a first draft of your script ready to submit as will.  Our past microbudget winners Harmony Wagner and Jason Rogerson discussed their experiences and offered tips on the application process. See that video here.  IMAC's internal deadline for this year will be late February but will depend on Telefilm's deadline that will probably happen in early March. Stay tuned for more deets. 

PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT WAS ESSENTIAL: 

IMAC Sound Devices field mixer. 

MOVIES/ACTORS THAT HAVE INSPIRED YOU:
 
The Andersons (Wes & P.T.), Coens.  Anything (with the exception of Garfield) starring the Murricane.  (American Murricane, Bill Murray, though Canadian Murricane, Andrew Murray, is also a good bet.)