March - April 2011: Reel West Magazine

March / April 2011

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Film, video, internet and digital production in Western CanAda

SUCKER PUNCh Zack Snyder continues to bring big-budget features to British Columbia

Contents

18 Zach Comes Back

4 Production Update

Zach Snyder had already made one of the biggest features in BC history with Watchmen but persuaded Warner Bros to come back again to make the big budget action fantasy film Sucker Punch.

5 bits and bytes

20 Digital Developments

12 Beginnings 14 Behind the Scenes

There’s a lot to think about before building an interactive property as a companion to a TV series. Producers of convergent shows discuss their digital strategies.

16 Question and Answer

22 Saying goodbye to Stargate

29 Legal Briefs

After 14 years, one of Vancouver’s longest running TV franchises is shutting down. Stargate’s legacy is developing a talented pool of writers, directors, actors, VFX artists and crew who honed their skill on the set of the series.

17 Expert Witness 30 FINAL EDIT

24 Leos Rising Sonny Wong and Walter Daroshin have been presenting the Leo Awards since 1999. In his diary on the 2010 event, Wong looks back at the day they lost the trophies, the day the host hotel decided to change the playing field and the two award presentation days, when everything had to fall into place.

27 Mega-movie mania High profile movies like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocal, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn and Underworld 4 have all landed in B.C. recently. These big budget movies bring a lot of money to the province and hire a lot of locals, but they also make hiring crew and finding locations a mega-sized challenge.

Cover: ABBIE CORNISH, EMILY BROWNING and JENA MALONE in SUCKER PUNCH; Photo by Clay enos Contents: JENA MALONE, ABBIE CORNISH and VANESSA HUDGENS in SUCKER PUNCH; Photo by Clay enos Reel West Magazine is a wholly owned enterprise of Reel West Productions Inc. It exists and is managed to provide publicity and advertising that supports the growth of the Western Canadian Motion Picture Industry. Executive publisher: Sandy P. Flanagan. Executive Editor: Ian Caddell. Publisher: Ron Harvey. Sales: Randy Holmes. creative Director: Andrew von Rosen. art director: Lindsey Ataya. Photo Editor: Phillip Chin. contributing writer: Cheryl Binning.

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

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

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Volume 26, Issue 2. Printed In Canada. To subscribe call 1-888-291-7335 or visit our website at www.reelwest.com. Reel West welcomes feedback from our readers, via email at editorial@reelwest.com or by fax at 604-451-7305. All correspondence must include your name, address, and daytime telephone number.

Reel West March / april 2011

3

Production update

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

Poppy Montgomery will star as J.K. Rowlking in the upcoming film Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story

Photo: Bob Akester/ David Dolson /Lifetime Television

B.C. Business drops in 2010 Film and TV production spending in B.C. totaled $1.01 billion in 2010, according to the latest stats released from the province’s film commission.

The total number of projects shooting in B.C. increased by 3% in 2010 (from 239 projects in 2009 to 246 projects in 2010), but the amount of production money actually spent in the province decreased by 22% to $1.01 billion, from $1.3 billion in 2009.

The majority of activity in 2010 was in TV series production, which totaled $512 million, an increase of 17% from $437 million in 2009. Some of the series that shot in 2010 include Endgame, Hiccups, Mr. Young, Human Target, Eureka, Fringe, and Hellcats.

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Foreign production spending in B.C. dropped 29% to $778 million in 2010, from $1.09 billion in 2009.

On the domestic front, production spending in BC made a modest 12% increase to $244 million, from $218 million in 2009. More domestic features shot in 2010 (33) than the previous year when only 19 projects were made. Domestic TV series spending increased 87% to $120 million with most of that work in the lifestyle and documentary series genre rather than scripted series.

Although the B.C. production industry took a slide backwards in 2010, the current year is off to a roaring start, with a strong mix of features, series

and TV movies already shooting.

While our province didn’t land any of the Harry Potter movies, B.C. was the destination for a new TV movie about the British author of the hugely popular adolescent wizard fantasy novels.

Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story shot in February and March in Vancouver and Victoria. The Lifetime movie is based on Sean Smith’s biography of the author of the phenomenally popular Harry Potter books.

Magic Beyond Words charts Rowling’s life from childhood to fame as the author of the books about the young wizard. Poppy Montgomery (Without A Trace) stars as Rowling.

The movie was directed by Paul A. Kaufman and had Karine Martin as executive producer; Ron Gilbert as producer; Christian Bruyere as line producer; Mathias Herndl as DOP; Paul Joyal as production designer; Stacey A. Harris as production coordinator; and David Fullerton as locations manager.

Another TV movie that shot in March through April in Vancouver is a Disney Channel project in the vein of the High School Musical films.

Geek Charming is adapted from the novel of the same title by Robin Palmer.

It’s the story of Dylan, the pink princess of an upscale Los Angeles Woodlands Academy, who agrees to allow geeky Josh Rosen film her for a documentary on high school popularity, after he rescues an expensive bag she accidentally dropped in a fountain.

Geek Charming has Tracey Jeffrey as producer; Jeffrey Hornaday as director; Mandy Spencer-Phillips as production manager; and Kirk Johns as locations manager.

In addition to films such as Alvin & The Chipmunks 3, Dibbuk Box, and The Grey, a couple new features began shooting in B.C. in March.

Ansiedad (Anxiety) is a comedy directed by Patricia Riggen (Under the Same Moon) and starring Eva Mendes as the struggling single mother of a 13year-old daughter (Cierra Ramirez).

While the girl plays out every teenage rebellion cliché to jumpstart herself into adulthood, the young mom does everything possible to avoid growing up.

The script, written by Hiram Martinez, was a 2009 semi-finalist for the prestigious Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship.

The feature, produced by Pantelion

Reel West March / april 2011

Films, shot from mid-March to midApril. Lionsgate is distributing.

It has James McNamara, Greg Coote, and Robert Lundberg as executive producers; Ben Odell and John Fiedler as producers; Chris Dalton as co-producer/line producer; Checco Varese as DOP; Linda Del Rosario and Richard Paris as production designers; Chris Rudolph as production manager; Lukia Czernin as production coordinator; Sheri Mayervich as locations manager and Darcy Davis as special effects coordinator.

