TIMVFEST - Mac Downey - Interview

Photos and Interview by Sabrina Citta

Who are you? And What is your background in the arts?

My name is Mac Downey, I guess you could say I wear many hats. My dream is to be a movie producer, but before that happens I have worked in props, locations, the coordinating side of film whether that be Netflix, The Sci-Fi Channel, Hallmark Christmas film, etc. I used to photograph for a whole bunch of publications as a concert photographer, most notably “The Come Up Show” which is currently on hiatus due to Covid, but I am looking forward to when they come back. I'm the producer with a personal production company me and partners created called “SECODO; Creating video content, mainly music videos. And now for the main topic at hand I am the festival director for The Toronto International Music Video Festival.

What does TIMV fest stand for? What is the Toronto International Music Video Festival?

The Toronto International Music Video Festival. Taking Place November 12th at The Fox Theatre, located in the East end of Toronto in the Beaches.
The festival will showcase many music videos from around the world. Awards will be given to the top of each category. We also plan to have an educational panel on the creative process of making a large scale studio music video led by an industry professional. For those also seeking knowledge on how to get into the industry of music videos, we are also having a round table between industry professionals on how each got into the music video scene.

Can you go into any further detail about the proposed panel/round table?

There isn’t really any guidebook or manual for music videos. And by that I mean not just the creative process of thinking of the idea. But how to approach getting the client (whether small or a large record label artist, creating a professional budget, paperwork, among other aspects. It can be scary if not intimating being young and speaking with a highly established label. We hope the panel will bring a lot of guidance from writing that first email to the final product. We will also have a Q/A where anyone can ask any question about the process. Myself and partners know what it feels like to be flying blind early in your career and we completely understand there no dumb questions to be asked.

What was the inspiration behind this festival?

I guess the inspiration came from myself and my partners Jacob Sero and Ryan Cowan.  We all started our careers in the music video scene and as many people will tell you it's very hard to get into the film industry. There's a lot of people wanting to get in and only so many spots. Music videos are really one of the best ways to showcase our work, our talent and kind of get our foot in the door of industry. It’s a great way to make an impression. Without my background in music videos, I truly don’t believe I would have gotten the opportunities I’ve been blessed with in the film industry.  The inspiration for this festival is well music videos are so important to the industry yet you find that they are never really given the proper spotlight or the recognition they deserve.  You'll find a lot of movie directors started in music videos but no one talks about that for the most part.

What made you and your team wanna make this a reality? And how did this become a reality? What are your goals for this festival?

We wanted to make this a reality to not only bring a spotlight to the talented creatives often not being recognized. But also open the doors for these creatives to help be discovered. I’m sure we’ve all seen a music video at one point in your life that showed great talent, creativity and artistry. But somehow sits at a small view count. We hope this festival will bridge the gap between small budgeted music videos and television/features. Our goal is to give recognition to these creatives to the point they can be discovered by larger studios and lead to large projects and larger opportunities for them.

What do you hope this festival will do for young creatives, musicians & filmmakers?

We hope that the festival beyond giving recognition to music videos, will also work as a networking opportunity for folks young in their careers. Young filmmakers will have the chance to meet young musicians, which will create relationships leading to creations of new music videos. As many filmmakers will tell you, it's hard finding someone to take a chance on you with creating visuals for their music. The festival will allow young filmmakers, creatives and musicians a chance to mingle and see if they connect. Forming long term creative relationships.

What awards will the festival be giving out?

Best Music Video, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editor, Best Colour Grading, Best Performance by an Artist, Best Narrative, Best Experimental, Audience Favourite Award.

Where do you see the festival in a few years?

In a few years we hope to see the festival expand into a multi-day experience. Evolving into not only showing music videos but creative visual media around music; i.e Music Documentaries, music photography, concert photography, among others. Speaking on music photography, we hope to create a photo gallery through TIMVF this coming year.

How will this film festival differ from other film festivals?

Beyond mainly focusing on music videos. Our festival will have a deep focus on educating young creatives, as well creating networking opportunities for them. ​

WEBSITE
https://www.timvf.ca/

Filmfreeway link:
https://filmfreeway.com/timvf

Social Media:
https://twitter.com/timvfest
https://www.instagram.com/timvfest/
https://www.facebook.com/timvfest