Hi! We're Emma, Brennen and Elis, the team behind The Sincerest Form of Flattery — a 25-minute comedic documentary following the eccentric lives and careers of British Columbia's top tribute artists and celebrity impersonators.
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Shooting is wrapped!
CTV Article: B.C. Shania Twain impersonator leads documentary on the booming business of tribute bands — https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/bc-sha...
The Film
A thriving community in BC’s artistic landscape, tribute artists and celebrity impersonators often out-book, out-sell and garner bigger fan bases than independent musicians. Despite this, they sometimes get a bad rap: copycats and opportunists. Michelle Reid (Totally Twain/Shania Twain), Darren Lee (Elvis), Bonnie Kilroe (Divas, multi-character impersonator), and Bobby Bruce (Nearly Neil/Neil Diamond) take us into their homes and their daily routines, to their local haunts for a drink, and onto the stage in front of roaring crowds. Discover tenacity, tireless work ethic, multi-hyphenate talent, and an abundance of charm and personality. A fascinating, funny, tight-knit micro-community within BC’s music scene.
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Where Does Your Generous Support Go?
The Sincerest Form of Flattery has been self-financed thus far, and we need your help to get us to the finish line! Shooting is wrapped, your donation will help us:
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License a Shania Twain song. Performed on-stage to a sold-out crowd by one of our subjects, we need a very pricey license to legally depict the song on-screen.
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Hire a music supervisor. Uses their contacts and expertise to act as a middle man between us and a music label and secure a license.
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Legal. Clearance release, E&O insurance etc.
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Additional post-production needs. Hire local post-production workers for sound design, DCP creation etc.
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Why This Film?
It is critical to us that this documentary sheds light on the tribute community in a positive capacity. Thematically, we want to explore a question that is asked of these performers quite frequently: “Are you a real artist?”
During a preliminary interview, one of our subject’s wife and manager asked us quite bluntly if we “were trying to take the piss with our movie”. The majority of documentaries focused on tributes have a cynical edge. She asked because her husband, our subject, had actually been featured prominently in one of these documentaries in the early 2000s. They were disappointed when they received an update and realized the narrative might be stacked against them. They were being made fun of.
We are endlessly curious about the many niche communities that colour our beautiful BC. Help us share a window into the days of full-time working artists who make their living in our province and allow folks to affordably enjoy the live music of iconic artists. Shania Twain is unlikely to play a concert for the charming locals of Powell River, but Michelle Reid as Totally Twain will. Our documentary is a comedy, but this time these artists are in on the joke.
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Production Team
Our friendship began at the University of British Columbia, where we completed our Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production together. Since then, we've all gone on to work in various capacities in the film industry, but always make time to collaborate and follow stories we feel passionate about.
This is us at the ferry terminal on the way to Powell River, to shoot Michelle Reid/Totally Twain's sold-out show! (Brennen Little/Director middle, Emma Eng/Producer right, Elis Fowler/Cinematographer in the air...)
