January / February 2013
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MOTIVE: Ian Caddell
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That Burning Feeling
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CTV’s New crime series is anything but typical
Contents
14 In Memory of Ian Caddell
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The B.C. industry pays tribute to the respected entertainment journalist and ardent film champion.
5 bits and bytes
16 A killer motive New CTV series Motive turns the traditional procedural crime format on its head.
18 That Rom Com Feeling
Jason James makes his directorial debut on unromantic comedy with heart, That Burning Feeling.
Production Update
7 BC Indie Scene 9 Legal BrIEFS 10 Beginnings
20 Boom and Bust
12 Behind the Scenes
A review of 2012 production volume across the Western provinces and a sneak peak at what this year holds in store.
15 Profile
21 That’s a Wrap
30 FINAL EDIT
A look back at Western Canada’s 2012 productions.
26 A tale of two films Winnipeg filmmaker Sean Garrity’s diary on the making of My Awkward Sexual Adventure – while also hard at work on his next film Blood Pressure.
Cover: Kristin Lehman and Louis Ferreira star in Motive; photo by Kharen Hill. Contents: the cast of MOtive; photo by kharen hill. 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. Editor: Cheryl Binning. Publisher: Ron Harvey. Sales: Randy Holmes, Adam Caddell creative Director: Andrew von Rosen. art director: Lindsey Ataya. Photo Editor: Phillip Chin. Contributors this issue: Nathan Caddell. 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 2013 Reel West Productions Inc. Second Class Mail. Registration No. 0584002. ISSN 0831-5388. G.S.T. # R104445218. Reel West Productions Inc. Suite 114 – 42 Fawcett Road, Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, V3K 6X9. Phone (604) 451-7335 Toll Free: 1-888-291-7335 Fax: (604) 451-7305 Email: info@reelwest.com URL: reelwest.com. Volume 28, Issue 1. Printed In Canada. To subscribe call 1-888-291-7335 or visit our website at reelwest.com. Reel West welcomes feedback from our readers, via email at editorial@reelwest.com. All correspondence must include your name, address, and Phone number.
Reel West January / February 2013
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Production update
What’s coming. What’s shooting. What’s wrapped.
JOEL KINNAMAN and MIREILLE ENOS will be returning to Vancouver to shoot a third season of The Killing. Photo by Frank Ockenfels
The Killing Returns, Godzilla Revived
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he new year is off to a strong start with murder mystery and monsters landing in Vancouver. The famously cancelled and then un-cancelled TV series The Killing is returning to our city for a third season and a big budget, big screen revival of Godzilla is in prep for a four month shoot. Crime drama The Killing is set in Seattle, Washington and its first two seasons followed detectives Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) as they investigated the murder of teenager Rosie Larsen, with each episode covering approximately 24 hours. In July 2012, the series was not re-
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newed by broadcaster AMC, but Fox Television Studios began shopping the show to other networks, eventually making a deal with Netflix to share production costs and a broadcast window with AMC. Under the terms, AMC will premiere episodes before they become available on Netflix. Enos and Kinnaman are returning to the series, as is showrunner Veena Sud and executive producers Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin. Shooting begins February 25th and crew positions have yet to be announced. Warner Bros. / Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla remake is going by the working title Nautilus and will feature the iconic giant dinosaur battling two
new monsters. The movie is written by David Callaham (The Expendables), David S. Goyer (the Dark Knight trilogy) and Max Borenstein (The Seventh Son), and directed by Gareth Evans, who helmed Monsters. At press time, cast announcements have not been made. The 3D Godzilla movie will shoot in Vancouver March through to June with Jim Rowe as production manager, Rino Pace as locations manager and Adrienne Sol as production coordinator. The movie is exec produced by Alex Garcia and Patty Whitcher and produced by Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Mary Parent. A number of series will continue
shooting into the spring, including Arrow, Once Upon A Time, Continuum and an impressive eighth season of Supernatural. A fan favorite, The CW’s Supernatural recently won Best Sci-Fi series and Best Drama TV series at the People’s Choice Awards. The show stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as brothers who hunt demons, ghosts, monsters and other figures of the supernatural. Supernatural shoots through to April 19th and is produced by Peter Johnson, Todd Aronauer, Jim Michaels, and Craig Matheson. The DOP is Serge Ladouceur, the production manager is Craig Matheson, the production designer is Jerry Wanek, the location managers are Russ Hamilton and Janet McCairns and the SPFX coordinator is Randy Shymkiw. In January the new A& E series Bates Motel wrapped production after a four month shoot. A prequel to the horror classic Psycho, the series details the relationship between Norman Bates, played by Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and his mother, played by Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed). In the series, the mother and son move into the ominous Bates house and motel after father Bates passes away. Bates Motel is executive produced by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin and produced by Justis Greene and Tucker Gates. It had Tom Yatsko and John Bartley as DOPs, Mark Freeborn as production designer, Heather Meehan as production manager and Abraham Fraser as locations manager. Bates Motel premieres in March. n
Reel West January / February 2013
New Rogers Development Fund Rogers Media has unveiled a new revolving loan fund to provide seed money to producers in Alberta and Manitoba for innovative content ideas. The Rogers Development Fund offers loans of up to $25,000 to established producers, and loans of up to $5,000 for emerging companies. A committee will select which producers receive a development
loan, based on a project proposal, budget and financing plan. The fund application deadline windows are February 15 to 28 and July 15 to 31. Rogers is currently shooting two new series from Western companies: Seed, shot in Halifax by Vancouverbased Force Four Entertainment, and Package Deal, shot in Vancouver by local producer Thunderbird Films.
Bits and Bytes Winnipeg companies join forces with Frank Digital Mid Canada Production Services and Frantic Films have merged their commercial TV divisions to create Frank Digital. Mid Canada specializes in post services while Frantic Films’ commercial arm will offer the creative and production expertise for the new shingle. Chris McIvor, formerly operations manager at Mid Canada, is the CEO of Frank Digital and Frantic’s Jeff Peeler is president and executive producer of Frank Digital. “MidCan is well-known for their tremendous technical and post-production capabilities while Frantic’s commercial division is known for its creative team and production experience,” said Peeler. “The two skill sets could not have dove-tailed more brilliantly.” The new company is working on commercial, corporate and branded content productions, web design and multimedia, and boasts more than 10,000 square feet of audio and video post-production facilities. Frantic and MidCan previously collaborated on projects, including the CentrePlace Manitoba interactive pavilion for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and a web-series called WindCity. MidCanada Production Services will remain in operation under President and CEO Wayne Sheldon, offering camera, equipment and studio rentals. Frantic Films will continue its core business of film and TV production, helmed by CEO Jamie Brown.
Dollars for Digital Media In its latest round of financing the Canadian Media Fund’s experimental stream has handed out more than $10 million to15 Canadian companies for their interactive digital
image c/o slap happy cartoons
Nerds and Monsters Gets Greenlight
media projects. The Experimental Stream encourages the development of innovative, interactive digital media content and software applications. Of the projects receiving support, three are from British Columbia, one is from Manitoba, and one is from Saskatchewan. Receiving money from B.C. are: Gaslamp Games for their Clockwork Empires
Vancouver-based animation studio Slap Happy Cartoons has secured a commission from YTV for the animated series Nerds and Monsters. Nerds and Monsters is a comedy aimed at 6-11 year olds about a group of nerdy kids left to fend for themselves on a fantastic uncharted island. The tween castaways have to survive the relentless attacks by the island’s inhabitants – a tribe of hideous monsters. “YTV is the perfect home for these unique and entertaining characters and we look forward to watching Nerds and Monsters strike a comedic chord with kids all around the world,” said Kathy Rocchio, Co-creator and Partner at Slap Happy Cartoons.
downloadable game; WorldTribe Media with Counterstory Online, where pre-teens
Brightlight Breaks Up
Dana Dansereau and Rob McLaughlin.
explore self-identity and build communities with other players in a near future game environment; and Jetpack Interactive Entertainment for Opus Pocus, a game set in an animated living pop-up book. The Saskatchewan project is Rachis, a wine tasting functional app, from Rachis Wine Assessment. From Manitoba, Project Whitecard Studios received funding for their quest and construction game Starlite that allows players to build rockets, spacecraft and bases.
NFB’s Bear 71 Named Best Web Series The National Film Board of Canada’s Bear 71 took the Best Web Series: Non-Fiction prize at the 2012 Digi Awards. Bear 71 is an interactive multi-user experience told from the point of view of an omniscient female grizzly bear, dubbed “Bear 71” by the Banff National Park rangers who radio collar and track her. The project was created by Jeremy Mendes, Leanne Allison and the NFB’s Loc Dao, executive producer and chief technologist for the NFB’s English-language Digital Studio, based in Vancouver. Bear 71 is produced by Dao, Edmonton-based NFB producer Bonnie Thompson,
In an amicable split, Stephen Hegyes has left Vancouver-based Brightlight Pictures, leaving co-founder Shawn Williamson at the helm of the 11year old company. Although no longer partners in Brightlight, the pair say they will continue to work together. “It’s been an amazing experience building Brightlight with Steve over the past eleven years, and I look forward to collaborating with him on new projects in the future,” WilliamReel West January / February 2013
son said in a statement. Hegyes plans to focus on indie Canadian features and TV series. “It will be great to continue to work with Shawn in a new capacity as we both evolve to seek out new opportunities,” Hegyes said in a statement. One of Brightlight’s most recent productions is the upcoming CBC TV movie, Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story, a coproduction with Inferno Pictures of Winnipeg.
International 3D Society Launches Canadian Chapter in Vancouver The International 3D Society has formed its first Canadian Chapter and it’s based out of Vancouver. “This new Canadian chapter will connect professionals and organizations active in 3D’s exciting future, with Society members in Hollywood, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, London, Brussels, and other creative centers in 20 countries worldwide,” said Jim Chabin, President of the International 3D Society, in a statement. Emily Carr University’s Stereoscopic 3D Centre is a founding member of the new Canadian chapter and co-hosted the society’s first Canadian 3D [Fwd] Conference on January 26. The 3D[Fwd] event in Vancouver covered a wide range of current 3D topics to advance knowledge and skillsets of professionals aspiring to work in the field. n 5
Blacktree Pictures Takes Root Vancouver actress/producer Nicole G. Leier and DOP Brendan Uegama have teamed up to form Black Tree Pictures. Leier appeared in Edgemont, True Justice and Dark angel and produces the health and fitness TV series Kiss My Incoming Abs, broadcast on Novus TV. Uegama’s credits as a DOP include Exit Humanity, Random Acts of Romance and most recently, he’s work-
ing on the gangster thriller Suddenly, starring Ray Liotta. Black Tree Pictures is developing the film Henry’s Glasses, based on the short of the same name which won the National Film Board’s Best Short Film Award at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival; and Best Picture and Best Director at the Vancouver Short Film Festival.
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American Mary gets picked up in the U.S.
Multi-platform releasing company XLrator Media has acquired all U.S. rights to the thriller/horror feature American Mary, directed by Vancouver’s Jen & Sylvia Soska. This female- centric surgical horror-thriller will be released on XLrator Media’s newly announced Screamfest label in Fall 2013. American Mary stars Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps) and Antonio Cupo (Dark Angel, Bomb Girls) in a story of medical student, Mary Mason (Isabelle) who gets caught up in the messy world of underground surgeries that leaves more marks on Mary than her socalled ‘freakish’ clientele. American Mary is developed, produced and released by Vancouver-based IndustryWorks Pictures. The producers are Evan Tylor and John Curtis.
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Reel West January / February 2013
Omni and Quadrant Create Feature Film Company
Vancouver production companies Omnifilm Entertainment and Quadrant Motion Pictures have joined forces to create a feature film shingle, Omnifilm Quadrant. The new company will focus on theatrical motion pictures, producing both CanCon as well as serving foreign projects, and is an arm of the long-established TV company Omnifilm Entertainment. “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Omnifilm Entertainment team,” said Quadrant’s Mary Anne Waterhouse in a statement. “Access to Omnifilm’s talented infrastructure and the ability to collaborate with Omnifilm partners, Michael Chechik, Gabriela Schonbach and Brian Hamilton is the ideal way to move our development and production slate to the next level,” she added. Waterhouse and Andrew Currie are the principals at Quadrant, which recently wrapped shooting on the dark comedy Lawrence & Holloman, about an ever-optimistic suit salesman living a happygo-lucky charmed life, who meets Holloman, a cynical and pessimistic acDaniel Arnold and Ben Cotton counting clerk, and everyin Lawrence and Holloman thing starts to go wrong. Omnifilm are the producers of the Syfy and Space TV series Primeval: New World and CBC’s Arctic Air. “As entertainment media continue to converge, now is the ideal time to expand Omnifilm’s reach to include the big screen,” said Omnifilm president Michael Chechik. “We have tremendous admiration for the work of Quadrant partners Mary Anne Waterhouse and Andrew Currie (Fido, Mile Zero) and look forward to working with them to become an exciting and influential new player on Canada’s feature film landscape.” My Asshole Neighbour, a comedy slated for production in summer, 2013, with Alliance Films distributing, is the first project for the new company. Photo by Katie Yu
Reel West January / February 2013
Indie Scene
CineCoup Steps Into the Film Contest Ring
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p to $1,000,000. That’s how much CineCoup, a new national ‘Film Accelerator’ originating in Vancouver, is offering the winning by Paul
Armstrong
feature film, plus a guaranteed theatrical release with Cineplex. Short filmmaking contests have been very popular in Vancouver for years, but now CineCoup is stepping into the field for feature film, and it’s much needed in this time of decreased investment from the public and private sphere. To enter the CineCoup contest, filmmakers create a two minute trailer and build an on-line audience for it by February 17th. After a further narrowing down through on-line fan support and a panel of judges, the winning film will then have 6 months to get made. As founder Jason Joly explains, “CineCoup lets the audience have a say in the films they want to see get made. Through leveraging web platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, etc., we will build audiences faster and earlier than ever before, while getting filmmakers to think more like entrepreneurs, in part by taking control of the marketing of their projects.” Joly is no stranger to utilizing the web to increase brand recognition. His internet companies, dimeRocker and Overinteractive Media, work with such major players as CBC, Disney, and The Weinsteins in expanding awareness of their content. From this experience Joly has learned that “the ‘social generation’ (18-35) lives on the social web and connects, consumes, evangelizes and takes stake in content in a radically different way than any other generation before it. Traditional marketing, such as P&A, does not work on them as effectively as it did for prior youth generations.” If you aren’t ready for a feature film contest like CineCoup, short film competitions are a great way to gain experience and gain exposure for your work. Mackenzie Gray, one of the six director finalists in the 2013 Crazy 8s
and one of Vancouver’s leading actors, says that “short film is the new calling card if you want to direct major projects.” “It allows one to collaborate with other artists and crew who can be a big part of your career in film,” adds Gray. Forming such a team is critical when needing to call on it to work on your feature film down the road. Marshall Axani is an example of someone who is very successful winning short film contests in Vancouver. He works in post-production on TV series like Motive and directs behind-the-scenes featurettes and corporate videos but he’s also won his fair share of contests including the inaugural MPPIA Short Film Award in 2008 for The Light of Family Burnam. He was one of six Crazy 8s Contest winners with the The Vessel in 2012; and recently filmed Anxious Oswald Greene featuring Ryan Beil and Ellie Harvie, as winner in the 5th Annual Hot Shot Shorts Contest, operated by the Celluloid Social Club (which will start accepting script entries again this Spring). “Contests let you find your voice,” says Axani. “They let you make mistakes early on so that, hopefully, you don’t make them again on more expensive shows down the line.” Diana Donaldson, producer on Anxious Oswald Greene, as well as The Vessel, adds that “by providing rules and guidelines on how long the film can be, the length of time to shoot, etc – the playing ground for the prize is equalized and teams are forced to spend a specific amount of time on a film – which is also helpful training for industry standards.” Donaldson herself has competed in almost every B.C. Contest out there, winning best film in the Bloodshots 48 Hour Horror Filmmaking Challenge and the Whistler Telus (now Olympus) 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown, among others. As CineCoup proposes to do, Donaldson and Axani are tapping into the web to increase their budget beyond what the contest provides for Anxious Oswald Greene, in their case with the crowd sourcing site IndieGoGo. continued on page 29 7
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CHANDLER FOGDEN
Doran Chandler
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Kyle Fogden
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Lori Massini
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Emma’s Wings: A Bella Sara Tale
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Entertainment Law Film | Television | New Media | Music 201 - 120 We st 3r d Av enu e , V anc ouv er B C V 5Y 1E9 tel 604 684 63 77 fax 60 4 684 638 7 info@ cha ndl erfogd en .com | w w w .ch andl erfo g de n.c om
Buffalo Gal and Entremedia merger
Buffalo Gal Pictures and Entremedia Digital Films have partnered to form Buffalo Media Group (BMG), a new company with offices in Toronto and Winnipeg. The newly formed company will produce live action and animated feature film and television projects; provide visual effects services; and create new media content. “This partnership comes at an important time in our industry,” said Phyllis Laing, president of Buffalo Gal Pictures and CEO of the new Buffalo Media Group. “With media formats and platforms continuing to evolve, it’s integral that companies keep up with the changing demand of programming and delivery. We’re ready to do that.” To drive this growth, BMG has added several members to the team, including Kevin Hicks, VP of Sales and Marketing and Ken Zorniak, VP of Operations and Business Development. Hicks is a former head of film at The Talent House and Zorniak co-founded visual effects company Frantic Films. Dan Krech, founder of Entremedia Digital Films is the new president of BMG. Krech and Laing first became co-production partners in 2011 on the animated 3D film Emma’s Wings: A Bella Sara Tale, currently in production. Buffalo Media Group now consists of several subsidiaries that specialize in live action (Buffalo Gal Pictures, Kistikan Pictures, Insidious Films), digital animation (Entremedia Digital Films, Opus Animation), and visual effects (Opus Visual Effects).
on-set stills & all types of photography metrotownmedia.com Call Janos (John) Molnar at 604.339.4083
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The Definitive Producing Workbook Providing a comprehensive overview of national and provincial funding bodies and engaging stories and words of wisdom by seasoned producers. To order your copy phone or email: 604-451-7335 / info@reelwest.com
Reel West January / February 2013
NSI Announces Projects for New Script Development Program Two projects from B.C. have been chosen for the National Screen Institute’s inaugural Script to Screen, a development fund in partnership with Movie Central. The projects are Joanna Makes a Friend by Ben Rollo, who is a graduate of the University of Victoria’s Writing program and made the MPPIA award-winning short Joanna Makes a Friend; and Rip My Heart Out by Daniel Hogg, another U of Victoria Alumn, who is also producing a NSI Drama Prize film Floodplain. Script to Screen provides Canadian screenwriters with funding, creative support and industry guidance
to develop feature film concepts, including hands-on involvement from Move Central to shepherd scripts from treatments to a marketable and polished production-ready script. The NSI also announced the teams selected for NSI Features First training course which puts a project through the final development and packaging process. The Western teams are: Vancouver’s Carmen Forsberg (producer) and Adam Mars (writer/director) with the project Daniel Dolphin and the Horn of the Seas Dragon; and Kalli Paakspuu (producer) of Toronto and Victoria’s Maureen Bradley (writer/ director) with Two 4 One.