Also starting in March was the psychological horror Barricade, with former Will & Grace star and Vancouver native Eric McCormick as a father battling dementia while he and his daughters are trapped in a cabin during a blizzard.

The movie is produced by WWE Studios and directed by Andrew Currie (Fido). The movie had Mike Pavone, David Calloway, and Lori Lewis as producers; Mark Griffiths as line producer; Bob Aschmann as DOP; Geoff Wallace as production designer; Simon Richardson as production manager; Louisa Main as production coordinator and Greg Astop as locations manager. It shot through to mid-April.

On the TV series front, Fringe, Hellcats and The Supernatural all wrapped production for the season in March.

Season three of Fringe had Reid Shane as producer; Vladimir Stefoff as coproducer and production manager; Tom Yatsko and Greg Middleton as

DOPs; Ian Thomas as production designer; Anita Truelove as production coordinator; Scott Walden as locations manager; and Bob Comer as special effects coordinator.

Season one of Hellcats had Rose Lam as producer; Stephen McNutt as DOP; Michael Joy as production designer; Kim Steer as production manager; Deana Kittson as production coordinator; and Michael Gazetas and Lorne Davidson as locations managers.

Season six of Supernatural had Eric Kripke, McG, Robert Singer, Ben Edlund, Sera Gamble, and Phil Sgriccia as exec producers; Jim Michaels as co-executive producer; Serge Ladoucer as DOP; Jerry Wanek as production designer; Craig Matheson as production manager; Judith Swan as production coordinator; Russ Hamilton as locations manager; and Sean Grant as special effects coordinator.

The live action web series Mortal Kombat, based on the popular video game franchise, shot from February to mid March. It’s produced by Tim Carter and John Orlando and directed by Kevin Tancharoen.

Mortal Combat had Kim Miles as DOP; Eric Norlin as production designer; Chris Foss as production manager; Donald Munro and Nick Vecchio as production coordinators; Ken Brooker as locations manager; and Darren Marcoux as special effects coordinator. n

New digital dollars

British Columbia Film recently announced two new programs: The Interactive Fund and the Digital Media Development Envelope.

The Interactive Fund is a one-year pilot program to support the production of “high quality, original, interactive digital media content” by BC owned and controlled companies. The funding is a non-recoupable advance of up to $50,000 and does not require matching funding or market support to trigger eligibility.

The Digital Media Development Envelope is a oneyear pilot program to provide film or television based entertainment companies with an envelope of money to support a range of interactive digital media activities. The funding is a non-recoupable advance of up to $25,000 and does not require matching funding or market support to trigger eligibility. For more information, go to www.bcfilm.bc.ca Reel West March / april 2011

Bits and Bytes Changing Jane A Canadian company could help change the way people look at one of the classic novels of the 19th Century. According to spokesperson Eric Philpott, Montreal’s Modus FX provided 47 visual effects shots for director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.

There have been numerous film and TV versions of the novel, but Philpott says the new film, written by Moira Buffini, emphasizes the gothic aspects of the book and “re-orders the narrative sequence, creating greater dramatic immediacy for modern audiences.”

Philpott says that among the tasks set for the company was the removing of overhead wires and telephone poles. In addition, he says that Modus changed the season in which several sequences are set. He says the most complex part of the project called for a digitally altered environment to create the burned-out ruins of Thornfield Castle.”

“Atmosphere is everything for a film like this, so our work had to support the mood of the story and the scenic locations,” says Modus vice-president Yanick Wilisky. “The film uses a soft palette and natural light to capture the feeling of a world before the age of electricity, so our visual effects had to be entirely invisible.” The movie stars Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.

Capilano Goes 3D Capilano University’s recent expansion got a boost from the federal government in February when the school’s Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation received almost $1 million in funding for stereoscopic three dimensional (S3D) equipment, including cameras, monitors, two S3D camera rigs, and other supporting technology.

“The purchase of equipment for Capilano University’s Bosa Centre will help film students and existing industry professionals in B.C. ensure that their skill set remains current in this competitive market,” said Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification. “Digital S3D is the leading-edge technology in cinematography and it is important that the western Canadian entertainment industry and institutions are equipped to take advantage of the arising opportunities. Digital technology, including 3D for animation and gaming, is the future of the entertainment industry. As a result of this initiative, B.C. will strengthen its position as a premier destination for film production.”

Capilano president Dr. Kris Bulcroft said the school was “absolutely delighted” with the $969.000 in funding from the government. ““This generous contribution will go a long way towards supporting our film and animation programs that are essential to the industry’s growth.”

In its announcement, made in late February, the government also said it would give $510,000 to the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of BC to “strengthen the local film industry.”

Android Launched The National Film Board says it has found new way to distribute the hundreds of films in its library. The NFB announced recently that it will use Android, the leading smartphone platform, to launch 1500 films.

“We are passionately committed to serving Canadians in engaging and innovative ways; as Canadians change their viewing habits we must accompany them,” says NFB chairperson Tom Perlmutter. ”Making the richness and depth of the NFB collection and our startling new works available on the most popular online and mobile platforms such as the Android ensures that Canadian works by Canadian creators representing Canadian points of view take pride of place in the vast globalized range of video consumed in the digital space.

Spokesperson Jennifer Mair said the NFB Android app gives mobile phone users the ability to explore films by thematic channels, create their own favourites list, and share films by e-mail, Twitter or Facebook. She said that the new app joins NFB’s iPhone app, which she says was “the third most downloaded application, ahead of such giants as Facebook and Skype, just two days after its launch on October 21, 2009.” Mair said there have been over one million views on the iPhone app.

To download the NFB’s Android app, visit nfb.ca/android or the Entertainment category of the Android Market at market.android.com

5

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Yorkton adds cash prize !

The Yorkton Film Festival has partnered with the RBC Foundation to recognize an emerging filmmaker with a $1,000 bursary.

The prize will be handed out to the winner of the Emerging Filmmaker award at the 2011 Golden Sheaf

Awards, taking place on May 28.

