This Fil-Canadian artist talks about filmmaking in a rural setting in Nelson, BC
Photo from carlo_alcos/Instagram
Moving from the city to the countryside is an escape for some but not for Fil-Canadian filmmaker and sound guru Carlo Alcos, who found his solace in the rural area of Nelson, British Columbia.
Crafting his cinematic magic and sound prowess in the charming town of Nelson, he shares his story from editing rooms in the US back in 2016 to the landscapes of the countryside.
Pandemic hit and he shifted from being a corporate employee to venturing into a freelance video production. Born and raised near Vancouver after his family migrated from the Philippines in 1971, Alcos grew up in a “very (very) white suburb.”
“I’m a self-taught wizard, armed with online tutorials, books and some sage advice from local mentors like Alex Botton and Amy Bohigian,” shared the Fil-Canadian filmmaker making waves as an editor from 2009-2016.
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Why Nelson?
Alcos’ journey to Nelson is a result of a divorce, a choice between a beach life in Thailand and Nelson and a stint in the Big Apple. Staying in Nelson won, thanks to the town’s warm community, quiet charm, lush wilderness and killer art scenes.
Nelson is also where he met his wife — who’s also in love with the place like him and couldn’t imagine living elsewhere.
Meanwhile, his biggest professional break: working on the location sound recording of an episode of CBC’s “The Nature of Things.” As part of Kootenay Screen Based Industry, managed by the Nelson Civic Theatre Society, he scored the job being the only active recordist in Nelson.
Aside from this, he also did the location sound for shortfilm “Dawn” — a winner in the New York International Film Awards and best narrative short in Munich Short Film Awards 2022 released last February 2023.
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However, it’s not all butterflies and rainbows for this Fil-Canadian filmmaker navigating the hurdles of the rural scene. “To be honest, it’s a challenge to do this rurally as a sustainable living. The supports aren’t quite there yet, so much is focused on urban centers,” shared Alcos.
Fast forward to now, Alcos is cooking up a personal documentary in collaboration with other producers and story editors, “Outsiderness.”
More than just pixels and sound waves, the documentary tackles the quest for belonging and a deep-dive into identity — a perfect representation of the challenges in belonging faced by the new Filipino community in Nelson.
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The Fil-Canadian filmmaker left the viewers hanging with a question at the end of the documentary’s teaser, “ What does it take to belong?”
Watch the teaser: outsiderness.substack.com.