ANDREA Roth stars in Forever 16.
Vampire Movie shot in Vancouver
Taking advantage of young audience’s ongoing fascination with vampires, Vancouver’s Odyssey Media and American company Stanton W Kamens Productions are making Forever 16 for Lifetime. A Vancouver shoot recently wrapped on the film which stars Tiera Skovbye (The Haunting Hour) and Andrea Roth (Ringer, Rescue Me). The storyline follows an angst-ridden teenage vampire named Raven who conceals her dark secret behind her rough demeanor and sharp tongue. Raven’s vampire lineage is discovered by an undercover cop who convinces her to put her superhuman physical strength to good use as part of a covert team, while keeping her temptation for blood under control. Forever 16 is directed by George Mendeluk (Storm Seekers, Desperate Escape) and produced by Kirk Shaw. The Executive Producers are Stanton W. Kamens and Jeffrey Schenck. Reel West January / February 2013
Legal Briefs
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The Modernization of Canadian Copyright Law
n last issue’s Legal Briefs, Lori Massini looked at the first of five judicial decisions in the socalled “Copyright Pentalogy”, a series
Kyle Fodgen Entertainment Lawyer
of important copyright law decisions released by the Supreme Court of Canada on the same day in 2012. In addition to the Pentalogy, 2012 witnessed another important event in the realm of Canadian copyright law: the passage of the Copyright Modernization Act, which came into force in late 2012 after 15 years of attempts to modernize Canadian copyright law. The Copyright Modernization Act makes a variety of changes to Canadian Copyright Act (the “Act”) to finally address the impact of the Internet and digital technologies on copyright owners’ and users’ rights. In particular, the Act now contains laws to tackle online and digital piracy. At the same time, the amendments to the Act formally recognize individuals’ rights to make reproductions of copyrighted materials for personal use, to view at a later time, and to make back-up copies (provided that in all cases no digital locks or other anti-infringement mechanisms are circumvented). In this article I will focus on the three changes to Canadian copyright law that, in my opinion, are the most relevant to film, television and new media producers. Fair Dealing: As pointed out last issue, the Canadian concept of fair dealing is frequently confused with the US concept of fair use. Both are defences to copyright infringement in their respective countries, but until now the Canadian counterpart has had a much narrower definition – the most notable difference being that parodies and satires of copyrighted works were not expressly permitted. Now, parody and satire (along with education) are now expressly recognized categories of fair dealing, joining the pre-existing categories of research, private study, criticism, review and news reporting. The amendment brings consistency with US fair use, and provides the com-
fort of certainty to producers who wish to use copyrighted materials in projects which parody or satirize the original works. The “YouTube Exemption”: Producers and other content-creators should also be aware that the public now has a right to use copyrighted works for purposes of creating and distributing their own user-generated content. Examples of this so-called YouTube exemption, as cited by the Canadian government, include “making a home video of a friend or family member dancing to a popular song and posting it online, or creating a ‘mash-up’ of video clips”. It is important to note that this exemption applies to noncommercial content only, so content created under this exemption may not be exploited commercially. Photographs: Until now, photographs were the only copyrightable works that could by authored by a corporation. For example, a news agency could hire a photographer and be deemed the author, as well as the owner, of the photographs taken under that engagement. The copyright term for the resulting photograph would be 50 years after the year in which the picture was taken. Under the amended Act, the author of a photograph may now only be a natural person, so in order to determine whether a photograph has entered the public domain, productions must determine the identity of the photographer, even if a corporation was originally deemed to be the author of the photograph. Note that this change does not apply retroactively, so photographs that entered the public domain prior to December 31, 2011 by virtue of their corporate authorship will remain in the public domain. To clear a photograph taken after 1961, you will have to determine the identity of the photographer, because the copyright in the photograph will not expire until 50 years after the death of that photographer. Kyle Fogden is an entertainment lawyer with Chandler Fogden Law Corporation. Kyle advises television and film producers on development, financing, production, distribution and intellectual property matters. n 9
Photo by Phil CHin
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Reel West January / February 2013
Beginnings
Andrea Menard
Andrea Menard is a multi-talented actor, singer and writer who grew up on the Prairies without a clue that there were jobs in the creative industries. That is, until she created her one-woman musical show The Velvet Devil, which opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
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thought every child liked to sing and act in their own talent shows… in full costume, with an a cappella soundtrack taped on a 1980s cassette recorder, with little brothers and sisters placed just so, to highlight the star, with parents and neighbours forced to pay admission. You’d think this extravagant performance streak would have been my first clue as to my future profession but I was not all that aware of careers in the arts. I was a creative kid, not the brightest. In fact, when something is so natural to your being, you don’t see it as a talent, or a separate thing to capitalize on. It just is. My Dad was the star of the family. I grew up with the “King of the Kitchen Party” holding us all captivated at the kitchen table with my Mom singing back up vocals. This was something normal in our household, but not something that one chose to do as a living. I inherited a belief that one has talents, one does not use their talents. I sang and I acted all my life…so what? Needless to say, I took a long time in figuring out I was meant for this business. Maybe it was because I was a nomadic, small town prairie Métis kid, but I was extremely unaware of the film, theatre, and music industries in Canada. I thought if a person wanted to become an actor, they had to move to Hollywood. I didn’t know about local film companies, casting agents, agents, producers. I didn’t even know about professional theatre companies, or university film or theatre programs. It wasn’t until I went to the University of Saskatchewan to become a Drama teacher, (because that was the MOST creative thing I could think of ) that I found out about all of the above. My first year in the drama department opened up my creative horizons. I acted on a theatre stage for the first time, (Threepenny Opera with Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan). I started a jazz and blues band called H’rattitude, (with the late Angie Tysseland), and I got a lead in a feature film (Private Dance by Petros Danabassis). Not bad for my first year. Not only did my mind expand to fit all these new artistic possibilities, but more importantly, my network of creative minds expanded. I started to meet other performers living this life, and started to develop a long line of supportive personnel from the film, theatre and music industry. Individuals who arrived in my life to push me to the next level. I suppose all industries can claim to be built on the backs of people, but my experience of the film industry is that it is nothing without the network of hardworking, talented people. This magical network was responsible for many gigs, new directions and creative journeys I was to experience. Somebody in some artistic position would go out of their way to make sure I auditioned, or sang, or showed up to an important time to meet my destiny. If I hadn’t had people’s help and the network hadn’t kicked in to find me hanging around in the background, sticking my nose up against the glass, many things would not have happened. The Velvet Devil for one. The creation of this onewoman play was the beginning of my real life as a creator and several blessed champions appeared to force me to create the damn thing. Someone introduced me to the Canada Council, which lead me to receive a writing grant, from which a jury member from the Globe Theatre sought me out to be a part of its experimental theatre series, whose opening night introduced me to my future CBC radio play producer and my future director/co-writer for the film version. When I began the journey of creating this one-woman show, I was not a
Reel West January / February 2013
writer, I had only co-written two songs, and I had never acted in a one-person play. But when you are meant for this business, you just do the work. Ok, maybe I got pushed a little! But I did the work, and it turns out The Velvet Devil was my emancipator. This 1940s jazz diva was the first fictional character to haunt my dreams, but she certainly wouldn’t be the last. When The Velvet Devil play was made into a made-for-television movie for the CBC series, Opening Night (WestWind Pictures), starring moi of course, something in me crossed over. Its like the bossy kid diva found her home in the adult world. I was not a savvy actor who cooked up ways to meet the producers and directors of shows (I hear that’s how other actors do it!!). I was more of a bumbling, but trusting, lazy lump who happened to be in the right place at the right time. A singing gig would put me in front of the producer of a new TV series, and an acting gig would bring me to the attention of an artistic producer. Perfect accidents. For some reason, producers and writers, for both theatre and film/TV would be inspired to actually write parts, if not whole series, for me. That is how my role in Moccasin Flats (Big Soul Productions) developed. And when the pilot for Rabbit Fall came around, the producers at Angel Entertainment and Red Cloud Studios had me in mind the whole time. Hard Rock Medical, which is my latest venture, came about the same way. Writer/producer/director Derek Diorio had me in mind from the inception. Thank goodness my audition matched the vision they had of me in their heads! I did have to audition for my other significant roles in TV series: Wapos Bay (Dark Thunder Productions), renegadepress.com, (Verite Films) and my current series, Blackstone, (Prairie Dog Film & Television), but from what I hear from all my producers, I was in their line of vision already. I’m not sure if other actors act so they may transform their identity every so often, but with my mixed bag of tricks as an actor, singer and writer, I’ve managed to mess around with all the different aspects of who I am. In The Velvet Devil, I got to play out all my fantasies of being a glamorous 1940s star. In Moccasin Flats, I was the slutty lesbian cop who struggled being blue in her brown world. In Rabbit Fall, I got my ass kicked in this supernatural small town by beings from other dimensions. When I wrote the teleplay for my holiday television special, Sparkle: An Evening with Andrea Menard, I got to share the “Métis spiritual messenger” in me who talks about love, opening our hearts, and uniting all peoples. This spiritual part of me is most familiar to my music fans, so when I became the “bitch” in Blackstone, the raw, shocked faces of dedicated fans was enough to satisfy the real devil within me. What a life! I’m not sure if the five Gemini nominations prove I’m a lucky, multipersonality’d megalomaniac, or a good enough actor to be respected by my peers. Maybe a bit of both. Most of my career has taken place on the prairies. I’ve been in Vancouver just over a year, having made the transition to Pacific Artists a few years before. The discovery of a whole new magical network of skilled and talented people delights the little creative child in me. To my new friends and colleagues, if you are looking for me, I’m that lazy lump in the corner just happening to be standing at the exact spot where you will be in two minutes and will have exactly that “thing” you’ve been looking for. Can’t wait to meet you. n 11
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Reel West January / February 2013
behind the scenes
George Hupka “... just me with my Epic at 200fps, sharing a camera platform with the cameraman for the official Olympic film – it doesn’t get much better than that!”
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ou’re where?” is a question George Hupka is used to hearing. The Saskatoon-based cinematographer, and owner of Downstream Pictures, takes it as a compliment. “I’ll get a call from someone who’s got my name from another producer I’ve worked with, and we’ll have a lengthy conversation about their project before they realize that I don’t live in Toronto… when they find out I’m in Saskatoon, they’re usually shocked! On the other hand, I’ll get a call on my cell from a Saskatchewan business looking to book a corporate shoot, and I have to explain that I may have to call them back because it’s 3AM in Dubai, and I’m not really awake…” Hupka didn’t set out to defy the odds, building a production services company in Saskatchewan – after graduating from Ryerson in the mid-80s, he was on his way to check out the rapidly-growing scene in Vancouver when he had an unexpected job offer from his hometown CTV station, CFQC-TV in Saskatoon. After a couple of years as an ENG cameraman, he became a staff director. It was a very different time. “My first big project as a director was a documentary about a student exchange between the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Chernivtsi in Ukraine, which was still part of the Soviet Union. We shot there for two months – this was 1989, the USSR was about to break apart, and the Berlin wall came down not long after we got home – we had a front-row seat to history. And this was local television! Who gets that kind of opportunity today?” Only three years later, cutbacks were sweeping local stations across the country, and the freelance life beckoned. Although he continued to seek out directing jobs, Hupka discovered there was a lot of demand for a cinematographer who could approach the job with a director’s sensitivity to content. “As a DP, you are really at the intersection between technology and art, and that’s what I find exciting.” Within two years, he purchased his first camera, and Downstream Pictures was in business. “I was going back and forth to Toronto a lot, and when I was there I could easily rent whatever I needed – but in Saskatoon, there was nothing – I was flying in gear from Vancouver and Toronto. So I took a chance, and bought my first Betacam.” Almost 20 years later, Downstream Pictures’ equipment inventory has expanded greatly, comprising some 15 cameras – but the move to HD several years ago was key to expanding the company’s horizons. By the mid-2000s, Hupka had shot several NFB documentaries, including Gemini Award winners like Two Worlds Colliding; and series like Campus Vets, which was shot at the University of Saskatchewan’s veterinary medical clinic. But HD production was still rare in Saskatchewan. “A Saskatoon producer, Doug Cuthand, landed a big corporate contract – 50 shooting days. And he was able to convince his client that they should future-proof by shooting HD. I got on the phone and within a couple of weeks, I was the owner of Reel West January / February 2013
the only F-900R in the province.” The timing couldn’t have been better, and within a year Downstream Pictures was shifting focus dramatically – from local projects to network shows and international co-productions. “In addition to documentaries, I’d been shooting 35mm film for regional commercials and even independent features. HD was a real turning point.” TV producers were looking for higher production values in HD, and DPs with one foot in film and another in video were well-positioned for the digital future. “I did a two-day job for a documentary producer from the UK, who was in Saskatchewan doing a spec shoot. It went nowhere, but he liked my work – a year later, I was in Egypt shooting an episode of his new series for National Geographic Channel.” This relationship with London’s Windfall Films continues to the present day, with Hupka shooting three episodes of their latest science series, Strip the City – in Dubai, San Francisco, and Toronto – and Downstream Pictures providing the camera equipment. Another regular client is TSN, The Sports Network. Although Hupka had done freelance work for TSN over the years, it was the 2007 documentary Calgary to Vancouver – an Olympic Journey that really opened doors at the network. Since then, Hupka and Downstream have been regular TSN collaborators, shooting such notable projects as the NHL on TSN and CFL Friday Night Football openings, Grey Cup documentaries, and of course the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games, in Vancouver and London. “I love the variety. I mean, TSN has had me doing everything from full-on production shoots with Phantom cameras, big lighting packages and film-style crews, to shooting Usain Bolt breaking an Olympic record at the 100m final in London – just me with my Epic at 200fps, sharing a camera platform with the cameraman for the official Olympic film – it doesn’t get much better than that!” Hupka’s frequent collaborator on these adventures is sound man Lanny Westgard, whose Evolution Production Services shares space with Downstream. “Lanny’s not just a great sound guy, he also worked in film as an AC, and his degree is in engineering. A producer can come in with an off-the-wall request, and more often than not, Lanny can machine a custom rig, or figure out how to repurpose an existing system to get the job done. And his brother Tracy is our Red tech and post workflow guru.” Keeping up with the requirements of their national and international clients has put Downstream Pictures in a unique position in Saskatchewan. The company’s camera inventory includes Red One and Epic, a variety of HD cameras including F800, F900, F3 and EX-1, multiple sets of lenses, a Stanton jib arm, and a variety of lighting and sound equipment. Local producers have been able to benefit from easy local availability of equipment they would otherwise have to bring in from a larger centre. “People often ask how we can do this in Saskatoon. The simple answer is, it just didn’t occur to us that we couldn’t!” n 13
Passages
In Memory of Ian Caddell 1949-2012 The B.C. industry pays tribute to the respected entertainment journalist and ardent film champion
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he B.C. film community has lost its biggest fan, one of its most eloquent voices and its most respected entertainment journalist. Ian Caddell passed away on November 7th at the age of 63. But he leaves a legacy of five wonderful sons and a filmmaking community that he helped foster. “Ian was one of our province’s outstanding industry builders,” says B.C. Film Commissioner Susan Croome. “We all benefitted from his dedication
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and great work in raising the profile and respect for B.C.’s motion picture industry. He will be dearly missed by many industry friends and colleagues.” Ian was executive editor of Reel West magazine for the past 25 years and this role allowed him to do what he loved best: serving as the local film industry’s most ardent cheerleader and most prolific writer. Ian penned over 1000 features for the magazine on Western Canadian production. “Ian was passionate about movies and the people who make them,” says
Reel West Publisher Ron Harvey. “He always wanted Reel West to make its best efforts at promoting and spreading the word about the Western Canadian production industry.” Ian also wrote for the Georgia Straight, Hollywood Reporter, Variety and many other magazines. He made regular appearances on television and radio and co-founded the Vancouver Film Critics Circle. With an endless curiosity and a tireless work ethic, Ian wrote about every facet of film and television pro-
duction, from producers, director, writers, and distributors, to hotels and helicopters. Ian covered it all. “I had the utmost respect for Ian as he was always such a tireless supporter of our film and TV industry,” says actor/ writer/producer John Cassini. “ Then I learned that he was raising five boys and he became a rock star in my eyes.” Ian’s knowledge of Canadian film was exhaustive and encyclopedic. “His love and knowledge of the biz never ceased to astound me,” says Angela Heck, producer and director
Reel West January / February 2013
“...Ian was instrumental in seeing connections, making introductions, and opening doors for a lot of talented people who are now pivotal to the film and television industry in our province.”