Submissions to the 2011 Yorkton Film Festival closed on January 31, 2011, with 50 entries in the Emerging Filmmaker category. The festival takes place May 26-29. For more information visit www. goldensheafawards.com

Alchemy was one of six films premiered at this year’s Crazy8s event in Vancouver, BC. For more information on this 8-day filmmaking extravaganza visit www.crazy8s.cc Photo: Bettina Strauss

Six winners in Crazy8s

Six B.C. filmmakers won the chance to shoot, edit and premiere their short films in eight days.

The directors are: Zachary Rothman with Alchemy; Rehan Khokhar with Chained; Shaun McKinlay with Colouring the Walls; Stephen Martin with Dead Friends; Russell Bennett with Funny Business; and Sarah Crauder with Run Dry. Among 120 filmmakers vied for the chance to compete in Crazy8s, Vancouver’s short film competition.

The six winning teams begin production on March 25 through to April 1st. The films debuted on April 9th at the Vogue Theatre.

“The scripts were really strong this year and the jury had a very challenging time narrowing it down”, said Crazy8s Producer Erik Paulsson. “But in the end they could only select six winners, and these 6 filmmakers are definitely amongst the best new talent in British Columbia.”

Knowledge gets kids online B.C. broadcaster Knowledge Network has launched a new kid-friendly site KnowledgeKids.ca The site – developed with Vancouver digital media company fulscrn - includes videos, games and activities that reinforce early learning concepts.

“Kids and parents have come to 6

love and trust Knowledge Kids on television,” said Rudy Buttignol President and CEO of Knowledge Network Corporation, in a news release.

“The new website is an extension of our brand, which is our commitment to engaging, educational content for kids across multiple platforms, and free of commercial messaging.”

Reel West january / February 2011

Saskatchewan series renewals

CBC television has announced that Saskatchewan-produced InSecurity has been renewed for a second season. InSecurity is an action comedy about the men and women of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). The cast includes Natalie Lisinska, William deVry, Rémy Girard, Matthew MacFadzean, Grace Lynn Kung and Richard Yearwood.

Filmed in Regina, the series is produced by producers Kevin White (Dan For Mayer) and Virginia Thompson and Robert de Lint (Corner Gas).

And the long-running Little Mosque on the Prairie has also been picked up by the public broadcaster for a sixth season. The sitcom is a satirical comedy about Muslims and Christians attempting to live in harmony with each other in the small town of Mercy. Cast includes Zaib Shaikh, Carlo Rota, Sheila McCarthy, Sitara Hewitt, and Manoj Sood.

The series is produced by Westwind Pictures and shot in Ontario and Saskatchewan.

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Feds fund Cap College and MPPIA Western Economic Diversification is doling out dollars to Capilano University and the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of British Columbia.

Capilano University received $969,000 to purchase stereoscopic three dimensional equipment for its new Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation, including cameras, monitors, and other technology.

Other tools available at the new Centre will include a 200-seat high definition/3D theatre, industry-standard sound mixing and recording studios, an 8,000 square foot sound stage, picture editing labs, sound editing labs, digital and commercial Reel West March / april 2011

animation labs, a teaching studio for cinematography, costuming studios, and two visual effects labs.

The Centre opens in July and will train students in S3D moviemaking and will also be available to film industry professionals to upgrade their skills.

The Motion Picture Production Industry Association of B.C. gets $510,000 to deliver a three-year marketing strategy to attract investment into B.C.’s film, TV and digital production industry.

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More Chasing Mood Chasing Mood is bringing more belly laughs.

The second season of the Vancouver-made comedy web series premiered March 29th.

Chasing Mood stars Curtis Lum and Brendon Bertolini as two actors chasing their onscreen dreams and failing

miserably. In season two the pair try to figure out a new calling in life.

Episodes will be released every Tuesday at 9pm starting March 29th.

The writer and director is Leslie Birch, who also produces alongside Curtis Lum and Todd Girous.

View episodes at chasingmood.com.

APTN goes Health Nutz

The new Vancouver-produced comedy series Health Nutz premiered March 22nd on APTN. The six episode series follows a washed up former pro hockey player and gambler/alcoholic who turns his life around when he inherits a Juice Bar and the patent to a lucrative energy drink from his estranged father. But there’s one condition attached: he has to get and stay sober.

Health Nutz stars Kevin Loring, who won the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Award for his play, Where the Blood Mixes; and Ali Liebert (Year of the Carnivore).

Health Nutz is produced and written by Jason Friesen and Dasha Novak for Vancouver’s Chasing Pictures.

A companion social game and webisodes was also created and can be found online at www.facebook. com/healthnutztv or www.healthnutz.tv Vancouver art scene doc at DOXA Picture Start, a new documentary on the Vancouver arts scene, will screen at the Doxa Film Festival, May 13, in Vancouver, and get its broadcast premiere on Bravo! This spring.

Picture Start tells the unlikely story of an extraordinary set of artists, including Jeff Wall, Rodney Graham and Ian Wallace, who met in Vancouver in the late 60s and transformed the city’s art scene.

Picture Start is produced by Ric Beairsto (Mixed Blessings, Code 8

Green Canada) of Laughing Mountain Communications, and directed

by Harry Killas (Superkids, StandUp Samurais) with cinematography

by Danny Nowak. The film was shot in Vancouver, New York, Ontario, Paris, Barcelona and Dresden The documentary premiered at Calgary’s Reel Artists Film Festival in March.

Picture Start was produced and developed in association with Bravo!, Knowledge Network and SCN. Reel West March / april 2011

Reel West March / april 2011

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Paperny launches digital contest Paperny Films wants to know if you think you can make TV? The Vancouver production company has launched a digital video contest for aspiring content makers between the ages of 19 and 30.

Contestants submit two-minute videos for potential factual or lifestyle series that introduce the characters and world and develop the concept in a creative way.

The deadline to enter “So You Think

You Can Make TV?” Is April 15, 2011.

A jury of Paperny Films’ executives and guest judges will choose five finalists and their submissions will be posted on the company’s website on May 1st. The public can then vote online for their favorite video and the winner will receive $3,000 plus a one-month unpaid internship at Paperny Films.

