FTM’s Executive Director Adam Smoluk and Bianca Rusu
2024 marks the 50th Anniversary of Brian DePalma’s Phantom of the Paradise, which became a smash hit in the City of Winnipeg. Over the years, the film continued to develop a growing following, and as a result, a citizens group of Winnipeggers: Craig Wallace, Dean Hunter, Del Pannu, and Gloria Dignazio, struck the “Phantom committee” to plan a series of events and screenings November 1-3, 2024, to commemorate the film’s anniversary.
The Phantom of the Paradise weekend culminated in large sold-out screenings at the Burton Cummings Theatre on Friday, November 1, and Saturday, November 2. Original cast members were in attendance, including Academy Award-winning musician and actor Paul Williams, Archie Hahn, Jeffrey Comanor, Susan Finley and Peter Elbling. In addition, Sam Pressman, the CEO of Pressman Film, the film’s production company, and filmmakers Dashiell Finley and Annie Pressman also journeyed to Winnipeg.
In the summer of 2024, the Phantom Committee connected with Film Training Manitoba (FTM) to jointly program and partner on a special case study training session, “Lights, Camera, Phantom!” which used the making of the Phantom of the Paradise as a learning tool for the participants.
FTM’s session focused on work-related skills such as how film professionals effectively created and delivered the production, successful communications strategies, and how producer Edward Pressmen and director Brian DePalma led and motivated the production team.
The sold-out 90-minute session was moderated by Manitoba-based Writer and Production Manager Aaron W. Graham. A film industry veteran, Graham covered a wide range of topics, including developing positive working relationships within the film industry. Following the session, Graham mentioned, “As the moderator of Film Training Manitoba’s special case study, I understood this was an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity for Manitoba’s film industry workers. I wanted to expose Manitobans to Pressman Film’s first-hand accounts to help professionals learn about effective cooperation and how to best carry out a shared vision of a film production.”
Pressman Film fostered the early careers of many filmmakers, including Brian DePalma, Terrence Malick, and Oliver Stone. The company’s founder, the late Edward Pressman’s filmography is a variety of high-profile, indie, and international projects, including Sisters (1973), Badlands (1973), Das Boot (1981), Conan The Barbarian (1982), Wall Street (1987), Reversal of Fortune (1990), The Crow (1994), American Psycho (2000), Thank You for Smoking (2005), and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010).
In 2009, Pressman Film began depositing their extensive company holdings with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, including paper materials (housed at the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library). The film collection contains over 250 items, consisting of theatrical prints, printing elements and videotapes related to the films produced by Edward Pressman or his production company.
Following the training session, CEO Sam Pressman advised emerging film professionals to develop a sense of community and connections to film companies and organizations, “if you reach out to an organization like Film Training Manitoba, they can connect you to filmmakers and people in the craft that you’re looking to enter.”
The learning session also featured two surprise speakers at the beginning: Peter Elbling, who served as the film’s choreographer and also played one of The Juicy Fruits, a mock rock band, and Susan Finley, who appeared on-screen as a concert-goer at the film’s climatic ending.
Elbling reviewed the positive environment on the production’s set, including Brian DePalma’s skills as a collaborative director and effective leader. “Brian was interested in what the performers could bring to a role and was genuinely interested in bringing out the best in others.” Said Elbling. Elbling also shared the kinetic nature of film productions and cited his hiring as the choreographer out of happenstance. “In pre-production, Brian mentioned he was looking for a choreographer in passing, and I said, I could do it.”
Susan Finley, the wife of the late William Finley, who played the title character of the Phantom, shared Brian DePalma’s skills in creating the split-screen ending. Finley shared that DePalma had previously used this technique during a prior film: Dionysus in ’69. Finley also praised the style of integrated camera techniques during multiple sequences and the talents of the film’s editor, Paul Hirsh, who later won an Academy Award for editing Star Wars (1977).
The session was held at the Carol Shields Auditorium at the Millennium Library and had 40 participants in attendance. Among them was famed Canadian Producer Tina Keeper, who will be the upcoming keynote speaker of the Supporting Women in Film Trades (SWIFT) 2024 Conference on November 30 and December 1.
In the collected participant evaluations, 100 per cent of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that the speakers were knowledgeable about the topic being presented and were well prepared.
Additional comments participants noted:
- Great topic, great speaker, very knowledgeable! Great Moderator!
- Excellent venue and thoroughly presented.
- Great event! Loved that Edward’s and William’s son joined as guest speakers.
- A+
- I found this helpful as a filmmaker/writer!
- Very smooth and well-run production.
- Thank you for this!
- Well done, thoughtful questions.
“As a member of the Province of Manitoba’s Sector Council Program, Film Training Manitoba provides skills development for our booming film industry. The Phantom case study was an ideal forum to expose our workers to out-of-province film professionals as well as critical cost sharing from our partner, the Phantom Committee.” Said Film Training Manitoba’s Adam Smoluk, and he added, “We deeply appreciate the accomplished CEO of Pressmen Film’s Sam Pressman’s know-how, as well as Susan Finley and Peter Elbling for their sharing of knowledge to Manitoba’s film community.”
FTM is a non-for-profit charity and member of the Province of Manitoba’s Sector Council program funded through the Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources. FTM builds a highly skilled and adaptable film industry workforce to support the activities of Manitoba production companies. FTM collaborates and partners with members of the film industry to identify training needs to support workforce development.