Profile
of business development at Tactica Interactive. “He was a true champion for the talent on the coast.” One of Ian’s points of pride was picking the right films to write about — those films that would end up in major Canadian film festivals. “He was always right,” says Harvey. Writing and movies were a part of Ian’s life since he was a student at Simon Fraser University where he reviewed films for the student newspaper and served as editor. After graduation, he worked briefly as a theatre critic at the Newfoundland Herald, before returning to Vancouver where he did promotions for Famous Players Theatre. Ian joined The Georgia Straight in 1982 and Reel West in 1987. While writing for both magazines, he also worked as marketing director for the Vancouver International Film Festival from 1988 to 1999. “He certainly enlivened VIFF,” says Festival Director Alan Franey. “Ian loved bringing people together and had entertainment in his blood.” Charming, funny, and a born storyteller, Ian would regale people with stories about the actors, directors and producers he interviewed on press junkets. Harvey recalls that Ian was rarely star struck, however he couldn’t contain his excitement when he met Mick Jagger in a pool side washroom! Ian not only promoted the local film industry, he also helped the people within this community. He was known for always singing the praises of those around him. “Whether at VIFF, Reel West, or The Georgia Straight, Ian was instruReel West January / February 2013
mental in seeing connections, making introductions, and opening doors for a lot of talented people who are now pivotal to the film and television industry in our province,” says Franey. “Ian used to say that he saw himself not as a ‘critic’ but as a ‘consumer advocate’, and while I’m sure he’d agree that it takes both those kinds of film appreciation to make the world go round, you can really see that he felt it his lifelong duty to nurture,” adds Franey. “We owe him our gratitude and remembrance for all he that accomplished on that front.” Publicist Helen Yagi is one of those people Ian gave a helping hand to over the years. “I have been in the business about as long as I have known Ian,” she says. “He helped my career and hundreds of others. I miss him enormously as a friend and tremendous champion of the local film community.” Heck says she recalls Ian’s kindness. “He was always courteous and professional, regardless of the situation,” she adds. “I will miss him.” Ian’s generosity and concern for others and his passion and promotion of the B.C. film industry will be dearly missed. But it won’t be forgotten. “We would not be the same community if Ian hadn’t been in it,” says Dianne Neufeld, faculty, Capilano University Film Centre. “He constantly reminded us who we were and how to value each other. I admired him very much and was constantly grateful for his articulate vision, witty enthusiasm and unfailing kindness. How lucky we were to have him on the team!” n
photo by Sara Rogers
- Alan Franey, VIFF Festival Director
Crystal Lowe Actress Crystal Lowe stars in the Space series Primeval: New World but she’s also gained the moniker “Canada’s scream queen” for her numerous roles in horror films, including Killer Mountain, Snakes on a Plane, Masters of Horror, Scary Movie 4 and Final Destination 3, and most recently the romcom/zombie film, A Little Bit Zombie. Hometown: Vancouver. Born and raised. I lived in Hong Kong for two years but this is my place. I have the most amazing, tight knit group of friends here and they keep me grounded. And Vancouver is such a beautiful city when it’s not raining. I went to LA and booked a series in Vancouver, [Primeval] which is always what happens, so I came back home. Start Date: I knew I wanted to be an actor since I was five and my mom put me in a church play. I got onstage and everyone told me how great I was and I thought this is awesome, everyone loves me. It was the best thing ever. I have always wanted to act. I love being on stage. Most Memorable Working Experience: A Little Bit Zombie was my first lead in a big comedy, but set in the horror genre so it’s one of my favorites and a lot of fun. Final Desination 3 introduced me to Hollywood and I did a premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. But I have to say that being on the Primeval series and developing my character Toby from beginning to end was a real journey. Toby is a tomboy who is totally about science and gadgets but sexy in a much cooler way. She is sexy because she is smart and funky. I hated memorizing all her science-lingo lines – some of the stuff isn’t even real so I can’t even google it – but I got used to it. The Scream Queen Moniker: I have been killed 1500 times, it’s getting ridiculous. If you do something in one genre and do a good job, then people only see you in that genre, and it’s bizarre. I am super appreciative to work and I love sci-fi and horror fans, they are crazy in a good way, and super dedicated and support your career, so that genre has been awesome for me, but I don’t want to just do horror. Dream Role: Gia. She is so intense and dark and interesting and not like me in real life. I am pretty happy and bubbly and fun so I would love to explore the opposite of that. Up Next: I have teamed up with Agam Darshi, the series lead on Dan For Mayor, and Sandy Sidhu, who works in Bollywood on a bravoFact-supported film called Fade Out, about an aging starlet. It’s about what it’s like for actors to age, the psyche of it, and how the industry crushes things they shouldn’t. Sandy and I are producing and Agam Darshi, will make her directorial debut. The goal for me is to work six months a year as an actor and six months creating something. n
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Photo by Kharen Hill
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Reel West January / February 2013
Cover Feature
A Killer Motive On set of CTV’s new twist on the crime procedural Story by
Cheryl Binning
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n a rainy Vancouver afternoon, the cast and crew of the new CTV crime series Motive are glad to be warm and dry in The Bridge Studios, after starting their day in the early morning rain, huddled under Pitt River Bridge filming a scene where a body is discovered. “I’ve been shooting here for the past two years but each time it rains you have a whole new relationship with it,” laughs Kristin Lehman, who has gone from playing a campaign adviser on the Vancouver-shot American crime series The Killing to a starring role as detective Angie Flynn on Canadian series Motive, which premieres in CTV’s prime post-Super Bowl slot on Sunday, February 3rd. Lehman is shooting a scene on the police station set: eating pastries with partner Detective Oscar Vega (Louis Ferreira) when a potential suspect arrives for questioning. Also on set today is actress Lauren Holly (NCIS), who plays the team’s lead medical examiner. At first glance Motive might seem like your typical crime procedural, but that isn’t the case. While Flynn and Vega chase down clues to solve a murder, there’s a distinct difference from other cop shows: the audience already knows who the killer is, even though the detectives don’t. This makes the show a “whydunit,” instead of a “whodunit.” “It turns the traditional procedural structure on its head, so the mystery for the viewers becomes what is the motivation for the killer to do this? How did they do it? How did the victim and killer come together?” says Rob LaBelle, who executive produces the series along with show creator Daniel Cerone, Rob Merilees, Louise Clark, Erin Haskett, Lindsay Macadam and showrunner James Thorpe. “The mystery for detective and audience is to figure out how these people are related and why that person ultimately did what they did,” LaBelle adds. “It’s not the science of CSI or the gore of Criminal Minds. It’s an examination of character.” Each episode begins by revealing the victim and the killer to the audience, although viewers won’t yet know how they are connected or the reason for the crime. Motive moves between flashbacks of the past - which give the audience clues to the relationship between the victim and the killer and the motive of the murder - and the present, as the detectives try to figure out who the culprit is. But it’s not as clear-cut as it might seem.
Photo by Carole Segal
Reel West January / February 2013
“There is a final surprise and reveal,” explains Thorpe. “The viewer realizes that what they learned about the motive in the initial flashbacks wasn’t the whole story. The motive is something that they didn’t see coming.” The weaving of past and present timelines makes Motive an extremely complex show to script. “The writers room has a wall of colour coded index cards: pink for flashbacks, blue is present day killer, yellow is police investigation, orange is clues and red is red herring,” says Thorpe. “Each timeline has to be broken as its own story, and configured on a large wall like a giant Jenga structure puzzle.” But the producers are betting on this unique format to make the series more intriguing to audiences, who are well versed in how cop shows are ‘supposed’ to work. “I love the twist on the format because all the general rules of procedurals no longer apply,” says writer Dennis Heaton. “It forces us to rethink how we tell the stories which makes for a much more suspenseful hour of television. It’s like Hitchcock’s rule: show the bomb under the desk to the audience, but not to the guy at the desk, and you have created suspense.” There is the potential for audiences to become confused when scenes move between past and present. Producers knew the transitions had to be dynamic and seamless, yet clearly defining the change in timelines. “We didn’t want the sense of the present day story stopping and the past starting, so we went with a visual transition,” explains Thorpe. “It’s not a starburst or a swirl, it’s an organic in-camera visual effect.” An example of a transition: a character is sitting at a table in present time and picks up a piece of paper on the desk. The camera is on the table and a hand comes into frame and knocks on the table, which pans wide to reveal that the table is now a door and the scene from the past begins. Or, the camera is on a women’s body in the morgue and then suddenly her eyes open, and she’s now standing vertical, walking through a room. “There is an elegant simplicity to the transitions that provide that fluidity without calling attention to it, like ‘oh, transition,’“ says LaBelle. “It’s clear but it doesn’t get in the way.” Sturla Gunnarson, who directed several episodes, says that he did an astounding 32 transitions in one hour of television. “One was visually complex and involved a huge scene with scores of people and continued on page 29
Photo by Carole Segal
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Reel West January / February 2013
John Cho stars in That Burning Feeling
Photo by Sarah Murray
FEature story
That Rom Com Feeling Jason James makes directorial debut on film about the most unromantic subject matter Story by
Nathan Caddell
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ross-out comedy acting veterans Paulo Costanzo (Road Trip) and John Cho (Harold and Kumar go to White Castle) are at it again: this time starring in a movie about a bachelor who contracts gonorrhea and consequently has to tell all the women he’s been with in the past month (an impressive 14) his news. The initial reaction to this film is that it’s going to be another adolescent chuckle-fest. But although That Burning Feeling aims to make people laugh, director/producer Jason James says there is much more to the movie than the tag line belies. James, born and raised in Vancouver, came up with the original idea for the movie, and worked on the story with Nick Citton, who is the credited screenwriter on the film. “I would always watch the biggest, most saccharine romantic comedies on airplanes,” said James. “And I have this total love-hate relationship with romantic comedies so it was sort of a challenge: Can you make a romantic comedy about the least romantic thing possible and still have it be sweet and funny and heart-warming. It was just this crazy idea I had and then Nick and I wrote the first draft of the script.” James says he really enjoys character-driven comedy “with something to say, with some heart.” “We don’t do that a lot in this side of the country, we make a lot of sci-fi, we make a lot of horror,” he explains. “So for me it’s more about jumping in and telling a story that I wanted to tell. “
James submitted the script to the CFC Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab competition and was accepted, putting his work through two rounds of intense workshopping. “Comedy lab was awesome,” he says. “CSC brought up all these mentors and I learned a lot in terms of story but also having to defend the movie and talk it up. ‘Why am I making this movie? What’s the original thing that drew me to it?’ That first round was all creative and we learned a lot about where our story needed to go.” After working on a new draft, they came back to the Comedy Lab for another more business-focused session. “In that round I learned a lot of how to pitch the project in a way that would bring people in and reveal the joke and what the movie’s all about,” says James. “So I learned about market interest and how to gauge that.” That Burning Feeling shot November through to late December in Vancouver, Mission and Maple Ridge, with financing from Telefilm, TMN, Movie Central, and tax credits. As a first-time feature director James says the biggest challenge was getting the right tone. “We don’t see a lot of comedy scripts in Vancouver so actors came in to audition and were trying to be big and broad and funny,” says James. “And crude doesn’t work on many comedies,” he adds. “For me, good comedy comes from real moments, real people, real situations. It was about trying to create a real world and let the script be funny.” James also felt the pressure of both producing and directing. “I have control issues and I was producing right up to production and then continued on page 29
Paulo Costanzo and JORDANA LARGY
Jason James with TYLER LABINE
Photo by Sarah Murray
Photo by Sarah Murray
Reel West January / February 2013
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2012 wrap
Boom and Bust: The year-in-review for the West Story by
Cheryl Binning
H
ow to best sum up 2012 film and TV production in the West: It was the best of times; It was the worst of times — depending on which province you worked in. Alberta, Manitoba and the Yukon report a booming year, with high volume and high profile shows, and at the opposite end of the spectrum, Saskatchewan received the devastating news that the province was axing the tax credit and producers fled the province. Meanwhile B.C. had a mixed year — indigenous and foreign TV work was strong, but feature film production fell. “In feature film activity the British Columbia Film Commission noticed lower budgets and fewer feature films than in previous years,” says B.C. Film Commissioner Susan Croome. “We saw a real slowdown in US. features and it had quite an impact because these big films employ up to one thousand people,” adds Peter Leitch, chair of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of B.C. A number of factors are likely at work. Hollywood is making less films — putting their money into fewer but bigger budgeted mega-movies in the $100 to $200 million range, rather than spreading their money around over a larger number of $50 million projects. Competition from other jurisdictions with higher production incentives is also to blame. “A lot of projects went elsewhere because the B.C. tax credit fell behind other jurisdictions, and with our dollar where it’s at, it is becoming more challenging to compete,” says Leitch. The Wolverine 2, for example, went to Australia because the Australian government handed the production $12.8 million cash to shoot on their soil. And features that did shoot in Canada went East, says Crawford Hawkins, executive director of the Directors Guild of Canada B.C. Quebec and Ontario offer a rebate of 25% of overall spend, while the B.C. foreign tax credit is 33% on B.C. labour. “B.C.’s lack of a competitive production incentive is creating a problem,” says Hawkins. “Productions get 10% more in Ontario and Quebec than they get here so on a $100 million feature, that’s $10 million. It’s a lot of money.” Fortunately TV work in B.C. remained strong throughout 2012 with American shows like CW’s Arrow and ABC’s Once Upon a Time shooting in the province. After a slow-down, Canadian TV also rebounded with the YTV kids’ sitcom Mr. Young, Showcase’s Continuum, Space’s Primeval: New World, CBC’s Arctic Air, Citytv comedy Package Deal; and CTV crime show Motive, all in production. VFX and digital animation was another bright spot with companies such as Rhythm and Hues, Scanline VFX, Industrial, Light and Magic, and Look Effects opening offices in B.C. This led to increased VFX and animation production in 2012, reports Croome. But looking ahead, the industry faces a new concern in April with the loss of the HST and return of PST. Under the current HST system, productions recover the full 12% tax, but as of April, they will have to pay 7% PST on goods and services. This will put the B.C. industry at an even greater disadvantage as compared to other provinces, 20
like Ontario, where productions get a rebate on the HST. “The PST’s return is a concern, especially with the dollar at par,” says Leitch. “It will impact productions to the tune of about 2.5% of the budget, which is substantial. It will put us at an unlevel playing field with Ontario not only in terms of the tax credit, but also the PST.” Leitch says the B.C. industry is lobbying the provincial government to make film and TV production PST exempt or eligible for a manufacturer’s deduction, and discussions are underway. But B.C.’s issues are minor in comparison to the woes facing the Saskatchewan industry. In March, the province announced it was eliminating the tax credit, with a June 30th deadline to apply for the last funding. As a result, Partners in Motion moved its headquarters to Langley, B.C., Verite Films left for Toronto, 291 Film Company relocated to Victoria and Trilight Entertainment opened an Alberta office. “In terms of the state of the industry, everyone is making plans to relocate because it’s very unstable here right now,” says Saskatchewan Motion Picture Industry Association President Holly Baird. According to a survey undertaken by the association, 45% of industry members said they planned to leave the province entirely and 10% planned to leave but maintain a small presence in Saskatchewan. SMPIA is continuing to work with the government to establish a viable incentive program for the industry. “We presented a model whereby productions can access up to 30% of the budget but it would be a grant or investment pool,” says Baird. “So discussions are still underway.” Manitoba had a great year with a mix of feature and TV work, according to Film Commissioner Carole Vivier, who expects 2012 production volume to top the previous year’s $70 million (final numbers are tabulated in March). Features in particular were strong, with films like Roberto Sneider’s Deserted Cities and Reasonable Doubt, starring Samuel L. Jackson, landing in the province. “Our local industry has a great reputation among the international feature film community,” says Viviere. “Manitoba is known as a place where you can make your feature and the money will be on the screen.” In addition to low costs, and great crews and producers, Viviere says the province’s incentives are crucial in landing production. “We have a pre-development program to create pitch documents, we have development financing, and a labour-based and a spend tax credit,” she says. “And we are the only province in the West that also has equity investment in addition to tax credits. As budgets get tighter, this is a real advantage.” In 2012, the Manitoba government sweetened the incentive making hotel rooms – up to $250 per night per person — an eligible expense for the 30% spend credit. On the series front, Less then Kind and Todd and the Book of Pure Evil have not been renewed, so the industry is hoping to land a new series this year. “Manitoba Film & Sound invests equity in pilots in hopes they go into production and shoot here,” points out Viviere. “We would love more series here as it creates stability.” Also big news in Manitoba in 2012 was the opening of its first animation studio, Opus Animation, and its first animated 3D project Emma’s Wings – A Bella Sara Tale. “This is a whole new area of development and growth in infrastructure and Reel West January / February 2013
Reel West January / February 2013
That’s a Wrap: a look back at Western Canada’s 2012 productions Please note that due to space restrictions, we are unable to include every production that shot in the West in 2012.
