January - February 2011: Reel West Magazine

Jan / Feb 2011

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Film, video, internet and digital production in Western CanAda

the big four-oh

Canadian Mail Publication Sales Agreement Number: 40006834

After four decades in business, Stunts Canada founders weigh-in on how the industry has profited from this competitive organization.

Loretta S. Todd’s diary on APTN series

Nehiyawetan Q & A with Director Tom

Hooper

Contents

16 Production blossoms on the prairies

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The Prairie provinces produced a bumper crop of film and TV productions last year, and 2011 is shaping up to be even better.

5 bits and bytes

17 HST boosts B.C. BC’s new Harmonized Sales Tax is mired in controversy – but it’s a boon for the film and TV service business, now that Hollywood producers can recover 7% of the tax on all goods and services. But if the HST is axed after a fall referendum, it could devastate the service industry.

18 Stunts Canada turns 40 Western Canada is home to some of the world’s most skilled stunt professionals, and Stunts Canada can take a lot of the credit for that. The organization has played a pivotal role in developing this talented pool of daredevil performers.

Production Update

10 Beginnings 12 Behind the Scenes 14 Question and Answer 15 Expert Witness 29 Legal Briefs 30 FINAL EDIT 30 Reel West Profile

22 TV to Talk About In her diary on the making of APTN series Nehiyawetan, Loretta S. Todd explains how her fear that the Cree language was in danger of disappearing led her to create a children’s series that teaches about traditional languages in an entertaining way.

24 2010 Wrap Over 100 movies, TV series and pilots were shot in Western Canada in 2010. Here’s the complete list of who shot what, and where.

Cover and contents: Stuntman Dustin brooks; Photos by Matthias Clamer.

Reel West Magazine is a wholly owned enterprise of Reel West Productions Inc. It exists and is managed to provide publicity and advertising that supports the growth of the Western Canadian Motion Picture Industry. Executive publisher: Sandy P. Flanagan. Executive Editor: Ian Caddell. Publisher: Ron Harvey. Sales: Randy Holmes. creative Director: Andrew von Rosen. art director: Lindsey Ataya. Photo Editor: Phillip Chin. contributing writer: Cheryl Binning.

Reel West Magazine is published six times per year. Subscriptions Canada/US. $35.00 per year (plus $10.00 postage to USA). Reel West Digest, The Directory for Western Canada’s Film, Video and Television Industry, is published annually.

Subscription $35.00 per year (plus $10.00 postage to US). Both Publications $60.00 (plus $10.00 postage to USA) Prices include GST. Copyright 2010 Reel West Productions Inc. Second Class Mail. Registration No. 0584002. ISSN 0831-5388.

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Volume 26, Issue 1. Printed In Canada. To subscribe call 1-888-291-7335 or visit our website at www.reelwest.com. Reel West welcomes feedback from our readers, via email at editorial@reelwest.com or by fax at 604-451-7305. All correspondence must include your name, address, and daytime telephone number.

Reel West january / February 2011

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Production update

What’s coming. What’s shooting. What’s wrapped.

Kate Beckinsdale returns as Selene in Underworld 4, which begins production in March

BC Heats up It’s cold outside but the production industry is on fire.

At the end of January, ten features, four pilots and nine TV series were shooting in B.C., according to the B.C. Film Commission. And many in the service industry say it’s the busiest January they have witnessed in years. In fact the BC Fim Commission reports that double the number of features and MOWS are shooting as compared to January 2010.

There are four pilots currently shooting or in prep whereas in January last year none were in production. Roughly the same number of series are shooting as compared to January 2010.

Among the new Hollywood projects

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starting up in early 2011 is 20th Century Fox’s animated family film Alvin & The Chipmunks 3: Chipwrecked. Shooting January through to March, the movie is directed by Mike Mitchell and stars Jason Lee. It has Karen Rosenfelt and Neil Machlis as executive producers, Thomas Ackerman as DOP, Richard Holland as production designer, Casey Grant as production manager, Rino Pace as locations manager and Bill Orr as VFX coordinator.

Brightlight Pictures has two features on the go: From December through to midJanuary the company shot the Weinstein company’s sci-fi movie Apollo 18, directed by Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego. Shawn

Williamson of Brightlight Pictures is executive producing the movie, along with Ron Schmidt and Cody Zweig. Timur Bekmambetov and Michele Wolkoff are producing. It had Jamie Goehring as production manager, Alison Stephen as production coordinator, Andrew Neskoromny as production designer and Phil Pacaud as locations manager.

Brightlight has also teamed up with North Box Productions on the thriller Dibbuk Box, which began shooting in January and continues through to March. In the movie Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick play divorced parents whose daughter becomes strangely attached to an antique wooden box purchased at a yard sale. The producers are Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, and Shawn Williamson. The director is Ole Bornedal. It has David Brisbin as production designer, Paul Lukaitis as production manager, Melissa Barrie as production coordinator, and Terry Mackay as locations manager.

Another movie that started shooting at the beginning of the year is The Grey, helmed by director Joe Carnahan and starring Liam Neeson. The movie follows an oil drilling team who find themselves up against a pack of wolves after being involved in a plane crash in the wilds of Alaska. Producers are Jules Daly and Ross Fanger. It has Masahobu Takayanagi as DOP, John Willett as production designer, Brian Parker as production manager, Laura Livingstone as production coordinator, Bruce Brownstein as locations manager and James Paradis as the VFX coordinator. Production continues through to March.

A high profile feature landing in B.C. this spring is Underworld 4 starring Kate Beckinsale which begins production in

March. It’s directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein and executive produced by Tom Rosenberg, Richard Wright, Gary Lucchesi and Len Wiseman. It has David Coatsworth as line producer, Scott Kevan as DOP, Claude Pare as production designer, Brendan Ferguson as production manager, Nicole Oguchi as production coordinator, Steve Sach as locations manager and Joel Whist as SPFX coordinator.

On the TV front, a new CBS series began shooting in December. Chaos stars Freddy Rodriguez, Eric Close, James Murray, Tim Blake Nelson and Kurtwood Smith in a comedic drama about a group of rogue CIA spies who combat threats to national security amidst bureaucratic gridlock, rampant incompetence and political infighting and use deception and wit to succeed. Executive producers are Tom Spezialy and Harry Bring. Richard Huddlin is production designer, George Grieve is production manager, Kaayla Ryane is production coordinator and locations managers are Bill Burns and Monty Bannister.

Vancouver is also hosting the Fox pilot Alcatraz, executive produced by JJ Abrams, which landed in Vancouver in January and shoots through to February.

The drama, starring Santiago Cabrera and Sarah Jones, follows a team of FBI agents tracking down a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who reappear in the present day. John Moranville and Liz Sarnoff are producing, JB Moranville is line producer, Danny Cannon is director, and David Stockton is DOP. The production manager is Warren Carr, production designer is Zach Grobler, production coordinator is Bliss McDonald, locations manager is Nick Bergstedt and VFX coordinator is Philip Jones. n

Reel West january / February 2011

Bits and Bytes Telestream releases new software Telestream, a California-based provider of video transcoding and workflow solutions, has released Vantage 2.0, the latest edition of their video workflow design and automation software solution.

Major new features include Vantage Workflow Portal, which enables creation and deployment of operator user interfaces in minutes for browsing video, entering metadata, and forwarding media.

There are also many new video workflow analysis and transcoding format support capabilities.

“Where Vantage 1.0 allowed highly customizable workflows, the introduction of Vantage 2.0 allows highly customized access to those workflows through the SDK and Workflow Portal,” said Barbara DeHart, vice president of marketing at Telestream in a press release. “Vantage 2.0 allows customers to streamline the John Cassini (right) stars in Guido Superstar: The Rise of Guido.

Guido Superstar in the spotlight

Guido Superstar – The Rise of Guido opened in limited theatrical release on February 4th, playing at Vancouver’s Denman Theatre and The Roxy Theatre in Saskatoon.

Vancouver’s Silvio Pollio acts, writes and directs in this action comedy that also stars a who’s who of the local film community, including actor/producer John Cassini (Intelligence, Robson Arms), Jay Brazeau (Gunless, Harper’s Island), Nicholas Lea (Men in Trees, V), Terry Chen (Almost Famous, The A-Team), Aleks Paunovic (INSecurity), Michael Eklund (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), Ben Ratner (Da Vinci’s City Hall) and Daniella Evangelisa (The L Word) Set in Vancouver, this family friendly movie follows Italian immigrant Guido (played by Pollio) who ventures to Vancouver to start a new life. After saving the life of a young girl from a fire, he finds himself fired from his valet job and forced by FBI agents to pose undercover as a Sicilian mobster to infiltrate a gang.

The film premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival last fall. Guido is being distributed by IndustryWorks Pictures.

human element of their video workflows – adding direct human interaction as necessary in a cost effective way – or removing human intervention when a fully-automated workflow is desired.”

NFB web docs are winners National Film Board of Canada digital projects have been honoured with prestigious awards at home and abroad.

GDP – Measuring the Human Side of the Canadian Economic Crisis was named Best Online Program at the Canadian New Media Awards (CNMA).

The NFB’s first bilingual web documentary, GDP involved the participation of over 30 filmmakers and photographers from across Canada under the direction of Hélène Choquette. Thousands of followers on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks have also been contributing their own material to the project.

Also honoured at the CNMA was the NFB digital production The Test Tube, winning the Community Campaign of the Year. Featuring David Suzuki, The Test Tube invites audiences to explore our insatiable appetites, the fallacy of growth and the things we can’t change. The Test Tube was designed and developed by interactive agency The Vacuum and led by NFB Creative Technologist Loc Dao. At the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Katerina Cizek’s web doc Out My Window was honoured with the first IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling.

Out My Window explores the state of our urban planet through the stories of people who look out on the world from high-rise windows. The website is the first international production from the NFB’s collaborative documentary project HIGHRISE, produced by Gerry Flahive.

Ayogo is Hot Ayogo Games, a Vancouver-based studio that creates social games for digital platforms, won the prestigious “Hottest Digital Media Company in Canada” title at December’s nextMedia.

Ayogo’s latest Facebook game, HealthSeeker, was the entry that helped win the coveted award. The game aims to help people living with diabetes live healthier lives through diet and exercise.

“Gamification is touching all areas of our lives, especially online,” said Michael Fergusson, CEO of Ayogo. “I’m proud that Ayogo, and our GoodLife Gamification Engine, is being recognized for being at the forefront of this exciting new trend, and for using the power of constructive play to help make people’s lives better.”

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Talking to Kids

A series that was created to help teach language skills to preschoolers, while building confidence and instilling imagination in young minds, kicked off season three on APTN in January.

According to spokesperson RoseAnna Schick, Tiga Talk is targeted at all children (Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) aged 3-6, exploring languages and culture. She said it combines live action with a magic puppet world, and features music and imaginary play. ”The show is centered around three stuffed toys,” said Schick, “who live with human friends Jodie and Jason, their father, and Kokum (“grandmother” in Cree). Jodie and Jason have a secret. When there aren’t any adults around, their stuffed toys come alive as talking puppets.

Through their interactions and adventures, the puppets and kids learn about traditional practices and languages of various Aboriginal cultures in imaginative ways.”

Schick said Irene Green is producer and writer for the series, and also plays the role of Kokum. Singer/songwriter/actor Art Napoleon plays Dad, eight-year-old Kate-La Faith Hanuse returns as Jodie, and seven-yearold Gabriel Paul once again takes on the role of Jason.

PS Production Services Founder Douglas James Dales passes away at 60 Douglas James Dales, who founded PS Production Services more than 40 years ago, has died. He was 60 years old.

“We remember Doug with hearts filled with both joy and sadness. We are grateful for all he did for PS and for his enormous contribution to our industry,“ said Doug Barrett, President of PS Production Services.

In a message to employees and friends Barrett said of Dales: “He was the founder and builder of our

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great company, patron of numerous causes, pursuer of many projects, supportive sponsor and lifelong friend to legions, generous contributor to the industry he helped assemble, family man, deep partner, a man of incredibly focused curiosity. We will all miss him terribly.”

He is survived by his partner, sculptor Khang Pham-New, his three sons Robert, David and Matthew and his two sisters Liz and Heather. An industry memorial was held in December.

Reel West january / February 2011

Aftermeth in Production The documentary Aftermeth - What is Left when Life Goes up in Smoke, is in production throughout British Columbia until April 2011.

The one-hour program profiles three families trapped in addictive patterns while trying to stay clean and sober. It is written and directed

by Eva Wunderman (Crystal Fear,

Crystal Clear) and produced by Patti Poskitt of Second Son Productions.

Aftermeth premieres on Knowledge Network’s Storyville strand next fall. It is a sequel to Wunderman’s previous award-winning documentary Crystal Fear, Crystal Clear for CBC´s The Passionate Eye.

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Eric Schweig and Carmen Moore star in Blacktone

Blackstone Gets Raw

Don’t expect political correctness from the political series Blackstone, which premiered in January on Showcase and APTN. A spokesperson for the series says the story of a fictional First Nation that suffers disintegration by its own hand is not unrealistic.

“Blackstone is relevant and relational in an Aboriginal story world, with universal themes and conflicts that are not only relatable to some First Nations out there today, but also to the world of politics and power in general,” said series creator Ron E. Scott.

Scott said the series is in sharp contrast to “sympathetic stories” about the victimization of First Nations people by outside forces.

The show stars Carmen Moore, Eric Schweig, Michelle Thrush, Nathaniel Arcand, Roseanne Supernault and Gordon Tootoosis. Scott is executive producer, writer and director while Jesse Szymanski is a producer, Damon Vignale is a producer and writer, and Gil Cardinal is a writer.

Lark takes flight Former CTV development executive Louise Clark has launched her own company, Lark Productions, and signed a development and first look deal with NBC Universal.

Based in Vancouver, Lark will Reel West january / February 2011

Robson Court 1000-840 Howe Street Vancouver BC V6Z 2M1 Telephone: 604.687.2242 www.canadian-visa-lawyer.com www.millerthomson.com

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Erin Haskett Thorn, formerly of Paperny Films, joined Lark Productions as vice president of development.

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Vancouver Filmmakers Nimisha Mukerji & Philip Lyall’s documentary 65_ Red Roses will air on Oprah Winfrey’s new TV network OWN this spring.

