Brent Foster (director)

Brent Foster
Born (1982-01-10) January 10, 1982
Ontario, Canada
Occupation
  • Film director
  • photojournalist

Brent Foster is a Canadian film director best known for bringing out authentic performances on screen—often casting real characters as the subjects of his films. His project While I'm Here, a collection of individual stories following everyday heroes, has gone viral on several platforms and earned Foster wide recognition and success.

Career

Foster, inspired by the documentary-style photos in his local newspaper, began his career as a photojournalist. He was interested in using photography as a tool for storytelling, and this passion led him to explore the world.[1][2] His job allowed him to experience more than 30 countries, working for editorial clients such as The New York Times, TIME Magazine, and Canadian Geographic.

While working as a photojournalist for the LA Times, Foster learned how to create authentic content and help subjects to quickly become comfortable in front of the camera. Additionally, the editorial world allowed Foster to recognize the significance of telling stories through cinematic work—this led him to a career shift into filmmaking.[3]

Foster has since acted as Director on projects for global brands such as Nike (a promo for the Nike Women's 15k),[4] The NBA (a spot for the Jr. NBA Rookie Division),[5] DJI, and Gatorade to help them create authentic pieces of content that resonate with viewers.[6] He is represented by Holiday Films.[7]

In 2009, Foster worked with the New York Times to film an interview with the Dalai Lama.[8] In the piece, Times reporter Edward Wong and the Dalai Lama discuss the survival of Tibetan culture and relations with China.

Foster created a short piece for DJI in 2016 called The Last Colonizer. The film focuses on Heraldo Riel, an older man who continues the family tradition of working as a guacho even as the world changes rapidly around him.[9]

In 2016, Foster traveled to India to film a commercial shoot, but completed a personal project as well, entitled खोज करना [Explore].[10] He was able to capture glimpses into the lives of the residents of the state of Rajasthan over the course of about five days, spending time with each person in order to earn their trust before filming. Foster believes that creating progressive film involves focusing on one main issue and using one or two subjects as examples. For instance, in a previous project, dying with dignity was the central issue.[11][12] Foster said the project "is a reminder of why I got into filmmaking in the first place—to explore".

While I'm Here | The Legacy Project

While I'm Here | The Legacy Project profiles everyday heroes passing on a legacy.[13] Foster was inspired to create the videos after missing his chance to tell the story of a man from his hometown who dedicated his life to helping others. He wanted to share the stories of others who exemplified kindness and passed on important messages and traditions while those people were still living and continuing to do those incredible things.[14]

Foster filmed each story along with a crew of 2-4 people who volunteered their time to participate in the project.[15] They aim to keep their subjects comfortable instead overwhelming them - since these people aren't generally in the spotlight, it is essential to establish a relationship before beginning to shoot.[16] Subjects featured include a 30-year-old Navy veteran, the "San Diego Highwayman," and an 83-year-old Mississippi bluesman.[17]

The project has picked up Vimeo Staff Picks and multiple awards along the way, and has been featured in several viral Facebook posts.[18]

Recognition

Foster's films have been featured in the following festivals:

Additionally, he has received multiple awards for his works:

  • News Photographers Association of Canada, Team Multimedia (2nd place, 2017)
  • Winner of Best Documentary, Lucent Film Festival (2016)
  • Winner of Best Short Film, Lucent Film Festival (2016)
  • News Photographers Association of Canada, Team Multimedia for While I'm Here | The Legacy Project (1st place, 2016)[20]
  • News Photographers Association of Canada Pictures of the Year, Team Multimedia (1st place, 2015)
  • Digital EMMY Award, Cannes France, Team Collaborator, HIGHRISE, National Film Board of Canada (2010)
  • Magnum Expression Award (Finalist, 2009)
  • News Photographers Association of Canada Pictures of the Year (3rd Place, 2009)
  • National Press Photographers Association Best of Photojournalism (2nd and 3rd place, 2009)
  • News Photographers Association of Canada, Photojournalist of the Year (Nominee, 2009) *Photographer of the Year, Loyalist College (2001 and 2002)

References

  1. ↑ Finn, Jessica (10 February 2016). "Video: Canadian filmmaker featuring extraordinary ordinary people across North America". Canadian Geographic. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  2. ↑ Journal, Marmoset. "Following The Story: An interview with Filmmaker, Brent Foster". Marmoset.
  3. ↑ Heart, Story. "6 lessons for making personal film projects actually happen". Story & Heart Blog.
  4. ↑ Foster, Brent (8 June 2015). "Nike Women's 5K Promo Video". Vimeo. Nike.
  5. ↑ Canada, N. B. A. (17 February 2016). "Jr. NBA Rookie Division :30 Second Spot". Vimeo. NBA.
  6. ↑ Institute, National Screen (19 May 2015). "While I'm Here | The Legacy Project | National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)". National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI). nsi.
  7. ↑ Foster, Brent. "Holiday Films Brent Foster". www.holidayfilms.tv. Holiday Films.
  8. ↑ Olsen, Erik (28 May 2009). "An Interview With the Dalai Lama". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ Foster, Brent (22 June 2016). "DJI World – The Last Colonizer". YouTube. DJI.
  10. ↑ Foster, Brent (19 December 2016). "खोज करना [Explore]". Vimeo. Vimeo.
  11. ↑ Watch, Human Rights (23 October 2009). "Right to Relief: Palliative Care in India". Human Rights Watch.
  12. ↑ Houghton, Zach (15 January 2017). "Travel Video: India". Passion Passport.
  13. ↑ Jaeger, Sebastian; Young, Christopher (8 May 2017). "Tell real stories about real people in your films". Filmstro. Filmstro.
  14. ↑ News, City. "Video: Recording the stories of lives lived". Rogers Digital Media. City News. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  15. ↑ Foster, Brent. "About the project". The Legacy Project. Foster Visuals.
  16. ↑ Parker, John (26 October 2016). "The Last Mambabatok". FilmConvert ColorHub.
  17. ↑ Brenoff, Ann (5 January 2016). "Remarkable Video Series Celebrates Small People Doing Big Things". Huffington Post.
  18. ↑ Travel, Nat Geo. "Last Hand-Tap Tattoo Artist of her Generation". National Geographic Travel. Facebook.
  19. ↑ FilmFestival, Forest City. "The San Diego Highwayman". Forest City Film Festival London Ontario.
  20. ↑ APCC, NPAC. "2016 National Pictures of the Year Winners". News Photographers Association of Canada.
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