British Columbia BC Features
ANCHORING IN SEATTLE A young woman comes to the U.S. as a wealthy man’s pregnant mistress and finds true love through unexpected friendships. Prod: Matthew Tang; CO-PROD Shan Tam; LP: Michael Parker; DIR: Xiaolu Xue; DOP: Chi Ying Chan; PD: Chung Man Yee; PM: Sidney Chiu; LM: Neil Robertson; Cast: Wei Tang, Clayton Chitty, Katherine Ramdeen; SCHED: Mar 3 to Apr 25.
BIND A family moves into an abandoned orphanage and learnit has a disturbing history and are convinced they aren’t alone. Exec-Prod: Chris Bourbeau; Prod: Ken King; SP/Director/LM: Dan Walton; DOP: Gabriel Medina; PD: Kathi Moore; PM: Chris Johnson; Cast: Sierra Pitkin, Deborah Finkel, Natasha Davidson, Alisha-jo Penney, Shayleigh Pruzina, Sasha Neuhaus; SCHED: Sep 20 to Sep 26.
taken over by an evil developer. Cast: Robin Nielsen, Viv Leacok, James Wallis; SCHED: Aug 23 to Sep 15.
Talbot; PD: Guy Roland; LM: Chris Shearman; Cast: Ben Cotton, Daniel Arnold, Katharine Isabelle, Amy Matysio; SCHED: Nov 5 to Nov 30.
FINAL GIRL
NO CLUE
A group of feral teenage boys have the tables turned when they attempt to initiate a girl who is really hunting them. Prod: Jeff Kwatinetz, Carliner, Jack Nasser, Joseph Nasser, Marco Torres; PM: Tara Cowell-Plain; LM: Tracey Renyard; Cast: Abigail Breslin, Alexander Ludwig; SCHED: Nov 26 to Dec 17.
An average guy finds himself pulled into a web of intrigue when he falls for a duplicitous dame with a pretty face. Prod: Brent Butt, Laura Lightbown; DIR: Carl Bessai; DOP: Jan Kiesser; PD: Tony Devenyi; PM: Tracey Nomura; LM: David Fullerton; Cast: Brent Butt, Amy Smart, David Koechner, David Cubitt, Dan Payne; SCHED: Oct 15 to Nov 10.
GRAVE ENCOUNTERS 2
PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS
‘Grave Encounters’ was a found-footage horror phenomenon that many people believed was just a movie. Film student Alex Wright is out to prove them wrong. While he and his friends research the events and visit the real psychiatric hospital depicted in the original film, they find themselves face-to-face with unspeakable evil. Cast: Richard Harmon, Leanne Lapp, Dylan Playfair, Howard Lai, Sean Rogerson, Stephanie Bennett SCHED: May 7 to May 29.
CREEK MOUNTAIN MASSACRE Exec. Prod/Prod/Director/PC: Baron Shaver; PD: Cameron Boon; PM: Michelle Charuk; LM: Jeff Elliot; SCHED: Jul 14 to Aug 26.
CRUEL AND UNUSUAL A man is condemned to relive a crime he believes he didn’t commit. Exec-Prod: Justine Whyte; Prod: Matthew Cervi; LP: Robert Lee; DIR: Merlin Dervisevic; DOP: Adam Sliwinski; PD: James Hazell; PM: Ken Lawson; PC: Nancy McKenzie; LM: Jeff Elliott; Cast: David Richmond-Peck, Bernadette Saquibal, Michelle Harrison, Kyle Cassie, SCHED: Oct 29 to Nov 17.
PRIMARY HIDDEN A family takes refuge from a mysterious outbreak by escaping to a bomb shelter. Exec. Prod/UM: Jim Rowe; Exec-Prod: Richard Zanuck; Prod: Roy Lee, Lawrence Grey, Mason Novick; DIR: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer; DOP: Tom Townend; PD: Jim Bissell; LM: Geoff Teoli; Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, Emily Alyn Lind; SCHED: Jul 23 to Sep 11.
Three female artists are inspired to new heights by Pearl, a charismatic and caring older woman who lives in their building. But when Pearl dies, the women are forced to overcome their fears and prevail on their own. Exec-Prod: Jack Ong; Prod/PM: James Brown; Prod/PM/LM: Andrew Halliwell; DIR: Ben Ratner; DOP: Larry Lynn; PD: Josh Plaw; Cast: Helen Shaver, Gabrielle Miller, Jennifer Spence, Colleen Rennison; SCHED: Jun 26 to Jul 12.
IT’S THE MOVIE OUT HERE Adam, a junior associate for a large Toronto law firm, visits his hometown of Fernie and reunites with his old friends Jason and Theo and discovers that Theo’s ski waxing business is at risk of being
Nicholas Gray, a highly-driven executive, battles with a business rival that causes his carefully planned world to fall apart,and meets a charismatic drifter who challenges his life philosophy. ExecProd: Louis Webster; Prod: Vince Prokop; Prod/ DIR: Ross Ferguson; Prod/PM: Asha Gill; DOP: Graham Talbot, Nelson Talbot; PD: Josh Plaw; UM/LM: John Whittmayer; Cast: Dustin Milligan, Katharine Isabelle, Michael Eklund, Andrew Francis, Merritt Patterson; SCHED: Jan 1 to Feb 17.
HORNS A young man who is a suspect in the violent murder of his girlfriend wakes up from a night of heavy drinking to find horns sprouting from his head that have a unique ability to coerce people into doing what he wants. Exec-Prod: Joe Hill, Shawn Williamson; Prod: Riza Aziz, John Thompson, Cathy Schulman; DIR: Alexandre Aja; DOP: Fred Elmes; PD: Allan Cameron; PM: Bonnie Benwick; LM: Thierry Thanguy; Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Juno Temple SCHED: Sep 27 to Nov 23.
JATT & JULIET
DOWN RIVER
POKER NIGHT A newly promoted detective learns from a chorus of wiser, older detectives gathered for their ritual night of poker when a killer pulls the young cop and his mentors into a web of mutual deceit. Prod: Corey Large, Alan Pao; LP: Aaron Rattner; PM: Aaron Rattner; LM: Michael Farrell; Cast: Beau Mirchoff, Ron Perlman, Delroy Lindo, Ron Eldard; SCHED: Nov 17 to Dec 17.
BLOOD LINE Exec-Prod: Gilles LaPlante, Tom Berry,Lisa Hansen; Prod: John Prince; DIR: Carl Bessai; DOP: Bob Aschmann; PD: Tony Devenyi; PM: Tim Sereda; PC: Robyn Wiener, Jim McKeown; LM: Karen Zajac; ALM: John Rollins; SPFX: Mike Wells; Cast: Sharon Hinnendael; SCHED: Jun 25 to Jul 13.
Percy Jackson faces cannibal giants at his prep school and learns that Camp Half-Blood is under attack by a mysterious enemy. Prod: Karen Rosenfelt, Bill Bannerman; DIR: Thor Freudenthal; DOP: Shelly Johnson; PD: Claude Pare; PM: Michael Williams; UM: Colleen Mitchell; LM: Abraham Fraser; Cast: Logan Lerman, Nathan Fillion, Alexandra Daddario; SCHED: Apr 16 to Jun 22.
Jatt is a mischievous lovable sort of a guy; Juliet is the typical Punjabi modern day girl. Sparks fly when their paths cross on their way to Canada due to their different outlook on life. PM: Sunny Sidhu; LM: Mark Gamache; Cast: Diljit Dosanjh, Neeru Bajwa, Sari Mercer; SCHED: Nov 4 to Nov 30.
KID CANNABIS A group of young Idaho suburbanites build a multimillion-dollar marijuana ring. Prod: Corey Large; Exec-Prod: Joe Di Mio; LM: Michael Farrell; PM: Amanda Verhagan; Cast: Jonathan Daniel Brown, Kenny Wormald; SCHED: Jul 24 to Aug 12.
LAWRENCE & HOLLOMAN Lawrence, an ever-optimistic suit salesman, lives a happy-go-lucky, charmed life, in which everything goes right until he meets Holloman, a cynical and pessimistic accounting clerk, and everything starts to go wrong. Exec-Prod: Andrew Currie, Mary Anne Waterhouse; Prod: Paul Armstrong, Daniel Arnold; Prod/DIR: Matthew Kowalchuk; Co-Prod/ LP/PM: Robyn Wiener; DOP: Graham Talbot, Nelson
P: Brendan Uegama
really diversifies our industry,” says Viviere. Alberta also had a banner 2012, hosting three series, AMC’s Hell on Wheels, CBC’s Heartland and Showcase/APTN’s Blackstone. “Series are magic and having three right now is a huge bonus for our crew because it provides consistent work,” says Heather Klimchuk, Minister of Culture and the Minister responsible for Alberta’s film, television and digital media industry. “We are looking at new funding mechanisms to attract and support the making of more pilots,” she adds, noting that under the current funding program, pilots get a smaller portion of the grant. Features were also strong. In fact, a big budget adventure film The Race to Save Nome is currently shooting in Morley, Alberta where they are recreating the Alaska town of Nome. The film stars Hilary Swank and Kurt Russell in a story about a true-to-life diptheria outbreak. The only thing holding back the industry is lack of a purpose-built studio in Calgary. A studio development project called Alberta Creative Hub has been in the works for several years and while the city has committed $10 million to the project, the industry is waiting to find out if the province will put cash towards the $32 million price tag. Klimchuk says an announcement on next steps for the project is expected in early 2013. The Yukon also had a great year, particularly in the summer months when shooting is typically quiet, says Iris Merritt, film officer at the Yukon Film & Sound Commission. Two big doc series shot this summer: Discovery’s Gold Rush and Paperny Film’s Yukon Gold for History. Ice Road Truckers and Canadian Pickers also filmed episodes in the territory, as did BBC kids show Earth Shock. Indigenous work was also strong, says Merritt, pointing to production of Celia McBride’s debut feature Last Stop for Miles and Low Life Films’ snowmobile film Syndicate of Snow. “We are committed to developing our Yukon filmmakers and getting their stories told and we are undertaking a training program to help them develop reality series,” she says. “Hopefully we can get more local shows off the ground.” n
RANDOM ACTS OF ROMANCE Intense characters in extreme relationship situations — and the crazy and obsessive behaviors that spring from this thing called love. Exec-Prod: Avi Federgreen, Lindsay Macadam, Jason Riley; Prod: Darren Reiter; LP: Shawn Angelski; DIR: Katrin Bowen; DOP: Brendan Uegama; PD: Monika Choynowski; PM: Derrick Bauman; LM: Michael Gazetas; Cast: Robert Moloney, Laura Bertram, Ted Whittal, Amanda Tapping, Zak Santiago, SCHED: Jan 30 to Feb 28.
RED MACHINE Two brothers go on a camping trip and are attacked and hunted by a ferocious bear. ExecProd: Dominic Ianno, Stuart Pollok; Prod: Paul Schiff, LP: Kenneth Burke; DIR: David Hackl; DOP: James Liston; PD: Tink; PM: Richard Bullock; LM: Darcy Wild; Cast: James Marsden, Thomas Jane, Michaela McManus, Piper Perabo, Scott Glenn, Billy Bob Thorton, Reese Alexander, Kelly Curran, Adam Beach; SCHED: Jan 23 to Mar 8.
SEVENTH SON An evil is about to be unleashed that will reignite the war between the forces of the supernatural and humankind and Man’s only hope lies in the
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ABDUCTED: THE CARLINA WHITE STORY A baby abducted at birth eventually discovers she is a missing child, reconnects with her birth parents, and struggles with choosing between her two identities. Prod: Richard Arredondo; ExecProd: Alan Gasmer; Prod: Harvey Kahn; DOP: Tom Harting; PD: Monika Choynowski; PM: Allen Lewis; Cast: Keke Palmer, Heather Doerksen and Aunjanue Ellis; SCHED: June 6 to Jul 21.
P: sarah murray
AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
THAT BURNING FEELING A social disease takes Adam face-to-face with a handful of one-night stands, revealing the shortcomings of his own image. Exec-Prod: Mary Anne Waterhouse; Prod: Mark Stephenson; Prod/ LP: Shawn Angelski; DIR: Jason James; DOP: James Liston; PD: Scott Moulton; PM: Donald Munro; LM: Christina Ollson; Cast: Paulo Costanzo, Ingrid Haas, Tyler Labine, John Cho; SCHED: Nov 20 to Dec 14.
THE COVER-UP A lovelorn guy has a chance to get the ‘girl who got away’. But after witnessing her boyfriend accidentally fall off a cliff, he has to choose to cover it up and win the girl or come clean at the risk of being accused. Exec-Prod/Prod: Simon Yang; Prod: Jonathan Endo, Javier Badillo, Matthew Tingey; Prod/DIR: Erick Boychuk; LP: Fiona Fu; DOP: Andy Hodgson; PD: Claudia Cantoral; PM: Cole Hewlett; LM: Mike McKeon; Cast: Simon Basch, Quinn Cartwright; SCHED: Apr 15 to Apr 27.
THE MARINE: HOMEFRONT A Marine must do whatever it takes to save his kidnapped niece and stop a terrorist attack masterminded by a radical militia group. ExecProd: Richie Lowell; CoProd/PM: Chris Foss; DIR: Scott Wiper; DOP: Ron Stannett; PD: Troy Hansen; LM: Ken Brooker; Cast: Neal McDonough, Ashley Bell, Michael Eklund, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin; SCHED: Jun 11 to Jul 9.
THE PACKAGE All Tommy Connolan has to do is deliver a “Package” to a rival crime lord, nicknamed ‘The German’. It seems like a routine job, until another gang tries to hijack the precious cargo. ExecProd: Shawn Williamson; Prod: Justin Bursch; LP/PM: Jamie Goehring; DIR: Jesse Johnson; DOP: Kim Miles; PD: Renee Read; LM: Amy Barager; Cast: Steve Austin, Dolph Lundgren SCHED: Feb 13 to Mar 5.
WHAT AN IDIOT Down on his luck in the love department, a man lies about his identity to get closer to the woman of his dreams. Cast: Lochlyn Munro, Kerr Smith, Julia Benson; SCHED: Oct 26 to Nov 13. BC Movies of the week
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After Jessie calls off her third engagement, she swears off serious relationships until she finds the one. Exec-Prod: Tim Johnson; Prod: Oliver De Caigny; LP/PM: Mandy Spencer-Phillips; DIR: Gary Yates; DOP: Brenton Spencer; PD: Brian Davie; LM: David Fullerton; Cast: Julian Bailey, Matt Bellefleur and Peter Benson; SCHED: Aug 27 to Sep 17.
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HITCHED FOR THE HOLIDAYS An attractive pair agrees to be each others’ supposed significant other throughout the holidays to keep their meddling families at bay. Prod: Harvey Kahn; Prod: Allen Lewis; DIR: Michael Scott; DOP: Adam Sliwinski; PD: James Robbins; Cast: Joseph Lawrence, Emily Hampshire and Linda Darlow; SCHED: Feb 12 to Feb 27.
HOLIDAY SPIN
When a woman is wrongly accused of the death of her ex-husband, she sets out to solve the murder mystery before she is to be taken into custody. Ex Prod: Lisa Demberg; Prod: Harvey Kahn; DIR: Scott Smith; DOP: James Liston; PD: Melissa Morden; PM: Jamie Lake; Cast: Wendie Malick, Andrea Martin and Adam DiMarco; SCHED: June 25 to Jul 14.
A former dance champion sidelined years ago by an injury has his estranged son come to live with him and helps him prepare for a ballroom dance contest which takes place every Christmas Eve; Prod/PM: Christian Bruyere; DIR: Jon Rosenbaum; DOP: Kamal Derkaoui; PD: Phil Schmidt; LM: Jack Veldhuis; Cast: Ralph Macchio; SCHED: Jun 6 to Jun 22.