The film follows Canadian Eva Markvoort as she battles Cystic Fibrosis, a fatal genetic disease. Unable

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The First Movie picks up Prix Italia Award

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The Canada-UK co-production The First Movie has been honoured with the Prix Italia in the Music & Arts documentary category.

The Prix Italia is the oldest and most prestigious International Radio, Television and Web competition.

It was established by RAI- Radiotelevisione Italiana.

Co-Produced by Trish Dolman of Vancouver’s Screen Siren Pictures and written and directed by Mark Cousin, the documentary explores the dreams and aspirations of children in war-torn Northern Iraq and the memories, suffering and fear of its adults. The doc was shot entirely in Kurdistan and children were given cameras to share their stories.

The Executive Producer is Robbie Allen and producers are Gill Parry and Dolman.

Green Light for Great Minds Regina-based 291 Film Company has a deal with CBC digital channels Documentary and Bold for the first season of their six-part documentary series Great Minds of Design.

Great Minds of Design follows innovative sustainable Canadian designers working with everything from furniture and architecture, to solar stained glass and graffiti to create environmentally-friendly products.

The series is produced and created

by Mark Bradley, with Ian Toews acting as executive producer and director.

“We hope this first season of the series will shine a light on consumer society’s excesses and make people think twice about the products they use every day,” said Bradley. “At its worst, design can be the cause of some of the world’s largest problems. At its best, it can be the heart of solving such problems.”

Production will take place across Canada, beginning in February 2011.

Reel West january / February 2011

Victoria Film Fest screens 160 films The 17th annual Victoria Film Festival unspooled February 4th to 13th, screening over 160 films from 23 countries around the world.

The opening gala was the Japanese film The Chef of the South Polar by Shuichi Okita, which portrays life in an isolated Antartic research station where a gourmet chef’s mouth-watering dishes boosts the morale of researchers.

The Canadian Opening Gala was the world première of Island filmmaker Nick Versteeg’s new documentary Food Security: It’s in your Hands, which encourages viewers to change how we think about farming and food.

Victoria filmmaker Jim Knox’s feature debut Cascadia was also premiered. The drama centers around a plot to privatize the water supply.

Other film highlights included Biutiful, Alejandro Inarritu’s drama starring Oscar-nominated Javier Bardem as a dying, conflicted father reflecting on his life in modern Barcelona; Don Roos’ Love and Other Impossible Pursuits star-

ring Natalie Portman as a home wrecker; and The People vs George Lucas, Alexandre O Phillippe’s examination of the love-hate relationship between the Star Wars creator and his fans.

VFF hosted the Canadian premiere of UK director Tim Albone’s Out of the Ashes, an account of an aspiring team of Afghan cricket players.

The festival also screened two Bruce McDonald films, Hard Core Logo 2 and Trigger and Carl Bessai’s Fathers and Sons.

Toronto director Ron Mann was interviewed prior to a screening of his film In the Wake of the Flood, about Margaret Atwood’s offbeat book tour for In the Year of the Flood.

The festival once again hosted the popular ConVerge, where films are taken out of theatres into the streets.

Short Movies are screened in alleyways and cargo containers and all sorts of unlikely spots.

Last year 23,000 people visited the festival.

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Village Thins Out

One of Canada’s most obese towns, Taylor, BC, is the focal point of the new CBC series Village on a Diet. According to Andrew Poon, a spokesperson for Vancouver-based Force Four Entertainment, the series, which runs from early January to March, looks at the commitment of the town to shed a ton of collective weight in three months.

“This is our biggest undertaking in factual production yet,” says Force Four partner John Ritchie. “It’s much more than a TV series. We are telling the dramatic stories of the people of Taylor and with CBC we’re hoping to create a movement to inspire Canadians to make healthier choices for themselves, their families, and their communities.”

Poon said Force Four employed a group of weight loss experts including Dr Ali Zentner, a physician who specializes in obesity, dietitian Maria Thomas, chef Jonathan Chovancek, psychologist Adele Fox, and trainers Garfield Wilson and Mike Veinot.

He says through grueling workouts with the trainers, and life-changing conversations with the experts, the townspeople were expected to push themselves and their personal relationships to the brink.

Reel West january / February 2011

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Tracey Friesen Photo Phil Chin

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Reel West january / February 2011

Beginnings

Tracey Friesen “I had to make the break before I got too attached to it all and found myself trapped with a big mortgage and mini-van...”

M

y career, like so many, is a result of a good mix of the pursuit of passion, serendipity, and the influence and support of others. The gift of a good camera at an early age, an outrageously engaging high school media teacher, and a love of reading, led me to write in my girlie journal back in grade nine “when I grow up I want to be a documentary journalist or photographer”. Then at an education fair at my high school in Deep Cove, a glossy brochure for Ryerson in Toronto caught my eye. I knew that’s where I wanted to go. A degree granting school with focussed hands-on programs, right downtown in Canada’s largest city. Perfect! Even after taking two years off to work (waitressing – where you learn the best small talk skills), travel in Europe, and study French in Montreal, Ryerson was the only school to which I would apply when I came back. But which program? Photography requires a portfolio. Strike. Journalism requires an in-depth test about current affairs. Strike. But Radio and Television Arts, only asks for an essay and interview. Bingo, I can do that.

Thankfully I was indeed offered a spot (no Plan B after all), filled my duffle bag and right after Expo 86 flew off to begin my education.

A key moment at Ryerson was when producer Mark Starowicz came in as a guest lecturer and told us not to skip our English and History classes in favour of production. “I can show you how to run a camera, but I cannot give you breadth and context and critical skills.” In my third year I worked at CBC’s The Journal (even shared the elevator a couple times with Barbara Frum) and came to understand even more deeply the intersection of information and creativity. Of course, I was only photocopying and filing in the research library, plus delivering papers and periodicals to the producers, but my worldview was greatly expanding. Just what those university years are meant to do...

On the job board at Ryerson I noticed a ‘604’ phone prefix and stopped in my tracks. A post production facility in Vancouver was actually recruiting through this Toronto school. I applied and was hired to Gastown Post & Transfer’s entry level position as Tape Operator and Client Services. In other words, dubbing and serving coffee. It was a brilliant combination. After excellent in-house training, I got my hands all over the gear (including 2” VTR’s) and any lingering insecurities I might have had about technology were wiped out. The other half of the day was like a crash course in networking. While serving lunches and pouring beers in one of Gastown’s infamous pubs I met what seemed like the entire Vancouver filmmaking community. Ad agencies, film directors, TV producers. I came to know them all: the companies and the players, and even how they took their coffee.

Eventually a client told me he was starting up a creative editorial boutique and offered me a job as his assistant. For the next three years I worked in a mostly two person operation called The Post Office, as a post coordinator and eventually editor. Non-linear offline systems were just entering the market, so we bought a D-Vision and dove into the then steep learning curve. Though the shop was largely post producing commercials, corporate projects and music videos, a couple of documentaries landed on our doorstep. An activist/ journalist literally arrived with a bag of Hi-8 tapes fresh from the conflict in the Gulf and said ‘I think there’s a movie in here’. Eco-War was my first doc credit and I knew I was smitten with the form. Then Vic Sarin called because he was part way through editing a film and needed to continue on another D-Vision – and there were only three in town. What a break for me, although Reel West january / February 2011

it might have been terrifying for him. I was barely into my 20’s and cutting a major TV documentary on David Milgaard, with an esteemed director. Vic was generous and patient as I struggled my way through story and narrative, let alone which button to press next.

Armed with more confidence and a larger Rolodex, I left The Post Office to hang my own shingle. Over the next couple years I cut a campaign of antiads for Adbusters, an interactive CD-ROM on Louis Riel with Munro Media (co-produced with the NFB), music videos and more factual programming. I spent a year working at Finale, first in offline and finally migrating toward online. A highlight there was a series on the portrayal of women in media (with Aerlyn Weissman & Shari Graydon), which inspired my early involvement in Women in Film & Video Vancouver.

On West 2nd one rainy day I ran into Bob Scarabelli. He had been a colourist when I worked at Gastown Post and was just then collaborating with his former bosses to start up Rainmaker Digital Pictures. There on the street he virtually offered me a job as his visual effects producer. A visual what? No one really knew exactly what that meant in the mid 90’s and it took me some time to accept his impulsive offer to leap with him into the unknown. I eventually crossed the street and joined Rainmaker when there were maybe a half a dozen artists on the payroll.

For the next five years, Scarabelli pushed me, challenged me, coached me and heck, even made me cry. But he always had faith in me and supported me to believe that I could actually pull off what in many ways I was too young and under-qualified for. It was a real gift. I acquired more knowledge than I thought possible about technology, but also finance, strategy, sales, industry relations and the importance of a strong - but genuine - personal network.

(What a loss to our community his early passing was...)

I so loved learning that I became a bit of a school junkie as a ‘side hobby’.

Through my late 20s and into these years I remained enrolled part-time in post secondary programs almost all the time. I eventually earned another BA from UBC in English and an MA from SFU in Liberal Studies. In 1999 I had my daughter Gloria and took a six month maternity leave, returning to Rainmaker at four days a week for the first year back.

Then during a sales meeting, I had an uncomfortable epiphany. We were discussing a feature coming to town. I realized I knew nothing about the story, only the expected number of feet to be processed through the lab and the estimated VFX budget. I realized I’d strayed too far from the content. I was making good money, had excellent perks and a dynamic work environment. So what’s a gal to do? Well, resign of course. I felt I had to make the break before I got too attached to it all and found myself trapped with a big mortgage and mini-van, dependent on this kind of salary. (OK, I already had the mini-van, part of my growing panic...)

I went to lunch with Bob and told him I was going to leave. No rush, I’d give him time to replace me or reorganize, but that I wanted to get back into docs somehow. Maybe as a post supervisor, or editor, or working in someone’s office? He was terrifically encouraging, telling me he was proud that I was chasing my dreams. That was a Thursday. On Saturday my sister-in-law handed me the weekend Globe & Mail with a job posting for an NFB Producer position in Vancouver (a very rare opening). “You said something about documentaries.

Beginnings continued on page 13 11

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Reel West january / February 2011

Gael MacLean & Doug Paterson Photo Phil Chin

Behind the scenes

Rukkus House

S

Behind the Scenes at the Vancouver-based sound studio

o Walt Disney was right. It’s a small world, after all. Or at least it appears to be shrinking steadily to allow more film and television industry players the opportunity to compete internationally. And to compete in every aspect of the rapidly expanding media industries on a technology-driven planet.

Rukkus House, a Vancouver-based sound studio, is working locally and globally in dramatic features, television shows, animation, audio books and games. The list of their current projects includes a Japanese game called Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll, the audio book Dead or Alive; the animated China-Canada coproduction The Monkey King; a Vancouver-produced feature called Rain Down; and an interactive web site for the National Film Board documentary This Land.

Gael MacLean, who co-founded the studio with Doug Paterson in 2009, says experience taught her who the best partners are and has eventually led Rukkus House to collaborate with several international companies. The best part? They seldom have to leave home.

“I think my extensive background in post production in Vancouver has helped me to know who the pros are and we enjoy collaborating. In fact, thanks to the new technologies, we have created a collaborative working relationship with audio studios around the world. We have picture post facilities in Vancouver, producers, animators, voice talent, musicians, VFX and subtitling. This works to our benefit because these days, clients want to walk into one place and have the complete workflow organized for them. At Rukkus House we offer all that. In addition, we are cost effective, problem-free and our standards are always high.”

Both Paterson and MacLean had come to Rukkus House with strong backgrounds in every aspect of sound design. Patterson is an electronic media expert, a voice recording specialist, senior re-recording mixer and composer.

“The state-of-the art design and operations are built with his expertise and specialized talents,” says MacLean.

Prior to Rukkus House, MacLean had produced, directed, supervised and

Beginnings continued from page 11

Is this the kind of thing you are going to be looking for?”

Well, I went after that job voraciously. Because I’d already been open about my impending departure, I was able to be open about my pursuit of this position. I secured strong letters of support specific to the NFB, watched films galore, studied the board’s strategic plan/ annual reports, and took for lunch my friend Al Parsons, who worked in NFB Distribution. He gave me invaluable pointers and advice.

I’d never produced a documentary, so being asked for an interview was for me the first miracle. While there I had to persuade this panel Reel West january / February 2011

that my diverse experiences to date would give me the foundational skills necessary for the position (i.e. comfort with budgets, story & technology, and tapped into the local industry). After the long and formal interview, I remember how exhausted I was, but also exhilarated.

This job at this time at this venerable institution just felt so RIGHT. Couldn’t have planned it, but all the pieces of the puzzle seemed to lead to this moment.

A few weeks later I was offered the gig. I remember that I was on the highway and in fact Scarabelli tipped me off first, because they’d just called him for a reference check. I was over the moon! When I started the following

created sound and music design for feature films, television movies, series and mini-series, animated shorts and documentaries in Canada and the US. She says she came by her love for sound design and post production honestly.

“I have always been passionate about sound and excited about what happens to images when you add sound. Good sound design has the gift of story, the ability to dissolve the distance between the viewer and the viewed until nothing but experience remains. That’s what we can offer in support of good content. We take it to the next levels of experience. Quality has always been my main focus. We are also aware that content crosses many lines these days, from traditional distribution to digital streams. With the merging of games, film, television and the internet, we see an opportunity to revive a tremendous talent pool of voice and animation actors, especially here in Vancouver.”

Vancouver’s post production community has always had a reputation for collaboration. It has helped to bring international projects to the west coast for more than a decade. MacLean says that there are few places that offer a better opportunity to work locally on global business.

“We have completed our first big game localization project for Koei Tecmo of Japan and a big audio book project for Brilliance in the US. Opportunities in both of these areas are growing and it’s a win/win situation for the clients for a couple of reasons: the talent we have and our ability to work live with the clients in any part of the world using ‘Source Connect.’

“In fact, the talent pool and level of expertise we have here in Vancouver (whether it’s original music, sound design or voice over) is unmatched anywhere in the world. So we want to do whatever it takes to support and utilize this pool and ensure that everyone involved can make a living. In addition, we support our talent pool by making our facility and support available to them if they have projects of their own they are working on.

“I have always felt that Rukkus House’s focus should be on the bringing of global business home to work locally with the people we love and respect. It just works all around for everyone: clients, talent and Rukkus House.” n

month, I imagine some of the NFB staff and freelancers thought, hey, who’s this? I wasn’t overly connected to that office and it had been a few years since I’d been absorbed in the doc world. I squashed my overwhelming sense of imposter complex and muddled through those first few months, pinching myself periodically. “I’ve a full time job, at a public organization, making powerful films, connecting with Canadians. Wow. What a privilege....”

