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INFO: Bio

A big sky.
 
Originally from North Bay, ON, John is familiar with wide open spaces. This informs the sense of perspective he has on most everything he does.
 
His father, a structural engineer and co-founder of his own successful company, had a love for filming family events with his Super 8mm camera. His mother was a pianist and inspiring choir director. Turns out, a career in film was the perfect combination of the two: the technical married to the creative.
 
After high school, John spent two years backpacking around Europe wanting to explore his growing sense of the wider world. He did, (and ran with the bulls in Pamplona. Eight times.), and while there visited the great art galleries of Paris, Rome, Barcelona, London and many others. Picking up a 35mm camera for the first real time, he began to unconsciously apply some of what he had seen, and discovered a passion for the image that has a hold on him to this day.
 
Wanting to dive deeper, he was accepted into the York University Film and Video Production department in Toronto, one of the top two programs in Canada. He received an Honours BFA there in 1993. And yes, cut actual film. On a Steenbeck.
 
He immediately found work in the film and TV industry. In addition to producing, writing, directing, shooting and editing projects for his own production company, Waterfront Productions, his work as editor is broadcast on numerous networks including, HGTV USA, Slice, CBC, Global, DirecTV USA and W Network.
 
Award-winning narrative and feature films he has had the honour of working on for directors such as Ryan Redford, Michael McGowan and Heather Braaten and starring James Cromwell, Geneviève Bujold, Molly Parker and many other talented actors, have screened at TIFF, Cannes, Berlin, Sudbury and Palm Springs to name a few.
 
Musically, he has played many of the most iconic venues in Toronto: Lee’s Palace, The Horseshoe, The Elmo, etc. As sound designer/engineer, he has mixed in A-list theatres across North America, touring every continental US state and most provinces.
 
He is equally at home on Mac or PC cutting footage ingested from tape or from the numerous digital delivery formats and codecs available for Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro. He owns his own edit suite which is equipped with Avid MC, Adobe CS, Steinberg Nuendo and numerous audio and video plug-ins.
 
Aside from film and TV work, John loves camping, is currently in production for gallery shows of his Rave and Street photography and is very busy with his most important project, being a father to his growing son.

INFO: Credits+

   John Shisko, Honours BFA
 
    Selected Credits
 
  • Context with Lorna Dueck+ | Doc | Series Freelance Editor+ | Media Voice Generation, Inc. | Global+ | 2012-14
  • Yorkville: Late Summer Light | Web | Director, DOP, Editor | Chestnut Park | 2013
  • Still Mine | Feature Film | Location Manager | Dir.  Michael McGowan | Mulmur’s Still, Inc. | 2011
  • Doc North| Film Festival | Founder | 2011/12
  • Catholic Focus/Witness+ | Doc | Series Editor | Salt + Light Television, Inc. | 2010
  • Oliver Sherman | Feature Film| Pre-Production Co-ord, Ass't Editor, Location Scout | Dir.  Ryan Redford | The Film Works, Inc. | 2009
  • Take It Outside | Lifestyle | Series Editor | Fusion Television, Inc. | Slice+ | 2008
  • Divine Design with Candice Olson+ | Lifestyle | Editor | Fusion Television, Inc. | W Network, HGTV USA | 2008
  • X-Weighted | Lifestyle | Series Editor | Anaid Productions, Inc. | Slice+ | 2007
  • Yummy Mummy | Lifestyle | Segment Editor | Associated Producers, Inc. | Slice+ | 2005
  • Those Who   Wait | Short | Editor | Dir. Heather Braaten | Redwatch Productions | 2004
  • Tanglewood/Paquin Entertainment | Commercial | Director, Editor | 2000-07
  • Threshold| Short | Writer, Credits DOP, Editor | Dir. John Shisko | DAWC | 1999
  • ICI/Orica| Commercial| Director, DOP, Editor |1996-99
  • Northbridge Programming/CBC & Power Broadcasting | Promo| Editor | CBC, DirecTV USA | 1995/96
  • Waterfront Productions | Owner | Producer, Writer, Director, DOP, Editor+ |1990-Present
          "+" denotes additional projects or networks
 
    Highlights and Awards
Education
 
1999 - Jacqueline McLintock Meisner Technique Acting Class
 
1999 - Maruska Stankova Directing, Acting and Writing For Camera Workshop | writer/director/editor 20 minute short film
 
1989-1993 - York University | Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts, Film & Video Production
 
 
Skills
 
Film and Video:
Hardware: Numerous file-based and HD formats, XDCAM, HDCAM, DVCAM, DV, DVCPro, DigiBeta, Betacam SP, S-VHS, 3/4”, Hi-8 cameras, decks and peripherals; 16mm and 8mm film cameras and production equipment, Steenbeck film editor; medium format, 35mm SLR, DSLR & rangefinder photography/video, colour and B&W darkroom; studio and location lighting
Software: Mac and PC. AVID Media Composer Family, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, AME and Encore, Media 100, IMMIX Cube, Matrox Studio, Boris Continuum, Tiffen Dfx, Stagetools, Sorenson Squeeze, TMPGEnc, MPEG Streamclip and additional plug-ins
 
Audio:
Hardware: Small and large-format consoles for theatrical/live event mixing and studio recording including Mackie products up to 48x8, Soundcraft products up to Series 5, Yamaha products up to PM5D, Midas products up to XL4; numerous types and brands of crossover networks, speakers and speaker processors, equalizers, compressors, gates, wired/wireless mics and mic systems and outboard processing gear; professional live and studio musician - drums & guitar
Software: Steinberg Nuendo, Halion, Battery and Wavelab, Abelton Live, TC Works, Waves, PSP, Prosoniq, Arturia, Antares, iZotope, numerous additional soft-synths and plug-ins
 
Other:
Owner of AVID Media Composer v.6, Adobe CS 6 Production Premium, Nuendo Media Production System, MS Office, FTP, Quark XPress, Silverfast, Roxio.
Valid 5-Ton and GM class driver’s license. Vehicle owner. WHMIS Certified
 
416-320-7646 cell
johnshisko@gmail.com
 
References, director/editor demo reel available upon request 
2012  “Still Mine”
Feature film selected for TIFF Saturday evening Gala Premiere, secures US, world distribution | location manager
 
2012
“Digital Cinematography and Applied Filmmaking” program, Canadore College | founding board member
 
2011
Feature interview on CTV and other media outlets regarding my role in the Doc North film festival | founder
 
2010  “Oliver Sherman”
- TIFF Official Selection
- Best Canadian Feature Award >Montréal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma
-Best First Time Director Award >Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival |ass’t editor & other
 
2000-2006
Toured all 48 States with venues including The White House, Hummingbird/Sony Centre, Toronto and numerous A-list theatres across North America | sound
2004 “Those Who Wait”
Official Entrant New York International Independent Film Festival | editor/sound mix
 
2004 “Those Who Wait”
Gold Medal & Editor Achievement Winner - On The Fly Festival | editor/sound mix
 
2003
CD release of “Off The Floor” for indie-rock band “Mommy” | producer/engineer
 
1999 “Threshold”
Premiere Screening at Royal Cinema, Toronto of 20 minute short film | writer/director/editor
 
1999 “The Visitor”
Bronze Medal Winner CCTVA Awards - Over $50,000 Budget Category | writer/director/editor
 
1993 “Body Image”
Official Entrant Montreal World Film Festival for 16 mm film | cinematographer/editor

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