ANYTHING BUT CHRISTMAS
INDEPENDENCE DAYSASTER
Single mother, Grace, has finally found love again in John, a man who just doesn’t do Christmas. She busies herself with the decorating while John refuses to participate. As the tension between them builds, the real reasons unfold as to why they both approach this holiday so differently. Exec-Prod: Arnie Zipursky, Charles Falzon; Exec.Prod/DIR: Allan Harmon; Exec. Prod/Prod: Cynde Harmon; Prod: Kristine Klohk; DOP: Burton Kuchera; PD: Kristina Lyne; PM: Brian Dick; UM: Manjke Richman; LM: Shane Lennox; Cast: Elaine Hendrix, Sergio Di Zio, Sean Michael Kyer, Christopher Lloyd; SCHED: Jul 16 to Jul 31.
When the Earth is attacked by alien machines on the 4th of July, a small town firefighter and a rogue SETI scientist team up to activate the only technology capable of defeating the invaders. DIR: David Hogan; Cast: Ryan Merriman, Tom Everett Scott; SCHED: Sept 12 to Oct 2.
CEDAR COVE Centers on the residents of the small town of Cedar Cove. Exec-Prod: Harvey Kahn; Exec-Prod: Allen Lewis; DIR: Michael Scott; DOP: Adam Sliwinski; PD: James Robbins; PM: Paul Rayman; Cast: Andie MacDowell, Katharine Isabelle and Brennan Elliott; SCHED: Jun 12to Jun 30.
CHRISTMAS MIRACLE Due to a road closure, eight strangers must take refuge in an abandoned church during a storm. ExecProd: Jack Nasser; SP: Dureyshevar; LP/PM: Tara Cowell-Plain; DIR: Terry Ingram; PD: Brian Davie; LM: John Wittmayer; Cast: Allison Hossack, Aaron Pearl and Dan Payne; SCHED: Feb 12 to Feb 28.
CHUPACABRA VS. THE ALAMO Over the course of one night in the historical fort, an unlikely band of heroes will form a defense against an onslaught of vicious monsters. ExecProd: Kirk Shaw, Jeff Schenck; Prod: Bryant Pike; LP: Jeff Barmash; DIR: Terry Ingram; DOP: Anthony Metchie; PD: Chad Krowchuk; PM: Suzan Derkson; LM: Theirry Tanguy; Cast: Erik Estrada, Julia Benson, Jorgito Vargas, Jr., Vanessa Tomasino Rodriguez; SCHED: Jun 18 to Jul 5.
DEADLY VISIONS Producer: Roma Roth; DIR: Roger Christian; Cast: Tricia Helfer; David Cubbitt; Genea Charpentier; SCHED: Nov19 to Dec 6.
ELEVENTH VICTIM Suspense-thriller that follows Atlanta Assistant District Attorney Hailey Dean as she tirelessly pursues the conviction of a serial killer. Exec-Prod: Ted Bauman; Ass Prod: David Dewar; DOP: C. Kim Miles; PD: Brian Davie; Cast: Ron Artest, Colin Cunningham and Priscilla Faia; SCHED: June 8 to June 28.
FINDING MRS. CLAUS
A BRIDE FOR CHRISTMAS
Schenck; DIR: George Mendeluk DOP: Neil Cervin; PD: Sheila Haley; PM: Suzan Derkson; LM: Terry Mackay; SPFX: Mike Walls; SCHED: Nov 28 to Dec 18.
When Mrs. Claus feels neglected by her less than attentive husband, she goes to Las Vegas to help a little girl with her Christmas wish. But when Santa finds out and follows her to Sin City to make amends, he puts Christmas at risk when things don’t go quite as he planned. Exec-Prod: Paul C. Escoll; Prod: Jamie Goehring; Exec-Prod: Shawn Williamson; DOP: Neil Cervin; DIR: Mark Jean; Cast: Stars:Mira Sorvino, Will Sasso and Laura Vandervoort; SCHED: Jul 16 to Aug 2.
FOREVER 16 Exec-Prod: Stanton W. Kamens; Prod: Jeffrey
JINGLE BELL ROCK Exec-Prod: Ira Pincus; Prod/PM: Randolph Cheveldave DIR: Kristoffer Tabori; DOP: David Pelletier; PD: Josh Plaw; LM: Tom Hoeverman; Cast: Drew Lachey, Cameron Mathison; SCHED: Dec 7 to Dec 21.
JOEY DAKOTA A young documentary filmmaker travels back in time to prevent the death of her music idol - and finds everything is not what it seems. Exec-Prod: Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Mark Harmon, Martha Haight; Prod: Randy Sutter, DIR: Allan Arkush; DOP: Derick Underschultz, PD: Cary White; PM: Warren Carr; LM: Steve Sach; Cast: Craig Horner, Amber Stevens, Scott Wolf; SCHED: Mar 28 to Apr 5.
LOVE AT THE THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE An eager parade coordinator is shocked when a wealthy new development consultant is brought in to analyze the parade’s finances and finds herself reluctantly falling for him. Prod: Jamie Goehring; DIR: Ron Oliver; DOP: C. Kim Miles; Cast: Callum Seagram Airlie, Ben Cotton and Richard Ian Cox; SCHED: May 7 to May 25.
MIDNIGHT SUN Police investigations into the disappearance of a cult. Exec-Prod: Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan; LP: Justis Greene; PM: Matthew Chipera; PC: Eva Morgan; LM: Kendrie Upton; ALM: Jina Johnson; Cast: Julia Stiles, Titus Welliver, Alexia Fast SCHED: Mar 12 to Mar 31.
NEARLYWEDS Revolves around three friends who have dream weddings only to find out that the pastor who married them failed to complete the key paperwork required to make them official. Prod: Jamie Goehring; DIR: Mark Griffiths; DOP: Eric J. Goldstein; Cast: Danielle Panabaker, Jessica Parker Kennedy and Christie Laing; SCHED: June 11 to June 29.
PROFILE FOR MURDER A police profiler who quit the force due to a near break-down is terrorized by an escaped serial killer she sent to prison. Exec-Prod: Shawn Williamson; Prod/SP/PM: Jamie Goehring; DIR: Terry Ingram; DOP: Ron Stannett; PD: Rick Whitfield; LM: Amy Barager; Cast: Nicki Aycox, Steve Bacic; SCHED: Oct 15 to Nov 1.
ROMEO KILLER A beloved, handsome college student who was every girl’s dream is accused of brutally murdering his father and disfiguring his mother in a savage ax attack. Cast: Lochlyn Munro, Eric McCormack and Michael Hogan; SCHED: Nov 28 to Dec 19.
STONADOS An epic disaster story about the devastation caused by rock-spewing tornadoes. Exec-Prod: Kim Arnott; LP/PM: Mandy Spencer-Phillips; DIR: Jason Bourque; DOP: Brenton Spencer; LM: Kirk Johns; Cast: Paul Johansson, Aliyah O’Brien and Dylan Schmid; SCHED: Oct 21 to Nov 8.
TAKEN BACK: FINDING HALEY Unable to get over the abduction of her daughter, a mother is convinced she has finally found her, but is she simply a mother obsessed? Exec-Prod: Roma Roth; Prod: Ron French; Co-Prod: Brian D. Young; LP/PM: Michelle Samuels; DIR: Mark Jean; DOP: Neil Cervin; PD: Paul Joyal; LM: Geoff Dodd; Cast: Moira Kelly, Amanda Tapping and Kacey Rohl; SCHED: Mar 5 to Mar 22.
THE 12 DISASTERS OF CHRISTMAS On Christmas Eve an ominous dark star appears in the sky and massive earthquakes and natural disasters tear apart cities - and now a small band of heroes must come together to save the world. Cast: Stars:Ed Quinn, Magda Apanowicz and Holly Elissa; SCHED: Mar 18 to Apr 5.
THE BOUQUET Two estranged sisters suddenly find themselves working together towards a common goal. ExecProd: Jack Nasser; LP/PM: Tara Cowell-Plain; DIR: Anne Wheeler; DOP: Paul Mitchnick; PD: Tink; LM: Tom Hoeverman: Cast: Kristy Swanson, Alberta Mayne, Danny Glover and Billy Mitchell; SCHED: Jul 10 to Jul 23.
THE CARPENTER’S MIRACLE A small-town carpenter caught up in the rescue of a young boy. Exec-Prod: Ira Pincus; Prod/ PM: Randolph Cheveldave; DIR: Kristoffer Tabori; DOP: David Pelletier; PD: Josh Plaw; LM: Tom Hoeverman; Cast: Cameron Mathison; Ryan Grantham; SCHED: Nov 19 to Dec 6.
THE CHRISTMAS CONSULTANT Suburban workaholics Maya Fletcher and her husband Jack are too busy to get into the holiday spirit. Luckily for them Owen, the most soughtafter Christmas consultant in town, recently had a cancellation. Decorating the house, family caroling and planning a family Christmas pageant are all part of Owen’s scheme to make this a magical Christmas for the Fletchers. Cast: David Hasselhoff, Caroline Rhea and Barclay Hope; SCHED: March 19 to Apr 6.
THE FAIRLY ODD CHRISTMAS There’s nothing that Timmy Turner loves more than granting wishes. It’s just too bad that all of a sudden, Timmy accidentally knocks Santa Claus into the present maker, giving him amnesia, and now Santa thinks he’s the Easter Bunny, and Christmas is just around the corner! Co-Exec: Scott McAboy; SP: Amy Sydorick; DIR: Savage Holland; DOP: Gord Verheul; PD: Sandy Cochrane; PM: Michael Potkins; LM: Michael Gazetas; Cast: Drake Bell, Daniella Monet; Tony Cox, Daran Norris and Teryl Rothery; SCHED: Mar 23 to Apr 18.
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seventh son of a seventh son. Exec-Prod: Jon Jashni; Exec-Prod/UM: Brent O’Connor; Prod: Basil Iwanyk, Thomas Tull; DIR: Sergei Bodrov; DOP: Newton Thomas Sigel; PD: Dante Ferretti; PM: Brendan Ferguson; LM: Rino Pace; Cast: Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander; SCHED: Mar 3 to Jun 25.
RESTLESS VIRGINS A sex scandal that shook Massachusetts prep school, Milton Academy in 2004-05 school year. Prod: Harvey Kahn; Exec-Prod: Michael Roiff; DIR: Jason Lapeyre; DOP: Adam Sliwinski; PD: Renee Reed; PM: Allen Lewis; Cast: Vanessa Marano, Christie Burke and Timothy Busfield; SCHED: Oct 1 to Oct 22.
THE MUSIC TEACHER A high school music teacher in Kansas City is on the brink of losing her beloved afterschool program due to financial cutbacks but her students decide
Reel West January / February 2013
THE TRAINER Annie Hogan hires a personal trainer, Alexandra, and pledges to lose 10 pounds. What Annie doesn’t know is that Alexandra takes her job very seriously, and any of her clients that don’t follow her strict instructions end up dead. Exec-Prod: Shawn Williamson; Prod/SP/PM: Jamie Goehring; DIR: Ron Oliver; DOP: Kim Miles; PD: Rick Whitfield; LM: Amy Barager; Cast: Chelsea Hobbs, Sunny Mabrey; SCHED: Sep 10 to Sep 25.
THE WEDDING CHAPEL Exec-Prod: Jack Nasser; LP/PM: Tara CowellPlain; DIR: Vanessa Parise; PD: Brian Davie; PC: Melyssa Rose; LM: John Mio; Cast: Mark Deklin, Barclay Hope and Shelley Long; SCHED: Jul 30 to Aug 12.
FIRST CUT (aka Emily Owens M.D.)
homeowners by renovating their current home, real estate agent David tries to find them the home of their dreams. Once all work has been complete and all potential homes have been viewed, couples must decide whether to love their homes or list them. LM: Rod Gallant; PM: Cynthia Chapman; SCHED: Jul 10 to Sep 1.
A medical student finds that, much to her dismay, life at the hospital where she works isn’t much different from high school Exec-Prod: Dan Jinks, Jennie Snyder Urman; Prod: Grace Gilroy; DIR: Bharat Nalluri; DOP: Nate Goodman; PD: James Philpott; PM: Yvonne Melville; LM: Bill Burns; Cast: Mamie Gummer, Justin Hartley and Aja Naomi King; SCHED: Mar 21 to Mar 31.
THE BACHELOR CANADA Canadian version of the perennially successful The Bachelor franchise. SCHED: Apr 28 to Jun 25.
LOVE SONG Exec-Prod: Yanming Liu; Prod: Yiting Jiang; LP: Eric Zhang; DIR: Lei Wang; DOP: Fulai Dong; PD: Xiaoyong Shen; PM: Eric Zhang; LM: Maung Tin; Cast: Miao Sun; SCHED: Nov 29 to Dec 10.
THE MISTRESS Sarah, Author and self proclaimed former mistress to Chef Gordon Ramsay and Lord Jeffrey Archer, rescues women caught in the despair of an extra marital affair. SCHED: Mar 5 to Jul 2.
Filled with jealousy, temptation, lies and betrayal, the introduction of three new Wives is sure to shake up the dynamic and provide plenty of new drama, new scandals and new alliances. Prod: Louise Clarke. Prod: Andrew Williamson; PM: Krista Kelloway; LM: Greg Astop; SCHED: Jul 9 to Oct 31.
A woman takes her recently-assassinated husband’s place in a crime syndicate. Exec-Prod: Melissa Rosenberg, Jeremy Gold, Howard Klein; Prod: Tim Iacofano; DIR: Mark Pellington; DOP: Eric Schmidt; PD: Devorah Herbert; PM: Patti Allen; LM: Greg Jackson; Cast: Clifton Collins Jr., Suleka Mathew, Goran Visnjic; SCHED: Mar 20 to Apr 3.
TIK O TALK SHOW
SKYE AND CHANG Skye and Chang are struggling bodyguards who land jobs as stunt doubles on a martial arts film. When a stunt goes horribly wrong, the leading lady, believes she is a target for murder and hires Chang as her bodyguard. Exec-Prod: Peter Strutt, Prod/ DIR: Loretta Sarah Todd, SP: Jonathan DuBois; LP: Navid Soofi; DOP: Thomas Billingsley; PD: Melanie Jones, LM: Judson Pooyak, Cast: Sera-Lys McArthur, Olivia Cheng; SCHED: Jun 9 to Jun 17.
c/o crown media
TOM DICK AND HARRIET
A girl discovers her parents are monster hunters when she accidentally releases demons from a secret containment chamber. Exec-Prod: Sheri Singer; Prod: Tracey Jeffrey; DIR: Stuart Gillard; DOP: Thomas Burstyn; PD: Matthew Budgeon; PM: Mandy Spencer-Phillips; LM: Kirk Johns; Cast: Jennifer Aspen, Olivia Holt, Kerris Dorsey; SCHED: Mar 26 to May 2. BC LIFESTYLE / Reality series
THE SELECTION 300 years in the future, a poor girl is selected in a lottery to be the queen of a war-torn nation. Exec-Prod: Sarah Fain, Elizabeth Craft; Prod: Lily Hui, DIR: Mark Piznarski; DOP: Attila Szalay, PD: Richard Paris, Linda Del Rosario; PM: Bonnie Benwick; LM: Thierry Thanguy; Cast: Aimee Teegarden, William Moseley and Leonor Varela; SCHED: Mar 15 to Mar 30.
URBAN SUBURBAN In a different Canadian city each week, brother and sister realtors Phil DuMoulin and Sarah Daniels compete to find one family their dream home . SCHED: Mar 26 to Aug 10.
BC TV SERIES
WORLD’S WEIRDEST RESTAURANTS ~ SEASON 2 A global extravaganza of off-the-wall eateries, crazy characters and extreme cuisine - all served up with side order of “weird.” Exec-Prod: David Paperny, Audrey Mehler, Cal Shumiatcher; Prod: David Freeman; PM: Olivia Hurst; PC/LM: Melanie Overall; Cast: Bob Blumer; SCHED: Jun 4 to Nov 23. BC PILOTS
ARROW
ARCTIC AIR ~ SEASON 2
P: Erich Saide
Billionaire shipwreck-survivor Oliver Queen dons a green cloak and cowl to fight crime through archery under the name Green Arrow. ExecProd: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg; Prod: J.P Finn; DIR: David Nutter; DOP: Glen Winter; PD: Richard Hudolin; PM: Chris Rudolph; LM: Kirk Adamson; Cast: Stephen Amell ; SCHED: Mar 10 to Mar 30.
Adventure series set in the booming North about a maverick airline and the extended family of unconventional people who run it. Exec-Prod: Michael Chechik, Gary Harvey, Ian Weir, Gabriela Schonbach, LP: Ian Hay, DOP: Bruce Worrall, PD: Matthew Budgeon, PM: Chris Rudolph, LM: Kendrie Upton, Cast: Adam Beach, Kevin McNulty, Pascale Hutton, SCHED: Jul 16 to Dec 14.
Anna Wallner and Kristina Matisic evaluate all aspects of a cookbook currently available on Canadian bookstore shelves. SCHED: Apr 04 to Sep 14.