In the spring of 2011 I’ll have been with the NFB for 10 years. I never thought I’d work anywhere this long, but with such an interesting slate of projects by such talented directors, it doesn’t seem to get old. And the challenges have kept me hopping.

Just over three years ago I filled the position of executive producer, so now head up the Vancouver studio.

Around the same time, I completed a gruelling executive MBA at SFU, with the NFB’s full blessing and partial support. (OK, that’s it for the schooling.) And over the last couple of years we’ve integrated a digital team, reorganized around accessibility, and relocated to the landmark Woodward’s building. Never dull...

So what’s the equation (at least for me) for professional happiness? Passion + planning + providence + pals (perhaps the most essential ingredient). These have added up to over 20 rewarding years in BC’s film industry. But who’s counting? n 13

question and Answer

Colin Firth stars in The King’s Speech; PHOTO care of Alliance Films

Tom Hooper Director of Period Pieces

B

ritish director Tom Hooper has won acclaim in both England and the US for his TV period pieces. Now, he has gone to the next level and become a leading contender for key prizes handed out during filmdom’s award season. His film, The King’s Speech, the story of the relationship between king and commoner that allowed Lionel Logue, (Geoffrey Rush), a speech therapist to help George VI (Colin Firth) communicate with the British public, was poised to have a strong presence on the nominations list for the Academy Award.

Like his two successful TV miniseries, Britain’s Elizabeth I and the American hit John Adams, The King’s

14

Speech is a well-crafted movie that feels real. He talked to Reel West in New York in November about actors, period pieces and making a two-hander feel like an epic.

What have you learned about making period pieces over the last few films, including last year’s Damned United which was set in the 1960s?

“I learned that periods develop clichés through their cinematic or televisual representation, which tend to become inaccurate. What I never do is to look at what other filmmakers have done because I tend to think these inaccuracies are perpetuated by filmmakers who won’t go back

to the source material. In John Adams I can’t tell you how excited I was to discover that 18th century men shaved their heads under their wigs and wore their wigs as hats and would often take them home. That led me to the image of Paul Giamatti (who plays Adams) with a shaven head when he gets home. It’s a modern image and immediately interrupts your sense that you know the 18th century.”

Do you approach shooting period pieces differently to modern films?

“I am not sure if I am different shooting contemporary because I need control of the frame and the art direction and everything. If you are a filmmaker who likes to have total

control over the elements of the frame then even in a contemporary piece you end up doing as much work as on a period piece.”

Can you talk a little about what you learned about working with actors?

“When I started working with Helen Mirren on Prime Suspect, she would give me a look. I learned with her to be entirely open to what an actor would bring. I would have my vision but I would have openness to see what she would bring. She would have lots of ideas about staging and dialogue and she became a partner in the filmmaking process and I think that is why she asked me to do Elizabeth and work with her again, I think that is what helped me with

Reel West january / February 2011

this film and to let Geoffrey and Colin have more input. I really enjoy the process of making actors part of the process and if you open up to what they bring it’s a joy.”

Much of this movie sees Firth and Rush acting together, almost like a theatre ‘two-hander.’ Did anyone tell you that in such a big movie you might want to bring in more actors?

“I did think it was pretty rare to have a movie with ten minute twohanders where the actors don’t move around very much. Very few feature films do that. We live in a world where it has become de rigour that those scenes can’t hold or have no pace. So I was half expecting (producers) Harvey and Bob (Weinstein) to object to the lengthy scenes. The amazing thing is that they are the best scenes in the film. Not only do they hold but I have sat with audiences in various places and they are laughing big laughs on every second

to it?’ One of the reasons why I think this film is so interesting is because it creates a context in understanding our current Queen because when you understand her father you understand that she is not about ‘how can I use this extraordinary position to further my agenda?’ They’re kind of stuck in that world.”

You make a film a year which is uncommon. Woody Allen does that as well but he is a rarity in Hollywood.

Can you keep up the pace?

“I met Woody the other day and he was saying ‘why wouldn’t you do it because who doesn’t want to be working?’ I do it because I love it.

I loved shooting this film so much.

My two great joys in life are composing images and working with great actors and you can’t do that if you are not shooting a movie. I am not interested in taking stills but I am interested in composing frames that tell the story and it is so specific that

“I really enjoy the process of making actors part of the process and if you open up to what they bring it’s a joy.” or third line throughout the scene. I think that these scenes holding well are huge testament to those two actors because I don’t think it is easy achieving that and it is also a huge testament to the process we went through. We rehearsed for three weeks which is highly unusual for a movie these days and we went through those scenes line for line and any thing that wasn’t good enough we would rewrite.”

The concept of bringing kings or queens and commoners together is not new but it usually is pure fiction. Here it’s based on a true story but it still has at its centre the idea that having privilege and wealth can be tough, particularly if you can’t communicate.

“Yes, I think this movie complicates and debunks any simplistic notions of privilege because Bertie’s (King George VI’s) childhood was not privileged. Becoming king was absolutely not privileged. In fact, this would be an idea of a nightmare because of the fact that he can’t speak. So you think ‘okay I can’t object to this on the basis of privilege. So what is my objection Reel West january / February 2011

I have to shoot to enjoy that. Steven Soderbergh said that if you are not not making a film you are trying to make one and having done both I can say making a film is better. I think what happens to a lot of people is that they start chasing the perfect opportunity. It is rare that I have a script where I have felt it is a slam dunk. There’s always things lining up to say ‘don’t do it’ but in the end if you are a director you direct.” n

Expert witness Christina Aguilera

“When I got my first record deal I was 17 years old and there was a big pop explosion on the radio. It definitely wasn’t the Etta James style of singing or old soul blues style which has always inspired me and is at the root of what I do. I went to get my record deal after I landed it and started making a record with (veteran producer) Ron Fair.

He said ‘we would like you to tone things down. There are too many ad libs and you sound too powerful and it is too much.’ I was sitting there about to cry. I said ‘this is the way I sing..’ It was definitely a turning point for me. I had to stand up because that was my voice. Years later he called and apologized. He said ‘I just watched your (A&E) Biography. I was looking at old footage of you when you were seven or eight years old and you still had that voice and were sounding the way you did when you were 17. I thought you were putting on a show for me because you had just gotten a record deal and you were trying to do too much. But that’s just how you sang. So I am sorry.’”

– Actor/singer Christina Aguilera on standing up for her singing style.

“It seems like luck. I must be doing something and I don’t mean just acting, but it is hard to analyze. Do you think I didn’t always want to get masterpiece screenplays?

If you can’t get the masterpiece you do what you can to stay in the game and I love working and I love the collaboration and I love telling stories. I think there is a lot of value in light entertainment as well. There can be a joy being a part of that. Sometimes I have done movies that I wouldn’t go and see. Some of them I enjoyed immensely and some of them were more about ‘I hope this keeps me in the business long enough to get the one I really want to do.” – Actor Colin Firth on whether he has become more ambitious since living in a cabin in the BC woods in the early 1990’s.

“My approach has always been that as soon as I finish a scene I am back to being me. I am not someone who likes to stay in character but this film is clearly about a discipline that was going to lend itself to me being more like my character than past experiences. I was able to go back to my regular life afterwards but one of the reasons I was able to do that was because (director) Darren Aronofsky was as alert and dis-

Tom Hooper on set of The King’s Speech PHOTO Alliance Films

ciplined and focused as I was. I am not a perfectionist but I am definitely obedient. I work my hardest and try to be kind to everyone I work with and that was the goal here, keeping focused on that and staying true to myself.” – Actress Natalie Portman on keeping sane during the filming of the melodramatic Black Swan, for which she won an Oscar nomination.

“I think people don’t trust you if you do more than one thing. They have an idea that you are this and if you go to another thing there is something that rubs them the wrong way until you prove that you can do it. They don’t welcome you with open arms into another field. You have to want it and you have to want it more than you care about what other people think. Comedians are always the most morbid people in the world and I am sure that there are a lot of comedians who want to do something really deep.

I remember when Bill Murray did The Razors Edge. If they think you are funny and you want to do something deep they are not looking for it.” – Cher on being a singer/ comedienne/actress in a Hollywood that prefers performers to do one thing.

Excerpted from interviews done by Reel West editor Ian Caddell.

15

The Cast of InSecurity, that shot in Saskatchewan in 2010

Production blossoms on the Prairies

The Prairie provinces are off to a strong start in 2011 with movie projects and returning series on the horizon.

Story by

Cheryl Binning Manitoba has two films that begin production in February with Winnipeg company Original Pictures: a Beethoven holiday movie and the horror feature Wrong Turn 4.

The Beethoven movie is the seventh film in the popular St. Bernard movie franchise from distributor 16

Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The director is John Putch (Cougar Town, Ugly Betty). Wrong Turn 4, from 20th Century Fox, is written and directed by Declan O’Brien, who made the cult classic Sharktopus. Casting has not been confirmed on either movie.

“These projects provide a great start to what we anticipate will be an exciting year for the Manitoba film industry,” says Carole Vivier,

CEO/Film Commission for Manitoba Film and Music.

The Alberta production industry is all abuzz with unconfirmed reports that Zack Snyder’s big-budgeted Superman movie will shoot some scenes in Alberta, spending around $35 million in the province.

In the spring Calgary’s Nomadic Pictures will begin production on the AMC series Hell on Wheels, a western set in post-Civil War

America. The storyline follows former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannan (Anson Mount), whose quest for vengeance has led him westward to work on the construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad. The series is created and written by Joe and Tony Gayton (Faster/Uncommon Valor/Salton Sea/Bulletproof ), who also serve as executive producers.

As well, the long-running Seven24 Films/Dynamo Films family series Heartland has been green lit by CBC for season five of production.

Lindsay Blackett, Alberta cabinet minister responsible for the film industry, reports that scouting is on the rise and the province is receiving more inquiries from producers interested in shooting in Alberta.

In fact, the Culture Minister travelled to Los Angeles in January to meet with US film studios and independent producers to highlight Alberta as a premier filming location.

“Alberta has a lot to offer,” says Blackett. “Not only do we have stunning and diverse locations, as well as competitive production incentives, but our crews are some of the best and most experienced in the world.”

Saskatchewan Film Commissioner Suzanne Bell is also confident that 2011 will be a stronger year for the province.

“The market is rebounding and there is renewed confidence,” says Bell. “I am very optimistic about the next six months. Our inquiries are up significantly and we are getting a blend of indie and larger budget projects.”

Looking back on 2010, Manitoba had a particularly busy year with four major series in production: Less Than Kind, Men With Brooms, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil and Cashing In. “Having this many sustainable projects has made the year very exciting,” says Vivier. “We put a concerted effort to focus on securing series because of their sustainability.

It allows us to use our amazing local talent to the full extent and keep our film industry buzzing with activity.”

Manitoba productions also garnered numerous accolades and ratings successes throughout 2010.

Less Than Kind was nominated for eight Gemini Awards and won for Best Comedy Program or SeReel West january / February 2011

ries, Best Individual Performance in a Comedy Program or Series and Best Writing in a Comedy, Variety Program or Series. It was also picked up for broadcast by HBO Canada.

Todd and the Book of Pure Evil was the highest rated premiere in the history of SPACE Channel.

Manitoba also landed numerous features in 2010, including Faces in the Crowd (starring Milla Jovovich), The Divide (with Rosanna Arquette), and Goon (lead by Sean William Scott). Guy Maddin also shot his latest project Keyhole, about a gangster who returns home after a long absence toting a drowned girl, who has mysteriously returned to life, and a bound-and-gagged hostage, who is actually his own teenaged son. Stars include Jason Patric, Isabella Rossellini and Kevin McDonald.

“We have a competitive tax credit which attracts producers but that needs to be supplemented with effective scouting tours and quality face-time with producers,” says Vivier. “Maintaining relationships is key for us in attracting productions to Manitoba.”

The Saskatchewan production industry was “back on track” in 2010, according to Bell, in large part due to the CBC prime time comedy series Insecurity that shot in the province.

The series is co-produced by Vérité Films and Company Name Here Productions, and features Natalie Lisinska (Chloe) and William deVry (The Bold and the Beautiful).

As well, Saskatchewan landed its very first Hallmark movie last year – A Dog Named Christmas – and brought snow to Saskatchewan in the middle of June. The local producer on the project was Rhonda

Baker.

Bruce McDonald’s road movie Hard Core Logo 2 also shot in numerous locales throughout Saskatchewan.

In addition to Heartland, Alberta also landed the drama series Blackstone last year. Shot in Edmonton and produced by Prairie Dog Film + Television, the show follows the fictional lives of residents on the Blackstone Indian Reserve and stars actors Carmen Moore, Eric Schweig and Michelle Thrush. Blackstone will air on APTN and Showcase.

Other 2010 shoots in Alberta include Joe Media Group’s APTN series Fish out of Water, an outdoor series that features a first nations professional who takes on a series of adventures to reconnect with his roots and spiritual values.

As well, the feature Lloyd the Conqueror also shot in the province.

The comedy follows three male college students who battle a dark wizard who is determined to hold onto his title as champion of the Larpers.

The movie is directed by Michael Peterson and stars Brian Posehn, Mike Smith and Evan Williams.

The MTV movie The Truth Below, a horror teen thriller, was shot by Calgary-based Nomadic Pictures. It stars Gillian Zinser, Reid Ewing and Ricky Mabe as teens trapped during an avalanche.

Blackett admits that Alberta is less competitive than other jurisdictions with more lucrative incentives and more sound stages. However, he is continuing to work towards a new purpose-built sound stage for Calgary and a film advisory group has been created to explore ways to make the industry more competitive and innovative. n

HST boosts B.C. Restauranteurs, real estate agents and consumers may hate it, but the B.C. film and TV industry is loving it.

The service business is booming thanks to the HST. Before the introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax in July 2010, foreign film and TV work in the province had slowed down, in large part due to the fact that the B.C. tax credit program did not match more lucrative incentives available in other aparts of Canada, such as Ontario’s 25% rebate covering most production costs, as well as tax credits in foreign jurisdictions. As a result, foreign productions were opting to shoot in cities where they could access more money through financial incentives.

