![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/files\/2017\/04\/Screen-Shot-2017-04-28-at-2.11.19-PM-300x198.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Ayden Ross on the set of The Devil and Frog Mountain. (Image courtesy of Olivia Sorley.)<\/em><\/p>\n This past week I was lucky enough to take a break from finals and talk all things film with the amiable Ayden Ross; a third-year Film Production student featured in this year\u2019s Persistence of Vision Film Festival. We discuss how she fell into the film world as a Prairie-teen, her experience working on set and what she hopes for the future of film. Ross joins the POV line-up for the first time to debut her film, The Devil and Frog Mountain. Behind the Scenes still from the set of The Devil and Frog Mountain. <\/em> \n When it comes to social issues being represented in film, Ross does not shy away; especially in terms of mental health and the ways Film and TV have confronted these issues more recently. Ayden Ross on the set of The Devil and Frog Mountain. (Image courtesy of Olivia Sorley.) This past week I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28190,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152\/revisions\/155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nGrowing up in Edmonton, Ross became interested in film throughout her teen years. After high school, finding herself very \u201cdone\u201d with Alberta, she embarked on a series of different film programs throughout the United States. Prior to settling in at UBC, Ross reminisces of the luck she was dealt just up the coast, in Seattle. \u201cOut of the blue,\u201d she found herself in a really good program and with a really important mentor to thank. Were it not for this teacher\u2019s words of encouragement to pursue an actual degree in film production, she may not have found UBC and all the Vancouver film scene has to offer.
\nWhen asked to describe this film, Ross notes what she defines as \u201cPrairie Gothic,\u201d as both inspiration and a nod to her fellow prairie-born comrades.
\nShe laughs, \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of us in the film program and we kind of ended up bonding over how weird it is.\u201d In a sense, this film is an extension of just that, a lot of \u201cweird little things to look forward to.\u201d
\nRoss tells me a story of growing up on her family farm just north of Edmonton. Her younger cousin would always share strange stories, including that which inspired Frog Mountain. One year, while visiting the farm, Ross recalls how all the kittens had died; she reassures me this is pretty common for a farm.
\n\u201cI ended up having a conversation with my cousin who was a couple of years younger than me\u2026She said \u2018oh, well an angel fell out of the sky and ran into the barn and ate all of the kittens\u2019,\u201d Ross laughs. \u201cShe said a lot of weird things, but that one stuck with me especially, you know, especially striking.\u201d
\nA few of years ago she decided to write a short story from this strange tale, but never sought publication. It was not until more recently, after considering the story\u2019s enticing visual nature, being such a \u201cweird image,\u201d that Ross thought to translate the story into film.
\nIn The Devil and Frog Mountain, Ross wanted to focus on narrative possibilities within the horror genre, citing the lack of encouragement for narrative innovation in the Western film industry today.
\n\u201cGuillermo Del Toro I think is a great one for putting monsters and stuff in movies, but still having them be more about the people,\u201d and Frog Mountain is no different. \u201cI try to make it more about the characters and their experiences. What may or may not be threatening them.\u201d She adds, \u201cI feel there\u2019s a lot of unplumbed depths in stuff outside of literary films. I think there are a lot of stylistic depths and narrative depths that often get overlooked.\u201d
\nRoss argues for the human and nonhuman dialectic within the horror genre, being not only reflective, but a pivotal means to address greater social issues.
\n\u201cI think just the idea of monsters or a central nonhuman threatening figure is a really interesting way to examine the troubling thoughts that we don\u2019t want to place on a human. I think it gives you more objectivity to analyze what\u2019s going on, and how it affects other people. But, I mean obviously you loose some complexity there too, [it\u2019s a] double edged sword.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/ubcufsa\/files\/2017\/04\/Screen-Shot-2017-04-28-at-2.14.25-PM-300x172.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n(Image Courtesy of Olivia Sorley.)<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u201cI feel it\u2019s often treated as a demonizing thing, or like it\u2019s even too simplistic to treat it as a character trait. Because it really is an over arching thing that effects what you do and what you are\u2026So I feel its useful to have film as an empathy machine and pathway, between people who might not experience [mental illness] and people who do. I think it could be, can be, a pretty effective medium.\u201d
\nIn looking to the future of film, she hopes for nothing other than more opportunities for diversity.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s really the first stepping stone to getting the types of representation I want. To put people with mental illness behind the camera, put people of colour behind the camera.\u201d She continues, \u201cWe definitely have to bust into that Boys\u2019 Club.\u201d
\nOverall, Ross credits the success of the final product to the support, expertise and wit of her talented film crew. Producer Jake Pascoe, charming their way onto shooting locations not ordinarily accessible to student crews, not to mention the film\u2019s visual intrigue and insane soundscape, as crafted by Shea Oracheski. The hardest part was not capturing ideal footage, but figuring out how to piece it all together in a way that reflected how well the story worked on paper. Ross admits to the intimidation that came with re-editing nearly 60% of the film, the biggest \u201coh no, what do we do\u201d moment from the set. However, she cannot help gloating about how lucky she is to have the team she does, all cheesiness aside.
\n\u201cTeamwork in film is vital. Which is kind of a tripe message, but it\u2019s totally true.\u201d Alluding to her work prior, \u201cmost of its just me running around with a camera, and friends acting or no one acting\u2026it\u2019s really great to have other peoples\u2019 visions working on a project. I think it brings a depth to it.\u201d
\nAs for Ross\u2019 next film, she is much more interested in shorter, \u201cpunchier\u201d pieces. She is drawn to what is happening on the fringes of the film world rather than chasing down her next feature film. At least until next year, she hopes to re-visit her solo work, utilizing the raw, documentary footage that comes with the handheld camera. Ross is eager to indulge in the world of visual arts, learning more about sculpture and weaving practices, as well as continuing to play with experimental film.
\nThis summer you can find Ross at the Indie Filmmakers Lab, a program hosted by Cinematheque and Simon Fraser University. This time around, she will be the one to teach and mentor youth filmmakers.
\n\u201cThe reason I was really excited about [this program], is it kind of cycles back to that first question where I had that one teacher who was really instrumental in getting me into film. I figured it would be cool to be able to be that kind of person for someone [else].\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"