Vantropolis: RACHELLE CHARTRAND

So you want to make a film in British Columbia. You’ve got a script, a director, maybe even a rough cast and crew willing to come on board. But do you have any money? And if not, how do you get funding? The landscape and road to filmmaking in Canada is one peppered with government grants, searching for private investment, or even crowdfunding…and with that funding you usually have to meet certain kinds of criteria. Enter - Rachelle Chartrand. Rachelle is an award-winning producer, past-president of Women in Film and Television Vancouver and now president of My Precious Pictures, an award-winning production company based in Vancouver, Canada. Rachelle started out with acting aspirations but quickly pivoted to life behind the camera, writing scripts, pitching projects and then securing funding to get them off the ground and into production once underway. We discuss the journey of producing films, the ups and downs one encounters along the way and then breakdown her latest venture, a feature film entitled Chained. If you’ve ever wondered how Canadian content gets made in this country, this is the episode for you.