“The first six months of 2010 were a disaster because of our lack of competitiveness in the incentive marketplace,” says DGC BC Executive Director Crawford Hawkins. “B.C. didn’t match the 25% all spend credit in Ontario and Quebec so we were left way behind. But when the HST kicked in the work came back.”

Prior to the HST, producers shooting in BC paid the provincial sales tax on goods and services and because they were not viewed as manufacturers, that money could not be recovered from government. But under the HST rules, 7% is recoverable.

“That extra 7%, combined with our infrastructure, crew and talent makes a huge difference in our ability to compete,” says Hawkins.

“The implementation of the HST eliminated the competitive disadvantage for B.C.’s motion picture industry as compared to Ontario and Quebec,” adds B.C. Film Commissioner Susan Croome. “In those provinces PST for the motion picture industry was recoverable and in BC it was not. The HST corrected this discrepancy.”

This 7% – which is estimated to save producers about $25,000 for a series episode and more than $1 million for major productions – led to a resurgence of service work in the second half of 2010.

TV series that shot in B.C last year, including Fringe, Supernatural, Smallville, Human Target, Hell Cats, Endgame, Chaos, Eureka, Facing Kate, Hiccups, Psych, Sanctuary, Life Unexpected, Stargate Universe, and V. Features landing in B.C. in 2010, included Caesar: Rise of the Apes, The Big Year, Red Riding Hood, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2, and Final Destination 5.

“Looking forward into spring 2011, early indications are that this high levels of service production activity are likely to continue,” says Croome.

Big budget projects shooting in the province this winter/spring include Mission Impossible IV with Tom Cruise, the Ridley Scott-produced thriller The Grey starring Liam Neeson, Underworld 4 starring Kate Beckinsale, and Alvin & The Chipmunks 3, and Sam Raimi’s horror film Dibbuk Box. TV series in production include Chaos, Endgame, Fringe, Hellcats, Mr. Young, Smallville, Supernatural, The Haunting Hour and The Killing.

“This year is looking very good,” says Hawkins. “We had our best January in seven years with the number of projects shooting and we have a lot of big features coming.”

According to the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA), B.C.’s foreign production volume climbed 21.3 per cent in 2009/2010 to $1.09 billion, from $900 million the previous year.

But the boom could end if the HST is revoked. Voters head to the polls in September for a referendum vote on the future of the harmonized sales tax.

Brooke Palsson and Jesse Camacho star in Less Than Kind

“With a dollar at or above par, if we lose that 7% on goods and services it could be devastating for our industry,” says Peter Leitch, Chair of the Motion Picture Industry Association of B.C. “It is critically important we all get out and vote and ensure the HST passes.”

Leitch says US producers are aware of uncertain future of the HST. “We are sending signals of optimism that the HST will be passed. That is all we can do for now.”

While foreign production is booming, the additional 7% recovered from the HST isn’t enough to help the beleaguered domestic industry in B.C. Indigenous production is continuing a downward spiral. According to a CMPA report, the province’s total Canadian production fell almost 50% in 2009/10 to $172 million in activity, from $328 million a year earlier.

“Last year was devastating for the indigenous industry,” says Hawkins, who blames B.C.’s lower tax credit, as compared to Ontario, as a key culprit.

“We are still struggling on the domestic side of the industry and that is causing a lot of difficulties for companies,” adds Leitch. “We need to find a solution to build up that industry again.” n

Reel West january / February 2011

17

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Reel West january / February 2011

Doug Chapman at the Taurus World Stunt Awards in LA, 2007

Alex Green

and Charles

Bronsonon

on the set

of Death Hu

nt (1981) in

Canmore, Alb

erta

Alex Green and Paul

Newman on the set of

ry Lesson (1976)

ns, or Sitting Bull’s Histo

Buffalo Bill & the India

Stunts Canada Supplying Top Stunt Talent for 40 Years Story by

Cheryl Binning

W

estern Canada has some of the world’s most skilled stunt performers working in the film and TV industry. These expert daredevils jump out of buildings, crash cars, and dive off cliffs to help create the action-packed, adrenalin-fueled sequences in our favorite movies and double for some of Hollywood’s most well known actors.

For the past 40 years Stunts Canada has been supplying the industry with top stunt performers, as well as nurturing and growing the stunt community in Alberta and B.C. “Stunts Canada helped develop and maintain a talented group of stunt professionals in Western Canada,” says founding member John Scott, who has worked as a stunt coordinator on numerous movies, from Van Helsing to XMen 2, as well as TV series such as Heartland.

Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Vancouver, Stunts Canada is a professional organization made up of around 60 stunt coordinators, performers, and 2nd unit and main unit directors based in Alberta and B.C. Members are chosen to join Stunts Canada based on their history as a stunt performer, their work ethic, their willingness to be a team player and their passion for the film industry. A performer must have a high level of expertise before the membership considers voting them into the organization.

Stunts Canada members have worked on numerous Hollywood films, such as Night at the Museum, Fantastic Four, Alien vs Predator, Catwoman, Cats and Dogs, Shanghai Noon, Jumangi, Mission to Mars, Final Destination, Reindeer Reel West january / February 2011

Games, Mask of Zorro, Stakeout, Terminal Rush and Look Who’s Talking.

In TV, Stunts Canada has supplied professionals on shows such as Smallville, Supernatural, X-Files, The Twilight Zone, Highlander, Lonesome Dove, Viper, Neon Rider, 21 Jump Street, Airwolf, and North of 60 to name just a few.

But 40 years ago it was incredibly difficult for Canadian stunt performers to get jobs on Hollywood movies shooting in B.C. and Alberta.

“We were getting a few big US pictures at the time and all the Americans were coming in to do the stunt work,” explains Scott. “We knew we had guys who were good riders here and they should get a chance at some of this work.”

This lead stuntman Alex Green to form Stunts Canada as a means to raise the profile of Alberta and B.C. based stunt performers.

“Stunts Canada was our way of getting recognition in the fledgling B.C. film industry,” explains founding member John Wardlow, who has gone on to do stunt work on The Fantastic Four, Cats and Dogs, and X-Men: The Last Stand.

“The Americans didn’t know us and didn’t want to take a chance on us so we had to sell ourselves a lot in those days,” adds Scott. “But we let the Americans know we were here and kept lobbying the producers. We didn’t give up.”

For example, when Legends of the Fall shot in Calgary and Vancouver in 1994, Stunts Canada members kept pushing the producers to hire Canadian stunts performers.

“One of our stunt performers Brent Woolsey got on the movie and did a terrific job and now doubles Brad Pitt whenever he comes to Canada,” says Scott. “It is all about getting your foot in the door. Brent is as good as anyone in North America but if he didn’t get the chance they would have steam rolled over us again.”

As the film industry in B.C. and Alberta grew, so did Stunts Canada, train19

Lauro Chartramd and Ed Anders on set of True Justice (2010)

ing up and adding new members as required. The organization soon became well known for the high caliber of its stunt performers.

“When I first started out, Stunts Canada was the only pool of stunt people in Western Canada,” recalls longtime member JJ Makaro. “As far as the industry was concerned if you weren’t in Stunts Canada you weren’t a stuntman. That put our founding members in a strong position of leadership in the early growth phase of the film industry.”

Without the organization’s tireless work, Western Canadian stunt performers would not have had the same opportunities to show their talents on a movie set.

“Stunts Canada accomplished the goal of creating an infrastructure within the stunt community in BC and Alberta so that Hollywood productions did not have to rely on American stunt coordinators and performers,” says Stunts Canada president James Bamford.

“The organization proved that Canadians could be relied on to get the job done.”

Stunts Canada has also played a critical role in mentoring and de20

veloping the talent pool of Western stunt professionals.

“I passed along my experience, knowledge and advice to promising new candidates,” says Wardlow of the early years of the organization.

In Calgary, Scott says he brought many Canadian rodeo champions into the world of film and TV stunt work.

our stunt community in the future,” says Makaro.

Stunts Canada is always working to learn what performers can do better in order to ensure that productions make the best, most creative and action packed movies possible.

The organization hosts seminars and stays on top of all the trends in

performed here. We want to leave a good impression.”

The industry keeps getting more demanding and sophisticated, points out Makaro, who has not only worked as a stunt performer, but also gone on to coordinate stunts and work as a second unit director on such films as Police Academy and Scary Movie.

“Stunts Canada accomplished the goal of creating an infrastructure within the stunt community in BC and Alberta so that Hollywood productions did not have to rely on American stunt coordinators and performers...”

– James Barnford, Stunts Canada President “Stunts Canada helps identify new talent,” he says.

And today the organization continues to help build the level of professionalism among its members, as well as men and women beginning careers in stunt work.

“We keep our eye out for people we believe will become the leaders of

the every-changing world of movie making to ensure its membership is at the top of their game.

“It is important that we have a pulse on the industry because we want our stunt people to be marketable on the international stage,” says Bamford. “We want productions to be happy with the level of stunt work

Stunt performers have to keep raising the bar and they never know what they might be called on to do next.

One of Wardlow’s most challenging feats occurred at the age of 40 when he doubled for a fifteen-year old boy dressed as a ninja in an episode of MacGyver.

He ran along a roof, jumped 14 Reel West january / February 2011

feet down to an embankment, tucked and rolled into a leap onto a 12-foot chain link fence and in one motion dropped smoothly to the sidewalk on the other side. Then he jumped into the back of a pickup truck driven by MacGyver.

“Punching in the rear window to get his attention, I then jumped off the truck and ran into a warehouse.

All in one shot,” Wardlow recounts.

Even more astounding than doing this stunt in one consecutive shot, he had to repeat it eight times so the DOP could shoot from different angles.

Scott also found his skill set tested when he was asked to double Gene Hackman on a motorcycle while working on the 1983 movie Eureka on location in Jamaica. The challenge: he had never driven a motorcycle.

“I was the only one there so I learned to ride a motorcycle to get the scene done,” says Scott.

Stunts Canada also continues to play an important role in lobbying for the best conditions possible for Western Canadian stunt performers.

“Throughout the history of the film industry we have been at the forefront of political involvement to ensure conditions improve for the stunt community, both financially

and in terms of safety and security,” says Bamford. “We ensure the Western Canada stunt community is heard on the national and international front.”

After 40 years, Stunts Canada and the Western Canadian stunt community is thriving. With big action pictures like Underworld 4 and Superman landing in BC this year, there are many new opportunities for stunt professionals to show off their talents.

“2011 is shaping up to be a very busy year for the stunt community,” says Bamford. “It is really exciting.”

And for the early members of Stunts Canada, it’s gratifying to see how the local stunt community has grown and flourished.

“I am so proud of the members of Stunts Canada and the Western Canada stunt community in general for their achievements here at home and on location internationally,” says Wardlow. “It is rewarding to know that after all is said and done, I have played a small part in their success.”

Scott says he is most proud that Stunts Canada is still going strong after 40 years.

“It has left a legacy for a lot of young people to make a very good living as stunt professionals,” he says. n

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Alex Green, Stunts Cana

Reel West january / February 2011

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Diary Actress Josephine Small

T.V. to talk about

As a child, Loretta S. Todd had heard the Cree language being spoken between her grandparents and father, aunts and uncles, and when other relatives came to visit her family in the city. As she grew up and moved to the west coast she could see that the language could vanish and set out to prevent that from happening. She eventually created a half hour show called Nehiyawetan that shows the benefits of keeping traditional languages. The show is currently airing its third season on APTN. Diary by

Loretta S. Todd Spring 2006 I live in Vancouver, not the traditional territory of Cree, but I want to so something to keep the Cree language strong. I decide the place to start is with the kids and the 22

place to go to is APTN, where I can bring my skills as a producer, director and writer into play. I want Aboriginal children to know that they can learn their own language, even if they live in the city. After all, over 60% of Aboriginal people live in cities or towns in Canada. We’ve always brought our culture and language

with us, so Nehiyawetan will do the same.. Nehiyaw is the Nehiyaw way of saying Cree, Cree being a word derived from French. Nehiyawetan means Learn Cree or, for the Elders who advised me, Let’s Speak Cree.

A half-hour TV show can’t replace children learning their language at home and in the community, but it

can create an environment that is Cree positive and accessible, fun and appealing to all kids. And I want it to reflect the healthy aspects of living in the city, from farmer’s markets to science centres to urban pow-wows.

My focus is on children entering grade 1, or ages from 5-7, though I intend to create a series that will appeal to families, so they can learn together.

I do my research, watching way too many children’s programs. Around the world others are working to revive and protect their Aboriginal languages, so there is much experience and knowledge to draw from. I start to formulate a philosophy and strategy, hoping to adapt language immersion concepts into the program. I get more advice from Cree speakers here in Vancouver. I worry about choosing one dialect over another, as there are many dialects. Elder, writer and fluent Cree speaker Larry Loyie tells me to quit worrying and just do it. I decide I will develop the show based on the “Y” dialect of my relatives and search for a teacher/host primarily in my home territory (Alberta) and Saskatchewan.

Summer/Fall 2006 I develop my application to APTN. I just go for it, not worrying about applying for a development process. I ask APTN about their licence range for programs like Nehiyawetan. They give me a ballpark figure. I guess I should have emphasized that I was intending to have music videos, animation, games, adventures and storytelling because in retrospect, the budget is quite low. Basically, I’m planning to shoot 6 x 24 minute kid’s shows for a modest 44 minute documentary budget. But hey, I can make it work.

I’m honoured to include many learned people as part of the series Educational Advisory Committee, including Lyn Daniels, Jeff Smith and Dr. Winona Wheeler. I am fortunate to get Cathy Chilco involved.

Her knowledge of children’s programming is legendary. I submit to APTN’s Aboriginal Language Program Request for Proposals in the fall of 2006. Thank you Sherrill Sirrs for your excellent help with the financials.

Early 2007 I’m successful with my APTN application for a license.

I apply to the CTF Aboriginal Language Program. I wait for the Shaw Reel West january / February 2011

Rocket Fund submission date to be announced. I prepare my submission to the now (sadly) defunct Independent Film Fund.

My applications are all successful!

I workshop the program concept and design with Cathy Chilco, Lyn Daniels and the series writers Kamala Todd and Kevin Burton. We refine the approach, streamlining the show to clearly articulated segments. Essentially, our cast learns some Cree words and then apply the words to everyday actions, from adventures in Stanley Park, music videos, sing-

who believes in the concept and the work I do, I’m able to secure private interim financing, after my credit union decides that it doesn’t interim finance media projects anymore.