For more information, go to www. papernyfilms.com/contest

One Big Hapa Family

The award-winning multicultural mash-up documentary One Big Hapa Family premiered on Omni in early March and will get a broadcast on Knowledge in May. The live action and animated doc, from B.C. filmmaker Jeff Chiba Stearns, explores the rising increase of intermarriage and people of multiethnic descent in Canada, through his own personal journey to discover why everyone in his Japanese-Canadian family married interracially after his grandparents’ generation.

The feature doc has screened at film festivals in Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, San Francisco and Washington, DC. It’s picked up various awards, including the Best Canadian Film Award at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Trail Dance Film Festival in Oklahoma.

Chiba Stearns is also screening the doc at various American Ivy League universities and was honoured by the Harvard HAPA Association with the Cultural Pioneer Award.

Manitoba sci-fi film at SXSW The Divide, a science-fiction thriller filmed in Manitoba premiered at the South by South West (SXSW) film and music festival in March. Winnipeg producer Juliette Hagopian co-produced the project.

SXSW is a prestigious international festival held in Austin, Texas that features some of the best 10

in film and music from around the world.

The Divide is directed by Xavier Gens and stars Lauren German, Milo Ventimiglia and Rosanna Arquette in the story of eight strangers who take refuge in the basement of their apartment building after a bomb devastates New York City.

Reel West March / april 2011

THE PRODUCERS WORKBOOK 4 TWO-DAY WORKSHOP with Elizabeth Yake and guests KERRY MCDOWALL, ERIN SMITH, NADIA WECHSELBERGER and CHRISTINA BULBROOK

Saturday, April 9th Everything you wanted to know about development UÊ À }Ê>Ê«À `ÕVÌ ÊV «> Þ UÊ"«Ì ÊEÊÜÀ ÌiÀÊ>}Àii i ÌÃÊ UÊ Ã }ÊÞ ÕÀÊVÀi>Ì ÛiÊÌi> UÊ*Ài «À `ÕVÌ ÊLÕ`}iÌ }Ê UÊÊ iÛi « i ÌÊvÕ ` }Ê UÊÊÊ* ÌV }ÊÌ ÊLÀ >`V>ÃÌiÀÃÊ and distributors UÊ/>ÝÊVÀi` ÌÃ UÊÊ > V }Ê> `ÊL> }Ê UÊ* ÃÌ Ü À Ã «Ê iÌÜ À } Sunday, April 10th >Û }>Ì }ÊÌ iÊÜ>ÌiÀÃÊ vÊ pre- and post-production, distribution and marketing UÊ ÃÕÀ> ViÊÉÊV « iÌ ÊL `Ã UÊ À }ÊVÀiÜÊ UÊ1 ÃÊ> `Ê}Õ `ÃÊ UÊ*À `ÕVÌ Ê«>«iÀÜ À

This two-day workshop for emerging and established producers alike provides a step-by-step journey through the often mystical process of filmmaking in Canada, with a focus on the business, legal and practical elements of filmmaking. Led by industry professionals, the workshop is an excellent opportunity for new filmmakers to learn the building blocks of a production, while more seasoned producers will benefit from advice on taking their projects to the next level. *ÕÀV >ÃiÊ vÊÌ iÊ*À `ÕViÀÃÊ7 À L Ê{Ê ÃÊ } ÞÊÀiV i `i`.

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Reel West March / april 2011

Beginnings

Jay Brazeau “...when I opened up the newspaper and read ‘Hollywood Movie Needs Actors,’ I thought a gift from the Gods had fallen in my lap.”

JAY MOM JAY MOM JAY MOM

A

Mom? Yes Dear?

I think I want to be an actor.

You can’t.

Why not?

You don’t look like Paul Newman.

nd that was that. I was 17 years old and my dream had crumbled because I didn’t resemble this Newman guy. Mother’s advice: get a haircut, get a job, and get married. My mother was a Mennonite and there was not much you could do as a Mennonite except eat and cook. And give advice. You couldn’t even have sex standing up because it was too much like dancing!!!

I did what every other 17 year-old in Winnipeg was doing at the time: the opposite.

I quit school, grew my hair and became a folkie. It was the Seventies, a time where young hippie types like myself were going to change the world with our dulcimers.

Around the same time, fellow dreamer Romeo Jacobucci, owner of Trevi Tile, had written a film called The Melting Pot, about the famous Winnipeg flood of the 1950s. And he did what he thought was the most sensible thing: advertise for a director in Variety magazine. None other than the prolific director, producer, writer, editor, production manager Deke Miles answered his ad. A deal was set and he agreed to drive up from LA with his cinematographer Goerge E Mather and his sound technician whose name escapes me. It might have been Mike and he told me his claim to fame was that he played a sperm in a Woody Allen Movie.

Once they got here the train was moving and auditions were held.

Around this time I began to feel that the folk singer thing wasn’t happening for me. On my last gig, the guy couldn’t pay me but I could drink all the free wine I wanted. What he didn’t tell me was that the wine was Manischewitz. Half the audience was gagging and the other half was in the toilet throwing up.

So when I opened up the newspaper and read “Hollywood Movie Needs Actors,” I thought a gift from the Gods had fallen in my lap. I mean, how often does Hollywood come to Winnipeg? The last film shot there had been 49th Parallel and that was in 1941.

I was sitting in the Airliner Hotel holding a Xerox of a snapshot my buddy John took of me when I was drunk and playing banjo on my front stoop.

Across from me, in sunglasses, khaki pants, khaki jacket, khaki hat with a light meter around his neck sat Deke Miles, the man who was the production manager of Vice Squad Woman and now director of The Melting Pot. This was the closest I had ever been to Hollywood. I could smell it and Hollywood smelt like whisky and cheap wine-tipped cigars. I gave him my Xerox.

“Don’t need it,” he said in a gravely voice. “Picture’s in here,” and he pointed to his temple. “Ever act before?” I shook my head. “Good! I won’t have to retrain you. You’re gonna be my Slam!”

