Halifax Filmmaker Makes Feature Film With Just $175,000
HALIFAX – Taylor Olson knew he wanted to make movies when he was just a teenager and he saw Daniel Day-Lewis’ masterful performance in the 2007 modern classic “There Will Be Blood.”
The young actor and filmmaker from Nova Scotia has worked hard over the years to fulfill his dream. He has been credited in 56 acting roles, 12 directing roles, and 14 writing credits.
This year, at the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, Olson will realize every filmmaker’s dream: the release of their first feature-length film as the credited director. The festival is virtual this year and runs from September 17-24.
“It’s pretty wild to think, ‘wow we just made a feature-length movie,’” said Olson.
The movie, entitled “Bone Cage” stars Olson in the lead role as Jamie. In the film, Jamie works in the clear-cutting forestry industry but ends up with a conflicted conscience when he sees the destruction of his work. The film was made with a complete cast and crew from Nova Scotia.
“It’s about being employed in a job where you destroy the environment you live in, and how that can tear apart at your soul, and how that affects your life and the people around you; and having dreams for bigger and better things in a place where dreams seem impractical or weak,” explains Olson.
Olson’s script for the movie was adapted from the play of the same name by Nova Scotia playwright Catherine Banks.
What’s most amazing about “Bone Cage” is how this feature-length film was made on the paltry budget of $175,000. Most of that money came from a grant provided by Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program. Making a film on such a small budget means making every penny count.
“It means that you wear a ton of hats,” said Olson.
Olson has worked hard enough, and has gotten enough breaks, to have been working fulltime in the Nova Scotia film industry since 2016. But in 2020, due to Covid-19, the film industry worldwide came to a halt. Olson, himself, had to go on CERB for eight weeks until he received a grant to write the screenplay for his next project.
“A lot of blessings and a lot of luck is part of it,” Olson says of his success in the film industry. “The other part is hard work and grinding it out. And I think when you when you have a story that you’re passionate about, it really translates to people.”
In August, filming began again across the province. But, as Olson, who got an acting gig in August, can attest to, it’s not easy acting in a movie with all the public health restrictions. There are often Covid monitors onsite to make sure everyone is following the rules, and temperatures are checked every day.
“It’s about following the guidelines of keeping your mask on until they say ‘rolling,’ and then you take your masks off, then you put it back on when they say ‘cut’,” said Olson.
The young Halifax filmmaker gives a lot of credit for his success to the mentorship of John Dunsworth, who died in 2017. The beloved veteran actor, best known for playing Mr. Lahey in The Trailer Park Boys, taught a week-long acting class at Dalhousie University while Olson was attending school. After the class was over, Dunsworth gave him some words of encouragement and helped him land two of his first acting gigs.
“Everyone in Nova Scotia of a certain age has a John Dunsworth story,” said Olson with a laugh. “He was the best.”
“He pulled me aside and said, ‘you got to go after this, you got to do film.’ He was really kind to me.”
Olson has some new projects on the horizon, including “Look at Me,” another film he is writing, directing, and acting in. The film is currently in pre-production. Things are looking up at the moment, with the film industry adapting to the new normal during Covid-19, but Olson knows the situation can change drastically at any time.
“If we can keep moving like we have started to when it opened back up, then I feel pretty good. It is very scary with Covid; you don’t know what’s going to happen next. I’m hopeful and cautious at the same time.”