My interim financer is originally from Greece, grew-up in Brazil and Canada and is a staunch supporter of Aboriginal rights and culture (if only there were more like him). It is very likely that without his help, this diary would not be.

Locations in Vancouver are very expensive. Even the Vancouver School Board wants thousands of

tor as well. They both do a great job.

This is my first time stepping back as director and focusing on producing. I direct here and there, just to test the format and kids endurance levels (though we follow BC Child Performer Labour Laws very carefully). I continue as creative producer right through to delivery.

Fall 2007 Post begins. The budget only allows for editing at Cineworks, the local film co-op, and the on-line is done on the lap-top of the on-line editor, Fredrick Thorsen (who is really doing us a favour at the rate I

“All the teachers who audition are charismatic and dynamic but Josephine is the one. She is like everyone’s youthful, hip and traditional Auntie.” a-longs with Aboriginal performers, kinetic games and both personal and animated stories.

I crew-up. I audition the kids.

I begin auditions for the teacher.

Josephine Small, originally from Hobbema, Alberta auditions. She lives in Vancouver, preparing to do her MA in Linguistics, for Cree. All the teachers who audition are charismatic and dynamic but Josephine is the one. She is like everyone’s youthful, hip and traditional Auntie.

I find two emerging Aboriginal animators Chris Auchter and Stephen Gladue, and get seasoned animator Kevin Langdale to create all the interstitials and titles. I want the show to look like nothing else: colourful and cultural, yet polished and fresh.

Oh yeah, there is an interim financing issue and the need for a place to shoot. Thanks to a (rare) rich friend

dollars in location fees just to rent an empty classroom for the summer.

A private school donates their space for the summer, right near a park and the beach.

Summer 2007 Production begins.

The concept is to follow the kids as they learn, so the kids at home can identify with our kids and learn with them. Our cast is Grace, Kai and Kiyano, ages 5-7. Spontaneous, energetic and smart, they pick-up fast.

Production becomes much like summer camp, with crafts, games and Cree lessons.

I bring in James Fortier, Aboriginal DOP extraordinaire and friend. I know I can trust the kids and vision with him. I need to replace a problematic director. A new director joins us, Jason Krowe, whom I move from location manager. Writer and director Kamala steps forward as a direc-

have). But it works. Tony Gort, the wizard sound editor and mixer, believes in the show and gives us a good deal. His flavour brings a signature sound to the series. In fact, I’m humbled by how much people want to help because of the intent of the show. Long-time editor Shirley Clayton seems to be made for editing this series. She brings a quality to the storytelling, which helps the episodes move seamlessly.

We have some technical troubles with synching the sound. It’s a failure of technology, but we persevere and the quality of the sound is fine. I will not let sound dictate to the camera again. (I feel like I need to write that out 50 times and never forget).

Submission for season two begins.

Again, I forego any development budget and just go for it. There is no guarantee of renewal for subse-

quent seasons with APTN. You have to submit for each RFP. I feel I can build on the success of season 1 and apply. We love our cast, but one of our kids moves back home. Kai is still on-board and Kayla joins us. Josephine moves back to Hobbema to be with family. Do we find someone new or continue to work with her? I decide to stay with her for continuity and because she is so wonderful to work with.

Spring / Summer 2008 I’m successful with my APTN application for season two, but this time it is for both their HD and SD channels. Submissions continue. I need to be more proactive with interim financing because my budget increases to meet the HD requirements.

I decide I need a executive producer who can help with interim financing.

Patti Poskitt and her company seems to be the one. Her company is specifically designed to help secure interim financing. We’re successful with our submissions to CTF and Shaw Rocket Fund. Season 2 is a go.

Ms. Poskitt is also able to bring connections with Global TV so we can use their studio for the summer, which helps the modest budget to extend beyond its limits. My budget is now like that of a moderate one-hour documentary. With that I will produce 6 x 24 minutes, with the same format of adventure, music videos, animation, storytelling and games.

We introduce a book segment, where highlighting children’s books written or illustrated by Cree or Cree/Metis writers and artists. Theytus Books and Red Deer Press thanks.

We have fun as well as doing serious work. It amazes me how the Diary continued on page 28

Behind the scenes (Left) Loretta Todd directing John Herrington as Kai looks on; (Right) Jason Krowe directing Francis James

Reel West january / February 2011

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It’s a wrap...

Over 100 digital features, features, television movies, pilots and series either wrapped or began principal photography in western Canada in 2010. They ranged from the seemingly impossibly big, like Mission Impossible, to smaller stories about growing up in rural Canada, scary movies and television shows that will be seen in countries around the world. It’s a wrap for 2010.

Can’t wait for 2011.

BC Digital Features DUNGEON SIEGE 2 A tale of knights and kings, great courage and noble causes, magic and adventure. Prod: Shawn Williamson, Daniel Clarke Director: Uwe Boll. DOP: Mathias Neumann PD: Rick Willoughby PM: Scott Graham Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Natassia Malthe, Lochlyn Munro, Aleks Paunovic Sched: Dec 1 - Dec 21 MARLEY AND ME: THE PUPPY YEARS: Digital prequel to the story of a puppy that finds a couple to fall in love with. Exec. Prod: Janine Damian Prod: Connie Dolphin Director: Michael Damian DOP: Ron Stannett; PD: Troy Hansen PM: Michael Potkins Cast: Travis Turner, Donnelly Rhodes, Alex Zahara, Sydney Imbeau. Sched: Sep 27 - Oct 28 VAMPIRE: Prod: Tim Kwok LP: Deboragh Gabler DOP: Shunji Iwai PD: Alexandra Rojek PM: Eileen Hoeter Director: Shunji Iwai Cast: Kevin Zegers, Keisha Cast:le-Hughes, Amanda Plummer, Trevor Morgan Sched: May 14 - Jun 4

BC Features 3 WEEKS, 3 KIDS Exec. Prod: Timothy Johnson, Jean Abounader Prod: Tosca Musk, Hayden Baptiste, Kim SpencerNairn Director: Mark Jean, DOP: Eric J Goldstein PD: Paul Joyal, PM: Tosca Musk Cast: Anna Chlumsky, Warren Christie, Chelah Horsdal, Tiera Skovbye,

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Sydney Stamler, Jakob Davies Sched: Sept 16 - Oct 6.

THE BIG YEAR Three avid bird watchers compete to spot the rarest birds in North America at a prestigious annual event.

Prod: Karen Rosenfelt, Stuart Cornfeld Co-Prod: Brad Van Arragon Director: David Frankel DOP: Larry Sher PD: Brent Thomas PM: Michael Williams UM: Warren Carr SPFX: Alex Burdett Cast: Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Jack Black Sched: May 3 - Jul 23 CAESAR: RISE OF THE APES The story of Caesar, the chimpanzee who led the apes in rebellion, conquering humanity and creating a planet where apes ruled and humans served. Exec. Prod: Thomas Hammel Prod: Dylan Clark, Peter Chernin Director: Rupert Wyatt DOP: Andrew Lesnie PD: Claude Pare PM: Wendy Williams SPFX: Tony Lazarowich Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, David Oyelowo, Tom Felton.

Sched: Jul 5 - Sep 17.

DAYDREAM NATION Caroline Wexler, a whip smart 17-year-old, has recently moved to a strange small town haunted by the presence of a serial killer.

She starts an affair with her handsome young teacher, Mr. Anderson, and, later, begins a friendship with a troubled boy, Thurston. Exec. Prod: Trish Dolman, Cameron Lamb, Frank Desmarais Prod: Christine Haebler, Ted Plerson, LP/PM: Ian Hay Director: Mike Goldbach DOP:

Joel Ransom PD: Renee Reid Cast: Kat Dennings, Reece Thompson, Josh Lucas Sched: Jan 9 - Feb 2/10 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 2: RODRICK RULES Greg Heffley is back with problems new and old, but none more prominent than the punishments of his older brother Rodrick. Exec. Prod: Jeff Kinney Prod: Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson Supervising Prod: Ethan Smith Director: David Bowers DOP: Jack Green PD: Brent Thomas PM: Warren Carr SPFX: Tony Lazarowich Cast: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Rachael Harris Sched: Aug 23 - Oct 27.

DONOVAN’S ECHO A man who helped develop the atomic bomb suffers personal tragedy later in his life and struggles to help a family avoid the same fate.

Exec. Prod: Mary Anne Waterhouse Prod: Andria Spring, Trent Carlson LP: Holly Redford Director: Jim Cliffe DOP: Bob Aschmann PD: Grant Pearse PM: Holly Redford Cast: Danny Glover Bruce Greenwood Sched: Nov 1 - Nov 29.

FINAL DESTINATION 5 Death makes a killing in the next instalment in the horror series which once again proves that no matter where you run, no matter where you hide...you can’t cheat death. Exec.

Prod: Erik Holmberg, Sheila Hanahan Taylor Prod: Craig Perry Director: Steve Quale DOP: Brian Pearson PD: David Sandefur (WP) PM: Matthew Hart SPFX: Rory Cutler Sched: Sep 13 - Dec 14

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE : GHOST PROTOCOL Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner joins the cast of the latest installment of the Tom Cruise actions Exec.

Prod: Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Megan Ellison. Prod: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Tom Cruise. Director: Brad Bird.

DOP: Robert Elswit. Production Manager: Stewart Bethune. PD: James Bissell.

PRESSED Two joyriders Jesse and Sam discover something hidden in the back seat of the car that could change their lives forever. Prod: Navid Soofi Prod: Jonathan DuBois Director: Justin Donnelly DOP: Norm Li PM: Costa Vassos Cast: Luke Goss, Michael Ecklund Sched: Oct 4 -Oct 22 RED RIDING HOOD Set in a medieval village that is haunted by a werewolf, a young girl falls for an orphaned woodcutter, much to her family’s displeasure. Exec.

Prod: Jim Rowe Prod: Jennifer Killoran, Julie Yorn Director: Catherine Hardwicke DOP: Mandy Walker PD: Tom Sanders PM: Brendan Ferguson SPFX: Joel Whist Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons Sched: Jul 21 - Sep 18.

REPEATERS Three young people housed in a state-funded rehab program wake up to the same day over and over: a day that gives them a fresh start at making things right or a dangerous opportunity to push the limits of what they can do without consequence. Exec. Prod: Melanie de Klerk Prod: Irene Nelson, Jason James, Carl Bessai Director/DOP: Carl Bessai PM: Tracey Nomura Cast: Dustin Milligan, Amanda Crew, Richard de Klerk Sched: Jan 11 - Jan 31.

THE BOXER AND THE KID Exec. Prod: Joseph Nasser, Danny Webber Prod: Jack Nasser, Director: Anne Wheeler Cast: Steve Austin REPLICAS Exec. Prod: Tina Pehme, Kim Roberts Prod: Justin Tyler Close Supervising Prod: John Bolton Line Prod: Ian Smith Director: Jeremy Regimbal DOP: Norm Li PD: Tink PM: Ian Smith Cast: Selma Blair, Josh Close, James D’Arcy Sched: Nov 29 - Dec 18.

THE TALL MAN In an impoverished mining town in the Rockies, a doctor struggles to help her neighbors survive, while an evil entity known as the Tall Man kidnaps children. Exec. Prod: Frank White, David Cormican UPM: Rhonda Baker Director: Pascal Laugier

Reel West january / February 2011

Sched: Sep 20 - Nov 23 THIS MEANS WAR When two best friends, who are also covert agents, who fall in love with the same woman, they set in motion a battle between spies for the woman’s heart. Exec. Prod: Brent O’Connor Prod: Will Smith, James Lassiter Director: McG DOP: Russell Carpenter PD: Martin Laing PM: Drew Locke SPFX: Alex Burdett Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy Sched: Sep 27 - Dec 10.

BC Television Movies 16 WISHES On her 16th birthday, Abby makes a secret wish that sets off a chain of magical events that lead her on whirlwind journey to salvage a friendship and find true love, all before midnight. Exec.

Prod: Ron French, Robyn Snyder Director: Peter DeLuise Cast: Debby Ryan Sched: Jan 20 - Feb 14.

BOND OF SILENCE A look at the role drugs and alcohol played in the murder of an innocent man. Prod: Ted Bauman, Patricia Clifford, Howard Braunstein Director: Peter Werner PM: Paul Rayman Sched: May 29 - Jun 23.

BRINGING ASHLEY HOME Based on the true story of Libba Phillips who stops at nothing to find her missing sister and as a result ends up creating a resource center for other individuals who are suffering from their missing loved ones.

Exec. Prod: Libby Beers, Harvey Kahn, Lee Sosin Director: Nick Copus Sched: Oct 4 - Oct 23.

COLLISION EARTH After Mercury is knocked off its axis, a skilled scientist may be the only answer to help avoid its collision with Earth. Exec. Prod: Tom Berry, Lisa Hansen Prod: John Prince Director: George Mihalka DOP: Thomas Harting PD: James Willcock PM: Simon Richardson SPFX: Al Benjamin Cast: Kirk Acevedo Sched: Oct 19 - Nov 5.

DOOMSDAY SCROLLS A book editor tries to figure out how to stop Armageddon.

Exec. Prod: Tom Berry, Lisa Hansen Director: Jason Bourque PM: Tia Buhl SPFX: David Barkes Sched: May 3 - May 20.

EDGE OF THE GARDEN Workaholic Brian Connor gets transferred to a new location, soon finds that he’s moved into a haunted cottage and tries to rewrite history in order to save the life of the ghost woman who was brutally murdered by her husband there years prior.

Reel West january / February 2011

Exec. Prod: Jack Grossbart Prod: Harvey Kahn Director: Michael Scott. Cast: Rob Estes, Sarah Manninen and David Lewis Sched: Sep 13 - Oct 1.

GARDEN OF EVIL Militant environmentalists Kate and Joe witness, and videotape, the rapid growth of a gigantic root system that literally begins mowing through the country like an earthquake. Exec. Prod: Tom Berry, Lisa Hansen Prod: Raymond Massey Director: Paul Ziller PM: Tia Buhl Sched: Aug 16 - Sep 2.

GONE Exec. Prod: Shawn Williamson Director: Grant Harvey PM: Jamie Goehring Sched: Oct 18 - Nov 5.