He threw a yellow package to me. I want to say “script” but it looked like it only had 10 pages in it. On the cover, in hand-written letters were the words “General Slam.” “Next” he yelled as I shuffled out the door. I heard him shout “Make sure you cut that hair and shave off that damn beard.”

General Slam, according to the few pages I was given, was the lead bad guy. I cried. This is what Jack Palance must have felt like when he perused the Reel West March / april 2011

Shane script for the first time and read “Jack Wilson laughs as he shoots the dog!” I too was going to become the “personification of evil.” And my biggest scene was the climax of the movie. Cut to:

EXT. WINNIPEG DYKE - DAY An Aboriginal girl, Chinese man, Mennonite woman, cantankerous German, various nationalities and soldiers are milling about a dyke. Deke Miles walks with Jay (General Slam), his arm around Jay’s shoulder.

DEKE Stuff we shot at City Hall? Hot! Gonna need oven mitts to change the reel. You’re gonna burn when this comes out and we’re gonna make another movie.

JAY Maybe I should come down to Hollywood….

DEKE No, don’t come down. Wait here and I’ll call you. It’ll happen. I wouldn’t (lie to) you. This next scene is the most important scene in my movie. You warned these villagers to stop sand bagging. They won’t listen. You go psycho and order your soldiers to shoot if they don’t stop. They’re still baggin’. You tell your guys to take aim. It’s heavy. We’ll do a lot of CUs of the guys aiming into the lens. It’ll look terrific. Then the Chinese guy starts to sing “Oh Canada” in Chinese. They all start singin’ in their own, you know, languages.

You see red and order your troops to shoot. But they drop their guns one by one and you are…well I don’t want to talk too much about it ’cause I know you got it. (Looking through lens finder) Allright let’s shoot this mother! (To JAY) Oh and at the end hop into the Jeep and drive away! Time is money. We gotta shoot, shoot, shoot.

Everybody is all ready in place. Sound is speeding. Camera is rolling. Clapper is clapping. All eyes on Jay. DEKE And (flailing his arm like a race track flagger) action!

JAY (quietly) I can’t…drive! (Quieter) sorry.

DEKE Cut! (Throws Khaki hat.) Everybody drives! (To Aboriginal girl) Do you drive? (She nods) (To Chinese man) Do you? (He nods) (To Cantankerous German) What about you?

GERMAN I drive but I have cataracts.

DEKE Are you trying to sabotage my film?

JAY It wasn’t in the script.

DEKE Get in that goddamn Jeep and drive off into the sunset!

I was about as far away from Hollywood as I could ever get. We shot the scene. We had one of the soldiers lie on the floor of the jeep and switch gears as I pretended I was driving away into the sunset. The villagers actually applauded. When we got to the end of the street we were supposed to turn around and drive back as fast as possible for another take. The guy on the floor jumped up. I took his place. He floored it. The villagers were still applauding, or at least they were until they thought it was me heading back to them at 100 miles an hour in an out-of-control Jeep. They scattered like mosquitoes. For Beginnings continued on page 15 13

Photo: Phillip Chin

14

Reel West March / april 2011

Behind the scenes

Scenic Oasis Film Behind the Scenes at the Vancouver-based set design company

R

emember Expo ’86? John Chilton does. It gave the British-born designer a chance to show Canadians the talents he had honed in theatre in his home town of Coventry. The founder of set designer Scenic Oasis Film was operating under the company’s sister design company, Camel Productions, and took advantage of the opportunities Expo offered, with several major builds.

The era also saw the beginning of a strong film and television industry in B.C. and Chilton found himself in the right place at the right time. He created Scenic Oasis to meet the need of the industry and says the company has worked on “thousands” of projects if you add ballet, exhibition work and theatre to their work on commercials, movies and TV shows “We are proud to have been a part of the initially fledgling and now excelling film industry in Vancouver,” he says.

By 2003 he had brought his brother Paul to Vancouver and his younger sibling has used his own experience in the management and construction of highrise commercial and residential to help the company branch out. “In many instances our work is sought by architects, promoters and interior designers who are looking for the unusual or the dramatic,” says Paul Chilton. “Some of our work can be found in shopping malls, McDonalds, and the University of B.C. Our clients have included the British Foreign Office, political parties, tourism departments of government, photographers, oil companies and arts and culture groups. It’s quite a different outcome compared to my previous work but the process is the same: create ideas, design, manage and build”.

The film industry, of course, does have some unique needs. To assure that they would continue to attract film and television designers, Scenic Oasis moved to a new location in Burnaby in July of last year and took the opportunity to upgrade the facilities they provide for their clients. Paul Chilton says that to meet the needs the office area was subdivided to give a defined and private space for the art directors and production designers. He says that Beginnings continued from page 11

some reason I could not stop laughing. I waited in Winnipeg for Deke MIles to call and bring me to Hollywood. It never happened. And it was quite a while before Hollywood and I would cross paths again.

Fourteen years later I was in a creepy guy’s basement filled to capacity with religious paraphernalia, faking my way through an audition. I had been in Spokane the entire week playing a pirate in Peter Pan and I had received 20 pages of sides the night before and was told to have them memorized, “Or else!” So here I was, in the only place in town where one could find God, tape an audition and get it to Vancouver by the afternoon.

I had done a number of film auditions over the years and had practically given up.

Most of the parts I auditioned for were “Fat Guy No. 3” but this part, a small-town Sheriff, I could pull off. I even gave the character a kind of signature “laugh.”

A few weeks later and back in sunny Vancouver, I get the call.

AGENT You sitting down?

JAY Oh no! Please don’t let me go. I’ll go on a diet. I promise I won’t do any more theatre!

AGENT You got the We’re No Angels thing. The director is Neil Jordan who did that weird Irish movie. David Mamet is the writer. It’s got Demi Moore, Hoyt Axton, Sean Penn and Robert De Niro…

After he mentioned the name...Sir Robert De Niro, I did not hear a single Reel West March / april 2011

there is an abundance of conference room space and countertop area. In addition, a dedicated internet connection and a signal booster for cell phones was added.

