My Canvas A Short Documentary on Susie Matthias

A Canadian female artist, Susie Matthias, demonstrates her ability to maneuver the world with limitations by being a mouth painter. ​

 Most artists are aware of the struggles, obstacles and doubts that comes with chasing their dreams. How does one find determination within, and furthermore - one with a physical challenge? 
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My Canvas, a character based, expository documentary, will follow Susie’s story and her own struggles as an artist and how she overcomes them. The film will shine light on the stigma those with disabilities face, and how important it is to broaden perspectives of all artists in the media, "It's very important for us disabled artists to be out there and show our talents " (Susie Matthias, 2019)
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This documentary will take a look into Susie's heart. Reflecting on Susie’s life experiences and sources of inspiration,  she demonstrates her mouth painting technique and love for art "Because you don't want to have regrets down the road, if you had to do something else you really don't like doing. I wish I had done this I wish I had done that. You know, so don't give up" (Susie Matthias, 2019)

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Meet the Crew!

Producer ~ Jessica Whittingham
"As someone who has been in love with the creative since I was old enough to hold a tune or a pencil in-hand, I’ve been able to go through life with a wink of light and enthusiasm, despite the hardships that have come my way. I believe that art in all of its methods and madness have the capacity to allow us to venture onward; to see the beauty in everything. As a writer, director and producer, in Sheridan College’s Bachelor of Film and Television, I’ve been able to find myself through art and with art. Art is no longer a mere thing; it ceases to be the tangible painting or photograph, but rather a shroud of hope to help you walk through a messy life. I don’t know, I just think it’s really cool. We’ve all got something - I’m glad I’ve got this"
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Director & Writer ~ Sabrina Soto
"I’ve been immersed in art my whole life. Currently at Sheridan College for Film & Television, I’m specializing in directing, producing and writing. Or as I like to tell my friends - a storyteller. There have been many moments in my life when it has been hard to stay determined, which is why this documentary is so important to share with the art community. It’s easy to feel “not good enough” when pursuing an art field. When creating, there is no limit to when a film, a photograph or a painting is good enough. It’s easy to get lost in these thoughts and lose determination but when I do, I like to think back to one of my favourite quotes my mother told me when I was young, “sometimes good enough, is good enough”. Eventually, you have to stop yourself and look back on your past accomplishments - no matter how big or small - and look at how far you’ve come"
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Co-Writer ~ Taylor Gaudon
"My story is a little different from others, but that is what connects me to the story of “My Canvas”. As a person with a disability, I understand what it is like to find a sense of home in my art and continue seeking inspiration to move forward. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to contribute my passions into this story. To this day I continue to not let my disability define what I do, and choose to use it as a driving force to pursue my passions in life"

Director of Photography & Camera Operator ~ Jared Marino
​"My name is Jared Marino & I’m the director of photography on this project. Art has been apart of me throughout my entire life through the films I watch daily. I carefully view each individual frame as a moving painting in order to appreciate the cinematographers work. I too, one day wish to create beautiful images through my desired camera & lighting techniques and find a way to showcase it to whomever is willing to watch"

Assistant Camera & BTS ~ Amanda Wright
"Hi! My name is Amanda Wright and I am the assistant camera on this project. Right now I am in the BFTV program at Sheridan College where I specialize in cinematography and directing. I love my program, but sometimes it leads me to my doubt myself. “I hope I book a film to work on” “do these people like me?” “I don’t know how to do this, why don’t I know how to do this” “Am I good enough” “I will never be as good as them” are the thoughts that go through my head every day. This little voice makes it really hard to stay determined. How do I tune them out? I work with people who make me nervous, and inspire me. By surrounding myself with these people I learn through them, and I become more confident not only in my own skills, but in my self"
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Location Sound & Sound Editor ~ Alex Chung
"My name is Alex Chung, I am a third year Bachelor of Film and Television student at Sheridan College, specialize in sound mixing and cinematography. I am excited to be able to apply talent and creativity through this project, because I found the project is meaningful to all the creative individual like us. My goal is to work on the film industry and telling the stories that are meaningful and able to touch the audience"

Picture Editor ~ Karin Elyakim
​"Hi my name is Karin Elyakim and I’m one of the Picture Editors on My Canvas. I’ve always had a passion for art and telling stories through it but I never thought I was very good at it. But as I continued to work on my skills and believed in myself I grew to be a more confident editor. The passion behind my love of Editing truly guided me towards a loving relationship with myself and the confidence I have with my art. Working on this film has allowed me to continue that journey and has become such a special place in my heart"

Picture Editor ~ Asad Chaudhry
"In high school, I took the required electives to get me into a business university. I took one film class every year and I knew I was great at it but I didn’t know how to move forward with it. Film was never a prioritized subject in the school structure, that made me feel pretty lost in life. Some people grow up surrounded with support for the arts, and some do not. But I rejected some offer letters and made a film submission for film school. I was supposed to be in marketing, but now I’m a filmmaker. On this project, I worked as an editor along with close friends to tell a story on how many of us feel"
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Special Thanks to these Crew Members:

Visual Effects ~ Sam Batterbury
A scene of paintings are further brought to life by Sam. His subtle, yet detailed visual effects are beautiful for all to see. Someone with a lot of patience and very hard-working, he was excited to bring his creative ideas to add onto the documentary. 

Still Photographer ~ Monty Banks
Whether if it was location scouting or on set, Monty kept a positive attitude and a keen eye to capture moments on set. She made sure to represent and showcase the crew in the best way possible, her hard work allows the documentary to have beautiful stills to post on socials.

Composer(s) ~ Anastasia Petrova & Stephen Broda
All the music heard in the film is done by two very talented individuals: Anastasia and Stephen. The heartfelt moments are emphasized by the music. These ​musicians are friends to some of the crew members and have influenced the documentary's tone in a positive light. 

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Behind the Scenes: With the Crew!

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