GOODNIGHT FOR JUSTICE Prod: Randolph Cheveldave Director: Jason Priestley PD: Paul Joyal PM: Nancy Welsh SPFX: Dave Allinson Cast: Luke Perry Sched: Aug 4 - Aug 24.

HE LOVES ME A Seattle real estate agent becomes increasingly unhinged and violent as her marriage falls apart and secrets from her past start to surface. Prod: Harvey Kahn Director: Jeff Renfroe PM: Chris Rudolph Cast: Heather Locklear Sched: Oct 27 - Nov 15.

ICE QUAKE A family must come together and try to stop deadly rivers of methane that have formed as a result of Global Warming in order to save the planet. Prod: Tom Berry, Lisa Hansen, John Prince PM: Simon Richardson Sched: Apr 6 - Apr 23.

ICE ROAD TERROR Exec. Prod: Jeff Schenck Prod: Charles Bishop LP/PM: Mandy Spencer-Phillips Director: Terry Ingram Cast: Brea Grant, Ty Olsson, Dylan Neal Sched: Apr 20 - May 17.

IRON GOLEM Exec. Prod: Tom Berry, Lisa M. Hansen Prod: John Prince Director: Paul Ziller PD: Bob Bottieri LP/PM: Tia Buhl Cast: Kavan Smith Sched: Jan 18 - Feb 5.

KILLER MOUNTAIN Exec. Prod: Chris Bartleman, Jeff Schenck Prod: Charles Bishop LP/PM: Jamie Goehring Director: Sheldon Wilson Sched: May 17 - Jun 4.

NEVER TELL A LIE The husband in a young couple is arrested for murder when one of their yard sale patrons, a former classmate, goes missing. As his wife fights to prove his innocence, she learns increasingly disturbing things about their old acquaintance. Exec. Prod: Ted Bauman, Lynne Bespflug Prod: Ian Hay Director: Bradley Walsh DOP: Tony West-

man PD: Paul McCulloch PM: Ian Hay Sched: Sep 27 - Oct 18.

ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS A group of women from a small town decide to go on strike for the holidays to teach their ungrateful husbands a lesson. Exec.

Prod: Christian Bruyere. Director: Robert Iscove PM: Christian Bruyere Sched: Sep 8 - Sep 24.

ONE ANGRY JUROR Based on the true story of Sarah Walsh, a tough New Orleans attorney serves on a murder trial jury and does some investigating of her own. Exec. Prod: Harvey Kahn Director: Paul A. Kaufman PM: Allen Lewis Cast: Jessica Capshaw Sched: Jun 3 - Jun 21.

SEDUCTIVE STRANGERS Exec. Prod: Jeff Schneck, Tom Berry Prod: Wendy McKernan Director: Kley Weber DOP: Cliff Hokanson PD: Jim Purvis PM: Michele Futerman Sched: Apr 19.

SMOKE SCREEN Prod: Christian Bruyere Director: Gary Yates PM: Christian Bruyere Cast: Jaime Pressly Sched: Aug 9 - Aug 27.

SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR: Exec. Prod: Lynne Bespflug Producer/ PM: Ian Hay Sched: Jun 4 - Jun 22.

TAKEN FROM ME: THE TIFFANY RUBIN STORY Real-life drama of Tiffany Rubin, a young mother forced to sidestep official channels and turn to outside help when her six-year-old son is kidnapped by his father and taken to South Korea. Prod: Harvey Kahn Director: Gary Harvey PM: Chris Rudolph Sched: Aug 3 - Aug 25.

THE CLIENT LIST In Odessa, Texas, a young housewife and former homecoming queen becomes one of the city’s most popular hookers until she, her co-workers and 68 prominent Odessa residents are arrested in a scandal that shakes the city. Prod: Ted Bauman, Lynne Bespflug, Scott W. Anderson Director: Eric Laneuville PM: Lynne Bespflug Cast: Jennifer Love Hewitt Sched: Apr 22 - May 10.

THE FAIRLY ODD PARENTS Timmy Turner is now twenty-three years old but still acts like a child because he runs the risk of losing his fairy god-parents Cosmo and Wanda if he grows up. Exec. Prod: Scott McAboy, Lauren Levine Director: Savage Holland DOP: Jon Joffin PD: Richard Hudolin PM: Michael Potkins SPFX: Jak Osmond Sched: Jul 12 - Jul 28.

TWO FOR THE ROAD Movie based on “The Suite Life” series that follows twin brothers Zack and Cody as they continuously get themselves into troublesome situations, this time including a high-tech research twin study where they soon find themselves connected in a way they never had been before. Exec. Prod: Irene Dreayer, Pam Eells Prod: Jessica Rhoades, Tracey Jeffrey Director: Sean McNamara DOP: Attila Szalay PD: Sandy Cochrane PM: Mandy SpencerPhillips SPFX: Bill Ryan Sched: Sep 27 - Oct 29.

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW Prod: Harvey Kahn PM: Paul Rayman LM: Kirk Johns Sched: Oct 12 - Nov 10.

BC Television Pilots BETWIXT Supernatural drama about three teenagers, who learn of their true, “changeling” nature and their uncertain, intertwined destinies after attending a secret summer rave in the woods. Exec.

Prod: Paul Stupin, Carol Barbee, Elizabeth Chandler LP: Grace Gilroy Director: Christian Duguay DOP: Rob McLachlan PD: David Wilson. PM: Yvonne Melville Cast: Jessy Schram, Tessa Thompson, David Gallagher, Allison Miller, Austin Robert Butler Sched: Mar 25 - Apr 9 THE DAMN THORPES The story of a horse trainer who becomes the patriarch of a Wyoming ranch responsible for his three younger sisters after their parents die. Exec.

Prod: Daniel Palladino Exec. Prod/Director: Amy Sherman-Palladino Prod: Matthew Nodella PM: Wayne Bennett LM: Ken Brooker Cast: Sean Faris, Scarlett Johnson, Renee Smith Sched: Mar 26 - Apr 13.

HELLCATS The wild world of competitive college cheerleading. Hellcats follows Marti Perkins, a pre-law college student at Lancer University, who lost her scholarship and has no other choice but to join the college’s cheer squad, the Hellcats, in order to maintain it. Exec. Prod: Kevin Murphy, Allan Arkush, Tom Welling Prod: Rose Lam, Jae Marant PD: Michael Joy. PM: Kim Steer DOP: Stephen McNutt Cast: Alyson Michalka, Ashley Tisdale Sched: Apr 13 - Apr 17.

THE KILLING Follows the police investigation of the murder of a young girl, tying together three interlocking stories as investigators chase a variety of leads.

Exec. Prod: Venna Sud, Mikkel Bondsen

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Prod: Ron French PM: Craig Forrest PD: Michael Bolton DOP: Peter Wunstorf Cast: Mireille Enos, Katie Findlay, Michelle Forbes, Richard Harmon Sched: May 10/10 - May 28.

TRUE BLUE San Francisco homicide detectives work to solve the murder of a fellow officer. Exec. Prod: Chris Brancato, Jon Feldman, Bert Salke Exec.

Prod/Director: Peter Horton Prod: Justis Greene POD: Alik Sakharov PD: Matthew Budgeon PM: Heather Meehan Cast: Titus Welliver, Scott Foley, Marc Blucas, Poppy Montgomery, Ana Ortiz Sched: Mar 13 - Mar 24.

BC Series CHAOS Rogue CIA agents battle the bureaucracy. Director: David Straiton Exec Prod: Martha Haight, Brett Ratner, Tom Spezialy. PM: Grace Whitehouse, George Grieve Cast: Freddy Rodriquez, Eric Close, Carmen Ejogo Sched: Dec 3 - Apr 4/11 ENDGAME – Director: Charles Biname, Anne Wheeler Exec Prod: Michael Shepard, Harvey Kahn, Avrum Jacobson Prod: David Frazee, S. Lily Hui LP: S. Lily Hui DOP: Mathias Herndi PM: Doug Brons PD: Matthew Budgeon Cast: Shawn Doyle Patrick Gallagher, Torrance Coombs, Katherine Isabelle, Carmen Aguirre, Melanie Papalia Sched: Aug 31Feb 10/11 EUREKA The best minds are tucked away in a town called Eureka, where they build futuristic inventions for the government’s benefit. Exec. Prod: Jamie Paglia, Bruce Miller Prod: Robert Petrovicz DOP: Rick Maguire PM: Michael C. Young PD: Byron King Cast: Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitefield, Erica Cerra, Joe Morton Sched: Mar 18 - Oct 29.

FAIRLY LEGAL aka FACING KATE: Frustrated with the black and white nature of the legal system, Kate leaves her position at their law firm and becomes a mediator which forces her to find creative solutions to a variety of disputes. Exec.

Prod: Michael Sardo, Steve Stark Prod: Clara George, Paul Holahan PD: Ricardo Spinace PM: Erin Smith Cast: Sara Shahi, Vaginia Williams, Michael Trucco Sched: Jun 16 - Sep 21 FRINGE A female FBI agent is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena Director: Brad

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Anderson, Tom Yatsko Exec. Prod: J.J Abrams, Bryan Burke, Jeff Pinker, Joel Wyman Prod: Josh Singer, Reid Shane PD: Ian Thomas PM: Vladimir Stefoff DOP: Tom Yatsko Cast: Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole Sched: Jul 8 - Apr 1/11 HEALTH NUTZ Health Nutz Juice Bar is a place with an atmosphere of the show “Cheers” except with wheat grass instead of beers. Exec. Prod: Jason Friesen, Dasha D. Novak. Prod: Larisa Andrews PD: Tony Deveny PM: Ian Smith Cast: Sam Bob, Chris Gauthier, Byron Chief-Moon, Lucie Guest Sched: Aug 31– Sep 29.

HELLCATS The wild world of competitive college cheerleading. Hellcats follows Marti Perkins, a pre-law college student at Lancer University, who lost her scholarship and has no other choice but to join the college’s cheer squad, the Hellcats, in order to maintain it. Director: Omar Madha, John Behring Exec. Prod: Kevin Murphy, Allan Arkush, Tom Welling Prod: Rose Lam, Jae Marant PD: Michael Joy PM: Kim Steer DOP: Stephen McNutt Cast: Alyson Michalka, Ashley Tisdale Sched: Jul 14 - Mar 17/11 HICCUPS Millie Upton is a children’s author with anger management issues, which are referred to as ‘hiccups’. These outbursts are immediate and prone to happen anytime. After being told that she needs help controlling her anger issues, she finds a man whom she hires as her life coach. Exec. Prod: Brent Butt, David Storey, Laura Lightbown Prod: Nancy Robertson, Arvi Liimatainen PM: Bonnie Benwick DOP: Ken Krawczyk Cast: Nancy Robertson, Laura Soltis, David Ingram, Emily Perkins, Paula Rivera Sched: Sep 20 - Dec 3.

HUMAN TARGET The series follows the life of San Francisco-based Christopher Chance, a private contractor, bodyguard & security expert hired to protect his clients by completely integrating himself into their lives, to become a “human target”. Exec. Prod: Matt Miller, Jonathan Steinberg, Brad Kern Prod: Grace Gilroy PD: David Willson PM: Yvonne Melville DOP: Rob McLachlan Cast: Mark Valley, Chi, McBride, Jackie Earle-Haley Sched: Aug 3 - Jan 14/11 LIFE UNEXPECTED 15 year old Lux has spent life going from foster family to

foster family and has finally decided to become an emancipated minor. During this legal journey, she finds her biological father, who is shocked to learn he has a daughter and her mother, a star on a local radio along with her boyfriend. A judge decides to grant temporary custody of Luz to her parents instead of emancipating her. Exec Prod: Liz Tigelaar, Gary Fleder Prod: Mary Beth Baslie, LP: J.P. Finn PD: Rachel O’Toole PM: Wayne Bennett DOP: Barry Donlevy Cast: Brittany Robertson, Shiri Appleby, Kristoffer Polaha, Kerr Smith. Sched: Jul 13 - Nov 22.

MR. YOUNG Exec. Prod: Michael Shepard Prod: Lisa Richardson DOP: Amir Mohammed PD: Thom Ward PM: Victoria Hirst PC: Lucy MacLeod Cast: Brendan Meyer Sched: Oct 5 - Apr 15/11 NEHIYAWETAN Tansi! Nehiyawetan is an energy driven, interactive series that invites children to learn the Cree language with Kai and Kayla and their Auntie Josephine through songs, stories and adventures in the city. Exec. Prod: Loretta Todd Prod: Loretta Todd, Edi Osghian, Giuliana Bertuzzi Director: Jason Krowe, Loretta Todd DOP: Glenn Taylor, James Fortier PM: Tracy Major Cast: Josephine Small, Kai Todd-Darrell, Kayla Dakis Sched: Jul 20 - Sep 3.

PSYCH A novice sleuth is hired by the police after he cons them into thinking he has psychic powers that help solve crimes. With the assistance of his reluctant best friend, the duo take on a series of complicated cases. Exec. Prod: Mel Damski Prod: Gordon Mark DOP: Scott Williams PD: Eric Norlin PM: Matthew Chipera Cast: James Roday, Dulé Hill Sched: Apr 28 - Oct 29/10 SANCTUARY Stem cells, gene therapy, transplants, cloning; The very meaning of the word “humanity” changes daily in the modern world. But there is a darker side to the evolution of mankind, a truth only a few brave souls are willing to face: There are monsters loose in the world.

And they are the key to the future of our race. Exec. Prod: Damian Kindler, Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood Prod: Lily Hui Director: Amanda Tapping, Andy Mikita DOP: Gord Verheul PD: Bridget McGuire PM: George Horie Cast: Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, Chris Heyerdahl Sched: Mar 15 - Nov 5.

SMALLVILLE

The

season

premiere

picks up where the finale left off. Lois finds Clark’s lifeless body and removes the blue kryptonite enabling him to heal himself. However, Lois sneaks away before Clark fully awakens in order to protect his secret. Meanwhile, Chloe is desperate to find Oliver, so she turns to an unlikely source for answers. Jonathan returns to the Kent Farm with a message for Clark, and Tess awakens in a LuthorCorp lab. Exec. Prod: Brian Peterson, Kelly Souders, James Marshall Co-Prod: Scott Graham. DOP: Randal Platt, Glen Winter PD: James Philpott PM: Scott Graham Cast: Tom Welling, Allison Mack, Erica Durance, Callum Blue, Justin Hartley Sched: Jul 12 - Apr 20/11 STARGATE UNIVERSE The first half of the series, we will see a narrative progression very similar to what we saw in the back half of season one, with various story elements building to occasionally explosive conclusions. Plenty of secrets, surprises, and shocking revelations.