“We wanted to ensure there is a professional and inviting environment from the moment the clients walk through the door and a space that would be suitable for inviting the visiting production personnel to come to meet and discuss the project. We have always enjoyed our clients using whatever facilities we have available to make the projects go smoother but this time we really wanted to do more than just providing a space.”

When they realized that economic downturns had led to a reduction in local TV commercial budgets the company saw the need for a diverse clientele. The latest example of their success in that effort is their work for the Vancouver Aquarium which is bringing in new species for its Amazon habitat. Scenic Oasis was invited to design an attraction for the entrance foyer to excite visitors about the new animals. Paul Chilton says the Aquarium is “very pleased” with the creative thinking that went into the installation of 500sq/ft of hand painted and airbrushed banners.

The company also takes times to provide support for several charities, with the list including the Malambo Women’s Group in Zambia. The group encourages the women of the village, located about 100km from Lusaka, to use their everyday handy craft skills and to sell their baskets and pottery at local markets and to visiting tourists.

Business is good. According to Paul Chilton, decades after Expo ’86 closed its gates, Scenic Oasis continues to be a mainstay of scenery and props building in the province and expects to provide “a quality value for dollar service to the film, exhibition and theatre industry in Vancouver” for at least another 25 years. “We’re here to stay,” he says. “There won’t be any let up in our commitment to our clients and our continuing endeavor to provide a quality product no matter how difficult that challenge may be”. thing. Here I was again, within spitting distance of that Hollywood sign. Deke had forgotten me but Neil was not going to let that happen. And I was going to become best buds with Sean and Bobby and Demi.

One month later, after countless wardrobe calls, screen tests, meet-the cast-soirees and rehearsals, my first day of filming arrived and oddly it coincided with my first scene in the movie.

Our two fake priests (Sean and Bob), actually escaped convicts, are sneaking across the border to freedom when they run into the Sheriff (moi), my Deputy (the incredible Bruno Kirby), local bad girl Molly (Demi), and “Big Cheese at the Monastery” Father Levesque (Hoyt) Assuming they are lost we walk them back into the U.S. And all the characters are to congregate in the centre of the bridge separating Canada from the U.S. There is a 5:30 a.m. call, a breakfast burrito and hair and make-up. I changed into my costume, went to my trailer and waited for the 3rd A.D. to tell me when we were “travelling.” I was feeling quite content and then…it hit me.

What if I…screw…up again? Nobody had ever seen The Melting Pot. It wasn’t even released. That was fifteen years ago. But this? It’s every actor’s dream. If I blow it, not only will I kill my dream but every actor in Canada will blame me.

“Yeah, we used to get hired by the Americans and then this Brazeau guy clammed up on set and screwed the pooch. He killed the goose that laid the golden egg!”

Knock on the door! “First Team!”

Beginnings continued on page 28 15

question and Answer

Director, Mike Leigh on set of Another Year

Photo: Simon Mein, Thin Man Films Ltd.

Mike Leigh

M

ike Leigh’s films have won many nominations and awards for their performances.

However, A-list actors are still reticent about taking roles in his movies. That could be because even those highly paid actors who are looking for independent films won’t make movies until after they have received approved scripts from their agents. Leigh doesn’t send scripts out. He doesn’t believe in them. Instead, he and his actors develop their characters together.

Leigh himself has won seven Oscar nominations including directing nominations for Vera Drake and Secrets and Lies, both of which won him writing nominations. He also won writing nods for Topsy-Turvy, Happy-Go-Lucky and his latest film, Another Year, which opened recently in western Canada. It stars Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen as a happily married couple who are sur16

Director

rounded by unhappy people. The least happy of their friends and relatives is Mary (Lesley Manville) who is so desperate to find a good man that she begins to flirt with the couple’s son on every visit even when his latest girlfriend is present. The film was at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival where Leigh was interviewed by Reel West.

You don’t attract big name actors despite the annual Oscar buzz.

They don’t seem to like your approach to making movies?

“No, because most actors need to be safe. They need to know a little. This approach is dangerous. It’s exciting and it’s a plunge. When I ask an actor to take a part, the deal is I can’t tell them what the film’s about. I can’t tell them what the character is about because there is no character. We have to invent one together and they will only ever know what their character

knows. They will never have an overview of the film. So there are actors who want to know whether you are going to shoot their left or right profile and all that crap. Here, they have nothing going in. It’s not safe so I have to tell them ‘try it, it’s good.’ There are plenty of places where they can do all of that other stuff but this is different.

It requires actors who are highly intelligent and creative people with a great sense of the real world out there and a sense of humour and an ability to be a patient part of an ensemble, but there is also a chance to do great acting.”

But it’s a laborious process, isn’t it?

“It’s a long process of exploring the relationship, of building up the whole lives of these people. We finally arrive at a structure of some sort, and then we’ll build the sequences of the scenes on location and get them very precisely tuned. So the dialogue comes out of all that huge amount of improvisation

and research. So you arrive finally at something very precise. What it’s also about is that the kinds of things I want to deal with lend themselves to looking at things from the point of view of ordinary people. I am an ordinary heterosexual divorced parent with a healthy string of failed, screwed up relationships behind me, so I have inevitably a male view of the world. But my job as a story teller, as a dramatist, as a filmmaker is to work with both the male and female actors to put every character at the centre of the universe.”

That’s interesting because a lot of the acclaim for your films seems to start with the actresses, at least when you look at the list of people who have been nominated for various awards for your films, and others who could have been nominated. Do you feel more comfortable working with women?

“No, it’s certainly not the case, though I do think it’s important to make good parts for women. Women in movies are usually subordinate characters in one way or another. I shamelessly constructed Happy-Go-Lucky with an absolutely clear agenda to create a vehicle for Sally Hawkins. I make no apology for it, because I have worked with her a couple of times. She’s an extraordinary star actress who has to be out there and thank goodness it worked. Now the world is on it.”

How do you figure out who will work out and who won’t?

“Well, when I meet actors my antennae are well out to pick up the remotest suggestion of prima donnas.

Selfish, egocentric qualities are out of the question. At the same time, you will have actors who are their own man, who are tough cookies, who will take nothing from nobody and will let you know what they think.

