Mathieu Seguin has come a long way from making home movies with his brothers, but he may yet go much further.

The 30-year-old cinematographer and owner of MotionArc Studios in Sudbury was accepted recently to study at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Seguin will be the only Canadian in the prestigious program, which begins this August and runs until summer 2019.

"It’s an amazing opportunity," Seguin said. "Not a lot of filmmakers get to that level and once you’re at AFI, they’re very linked up to the Hollywood system in the sense that the connections I’ll be making will get me to places I currently cannot be, even if I go to L.A. The school will not only improve my skills and abilities considerably, because I’ll be learning from the top cinematographers who are currently working, but it will also open doors that wouldn’t be open if I wasn’t at the school."

But it’s in Sudbury, where the TV and film industry has experienced rapid growth these last few years, that Seguin earned his way into the AFI school.

"Sudbury’s film industry has been booming considerably and I was able to harness that, to be able to be creative and continuously working in making films and experimenting with camera techniques and all that stuff, which allows me to continuously produce some great work," he said. "I’m able to not only work in films here, but also create my own films and learn from them."

"Sudbury was a great place, a great sandbox, where I was able to hone my skills and abilities and make a portfolio that I was able to send to the American Film Institute and get selected," he said.

Among the highlights was an indie feature film called The Savage Tales of Frank McGuffin, directed by John Milne and shot in Sudbury last fall using equipment provided by Northern Ontario Film Studios.

"For those months, we were just creating this beautiful feature that we’re almost done right now and we have entered in film festivals," Seguin said. "It was me and the director just being completely creative and we made some really beautiful stuff and I was able to hone my skills with lighting and camera techniques."

The AFI program will be intense, he said.

"It’s an accelerated program and you’re basically working every day. They actually state in the brochure that if you plan to go there for two years, don’t think of getting a side job or anything like that."

Seguin is up for the challenge, however. Originally from Sturgeon Falls, he knew from a young age he wanted to work in the film industry. He felt most comfortable behind the camera, first making home movies with his brothers, then making short films in high school.

After working on several projects, he decided to go self-employed and started MotionArc Studios five years ago.

"I have always had this goal in mind, to become a cinematographer," he said. "If you have a goal in mind, you’re always striving for that in anything you do and everything I have done was always towards that, even if it wasn’t directly related. I always had it in the back of my head that it was what I wanted to do and I have followed that passion."

It’s a passion that comes with a cost, however, and Seguin is still working to raise the money he needs to attend the program.

"The tuition is quite elevated," he said. "I’m currently around town and all over Ontario and trying to seek some financial support. I have only gotten so far with loans and all that and right now, it’s just not enough."

He’s also having a moving-out sale and barbecue on at 34 Penny Crt. in Garson on June 18.

For more information or to offer financial support, contact Seguin at 705-626-5179 or mat@motionarcstudios.com.

"I’m basically selling anything anything that’s in my house, because I plan on going to Los Angeles with just my suitcase and camera," Seguin said. "Everything must go."

bleeson@postmedia.com

Twitter: @ben_leeson