Exec. Prod: Brad Wright Prod: Robert Cooper LP/PM: John Lenic. Director/ Cast: Robert Carlyle. DOP: Jim Menard PD: James Robbins Cast: Robert Carlyle, Louis Ferreira, Brian J. Smith, Elyse Levesque, David Blue, Alaina Huffman, Jamil Walker Smith, Ming-Na, Lou Diamond Phillips Sched: Mar 10 - Nov 19.

SUPERNATURAL Season six will be a season of mystery and shadow. Heaven and Hell have been left in complete disarray since the apocalyptic events of season five. And now, monsters, angels and demons roam across a lawless and chaotic landscape. And so, Dean finds himself being pulled back into his old life – pulled back by none other than Sam, who has escaped from Hell. The two reunite to beat back the rising tide of creatures and demon-spawn, but they quickly realize that neither are who they used to be, their relationship isn’t what it used to be, and that nothing is what it seems.” Exec. Prod: Eric Kripke, McG, Robert Singer, Ben Edlund, Sera Gamble, Phil Sgriccia DOP: Serge Ladoucer PD: Jerry Wanek PM: Craig Matheson.

Cast: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki Sched: Jun 30 - Mar 31/11 THE HAUNTING HOUR Exec. Prod: Dan Angel, Kim Arnott, Billy Brown, Harvey Kahn LP: Charles Lyall PD: James Hazel.Director: James Head Cast: Changes every 2 weeks! Sched: Aug 2 - Dec 17 THE KILLING Follows the police inves-

Reel West january / February 2011

tigation of the murder of a young girl, tying together three interlocking stories as investigators chase a variety of leads. Exec. Prod: Venna Sud, Mikkel Bondsen Prod: Ron French PM: Craig Forrest PD: Michael Bolton DOP: Peter Wunstorf Cast: Mireille Enos, Katie Findlay, Michelle Forbes, Richard Harmon Sched: Nov 30 - Apr 7.

TOWER PREP Ian is a rebellious teenager who had recently been suspended from his school. Shortly thereafter, he wakes in a mysterious preparatory high school, with no idea how he got there nor where it is located. The school itself is focused on finding the “unique potential” of each of its students. Prod: Peter Lhotka DOP: Philip Linzey PD: Mark Freeborn PM: Jim O’Grady Cast: Drew Van Acker, Ryan Pinkston, Elise Gatien, Dyana Lui Sched: Apr 7 - Aug 10.

THE TROOP A troop of kids protect the world from supernatural creatures.

Exec. Prod: Tom Lynch, Jay Kogen Prod: Larry Sugar, Gary Stephenson, Richard Bullock DOP: Dave Pelletier PD: Andrew Deskin PM: Michelle Samuels Cast: Nicholas Purcell, Gage Golightly, David Del Rio, John Marshall Jones Sched: Jul 12 - Oct 8.

V An extraterrestrial race arrives on Earth with seemingly good intentions, only to slowly reveal their true machinations the more ingrained into society they become. Exec. Prod: Scott Rosenbaum, Steve Pearlman Prod: Kathy Gilroy DOP: Stephen Jackson PD: Steve Geaghan PM: Dennis Swartman Cast: Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Scott Wolf, Morena Baccarin, Logan Huffman, Laura Vanderoort, Charles Mesure. Sched: Aug 12 - Dec 8.

Alberta Features LLOYD THE CONQUEROR Three college students take on a dark wizard.

Prod: Brenda Hunter, Director Mike Peterson, PM: Lars Lehman PC: Stacey Perlin. Cast: Mike Smith Harland Williams, Brian Posehn. Sched: Sep 27 - Oct 16.

Alberta Pilots HELL ON WHEELS A former Confederate soldier plans to avenge his side by destroying the western portion of the Transcontinental Railway. Producers –

Reel West january / February 2011

Chad Oaks, Mike Frislev, Jeremy Gold, Tony Gayton , Joe Gayton, Paul Kurta, Director – David Von Ancken PM : Linda Ambury PC : Joy Bond Cast: – Colm Meaney, Anson Mount, Common, Dominique McElligott. Schedule – Aug 16 - Sep 28

TRUTH BELOW Prod: Chad Oaks, Mike Frislev, Maggie Malina, Scott Glosserman, Director – Scott Glosserman, PM: Ian Smith, PC: Joy Bond.

Cast: Nick Thurston, Gillian Zinser, Reid Ewing, Rick Mabe. Sched: Apr 12 May 4.

Alberta Series

Manitoba Features

BLACKSTONE The chief and councillors of a First Nations band cause the disintegration of a community. Producer/Director: Ron E. Scott. PM: Dennis Fitzgerald, PC: Michelle Gougeon.

Cast: Carmen Moore, Dakota House.

Sched: Jul 12 - Sep 3.

GOON Not content with his job as a bouncer at a local dive bar and a bit of an embarrassment to his accomplished family, Doug Glatt dreams of the kind of success enjoyed by minor league hockey goon Ross Reardon. Exec. Prod: Jesse Shapira, Mark Slone, Prod: Don Carmody, David Gross, Ian Dimerman, Andre Rouleau, Jay Baruchel.Director: Michael Dowse

FISH OUT OF WATER Prod: Neil Grahn, Katery Legault. Exec. Prod: Matt Gillespie, Katery Legault, Karen Pickles, Director: Neil Grahn, PM: Smita Acharryya. Cast: Don Kelly. Sched: Jul/09 - Feb. HEARTLAND A family drama set on an Alberta ranch. Prod: Michael Weinberg, Heather Conkie, Tom Cox, Jordy Randall, Tina Grewal, Director: Grant Harvey, Dean Bennett, Chris Potter, TW Peacocke (Various), PM – Lorenz Augin, PC – Hudson Cooley. Cast: – Amber Marshall, Sean Johnston, Michelle Morgan, Chris Potter, Graham Wardle.

Sched: May 17 - Dec 17 THE HOOK UP Prod: Neil Grahn, Karen Pickles, Exec. Prod: Matt Gillespie, Mike Shields, Karen Pickles, Director: James Thalheimer, PM: Claudia Neff Cast: Brenda Holder. Sched: Jul - Aug X-WEIGHTED On the road to losing weight, participants learn why they gained it in the first place and how they can keep it off. Prod: Margaret Mardirossian, Helen Schmidt, PM: Candice Tipton. PC: Amanda Almeida. Sched: Jan 16 - Aug 29

Alberta Television Movies HEARTLAND CHRISTMAS MOVIE Members of an Alberta family head back to their roots for Christmas. Prod: Michael Weinberg, Heather Conkie, Tom Cox, Jordy Randall, Tina Grewal Director: Dean Bennett, PM: Lorenz Augin, PC: Hudson Cooley. Cast: Amber Marshall, Sean Johnston, Michelle Morgan, Chris Potter, Graham Wardle, Helen Joy, Matthew Knight, Nicholas Campbell. Sched: Feb 24 - Mar 19

Cast: Seann William Scott, Alison Pill, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Eugene Levy. Sched: Oct 18 - Dec 5.

FACES IN THE CROWD A horrorthriller centered on a woman living with “face-blindness” after surviving a serial killer’s attack. As she lives with her condition, one in which facial features change each time she loses sight of them, the killer closes in. Exec. Prod: Milla Jovovich, Scott Mednick, Christopher Petzel, Gianluca Chakra, Lisa Donahue, Mark Montague, Becki Hui, David Cormican, Frank White, Jamie Brown, Nicolas Chartier, Nicolas Manuel, Olivier Piasentin, Laurent Soregaroli.

Prod: Jean-Charles Levy, Kevin Dewalt, Clement Miserez, Director: Julien Magnat. Cast: Milla Jovovich, Julian McMahon, David Atrakchi, Michael Shanks, Marianne Faithfull, Sarah Wayne Callies, Valentina Vargas. Sched: May 8 Jun 13.

THE DIVIDE Eight people huddled together in a nuclear fallout shelter begin to turn on each other as they wait for help. Exec. Prod: Chris Ouwinga, Prod: Juliette Hagopian, Darryn Welch, Ross Dinerstein, Nathaniel Rollo, Director: Xavier Gens, Cast: Lauren German, Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Biehn, Rosanna Arquette, Ashton Holmes, Ivan Gonzalez, Michael Eklund, Courtney B. Vance, Abbey Thickson. Sched: May 11 - Jun 18.

THE YEAR DOLLY PARTON WAS MY MOM A coming of age story set in 1976, when a 12 year-old Elizabeth finds out she is adopted decides Dolly Parton

is really her mother. Prod: Barbara Shrier, Liz Jarvis, Director: Tara Johns.

Cast: Gil Bellows, Macha Grenon, Julia Stone. Sched: May 9 - May 27.

ATM On a late night visit to an ATM, three coworkers end up in a desperate fight for their lives when they become trapped by a sadistic killer. Exec. Prod: Scott Niemeyer, Dan Clifton, Prod: Paul Brooks, Peter Safran, Co-Prod: Phyllis Laing, Jeff Levine, Director: David Brooks. Cast: Brian Geraghty, Alice Eve, Josh Peck, Mike O’Brien. Sched: Oct 4 - Oct 31 KEYHOLE A man who has been away for some time, travels through the many rooms and levels of his home to return to his wife and family. Exec. Prod: Phyllis Laing. Prod: Jean Du Toit, Jody Shapiro, Director: Guy Maddin, Cast: Jason Patric, Isabella Rossellini, Udo Kier, Brooke Palsson. Sched: Jul 5 – Jul 27.

HELLO DARLING In 1962, an 11-year old girl helps her family come to terms with her mother’s mental illness, and with the help of her creativity, discovers her own independence. Prod: Polly Washburn Director: Shelagh Carter.

Cast: Kassidy Brown, Kristen Harris, Darcy Fehr, Ethan Harapiak, Susan Kelso, Cindy Marie Small, Lyle Morris.

Sched: Aug 9 - Aug 29.

KLONDIKE: THE RUSH FOR GOLD From Montréal to Dawson City, by train, boat, horseback and on foot, where each landscape is more impressive than the next, our ten prospectors endure a difficult journey in their quest for gold. Exec. Prod: Louis PaquinProd: Louis Paquin, Charles Lavack, MariePierre Gariepy. Director: Martin CadotteCast: (Prospectors): Hugues Gagnon Boisvert, Caroline Gourde, Martin Clair, Luc Lévesques, Mario Dupont , Samuel Olmedo-Evans, Louise Fournier, Guillaume Paradis, Chantale Germain, Catherine Provost. Sched: May 26 Sep 1.

Saskatchewan Features HARD CORE LOGO – PART 2 Fifteen years after filming rock and roll doc Hard Core Logo, director Bruce McDonald receives a call asking if he wants to interview Care Failure, the sexy lead singer of Canadian punk band Die Mannequin, who is claiming to havechanneled the spirit of Hard Cores’ lead singer

27

Joe Dick. Prod: Rob Merilees, Holly Baird. Dir: Bruce McDonald. Writer: David Griffith. DOP: John Price. EP: Dany Chiasson, Christine Haebler, Lindsay MacAdam, Dave Valleau.

PD: Sara McCudden.

THE TALL MAN Once a thriving place, a village is nearly a ghost town now. And something tragic hauntsthose who remain – numerous children have gone missing over the years. They’ve disappeared with neither a trace nor a witness. Prod: Kevin DeWalt, Clement Miserez, Steven Schneider, Jean-Charles Levy, Scott Kennedy, Lionel Uzan, Thierry Desmichelle. Dir/Writer: Pascal Laugier. DOP: Kamal Derkaoui, PD: Jean Carriere.

STAINED A lonely bookseller’s obsession with a former lover threatens to unravel her relationship with her adoptive sister – and expose the deadly secret of their past. Prod: Bob Crowe, Wally Start, Karen Lam, Katie Weekly. Dir/Writer: Karen Lam. DOP: Richard Walden. ED: Jeanne Slater.

EP: Bob Crowe, Tim Gamble. Cast: Tinsel Korey, Sonja Bennett. CoProd: Ell McEachern.

Saskatchewan TV Movies WAPOS BAY THE MOVIE –, Talon and Raven learn that their Dad has taken a job in the big city, and they must leave Wapos Bay. Prod: Dennis Jackson, Melanie Jackson, Anand Ramayya. Dir: Dennis Jackson. Writer: Dennis Jackson, Melanie Jackson. ED: Jennifer Prokop. Host/Star: Gordon Tootoosis, Lorne Cardinal, Andrea Menard, DeRic Starlight.

Saskatchewan TV Series INSECURITY InSecurity is an action comedy about the men and women of the fictional National Intelligence and Security Agency who keep our nation safe…ish. Prod: Kevin White, Ty Hyland. Dir: Robert de Lint, Ron Murphy, Jeff Beesley. Writer: Kevin White, Jennifer Whalen, Dylan Wertz, Rebecca Addelman, Tim Polley, Marvin Kaye, Chris Sheasgreen, Adam Reid, Max Reid. DOP: Ken Krawczyk, CSC. ED: Caroline Christie, Peter Light. EP: Virginia Thompson, Robert de Lint, Kevin White. Cast: Natalie Lisinska, Rémy Girard, William deVry, Matthew MacFadzean, Grace Lynn Kung, Richard Yearwood.

LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE The story of a small Muslim community in the fictional prairie town of Mercy and the congregation of a rural mosque and their attempt to live in harmony with each other, and with the often skeptical, even downright suspicious, residents of their little prairie town. Prod: Colin Brunton, Michael Snook. Dir: Michael Kennedy, Brian Roberts, Steve Wright, Jim Allodi. Writer: Zarqa Nawaz, Jason Belleville, Claire Ross Dunn, Greg Eckler, Sarah Glinski, Karen Hill, Paul Pogue, Dan Redican, Sam Ruano. DOP: Yuri Yakubiw. EP: Mary Darling, Clark Donnelly, Al Magee. Host/Star: Sheila

28

McCarthy, Zaib Shaikh, Carlo Rota, Sitara Hewitt, Brandon Firla, Manoj Sood, Neil Crone, Arlene Duncan, Deb McGrath, Aliza Vellani.