GET CONNECTED Looks at the latest in technology products, services, and innovations to Canadian audiences. SCHED: Mar 13 to May 31.
GET STUFFED Showcases some of the wackiest events around North America with the craziest cuisine you’ll ever wish you didn’t have to eat! SCHED: Feb 15 to Aug 5.
LOVE IT OR LIST IT While designer Hilary attempts to win over the
Reel West January / February 2013
A modern day retelling of the Beauty and Beast fairytale. Beauty is tied to the beast via her mother, the scientist involved in military medical experiments done to soldiers. Vincent, the beast, hides his life from the corporation tied to the government responsible for the experiments done to him, and fears that he, like most of his brethren, will be killed if they find him. Cast: Kristin Kreuk, Jay Ryan and Max Brown; SCHED: Mar 18 to Apr 5.
CULT Tracks the investigation of a string of mysterious deaths and disappearances surrounding the showwithin-a-show. Exec-Prod: Rockne O’Bannon, Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Len Goldstein; Prod: JB Moranville; DIR: Jason Ensler; DOP: Robert Gentz; PD: Brent Thomas, PM: Penny Gibbs; LM: Rob Murdoch; Cast: Jessica Lucas; SCHED: Mar 20 to Mar 29.
Photo © 2012 WBEI
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ANNA AND KRISTINA’S GROCERY BAG
An intimate look at how Norman Bates’ psyche developed from his childhood through his teen years, forming the most well-known serial killing motel owner in history. Exec-Prod: Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin; Prod: Justis Greene, Tucker Gates; DOP: Tom Yatsko, John Bartley; PD: Mark Freeborn; PM: Heather Meehan; LM: Abraham Fraser; Cast: Freddie Highmore, Jere Burns and Mercedes de la Zerda; SCHED: Oct 1 to Jan 24.
CONTINUUM (prev. OUT OF TIME) A detective from the year 2077 finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver and searching for ruthless criminals from the future. Exec-Prod: Jeff King, Tom Rowe, Simon Barry, Patrick Williams; Co-ExecProd: Sara B. Cooper; LP: Holly Redford; DOP: David Pelletier; PD: Chris August; PM: Todd Pittson; LM: Alan Bartolic; Cast: Erik Knudsen, Rachel Nichols and Victor Webster; SCHED: Jan 10 to May 5.
CULT Tracks the investigation of a string of mysterious deaths and disappearances surrounding the showwithin-a-show. Prod: J.B. Moranville; DOP: Attila Szalay, PD: Rachel O’Toole; PM: Penny Gibbs; LM: Michael Roberts; Cast: Matthew Davis, Alona Tal, Robert Knepper, Jessica Lucas; SCHED: Aug 13 to Dec 13.
EMILY OWENS, M.D. A medical student finds that, much to her dismay, life at the hospital where she works isn’t much different from high school. Exec-Prod: Dan Jinks, Jennie Snyder Urman; LP: Jae Marchant; DOP: Bob Aschmann; PD: James Philpott; PM: Scott Graham, LM: Sheri Mayervich; Cast: Mamie Gummer, Justin Hartley and Aja Naomi King; SCHED: Aug 1 to Dec 4.
FAIRLY LEGAL ~ SEASON 2 P: Phil Chin
WHO’S YOUR MONSTER
BATES MOTEL
RED WIDOW (aka PENOZA aka THE LIFE)
THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF VANCOUVER ~ S.2
Exec-Prod: Azad Amirmoshiri; Prod: Farshid Katanforoush; DIR: Azad Amirmoshiri; PM: John Jordan; SCHED: Oct 5 to Oct 7.
Creative director Tom Burns may be at the top of his game, but he’s still considered a dinosaur for being over forty in the youthful, trendy business of advertising. In a moment of desperation, he hires young con-artist Dick Sweeney to be his stand-in at an ad agency while Tom does all of the hard work behind the scenes. Exec-Prod: Rick Rosenberg, Bob Christiansen, Ira Pincus, John Morayniss; Prod: Randolph Cheveldave; DIR: Kristoffer Tabori; DOP: Neil Cervin; PD: Paul Joyal; PM: Michelle Samuels; LM: Tom Hoeverman; Cast: Steven Weber; SCHED: Apr 30 to May 18.
Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Paul Blackthorne; SCHED: Jul 18 to Apr 18.
P: Kharen Hill
to help. Exec-Prod: Jonathan Axelrod; Prod: Harvey Kahn; DIR: Ron Oliver; DOP: Kim Miles; PD: Bob Bottieri; PM: Allen Lewis; Cast: Annie Potts, Richard Thomas, Kerry James, Emilie Ullerup; SCHED: Mar 18 to Apr 4.
Frustrated with the injustice of the legal system, Kate Reed gives up being a lawyer and becomes a mediator, which forces her to find creative solutions to a variety of disputes. Exec-Prod: Peter Ocko, Steve Stark, Clara George; Prod: Anton Cropper; LP/PM: Erin Smith; DOP: Dan Stoloff; PD: Ricardo Spinace; PC: Michelle Parzentny; LM: Geoff Teoli, Monty Bannister; Cast: Sarah Shahl, Virginia Williams, Michael Trucco, Baron Vaughn; SCHED: Oct 28/11 to Apr 5
FALLING SKIES ~ SEASON 3 After a violent alien invasion, human survivors form a resistance group called 2nd Mass in an effort to rise up and fight to save humanity. Exec-Prod: Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Remi Aubuchon, Greg Beeman; Prod: Grace Gilroy; DOP: Nate Goodman; PD: Rob Gray; PM: Yvonne Melville; LM: Bill Burns, Casey Nelson-Zutter; Cast: Noah Wyle, Will Patton, Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, Maxim Knight, Seychelle Gabriel, Mpho Koaho, Colin Cunningham, Sarah Sanguin-Carter, Connor Jessup; SCHED: Aug 22 to Dec 19.
FRINGE ~ SEASON 5 ARROW Billionaire shipwreck-survivor Oliver Queen dons a green cloak and cowl to fight crime through archery under the name Green Arrow. ExecProd: Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim, Greg Berlanti; Prod: J.P Finn; DOP: Glen Winter, Gord Verheul, PD: Richard Hudolin; PM: Todd Pittson; LM: Kirk Adamson, Rob Murdoch; Cast: Stephen Amell,
A female FBI agent seeks out a brilliant but unstable & institutionalized scientist and his estranged son to investigate wide-sweeping paranormal phenomena. Exec-Prod: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burke, Joel Wyman, Co-Exec: Reid Shane, Co-Prod/PM: Vladimir Stefoff, DOP: David Geddes, Michael Wale, PD: Ian Thomas, PC: Anita Truelove; LM: Scott Walden, Catou Kearney, Cast: Anna Tory, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, Joshua Jackson; SCHED: Jul 18 to Nov 29.
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already committed - to his two older brothers. Exec-Prod: Andrew Orenstein, Producer: S. Lily Hui, DIR: Keith Samples, Stephen Wright, PM/ UM: Doug Brons, Cast: Randal Edwards and Jay Malone; SCHED: Oct 20– Jan 25.
Exec. Prod/DIR: Greg Coyes, Prod: Ken Malenstyn, LP/PM: Jeannette Gallant; DOP: Rolf Cutts, PD: Scott Moulton; SCHED: Feb 26 to Mar 31.
LEVEL UP ~ SEASON 2
PRIMEVAL-NEW WORLD
Three high school boys that don’t get along in real life, but ironically are clan-mates in an online game must resolve their differences to work together when the game and the real world collide. ExecProd: David Schneiderman, Peter Murrieta, Derek Guiley; Prod: Peter Lhotka, Matt Goldman, Karen Mayeda; SP: Peter DeLuise; DOP: Philip Linzey; PD: Brian Kane; PM: Jim O’Grady, LM: Karen Lo; Cast: Gaelan Connell, Connor Del Rio and Jessie Usher; SCHED: Apr 25 to Jul 20.
A specialized team of animal experts and scientists that investigates the appearance of temporal anomalies and battles both prehistoric and futuristic creatures. Exec-Prod: Michael Chechik, Gabriela Schonbach, Tim Haines,Katie Newman, Martin Wood, Gillian Horvath; Prod: George Horie, DOP: Michael Blundell, Ryan McMaster; PD: Rachel O’Toole, PM: Doug Brons, PC: Elaine Fleming; LM: Heather Vedan, Greg Astop; Cast: Niall Matter, Sara Canning and Danny Rahim; SCHED: Mar 7 to Jul 16.
PSYCH ~ SEASON 7
P: Kharen Hill
Comedy revolving around a slacker with a photographic memory and a knack for sleuthing, who convinces his local police department he has ESP to avoid getting arrested for solving all their crimes. Exec-Prod: Steve Franks, Kelly Kulchak, Chris Henze, Prod: Gordon Mark, DOP: Scott Williams, PD: Eric Norlin, PM: Matthew Chipera, PC: Almaz Tadege, LM: Deborah Bose, Ritch Renaud, Cast: James Roday, Dule Hill; SCHED: Apr 23 to Oct 30.
MOTIVE Drama follows a female Vancouver homicide detective and her team, with each episode opening by revealing the killer’s identity, and the police then finding the link between killer and victim. ExecProd: James Thorpe, Robert Merilees, Louise Clark; LP: John Lenic; DOP: Mathias Herndl; PD: Don MacAulay; PM: Christina Toy; LM: Heather Vedan, John Alexander; Cast: Kristin Lehman, Louis Ferreira and Brendan Penny; SCHED: Sep 17 to Feb 26.
RED WIDOW A woman takes her recently-assassinated husband’s place in a crime syndicate to take care of her family. Exec-Prod: Melissa Rosenberg, Howard Klein, Alon Aranya; Prod: Tim Iacofano, SP: Liz Benjamin, DIR: Dan Sackheim, DOP: David Wagreich, PD: David Willson, PM: Patti Allen, PC: Kaayla Ryane, LM: Greg Jackson, Cast: Radha Mitchell, Wil Traval, Lee Tergesen; SCHED: Aug 23 to Nov 15.
ROGUE
P: Katie Yu
The orphaned teen daughter of a CIA agent is recruited by the agency to become a spy herself. Exec-Prod: Nick Hamm, Michael Rosenberg, John Morayniss, Robert Petrovicz, SP: Matthew Parkhill, DOP: Keiran McGuigan, PD: Ricardo Spinace, PM: Bradley Jobenvill, PC: Kasandra Greene Griebel, LM: Bruce Brownstein, Desiree Young, Cast: Thandie Newton, Marton Csokas; SCHED: Aug 22 to Dec 4.
© ABC, INC.
A woman with a troubled past is drawn into a small town in Maine where the magic and mystery of Fairy Tales just may be real. Exec-Prod: Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Steve Pearlman; Prod: Kathy Gilroy; DOP: Stephen Jackson, PD: Michael Joy; PM: Dennis Swartman, LM: Peter Pantages, Phil Pacaud, Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Robert Carlyl, Josh Dallas, Lana Parrilla, Jared Gilmore; SCHED: Jul 16 to Apr 4.
PACKAGE DEAL Multi-camera original comedy about three overly close brothers and the woman who comes between them. When Kim starts dating Danny, he seems too good to be true - a successful lawyer, charming, and single. Then she discovers he’s
24
Alberta Features
Drawing Home
THE RIGHT KIND OF WRONG (AKA SEX AND SUNSETS) Based on a novel Sex and Sunsets by Tim Sandlin, a failed writer meets the girl of his dreams on the day she is marrying the perfect man. Prod: Ari Lantos, Robert Lantos, Chad Oakes Michael Frislev; DIR: Jeremiah S. Chechik; PM: Doug Steeden; PD: John Dondertman; CAST: Catherine O’Hara, Ryan Kwanten; SCHED: Aug 20 to Oct 4.
THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS SPIVET A 12-year-old cartographer secretly leaves his family’s ranch in Montana and travels across the country on board a freight train to receive an award at the Smithsonian Institute. Exec-Prod: Francis Boespflug, Tyler Thompson; PROD: Frederic Brillion, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Gilles Legrand; Co-PROD: Suzanne Girard; DIR: Jean-Pierre Jeunet; PM: Darin Wilson; Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Robert Maillet, Judy Davis, Callum Keith Rennie; SCHED: Aug 11 to Sep 2.
© 2012 Warner Bros.
Alberta TV Series
Though he wants nothing to do with his family’s paranormal investigation business, a Stanford junior pairs up with his estranged brother on a road trip from the Bay Area to Los Angeles when their father goes missing. Along the way, they encounter mysterious people and situations from American myths and legends. Exec-Prod: Eric Kripke, Robert Singer, Ben Edlund, McG, Jeremy Carver, Phil Sgriccia, Prod: Peter Johnson, Jim Michaels, Craig Matheson, Todd Aronauer, DOP: Serge Ladouceur, PD: Jerry Wanek, PM: Craig Matheson, PC: Jason Fischer, LM: Russ Hamilton, Janet McCairns, Cast: Misha Collins, Jim Beaver, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles; SCHED: Jul 9 to Apr 19.
HEARTLAND
THE KILLING ~ SEASON 2 Set in Seattle, a look at the investigation of a
HOBBY GOBLINS Prod: Camille Beaudoin, Eric Rebalkin; DIR: Francis Damberger; PM: Karen Redford; PC: Ashley Fester; SCHED: Apr 9 to Apr 30.
POKER GIRLS An undercover cop uses the game to get close to underworld criminal types. Prod: Jewelle Colwell, Wendy Hill-Tout; DIR: Judy Norton; PM: Angela White; CAST: Jewelle Colwell, Judy Norton, Alison Wondzura, Mark Gantt; SCHED: Sep 30 to Oct 27. Alberta TV Movies
HORSES OF MCBRIDE Inspired by the heart-wrenching true story of how the community of McBride, B.C. pulled together to rescue two starving horses trapped on a mountainside during Christmas 2008. Exec-Prod: Paul Gross, Frank Siracusa; DIR: Anne Wheeler; DOP: Peter F. Woeste; PM: Linda Ambury; PD: Ken Rempel; CAST: Aidan Quinn, Kari Matchett, Mackenzie Porter; SCHED: Feb 22 to Mar 16.
I THINK I DO A romantic-relationship comedy about commitment, cold feet, the endurance of true love, the importance of family ties and the hard lesson learned that life doesn’t go as planned. Prod: Josh Miller, Roma Roth; Darren Arsenault, Dylan Pearce; DIR: Dylan Pearce; DOP: Andrew W. Scholotiuk; PM: Petros Danabassis; CAST: Amy Archer, David Haydn-Jones; SCHED: Jan 5 to Jan 25.
MERRY IN-LAWS When down-to-earth Alex says yes to her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, she has no idea that her future-in-laws are none other than Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Exec-Prod: Tim Johnson; PROD: Michael Frislev, Chad Oakes; DIR: Leslie Hope; DP: Courtenay Forster; PM: Petros Danabassis; CAST: George Wendt, Shelley Long, Lucas Bryant; SCHED: Jan 30 to Feb 16.
SASKATCHEWAN Saskatchewan Features
The sixth season following sisters Amy and Lou Fleming and their grandfather Jack Bartlett through the highs and lows of life on a horse ranch. Prod: Heather Conkie, Tom Cox, Jordan Randall, Michael Weinberg; Tina Grewal; PM: Lorenz Augustin; DOP: Craig Wrobleski; PD: Rick Roberts; CAST: Michelle Morgan, Amber Marshall, Sean Johnston, Chris Potter; SCHED: May 14 to Dec 5
RUFUS
THE HAUNTING HOUR ~ SEASON 3 Based on R.L Stine’s collection of short horror stories. Exec-Prod/Prod: Harvey Kahn, ExecProd: Kim Arnott, SP: Dawn Knight, LP/PM: Charles Lyall, DOP: Michael Balfry, PD: James Hazell, UM: Chris Wilson, PC: Cathy Fullerton, LM: Jeff Elliott, Cast: Dan Payne, Jeny Cassady, Emma Grabinsky, Paul Herbert; SCHED: Feb 23 to Sep 13.
V.Rush; UPM: Linda Ambury; PD: John Blackie; CAST: Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, Common, Dominique McElligott; SCHED: Apr 24 to Aug 31.
Exploring the lives of renowned Banff artists Peter and Catharine Whyte, the film follows the pair from their first meeting in the 1920s through to their falling in love, marriage and move to Banff. Prod: Margarethe Baillou, Allan Neuwirth; DIR: Markus Rupprecht; PM: Lars Lehmann; DP: Patrick McLaughlin; PD: David Blanchard, Bobby Vanonen; CAST: Julie Lynn Mortensen, Juan Riedinger, Kate Mulgrew, Kristin Griffith, Rutger Hauer, Peter Strauss; SCHED: May 29 to Jun 12.
A horror-comedy about a neurotic clean freak and reformed vampire working as a waitress at a diner with her rebellious newborn vampire Kolby. Exec-Prod: Camille Beaudoin, Eric Rebalkin; DIR: Galen Pendleton; PM: Karen Redford; CAST: Aimée Beaudoin, Jillean Tucker, Ryan Parker; SCHED: May 4 to May 17.
