From Oman to Hollywood

Lifestyle Wednesday 04/May/2016 17:12 PM
By: Times News Service
From Oman to Hollywood

Images of film sets, arc lights, scripts, and screenplays flash Joanna Tracey Heaton’s head even as she returns home after a hectic day’s work.

Memories do not make the English lecturer at the Oman’s prestigious German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech), who had associated with Hollywood movie like Finding Forrester, Ararat, and K-19: The Widowmaker as an Art Department coordinator. Instead they provide her the much-needed inspiration to write impressive screenplays.

Two of her screenplays, Photem and Dead Dog Valley, have already caught the attention of renowned Hollywood production houses. If everything goes well, the filming will begin in a couple of years.

Photem is a teen crime and horror film set in the rocky mountains at a ski resort. “The story is intertwined with Canadian First Nations history. It is a typical teen film that offers the audience some historical cultural references as well as entertainment,” said Heaton.

The Dead Dog Valley is a coming of age drama set in Quebec on a maple syrup farm. “Both screenplays were favourably received at the 2012 London Screenwriting Festival that gave me an opportunity to pitch ideas to several high profile Hollywood producers. Now, I am eager to see the making of the films,” she said.

Movies have been a passion for Heaton, who was born in Nova Scotia in Canada. Since college, she was an active member in the college filmmaking community, and she worked for non-government organisations, before working for a CBS television TV series.
Later, she moved into the position as an art coordinator for feature films for companies like Sony Pictures, where she continued for 10 years.

“Being a person who loves travelling, I couldn’t imagine living in the same city for a long time. So I decided to follow my heart. And in 2002, I landed in the Sultanate for the first time,” she said while taking a trip down the memory lane.

While teaching at Sur College, Heaton found time to pursue her passion, and she designed the Oman TV sets for the Muscat Festival. “I designed and painted the sets, besides hiring young Omanis to teach them the basics of design.”

She moved to Dubai after the two-year stint to work as a VIP Supervisor for the Dubai Film Festival in 2006 before beginning to associate with production houses.

Heaton says the job of the art coordinator involves a variety of responsibilities. “The person has to work with producer and production designer, and support them in many ways. It is considered as a high pressure post, and very few people work for so long in this role. People often do it once and move on.”

Apart from films, travelling is her other passion. “Travelling enriches my life, and it adds depth to my creativity. I knew I wouldn’t be able to just stay in one city and learn all I needed to about this world. I needed to live in it. In fact, travelling changed me, and made me stronger,” she said.

Heaton says that teaching provides her the means to roam around the world. “I had taught at Sur College in my first stint. Now, I am back in this beautiful country after a long absence, as an English teacher at the GUtech.”

Having worked in various departments in the film industry, Heaton says it is not difficult to don the role of director after a while. “Becoming a director is not an impossible task. But I will focus on writing for the time being,” said the filmmaker, who adores Michelangelo Antonioni. Now, she awaits to hear from the production companies. “It will be the perfect icing on the cake, or as we say in Canada, the cherry on top,” she concluded.