WAPOS BAY Ten-year-old T-Bear, 9-year-old Talon and 6-year-old Raven star in Wapos Bay, a light hearted stop-motion animation series about growing up in a remote Cree community. In Wapos Bay, modern life and ancient traditions meet. Prod: Dennis Jackson, Melanie Jackson, Anand Ramayya. Dir: Dennis Jackson, Melanie Jackson, Trevor Cameron,Cam Lizotte. Writer: Dennis Jackson, Melanie Jackson, Trevor Cameron, Mike Gosselin. DOP: Andrew Forbes. ED: Jennifer Prokop. EP: Derek Mazur (NFB).

Cast: Gordon Tootoosis, Lorne Cardinal, Andrea Menard, DerRic Starlight.

Manitoba Series CASHING IN A half-hour drama set in the North Beach Casino on Stonewalker First Nation, where a diverse Cast: of executives, dealers, slicksters and community members make life interesting for Matthew Tommy as he works at making North Beach North America’s #1 First Nations Casino. Exec. Prod: Phyllis Laing, Peter Strutt, Prod: Tina Keeper, Vanessa Loewen, Jean Du Toit. Director: Norma Bailey, Tracy Deer. PM: Ellen Rutter Cast: Karen Holness, Wesley French, Glen Gould, Eric Schweig, Sarah Podemski, John Lowe. Sched: Aug 12 - Sep 21.

MEN WITH BROOMS The series up the ongoing story of the working class town of Long Bay, Ontario through the adventures and misadventures of four careworn young men brought together by a love of “shuffleboardon-ice.” And while not great curlers, they’re frequent curlers – and what they lack in skill they make up for in enthusiasm.Exec. Prod: Paul Mather, Ari Lantos, Mark Musselman, Laszlo Barna, Paul Gross, Jamie Brown, Rachel Fulford, Paula Devonshire, Prod: Shawn Watson, Director: Jeff Beesley, Brian Roberts, Kelly Makin. PM: Dave Mahoney. Cast: Brendan Gall, Siobhan Murphy, William Vaughn, Anand Rajaram, Joel Keller, Aliyah O’Brien, Glenda Braganza, Paul Gross. Sched: Jun 23 - Aug 27.

TODD AND THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL A fantasy comedy series about high school students using the power of Evil to solve their petty problems.

Exec. Prod: Craig David Wallace, Jamie Brown, Anthony Leo, Andrew Rosen. Prod: Shawn Watson. Director: James Dunnison, Craig David Wallace, James Genn, David Winning, PM: Aaron Barnett. Cast: Alex House, Maggie Cast:le, Bill Turnbull, Melanie Leishman, Chris Leavins, Jason Mewes. Sched: Mar 1 - May 10. n

PHOTOS Page 24-25, left to right: Red Riding Hood, Hiccups, Repeaters, Daydream Nation, Hellcats. Page 26-27, left to right: The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom, Fringe, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Wapos Bay, Life Unexpected.

Diary continued from page 23

children absorb the words and Cree teachings. I hear that the audience loves Season One. Josephine’s elders in Hobbema tell her she is doing a good job. Grandparents get up early to watch the show with their grandkids. We sell the show to quite a few school boards and libraries and universities. Though we can’t meet the teaching needs of all dialects, we hope that our show encourages Aboriginal kids from other Nations to feel more enthused about learning their own language.

Kids especially love the music videos, using the Cree words of the episode in everything from traditional, to folk-rock to rap. Our musicians are amazing. They include Art Napoleon, Renae Morriseau, Cheryl L’Hirondelle, Jason Burnstick and Joseph Naytowhow. And the series music is infectious, composed by hiphop artist and actor Ostwelve. Sandy Scofield composes the title song. I like working with eclectic talents.

Fall 2008 Post begins and we step it up, moving from the film co-op to an actual small post facility. Big Red Barn lends their expertise to the on-line.

Summer 2009 I consult my team and decide that there is energy for a 3rd season. This time I get advice from other Aboriginal producers who suggest I apply to the APTN BPE, which could help with the budget. I consider 13 episodes for economies of scale, and because I feel I’ve proven the worth of the show, the creative vision and the quality of my team. I decide to apply for development this time, not to help us refine the show, but just enough to cover research and some writing.

Fall / Winter 2009 Our license is approved with APTN. APTN is clearly an Aboriginal and Canadian cultural and broadcasting treasure. Application to CTF (soon to be CMF).

We wait for the Shaw Rocket fund submission date to be announced.

Spring 2010 We move toward finalizing the series long-forms. Jules Bertuzzi and Edi Oshigan replace Patti Poskitt who leaves to pursue other projects. Bigger-and-better, though with a practical eye to financial prudence, is the approach. Greg Scofield joins the team as cultural advisor. Our cast returns, as well as the series writer and series director.

Felix Chang, who started as an intern is now production coordinator. Tra-

cy Major, series production manager from season 1 returns. It is like the dream team.

Keeping with our teaching methods, I add more advanced words and cultural concepts. We challenge the kids to do more acting. I decide that we need to celebrate how accomplished Aboriginal people are, whether a soccer player or a traditional beader.

We are also fortunate to have guest appearances by a few stars, including Tantoo Cardinal, Musqueam artist Debra Sparrow, and Commander John Herrington, the first Aboriginal astronaut to walk in space. We host a pow-wow and our kids go canoeing with Takaya Tours in a Coast Salish canoe. Our musicians return, with a few new faces.

Though the Vancouver Film Office is very helpful, we can’t afford to film more than a few days in Vancouver. We move instead to Burnaby and New Westminster. The weather cooperates, always important when shooting in the summer with kids and having a very tight schedule.

Fall 2010 Post proceeds with a proper budget for a post supervisor and facilities, though there are still budget considerations. We make the most of increasing capacity of technology. I hold a think tank to see where we’ve been and where we can go. The feedback suggests we are achieving our cultural, educational and broadcasting goals. I’ve successfully created the series I set out to create I’ve successfully found a positive, productive team that works well together and honours the vision and the value of what the series is doing. Our team is strongly Aboriginal but also multicultural. We inspire each other while respecting the integrity of the series to bring forth the Cree language and culture into the mainstream.

I decide that given our success, we are ready to bring the series even more into the mainstream, through the auspices of APTN. We are going to take the plunge and see if we can grow the series with our cast and audience. As our cast and audience grow, they are facing new life challenges. There are many Cree words and teachings that can help them, whether they are Cree or not. Our commitment will always be to our Aboriginal children and youth, but we feel we can share knowledge with others. As I write, we are working on the next phase of Nehiyawetan. n Reel West january / February 2011

Legal Briefs

Trademark Registration Best Way to Protect Property Kim Roberts Roberts and Stahl

Our clients often ask us about trademark. Although we are able to generally advise on these questions, we thought it would be useful to ask a trademark expert, Chris Bennett at Davis & Company, to answer some of the most frequently asked questions we encounter.

Do you obtain any trademark protection in a name by incorporating a company with that name?

No. Incorporation doesn’t protect the company’s name and it doesn’t provide any trademark rights at all. At best, incorporating a company will prevent competitors from incorporating another company under the same name. However, it won’t stop a competitor from incorporating a company under a different name and then carrying on business under the name of your company (e.g., 123456 British Columbia Ltd. doing business as <Your Company’s Name> Entertainment).

What advantages do you obtain from trademark protection?

Trademark registration is the only way to properly protect your trademark. Registration gives you the exclusive right to use the mark all across Canada and in other countries where you register the mark.

It also gives you a complete defence if a competitor accuses you of infringing their trademark. If you don’t register your mark in Canada, you might be able to claim common law trademark rights in the cities where your mark has become well known (e.g. Vancouver); but this won’t stop competitors from using the mark in cities where your mark is not well known (e.g.

Toronto). Plus, the cost of drafting affidavits to prove that your mark is well known in multiple cities will far exceed the cost of registering the mark in Canada.

What is the typical cost involved in applying for a trademark?

The cost of drafting and filing one Canadian application is $1000, including the government filing fees. Over the course of the next year or two (assuming there are no objections or oppositions), the additional prosecution and registration costs are approximately $1500 (including the government registration fee), for a total of approximately $2500 per mark.

Reel West january / February 2011

Other countries cost more, but you can delay filing in foreign countries for up to six months, and your foreign applications will still be backdated to the date of your Canadian application.

What should you consider when selecting a trademark?

It’s important to pick a mark you can protect in the future. For a mark to be protectable, it must be distinctive. A mark will not be distinctive if it describes your products and services or if several other companies are already using similar marks. After you’ve selected a mark, it’s a good idea to do searches to see if anyone else has rights in a similar mark.

You can do preliminary searches yourself online; however, these searches can miss potential problems. If you want more comfort, you should do comprehensive clearance searches which typically cost around $1500 in Canada, including a legal opinion regarding whether the mark is available for use.

If you choose a unique title for a film or television series, can you prevent others from using that title?

Maybe. Film titles are regularly registered as trademarks in Canada. For example, most of the major studios have hundreds of Canadian trademark applications and registrations in association with films and TV series, including most recently Mortal Kombat, Inception, Harry Potter, Tron, etc. However, the lower courts in Canada have said that the title of literary works cannot function as registered trademarks in Canada because titles are descriptive. Until a higher court clarifies the law, the safest approach is to apply to register your titles as trademarks, both in association with the film or the series, and in association with related products and services, such as merchandise. That way, there’s a chance of maintaining the registration for the related products and services even if the registration in association with the film or series is ever attacked.

It’s not too late to get listed!

Call us today to book your ad space for the 2011 reel west digest.

Tel. 604.451.REEL (7335) TF. 1.888.291.7335 e. info@reelwest.com 101 – 5512 Hastings St. Burnaby, BC V5B 1R3 www.reelwest.com

Chris Bennett can be reached at cbennett@davis.ca.

Kim Roberts provides legal advice on a complete range of American and Canadian productions, from features and movies of the week to television series and documentaries. n

FOR ALL YOUR TRANSPORTATION NEEDS IN WESTERN CANADA CALL 604-668-7233

29

Final Edit Cupcakes is Cream of the Crop Force Four Entertainment’s The Cupcake Girls won the Gemini Award for best reality series. Currently in its second season of production, the series airs on W Network in Canada, WEtv in the US and in 62 countries around the world.

The Cupcake Girls follows the behind the scenes lives of Heather White and Lori Joyce, co-founders and creators of Cupcakes, a stylish Vancouver-based retail bakery.

Carl Bessai’s Fathers&Sons

Vancouver filmmakers take NSI prizes

Critic’s Choice Carl Bessai’s Fathers&Sons won the Best BC Film prize at the recent Vancouver Film Critics’ Awards. The movie tells the story of four clashing brothers who reunite after their father’s death.

Chris Haddock was honoured with the Achievement Award for contribution to the film and television industry of BC. Haddock is the executive producer of Da Vinci’s Inquest and Intelligence. The award was presented to Haddock by Ian Tracy

who starred in both series.

Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies won for best picture, director, and best actress (Lubna Azabal.) Paul Giamatti won best actor in a Canadian film for Barney’s Version and Dustin Hoffman was named best supporting actor for his role in the film.

Splice’s Delphine Chaneac won the prize for best supporting actress in a Canadian film.

David Fincher’s The Social Network won three awards from the

Vancouver Film Critics Circle: Best Film, Best Director (Fincher), and Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin).

Other international award winners include actor Colin Firth for The King’s Speech and actress Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone.

Best supporting actor honours went to Christian Bale for The Fighter, and Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit. Exit Through the Gift Shop was named Best Documentary, while Carlos was chosen as Best Foreign Film.

Producer Amy Belling from Vancouver will work with Toronto Writer/director AJ Bond to develop the psychological horror Wisteria through the National Screen Institute’s Features First program.

The script follows a young woman struggling to maintain her sanity while working as a Wildfire Lookout at an isolated 100-foot tall fire tower in the remote wilderness.

NSI Features First is a 10-month professional development program for Canadian filmmakers working on their first or second feature.

The NSI also awarded the Jim Murphy Filmmakers Bursary to writer/director Geoff Redknap and producer Katie Weekley of Vancouver, and their project Heaven’s Door. The $2,500 award is given to an NSI Features First team that develops an inventive and creatively-integrated marketing plan as part of the program requirements in the first phase of training. n

Reel west profile

Gryphon Films Peter von Puttkamer Twenty-eight years after Peter von Puttkamer and his wife Sheera formed Gryphon Productions they have travelled the world to add their voices to the discussion of everything from Sasquatches to rock icons, and Canadian native history to the Champions of the Wild.

Home town Vancouver, BC Start Date Making high school films-1972-75. Producing and directing documentaries in 1980.

Best day In a sweatlodge ceremony, a medicine man blesses our tapes (for a production on aboriginal youth empowerment) with prayers that the production will make a difference in the world – we tie tobacco pouches (which contain these prayers), throw them into the fire – sending them skyward. A year later we win best documentary feature at the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco- the production is widely shown/distributed and does make a difference... Worst day Not too many fortunately.

It’s usually just politics and not injuries. Gov’t bureaucracy stops us at a border, or delays payment to our production, that sucks.

Most memorable working experience 2005, Canaima, Venezuela: “The Real Lost World”- leading a cast and crew of 23 and 50 native porters across the savannah & up a 9000 ft. mountain; I’m standing with Sheera, before the 3 billion year old Roraima plateau (featured in “UP”) listening to opera...a moment in time captured forever. It’s the oldest place on earth.

If I won an

Oscar I would thank My wife and co-producer Sheera and my mother Delia. My latest five year plan Continue producing our documentaries and developing new series for cable television. Developing partnerships with new and young talent internationally.

Continue to develop screenplays and produce dramatic features/movies with partners in Europe and N. America.

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Reel West january / February 2011

The Definitive Producing Workbook For the producer, the world of independent film and television production is often surrounded by a sea of paperwork. The contracts, documents and requirements of agencies are constantly in flux. Nothing is definitive, every contract has its own set of particulars and every deal is different. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boilerplateâ&#x20AC;? agreements are open to negotiation. Rules can be flexible.

The PW4 will help guide a producer through some of the overwhelming volume of documents involved in the world of independent film and television production. Legal writers review the standard

To order your copy phone or email:

clauses and reveal issues of concern to producers negotiating contracts. Many sample agreements

604-451-7335 info@reelwest.com

are included for reference. The book provides a comprehensive overview of national and provincial funding bodies and engaging stories and words of wisdom by seasoned producers.