SUPERNATURAL ~ SEASON 8
ONCE UPON A TIME ~ SEASON 2
ALBERTA
TRUCKSTOP BLOODSUCKERS
MR. YOUNG ~ SEASON 3 Child prodigy, Adam Young, is headed to the ninth grade - for the second time. Having completed it in thirty-five minutes the first time around, he’s joined the students of Finnegan as a high school science teacher. Prod: Victoria Hirst, DIR: Jon Rosenbaum, PM/UM: Lucy Macleod, Cast: Brendan Meyer, Matreya Fedor and Gig Morton; SCHED: May 10 to Nov 16.
young girl’s murder through the eyes of the various people involved including the police, the victim’s family and the mayor’s office. Exec-Prod: Veena Sud, Mikkel Bondesen, Prod: Ron French, Kristen Campo DOP: Greg Middleton, PD: Michael Bolton, PM: Craig Forrest, PC: Jennifer Aichholz, LM: Kent Sponagle, Dan Carr, Cast: Mireille Enos, Billy Campbell, Brent Sexton, Eric Ladin, Kristin Lehman, Michelle Forbes; SCHED: Nov 28/11 to Apr 27.
P: kiel Harvey
IN STUDIO WITH GREG COYES
HELL ON WHEELS Season 2 of this western that centers on the settlement that accompanied the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. Prod: Joe Gayton, Tony Gayton, Jeremy Gold, Paul Kurta, Michael Frislev, Chad Oakes;John Shiban; DOP: Marvin
A thriller/horror about a troubled teenage vampire who fears his secret will be discovered by a cunning vampire hunter in search of the fountain of youth. Prod: Anand Ramayya, Bruce Harvey, Dave Schultz; DIR: Dave Schultz; DOP: Craig Wrobleski; PD: Hugh Shankland; PM: Doug Steeden; CAST: Kim Coates, David James Elliott, Kelly Rowan, Richard Harmon, Merritt Patterson, Rory Saper; SCHED: February to March.
STRANDED A sci-fi thriller about the events that follow the collision of a meteor with an astronaut crew’s moon base. Exec-Prod: Kevin DeWalt, David
Reel West January / February 2013
Exec-Prod: Corey Russell, Bob McCown; PROD: Charles Clément, Patrick Clément, George Hupka; DIR: Jeff Newman; PM: Jessica Lo; SCHED: Sep 2012 to Apr 2013. Saskatchewan Documentary
INVISIBLE THREAT
P: Michelle Faye
A history of biological warfare and its increasing threat to the world. Exec-Prod: Gerald Sperling; PROD: Maggie Siggins, Murray Macdonald; DIR: Rob King; DOP: James Kinistino.
SHATTERED GROUND
STEP DOGS A kids comedy about two robbers trying to break into a house to steal a diamond, and confront two dogs trying to stop them. Prod: Holly Baird, Tim Brown, Shayne Putzlocher DIR: Geoff Anderson; DOP: Mark Dobrescu; CAST: Dylan Schmid), Eliana Jones, Shannon Jardine; SCHED: Nov 29 to Dec 21. Saskatchewan Children’s Series
LOUIS SAYS An animated preschool series that tells the story of Louis, a Cree elder who recruits a young boy named Randy to help him with his work in the community. Prod: Lioz Bouganin, Deborah Charles; PM: Raquel Lopez; DIR: Jerry Thevenet. Saskatchewan Documentary Series
A look at the divisive new technology called Hydraulic Fracturing or “Fracking” that has opened up immense resources of natural gas buried in deep shale beds. Prod: Leslea Mair, DIR: Leif Kaldor; PM: Crystal Van Pelt, DOP: Ian Rogers; SCHED: Apr 20 to Aug 15.
SUPERNATURAL INVESTIGATOR Science fiction author, Robert J. Sawyer follows the search for the truth behind so-called supernatural phenomena. SEN PROD: Ron Goetz, PROD: Sean Wicks, Bobby Goulet; DIR: Chris Triffo, Colin McNeil; DOP: Chris Triffo; SCHED: Jul 16 to Jul 20.
WHO KILLED GANDHI Exec-Prod: Anand Ramayya; PROD: Kelly Balon, Anand Ramayya; DIR: A. Ramayya; PM: Kelly Balon; DOP: Thomas Hale; SCHED: Dec 2011 to Sept 2012.
MANITOBA Manitoba Features
CRIME STORIES Behind the scenes with those who record criminal investigations up close. Along with police officers, the family and friends of the victims, defense lawyers and prosecutors, they share their recollections of the crimes and their consequences. Exec-Prod: Ron Goetz; PROD: Ranjan Thakre and Heather Kaisler; DIR: Steve Allen, Lowell Dean; DOP: Peter La Rocque. SCHED: Mar 5 to Jun 15.
AMERICAN GIRL The latest film in the American Girl franchise. ExecProd: Debra Martin Chase; DIR: Vince Marcello; PM: Gina Fowler; PC: Robb Inniss; CAST: Jane Seymour, Sidney Fullmer; SCHED: Sep 22 to Oct 7.
A critical look at the predictions of present-day oracles and the possible tomorrows that await us. Exec-Prod: Ron Goetz; PROD: Simon Dekker; DIR: Steve Allen; SCHED: Jun 25 to Jul 20.
PLANET ECHO
DESERTED CITIES
Showcases the many positive things that are being done to make our planet a happy and healthy place to live, combining stories about people and plces with working science. Exec-Prod: Charles Clément, Christopher Greaves; DIR: Randy Frykas, Kit Pasold, André Clément; PM: Tracy Carmichael, SCHED: Mar to Nov.
PRAIRIE EDGE: THE ROAD TO THE MEMORIAL CUP
A man looks to rekindle his relationship with his wife, a self-style feminist who leaves Mexico City behind for a writer’s conference held in the chilly U.S. heartland. Prod: Roberto Sneider; DIR: Roberto Sneider; PM: Wanda Bretecher; PC: Kimberly Mikoluff; CAST: Gael García Bernal, Ashley Hinshaw, Verónica Echegui, Barbara Garrick, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson; SCHED: Oct 18 to Nov 1.
HOME ALONE 5: THE HOLIDAY HEIST
A behind-the-scenes look at the intense world of Canadian junior hockey, following the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades on their journey to the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup.
HUNTING SEASON A woman inherits a mysterious country house and becomes convinced that the house is haunted by her long-dead mother. Prod: Keith Samples, Ian Dimmerman, Brendon Sawatzky; DIR: Keith Samples; DOP: John Bartley; PM: Ellen Rutter; PC: Colleen Wowchuk; CAST: Lauren Lee Smith, Max Martini, David Sutcliffe, Chelah Horsdal, Shawn Doyle, John B. Lowe; SCHED: Mar 26 to Apr 14.
REASONABLE DOUBT A District Attorney has his life turned upside down when he’s involved in a hit and run and another man is arrested for his crime and charged with murder. Exec-Prod: Barry Brooker, Kyle Irving, John Pantages, John Ptak, Stan Wertlieb; PROD: Frank Buchs, Fredrik Maimberg, Silvio Muraglia, Daniel Wagner; DIR: Peter Howitt; DOP: Brian Pearson; PM: Brendan Ferguson; CAST: Samuel L. Jackson, Dominic Cooper, Gloria Reuben, Ryan Robbins Dylan Taylor. SCHED: Nov 19 to Dec 21.
In the latest tale from the Home Alone franchise, eight-year-old Finn decides to trap his house ghost, but ends up catching a group of thieves. Exec-Prod: Dennis Murphy; PROD: Kim Todd DIR:
Manitoba Pilots
LAYLA & JEN Two troubled sisters in their 30s move in together in the suburbs and reinvent themselves. ExecProd: Margaret O’Brien, Jamie Brown, Katie Ford; PROD: Armand Leo, Lesley Oswald, Shawn Watson, Shawn Johnson; DIR: Jacob Tierney; PM: Lesley Oswald; PC: Tamara Mauthe; Cast: Erin Karpluk, Tanya Clarke, Helen Colliander, Jack Ettlinger, Dale Boyler; SCHED: Oct 21 to Oct 25. Manitoba TV Movies
PROSECUTING CASEY ANTHONY Based on the book of by prosecuting attorney Jeff Ashton about his role in the infamous 2011 Florida murder trial. Exec-Prod: Jean Abounader, Alison Cross, Michelle Manning, Rob Lowe; PROD: Kim Todd; DIR: Peter Werner; DOP: James Chressanthis; PM: Gina Fowler; PC: Colleen Wowchuk; CAST: Rob Lowe, Elizabeth Mitchell, Oscar Nunez, David Richmond-Peck; SCHED: May 29 to June 22.
SILENT NIGHT As a small midwestern town prepares for its annual Christmas Eve parade, the sheriff and his deputy discover that a maniac in a Santa suit is murdering those he judges as “naughty.” Prod: Richard Saperstein, Brian Witten, Shara Kay, Phyllis Laing; DIR: Steven C. Miller; PM: Rhonda Baker; PC: Kimberly Mikoluff; CAST: Malcolm McDowell, Jaime King, Donal Logue, Ellen Wong, Lisa Marie, Brendan Fehr; SCHED: Apr 23 to May 16. Manitoba Series
CURSE OF CHUCKY In the latest installment of the long-running Chucky franchise, a string of brutal murders begins to terrorize a household after a red-haired grinning doll arrives mysteriously in the mail. Prod: David Kirschner; DIR: Don Mancini; PM: Ellen Rutter; PC: Colleen Wowchuk; CAST: Brad Dourif, Brennan Elliott, A Martinez, Danielle Bisutti, Fiona Dourif, Chantal Quesnelle; SCHED: Sep 5 to Oct 16.
I PROPHESY: THE FUTURE REVEALED
Peter Hewitt; PM: Lesley Oswald; PC: Tamara Mauthe; CAST: Christian Martyn, Jodelle Ferland, Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar, Eddie Steeples, Ed, Asner, Ellie Harvie, Doug Murray; SCHED: Mar 15 to April 20.
C/o Inferno Pictures
Cormican, Becki Hui; PROD: Kevin DeWalt, Mark Montague, Isabella Battiston; DIR: Roger Christian; DOP: Mark Dobrescu PD: Kathy McCoy; CAST: Christian Slater, Amy Matysio, Michael Therriault, Brendan Fehr; SCHED: July
MR. HOCKEY A biopic about hockey legend Gordie Howe focusing on his return to the ice at age 45. ExecProd: Stephen Hegyes, Shawn Williamson, Ian Dimerman; PROD: Brendon Sawatzky, Brendan Ferguson; DIR: Andy Mikita; DOP: Jim Menard, PM: Brendon Ferguson; PC: Kimberly Mikoluff; CAST: Michael Shanks, Kathleen Robertson, Dylan Playfair, Andrew Herr; SCHED: Aug 28 to Sept 18.
SMILIN JACK: THE JACK LAYTON STORY
LESS THAN KIND The fourth and final season of this comedy drama about a teenager growing up in a loving but dysfunctional Jewish family in Winnipeg. ExecProd: Mark McKinney, Peter Williamson, Ira Levy, Marvin Kaye and Chris Sheasgreen; PROD: Paula J. Smith; DIR: Kelly Maikin, James Dunnison, Mark McKinney, Doug Mitchell; PM: Lesley Oswald; PC: Tamara Mauthe; CAST: Jesse Camacho, Wendel Meldrum, Benjamin Arthur, Nancy Sorel, Lisa Durupt, Brooke Palsson, Tyler Johnston, Nicholas Campbell, Marvin Kaye and Chris Sheasgreen. SCHED: May 28 to Jul 15.
A drama about the late NDP leader Jack Layton’s life that depicts his political career and love story. Exec-Prod: Lazlo Barna, Kyle Irving, Lisa Meeches; CO-PROD: Melissa Willaimson, DIR: Jeff Woolnough; DOP: C.Kim Miles; PM: Lesley Oswald; PC: Tamara Mauthe; CAST: Rick Roberts, Sook-Yin-Lee, Wendy Crewson, Erin Karpluk; SCHED: Aug 5 to Aug 28.
THE CHRISTMAS HEART When a teenage boy desperately needs a heart transplant on Christmas Eve, his family and neighbors’ forty-year tradition of lining their quaint street with Christmas luminaries is put on hold. Exec-Prod: Dale Comick, Norman Denver, Patricia Heaton, David Hunt, A.J. Morewitz; PROD: Juliette Hagopian; DIR: Gary Yates; PC: Scott Layton, CAST: Arden Alfonso, Cruise Brown and Paul Essiembre; SCHED: Mar 7 to Mar 25. n
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25
Diary Feature
Emily Hampshire as Julia in My Awkward Sexual Adventure
A Tale of Two Films: The Making of My Awkward Sexual Adventure
Winnipeg Filmmaker Sean Garrity’s fourth feature My Awkward Sexual Adventure is a hilarious sex comedy about a repressed accountant (Jonas Chernick) who helps a disorganized stripper (Emily Hampshire) with her crushing debt in exchange for lessons in becoming a better lover. The film has received an enthusiastic festial response, winning the Audience Award for Best Film at the Whistler Film Festival, and the People’s Choice Award at the Calgary International Film Festival. It was also selected as one of the Toronto International Film Festival’s Top Ten for 2012. A theatrical release is scheduled for March in the U.S., followed by Canada in April. In the following diary, Garrity explains how he embarked on the making of this movie, while also working on his fifth feature Blood Pressure, and what he learned along the way. Diary by
Sean Garrity 2000: My evil twin, Jonas Chernick, writes the first script for My Awkward Sexual Adventure (hereafter, MASA) and it is titled Kosher Sexy – the story of a young Jewish lawyer from Winnipeg, who abandons his life to “find him26
self ” through a prolonged relationship with an extroverted, sexually liberated woman from Toronto – who is not Jewish. After writing it, Jonas hides it away in a drawer and stews on it for a few years. 2005: Jonas and I had just finished shooting our second feature together, Lucid, and he shows me this new screenplay, asking if I would direct it – were it ever to get made. Of course I say yes, and I give him my first round of notes. 2006: Then we go through a period of rewrites & notes, where I serve as the Reel West January / February 2013
project’s story editor, and Jonas writes - enthusiastically supported by Astral’s Harold Greenberg Fund. 2007: Feeling it is close to being ready, we bring on a Winnipeg producer who we both know and respect greatly, Juliette Hagopian of julijette Inc. We receive more support from Greenberg, I sign on in an official capacity as director, and then Telefilm comes on board to support our further development. Hooray! Everything is going great! Now our film is at the stage of development where movement forward depends on the opinions of Canadian distributors, who become sort of ‘gatekeepers’ for all intents and purposes. Given the track record of these companies in marketing & selling Canadian movies, I certainly question their moral authority to occupy that role, but what do I know? I’m only the director. So, we need a Canadian distributor to back the project – but this proves more difficult than we had hoped, and Jonas & Juliette take it to a number of distributors, all of whom turn the project down. Meanwhile, Jonas and I feel that the script is losing its focus a little bit, responding to all the notes it is getting from development investors. While it is essentially a multi-cultural romantic comedy - that focuses on the interplay between modernity & independence vs. culture & family – the bits that give Jonas and I the giggles are all the risqué set pieces. So, we decide that the best way forward is to embrace the film as a sex comedy, and that we will not try to force the cultural stuff, but leave it in place, and see what survives the subsequent rewrites. At the same time, after two years of being rejected by every distributor in English Canada, we sadly realize that the movie is probably dead in the water. 2008: Things have ground to a halt, so I go off to shoot my third feature, Zooey & Adam (now available on iTunes!) and hunker down to edit it and live in poverty. 2009: While I am hidden away in the edit cave, Juliette meets Berry Meyerowitz at Cannes – Berry’s Phase 4 Films has recently become a Telefilm-approved distributor, and he’s looking for his first Canadian theatrical feature. So, he gets the script, and loves it, and where all hope was once lost, a light now shines. We are back on! Yay Berry! Astral’s Harold Greenberg Fund Reel West January / February 2013
My wife and daughter don’t see much of me, and most of my friends assume I have either joined the circus without telling them, or died. now returns to support our polish and packaging phase, and Telefilm continues to be behind the film, so we go back to the familiar pattern of rewrites & notes, but now with a sex comedy. Everybody feels that this is working better, and the new genre allows Jonas & I to focus on the stuff in the script that we feel is really fresh and funny. The awesome content analysts at Telefilm West – Bill Hurst, Vivianne McConkey, and the incredible Deborah Wilton – think that our script is very good, but see the potential for it to be great. We - as ants-in-ourpants filmmakers - feel it is ready to go now now NOW! Why aren’t we shooting this already? Bill and Viviane turn down our first application for production and become very active in helping us to rewrite the script, so that it’s ready to go. Jonas and I are very discouraged by this. 2010: My wife snags a short-term research position in Toronto, and so we move there from Winnipeg (the very day Rob Ford is elected – which, obviously, therefore, was my fault. Sorry, Toronto). At the same time, Jonas and I – now living 6 blocks away from one another - are continuing to rewrite the MASA script, feeling that Bill, Viviane and Deborah at Telefilm were right! There really is a great screenplay hidden just under the surface of this really good one. On a side note, the tricky thing with Telefilm is that one is always left guessing where they’re really at with any given project – how close do they actually think it is to being “production ready”? Are they telling us to keep writing because they want the script further developed, or rather, because they have committed their budget for this year, and would like to invest in it NEXT year? We never know. So, until we have an actual green light from Telefilm, I have to continue to pursue other work. MAY-JUNE 2011: I shoot my fourth feature (or is it my fifth?), Blood Pres-
sure in and around Toronto. Jonas is acting in the film, and story editing for me, as well. JUNE-JULY 2011: We wrap Blood Pressure and are very proud of our work on this movie, but because of the particular approach I have been taking with my actors, there is A LOT of footage. Also, due to the brand new model of camera we are using, the workflow is not familiar to anyone, which makes for a very slow, and labour-intensive first assembly. AUGUST 2011: Halfway through this process of editing, MASA gets greenlit (with the usual caveats – 30% less money than we need, certain partners have dropped out, Jonas and Juliette have to sell their children into slavery to fill the budget out, etc. etc.). For me, this is a little problematic, because when I direct a film – and most of that work happens in prep – I need to be 120% consumed by it. But, in this case, I am in the middle of an assembly edit on another movie, which I obviously can’t abandon. So I increase the intensity of my work on Blood Pressure, while feverishly putting together pre-production materials for MASA at night. My wife and daughter don’t see much of me, and most of my friends assume I have either joined the circus without telling them, or died. September 2011: After my first assembly of Blood Pressure is done (4 hours long), I am forced to abandon the film altogether, and throw myself into MASA pre-production. October 2011: I fly to Winnipeg to start scouting locations, auditioning actors, and gathering crew. Having just shot a feature in Toronto, Winnipeg really feels familiar. I had forgotten what a joy it is to shoot in this city. I’m able to bring together the crew members that I love – and some new ones who I came to love shooting MASA – and have a familiarity and a rapport with the acting community that makes it really easy to get the right actor in the right role.