This is not the territory for soft push-arounds, push-overs. There is no messing with Jim Broadbent, for instance. If he doesn’t like it, he’ll tell you. It’s about trust. It’s about intelligent people behaving like intelligent people, respecting each other’s intelligence, and it’s about going on a dangerous adventure, basically.”

When you stumble across one of your movies on television, do you ever have a moment when you say to yourself ‘what was I thinking?’ or are you too pragmatic to concern yourself with something that you can’t change?

“Yes, probably, but there is the thing, Reel West March / april 2011

inevitably, that there are certain moments in watching perhaps every film where at some stage I’ve suddenly thought ‘there’s a line I could have put in there’ or ‘something should be a bit different.’ Usually it’s a line of dialogue or something I think of, something that would have made it better or a mistake. There’s a couple of things where now I think it actually should have been something else.

But as you say, you can’t do anything about it, so I just relax, enjoy it, let it be what it is. There’s nothing you can do. There is only one thing in one film that’s a complete gaffe that really pisses me off and I torture myself for my incompetence and stupidity.”

I’m going to guess Topsy-Turvy (the story of 19th Century operetta composers Gilbert and Sullivan) because it seems like a much bigger film than the others.

“Yes, but it was the best researched film in the world. It’s impeccable, the amount of research that went into this. We went through everything with a tooth comb, including the language that was used. Everything.

When we were constructing the dialogue I had a shopping trolley full of records to make it right for the 19th Century. Then we take it to the Venice Film Festival, do the press screening, a

you were nominated in a couple of the craft categories. What drew you to make the movie?

“We actually won the Oscars for costume and make-up. I was nominated for best screen play. But I think if you scrape away the top layer of that film, there is a Mike Leigh film going on in there just like all the others. There is relationship stuff, it’s about people working. Why did I do it? I wanted to do a film where I turn the camera around on us, we who slave ourselves to death in the course of amusing other people. I didn’t want to make a movie about movie-making. I don’t know why. Anyway, it’s been done. I thought if I take a kind of chocolate box soufflé subject and I subvert it by dealing with it just like I would deal with any kind of human activity, it would turn out well. I am actually fascinated by 19th century theater and I thought ‘let’s do that.’”

Would you go that far again?

“Yes, I want to make a film about JNW Turner, the greatest landscape painter and seascape painter, the man who had himself strapped to the mast of a ship to paint a storm. You can’t make that by cutting the exteriors.

You have to get out there and do it.

I would have to include CGI as well.

I want to do it and it’s a great char-

“When I ask an actor to take a part, the deal is I can’t tell them what the film’s about. I can’t tell them what the character is about because there is no character. We have to invent one together and they will only ever know what their character knows...” press conference and it all goes swimmingly well. Jim Broadbent and I are walking out the door and we run into a Norwegian journalist. Well, there is a scene in the film where Sullivan is sitting in his office saying he wants to walk out. Gilbert says ‘if you want to write a grand opera about a prostitute in a garret, go to Oslo and Mr. Ibsen will write you something suitably boring.’ This guy walks up behind us and says ‘I just wanted to tell you Oslo wasn’t called Oslo until 1927.’”

It’s different from most of your other films in that it’s a period piece with a lavish flare. In fact I believe Reel West March / april 2011

acter who lived. It’s an earlier period than Topsy-Turvy. He lived from 1775 to 1852. So there’s a movie in it, but we need the bread! I never talk about movies before I do them, but I am talking about this one shamelessly, because we want the backing.”

What’s the best thing about making small, independent films?

“I’ve never made a film that anybody ever interfered with. They’re my films.

I made them the way I wanted to make them. There were no committees, there were no executives, there were no producers. Nobody screwed it up. I’ve been very lucky.” n

Expert witness

Ryan Gosling

“I am working with this producer now who uses the term ‘feathered fish.’ He says ‘in Hollywood almost everything is a feathered fish. It doesn’t fly and it doesn’t swim and it tries to be everything and it ends up being nothing.’ And I think you have to know your strengths at the moment and place you are in your career and try to play to those. It doesn’t work if you are trying to be something that you are not. You can try it and maybe it will be okay but it doesn’t have as much potency.

I might not want to do that studio movie but it doesn’t mean that I am not open to doing a film that has a big budget or that a studio is behind. I have done them and as long as I am able to do them I will do them but to me choosing a film is like a song that comes on that you have to dance to. There is no way to describe that feeling. It makes you want to dance. You have to trust your feelings when it comes to scripts.” Actor Ryan Gosling on picking scripts.

“I keep making stories about women and I don’t know why. It’s kind of weird.

Whenever I get to the end of a film I think ‘oh, right. They are all women again.

I hadn’t noticed. Part of it is more about how I think and how small the world of men’s cinema is. I don’t make films about men with guns. I have never seen a gun, I have never held one. I have nothing to say about violence and I have never been in a car chase so I don’t have anything to say about that. So I rule all those things out and then all those films about men who can’t express their emotions, I rule those out too. So what I am left with is these and they turn out to be about women. But it is not like I am saying I must find a story about women.” Saving Grace, Calendar Girls and Made in Dagenham director Nigel Cole on why his movies are usually about women.

“It was a lot harder to get rid of it than to get it back. Every time I left Boston people would feel it was like nails on chalkboard when they would hear that accent. And I have been in other movies that have taken place around that area where the accents were God-awful. They were so bad that it seemed like the people who were from that area were doing the bad accents, But here everyone did a fantastic job and they didn’t push it too far. You think these characters are so extreme and so broad but they are a toned down version of these larger than life characters.” Mark Wahlberg on getting the accents right for The Fighter.

“I have dealt with Method actors and I think it is a bunch of nonsense. It is film acting and you just have to be on when the camera is rolling. Sure, if it is an intense scene, you may want to keep that energy up in between takes while the crew is resetting. But, I want to scare method actors away because it is a pain. It is not real. ‘What are you doing? Okay, you are really brooding? Go to your trailer and I will see you in an hour.’” Director Darren Aronofsky on The Method.