We find all the locations quite easily - and Winnipeg being Winnipeg, most of them are owned by someone I went to elementary school with, or who knows one of my aunts. NOV 2011 THE SHOOT: The shoot begins. I usually write, direct and produce my films, and so to be “just the director” on MASA is an absolute dream. It is such a luxury to be able to focus only on the fun stuff, and the extra cognitive capacity afforded me by not having my brain cluttered with a plethora of other concerns, really allows me to discover more about this material and these characters than I normally do on a movie. It is, without question, the best time I have had making a feature. Directing all the nudity and sexual content has me a little nervous at first, having only directed one or two really significant sex scenes before, but the openness and generosity of my actors, and my crew, quickly laid those jitters to rest. DAY 1, SCENE 1, SHOT 1: Jonas is fully naked for a scene at a rub & tug. There is some method to our madness – given how much nudity and sexual content there will be over our five week shoot, we decide that the only way to do it is jump in feet first, or … whatever first. There is a scene where Emily’s character gives Jonas’s character a lesson on “pleasing a lady friend” using a peach. However, when it is time to shoot the scene there are no peaches to be found. So my props wizard, Don Greenberg, goes to the store and buys a selection of fruit that we thought might reasonably stand in: a kiwi, a mango, a honeydew… etc. and Jonas, on a lunch break one day, has to audition each one for us. The cantaloupe is so funny that we wheeze with laughter – and cast it on the spot. One of my characters, “Naked Tom” - played with a hilarious intensity by Mike Bell – required a giant appendage. I mean, like, down to his knees. So, Don spent days and 27
(Top) Emily Hampshire as Julia and MIKE BELL as Naked Tom. (Bottom) Sean Garrity on set of Blood Pressure. Photo by Sascha Drews
days with this “specialty prop” on his bench – sculpting, and colouring and texturing it. He is testing it for fit and flexibility the day some of our
speak for Marcel, out on the scissor lift in a Winnipeg December – but most of us have a great time on set. For me, the highlight, without ques-
brilliant Production Designer, Ronaldo Nacionales, the warm, fatherfigure of a First AD, etc. etc. – I could write a 50,000-word piece here.
I can’t speak for Marcel, out on a scissor lift in a Winnipeg December – but most of us have a great time on set. financiers come for a set visit. DECEMBER: I have never laughed so much making a movie. We all have a fantastic time on set - okay, I can’t 28
tion is working with my talented, dedicated, wonderful crew: Gavin Smith, Canada’s friendliest Cinematographer, Rejean LaBrie, the quiet,
But above all, the actors. For me, the main attraction, the thing that keeps me hooked on doing this job, is the chance to play on set and in-
teract with the intelligence, courage, generosity and energy of actors like Jonas Chernick, Emily Hampshire, Vik Sahay, Sarah Manninen and the rest of the cast on this movie. Having the time to do this is facilitated by the vision of my producers Jonas and Juliette, who understand the thing that so many producers don’t: good cinema takes time. The real collaboration that occurred to create this film, occurred because we didn’t have small-minded bureaucrats trying to force us to shoot in sixteen 10-hour days, but rather, we had producers who really understand the process of filmmaking, and made up budget shortfalls in other areas, allowing us the time to do our work. December 2011: When everything is wrapped, I take a few days off, and then come back to have a look at the first assembly; I am terrified. Nothing is funny. Nothing is working. My heart sinks. To be fair, this isn’t a ‘cut’ as such. We had some friends of the production slapping together footage in a timeline, and this was their final “collection of everything we shot.” Because the key to comedy is timing, the picture editor has enormous power to enhance or destroy the humour in a film. January 2012: I am lucky to be able to convince my favorite editor, John Gurdebeke, to come and work on the movie. John is Guy Maddin’s regular editor, and so, has a profound sense of how to make humour sing in harmony with all the other elements of a show. With John in Winnipeg, and me in Toronto, we are able to perfect a long-distance workflow that we first pioneered together on my second feature, one that is much more efficient than the usual director-looksover-the-editor’s shoulder approach. Very quickly, as John finds the rhythm of the piece, all the humour that had us in stitches on set comes back to life – but better, funnier, stronger. It is truly amazing how, sometimes, as little as 10 frames can be the difference between hilarious and absolutely unfunny. Winter 2012: When I am not making changes to the MASA cut, I am editing Blood Pressure. Cutting two features at once means that my home edit suite suddenly needs 25TB of storage. I have small piles of hard drives all over the place, and a spider web of cables. My daughter often pokes her head in, and asks Reel West January / February 2013
to see snippets of the “funny movie with uncle Jonas,” and in trying to find bits that she could see, I realize that I can’t show her any of my R-rated movie! “Yikes!” I say to my wife one night, “What am I making?” Winter 2012: Jonas and I are firm believers in test screenings, so, at every cut, we assemble whoever we can find into groups ranging from 6 to 40 people, and screen the film for them (groups that I would often recycle for my other movie). Then we canvas them for their impressions, and pelt them with specific questions about areas that we were working on in editing. We often sparked debates among them, but, luckily, no one was injured too seriously. I can’t imagine how we could have made this film without these focus groups. Thank you, abused family and friends! March 2012: The film goes from a loose 2 hours, to a tight 98 minutes pretty quickly – and we discover a lot about the material in this process, created new scenes using ADR and existing material along the way. By the time we lock picture, not only are audiences laughing at the movie, but WE are still laughing at the movie. This is a good sign. April 2012: MASA takes place in Winnipeg & Toronto, but we shot main unit all in Winnipeg – so, we shoot our Toronto exteriors in April, thinking that as long as people are wearing coats, and there are no leaves on the trees it should match, but Murphy’s Law dictates that it has to be the HOTTEST April Day in Toronto’s HISTORY! Ugh. We do our best to shoot/edit around all the cyclists and dudes in 80s shorts, but if you watch the film carefully, you can still see a few cracks in the armour. I also have a laundry list of pick-ups that would make the edit go more smoothly, so we shoot a few Winnipeg exteriors in Toronto. MASA is, therefore, the film where Winnipeg plays Toronto, and Toronto plays Winnipeg.
February to May 2012: While cutting these two movies, I start music work on MASA with the busiest composer in Toronto; Ari Posner. Being an ex-Winnipegger, Ari and I are able to communicate in the secret language of the prairies, and the process of putting music together for the movie with him is fantastic. He is so motivated to get real players on real instruments onto the soundtrack, that I think he ended up deferring most of his fees – as a result, the score sounds like (literally) a million dollars. I had my wife & daughter come down to watch the recordings of the string section, and the horn players; my daughter thought that her dad had the coolest job in the world. And she was right. May 2012: I fly out to Winnipeg for the mix at my old post house, Channels Audio. While sitting at the back of the sound mix, I am, of course, finishing the editing on Blood Pressure, and arranging post on the phone (sound engineers love that). July 2012: The Toronto International Film Festival selects MASA to premiere, and we are delighted. We are also delighted to get word that the Busan International Film Festival will premiere Blood Pressure one month later. Fall 2012: Both films have very successful festival runs, but all the way through, we secretly suspect that they might be knocking each other out of contention for the various festivals, nominations and perspectives that we are submitting them to. This is why we are over the moon to have both films selected to play the Whistler Film Festival – and to have them both nominated for the prestigious Borsos Award. Jonas and I bring our families to the festival, book ourselves for the full run, and then settle in to present both films to audiences, but also to sit back and finally celebrate the year that almost killed us, but hopefully also made us stronger. n
BC Indie Scene continued from pg. 7
that experience one step further.” Joly no doubt agrees with Axani when he says “CineCoup is purposebuilt to surface and support the best talent and projects.” You can decide for yourself next January, 2014 when the winning feature film screens at Cineplex, but more importantly, you can start helping to decide now, or even possibly be one of those talents. n
And will Axani be competing in CineCoup? “It would be great to have more independent feature films funded and shot in BC as we have incredible crews and some very talented storytellers,” he says. “Cinecoup is a natural progression from these contests and hope I am fortunate enough to bring Reel West January / February 2013
Killer Motive continued from pg. 17
cars and then transitioning to the same place with no one there and then an actor enters frame,“ he explains. “I have never had such long nights in prep as I do on this show,” adds Gunnarson. “It has this fractured narrative structure so any given scene you have to keep track of where you are in a linear narrative even though you are not presenting it in a linear way. You have to track the emotional tone, the rhythm, the pace, and think about transitions in and out of scenes to move from past to present.” Another unique element in Motive is that the murderers are not serial killers, gang members or sociopaths. “It’s average people thrust into extraordinary circumstances that propel them to commit this most awful act,” explains LaBelle. “We aren’t letting them off but some sympathy is elicited.” “You get to see the killer’s emotional journey,” adds writer Daegan Fryklind. “You see them before they committed the crime and then after they committed the crime and follow that emotional trajectory until they are caught. So by the end of an episode we want people to understand their motive and empathize with how a person can get to a place where they commit murder.” Another character in the series is the city of Vancouver itself. Motive is produced by Vancouver companies Foundation Features and Lark Productions, and set in the city the producers call home. “We are the stage two days of every episode but we spend a lot of time on Rom Com Feeling continued from pg. 19
just had to bow out of that at some point,” he says. ”Another thing is just letting people do their job. The more you let people take control of their job, they are going to step up. I’ve learned over the years, slowly but surely, to let go of the reigns a little.” James quickly gathered the confidence of his leading man, Costanzo, who plays the womanizing Adam. The actor is in almost every scene and having that trust with James was crucial to his being comfortable in the film. “There’s a feeling out process when you’re first working with someone. Creatively, I have strong feelings about what I do, because I’m
the road showcasing the hills and valleys of Vancouver, downtown, Kitsilano, Deep Cove,” says LaBelle. “We are really highlighting this post-Olympics glass and steel cosmopolitan city.” The producers are also aiming for audiences to connect with the main characters. Angie is a single mom with a teenage son and not a lot of money. She is tough, spirited, blunt and impulsive. She doesn’t suffer fools or authority figures lightly, but also has a compassionate side. “My character is deeply flawed but not tortured by her flaws,” says Lehman. “She is proud of who she is and the life she lives and unapologetic about it. I love exploring a woman in a male dominated profession who is archetypically very masculine. In her partnership with Vega she is the active one, the doer and he is much more cerebral.” Vega is the ying to Angie’s yang. He comes from money and privilege but he turned his back on that world to join the police force. He’s intelligent, thoughtful and methodical. “Vega is calm and centered,” says Ferreira. “Angie flies by the seat of her pants and is more gutteral and visceral. She is raw and reacts and then thinks about it. Our characters get along well, it’s a respectful partnership. He is there for her.” Both actors say they were drawn to the show because of its unique twist on the procedural formula. “It’s exciting to work on a show that is experimenting in terms of concept,” says Ferreira. “I love taking risks and gambling and not knowing what will happen.” n passionate about it, and so does he,” says Costanzo. “Jason was involved in developing this movie for three years, he had not only very strong opinions, but also very informed opinions,” adds Constanzo. “So I had to relax a bit and let him mould the character. It was a refreshing feeling to know that the guy who was helming the ship, built the ship.” The plan for the film is a festival run followed by a theatrical release, then TV. James is also optimistic about worldwide potential. ”We’ve already had some interest from U.S international companies and and from there, hopefully the film will take off and do its thing.” n 29
Final Edit
Posters promoting the campaign to keep the film and TV industry alive in B.C., hot off the press at a local print shop.
Photo c/o facebook.com/savebcfilm
Save B.C. Film Campaign launched Frustration with the B.C. government’s indifference to the province’s struggling film and TV industry has led to a grassroots “Save B.C. Film” campaign started on Facebook and Twitter. Outrage first turned to action in mid-January when Premier Christy Clark’s B.C. Jobs Plan opted not to include film, TV and the videogame industry because, according to an internal report, “Government has taken a close look at the screen-based entertainment industry … and has not found a compelling case for any additional emphasis on this sector.” After the report was leaked, people posted hundreds of critical comments on the premier’s Facebook page, many of them from outof-work crew. But the posts were quickly deleted, sparking additional fury and inspiring the online campaign, which is demanding that the province develop a plan to bolster the struggling film and TV sector.
The industry has been pushing the province to increase B.C.’s 33% labour tax credit to better compete with other jurisdictions, like Ontario, which instituted a 25% all-spend tax credit in 2009. But so far, the provincial Liberals have refused to budge. The province’s film and television unions and guilds have also become vocal, releasing a joint statement pointing out that Ontario and Quebec’s investment in their industry has lured hundreds of millions of dollars in production away from B.C B.C. was the third largest production centre in North America, but in 2011 the province dropped to fourth place, while Ontario took over the third place position. In 2010, Ontario’s film and TV industry generated $1.26 billion in revenue as compared with B.C.’s $1.19 billion. For more information on the campaign, go to www.facebook.com/ savebcfilm or the Twitter feed @saveb-
cfilm. An online petition is amassing signatures at www.avaaz.org/en/petition/SAVE_BC_FILM/?cSlIQcb
Crazy 8s Teams Announced Six teams have been chosen from over 100 applicants to take part in the 14th annual Crazy8s Filmmaking Competition. Braindamage is a sci-fi short set in a dystopian near-future from writer/ director Matt Leaf and producer Victoria Angell, about a controver-
sial memory-extraction technology used on victims of violent crime. Director Nimisha Mukerji, writer Orsy Szabo, and producers Haydn Wazelle and Anand Raghavan are making Happy Homecoming, a family drama about a daughter who shows up on her dad’s doorstep with bad news but wants to make the most of the time they have left together. Manstruation, a role reversal comedy, is written by Ryan Haneman and Christopher Lee and will be directed by Haneman and produced by Derek Green. Stewing, a dark comedy/revenge action movie focuses on a bad breakup is being made by director Sean Tyson and writer/producer Patrick Currie. Writer/director Mackenzie Gray is shooting Under the Bridge of Fear. The film is about a private eye trying to find the culprit blackmailing a rich dame, and the style and tone pays homage to 40s and 50s film noir thrillers. When I Saw You, a playful riff on the value of human connection and missed opportunities, is from writer/ director Jane Hancock, and producers Nicholas Carella, Michelle Ouellet and Brie Lunn. Beginning Feb. 8, the teams have just eight days to shoot, edit and post their short films, with $1,000 in cash and in-kind support from the local industry. The shorts premiere February 23 at a screening at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts. n
Nimisha Mukerji and Orsy Szabo immediately after learning their film was selected for Crazy8s 2013. Photo: Bettina Strauss
Announcements and Appointments
Jeff Young has left his position as UBCP/ACTRA’s Director of Contracts. Young is returning to his private law practice, specializing in entertainment, media and sports, but will continue his relationship with UBCP as one of the Union’s outside legal counsel... Robert Hardy is the new Head of Development at Vancouver’s Force Four Entertainment, joining Director of Development Nicaole Lawson and Development Producer Tara-Lee Novak. Hardy was with CTV for nearly a decade, including four years as Manager of Western Development. His credits at CTV include Executive in Charge of Production of the 13 x one-hour series Defying Gravity and the TV movie Playing for Keeps. Hardy also served as Director of Corporate Development for the National Screen Institute – Canada. n
30
Reel West January / February 2013
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. "Boilerplate" 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 clauses and reveal issues of concern to producers negotiating contracts. Many sample agreements 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.
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