Excerpted from interviews done by Reel West editor Ian Caddell.

17

Zach Comes Back

Zach Snyder has probably been responsible for spending more money in Vancouver than any other American tourist. It’s estimated that the two films he has brought to Vancouver, Watchmen and Sucker Punch, cost almost ¼ of a billion dollars. If you add the upcoming Snyder film Superman to the total, it is even more impressive.

Story by

Ian Caddell The loyalty to British Columbia doesn’t just extend to the making of the movies, it includes the hiring of his crews. According to Deb Snyder, his wife and producer, he didn’t want to make Sucker Punch unless he could work with the local people who had been part of Watchmen.

“I think we got 90 per cent of the crew we tried to get,” she says, on the Vancouver Film Studios set of the 18

film, which opens March 25. “We kept telling everyone: ‘we are coming. Please wait.’ Zach’s crew is like a family. I think that is what makes the sets so different from other sets I have been on. He trusts his people.

Sometimes you can’t get everyone back because they are in the middle of something else. So then we fine tune things to make some changes depending on the project. So it is a great mutual respect that he has with these people and he allows them to do their jobs.”

Jimmy Chow, who started finding

props for sets 30 years ago on The Beachcombers, was one of the first people Snyder called for both Watchmen and Sucker Punch. He says that Snyder likes close ups, which means there is no cheating when it comes to getting the prop that will work for the scene. “When you have a prop that is a full screen close up it is more of a challenge. You tend to be more focused on it as an audience. What is great about the props on Sucker Punch is we get to coordinate with other departments and see how the actors work with them. So it

isn’t something that is just handed to them and we say ‘use this.’ If it is being used in a stunt the stunt coordinator will work all that out and when we get to the set we rehearse it all like a theatre production.”

Chow has worked on over 50 productions with recent big budget films including Tron: The Legacy, Fanstastic Four and its sequel Rise of the Silver Surfer, X2 and X-Men The Last Stand. He says that he prefers films that give him and his crew an opportunity to help tell the story through props. “I am in show business but I Reel West March / april 2011

am trying to contribute objects that say something to enhance the story and I get to do that with a movie like this. My experience on Watchmen was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew and I have been very fortunate in getting so many of these guys back again. I feel very fortunate because they aren’t just amazing technicians but artists in their own right. Any chance to work with these guys I would take.”

Sucker Punch is an ambitious film that requires its artists to create several fantasy worlds. It stars Emily Browning as an institutionalized teenager who “escapes” from her dreary world to places she discovers within her imagination. Along for the adventure are four other inmates played by Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung and Abbie Cornish. They fight their way through worlds inhabited by serpents and Samurai with a virtual arsenal at their command.

Hudgens, perhaps best known for her work in High School Musical and its sequels, had fallen for Snyder’s big canvases with 300. She says that after singing her way through some of her movies she was happy to pulverize bad guys in Sucker Punch. “I was the biggest fan of Zach,” she says. “I loved 300 so much and I was so excited when I read about this script because it is so rare that you get to see girls genuinely kick ass in a very intense way. It is usually sugar coated in a sense and this is down and dirty.

These girls are giving the 300 guys a run for their money. And Zach has been incredible. He has been there with us every step of the way. One of the things that I have been impressed with and thankful for is how real he tries to make everything. In this one

sequence where a gunshot goes off usually someone would say ‘bang’ but here there was a real gun that went off behind the set and a light flashed.

That gets you into a place where everything is so realistic and it gives you that extra push to go to a place where it is real. It dumbfounds me how visual he is. I read the script and said ‘Zach wrote this?’ He is so nice of a guy. I don’t know where these ideas come from, but I love him to death.”

The man who designed the elaborate costumes for the fantasy, Michael Wilkinson, says that Snyder may be at his most creative with Sucker Punch. He says that working with his own original story (Snyder wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Steve Shibuya) gave him a lot more leeway than he had with the graphic novels he adapted for Watchmen and 300.

“I think that not having something like a graphic novel to follow has allowed him to really create a very original world,” he says. “He can dig deep into something that is very personal to him within him and that allows him to create worlds we haven’t seen before.”

Snyder agrees. He says that there is something very freeing about having to chart your own course after following other writers’ visions. “I have been exhausted by this and I love adapting things. However, after making those other pictures I felt I was ready to not have anyone tell me if the canon was correct. It has been liberating and I am not saying this will be better than the others but I like my influences even though they are glaringly obvious. On the other hand I treat this movie seriously even though it is built on pop culture imagery. I take it really seriously in terms of what their emotional strug-

gles are and what they go through.”

There are several worlds in Sucker Punch. As Browning’s character Baby Doll imagines herself leaving the asylum, she finds herself and her friends in a Moulin Rouge style brothel, on the battlefields of World War I and in a Japanese pagoda. Snyder says that the story started with Baby Doll and then went from there.

“I had been working on this other story a long time ago and there was this Baby Doll character in it and she went on these fantasy journeys. But she was only a small side bar in the story. She was one of those characters we (Snyder and Deb Snyder) really liked and then we kept talking about her and seeing how it evolved.

Then this story kind of happened. It happened over a period of time but the actual structure of what it is was locked in quickly. We had been talking about it knowing what it was for quite awhile and then we got busy on these other films and didn’t get around to it.”

Snyder felt that the “trick” to making a movie about a journey to several imaginary worlds was to keep things less complicated in their starting point, a 1960s-set asylum where Baby Doll is scheduled to be lobotomized.

Desperate to escape, she seeks a map that will allow her to move on from the world inside. Snyder says that the key to the script for him was to make things more complicated as she and her friends got further afield.

“The movie is constructed so if they steal the map then it is not a super complicated affair in their world. But in their fantasy worlds it is super-complicated and dangerous and a matter of life and death and eventually they are fighting these exotic Hun and that struggle is directly related to whether

they can trust each other. It’s the first adventure and they don’t really work together that well yet. Then we put them on a bullet train and it all goes a little awry. We said ‘we need to steal a super dangerous device’ so in their world it is a knife but in their adventure world it is a super bomb. So we looked at how the map could be a labyrinthine object and it would be a trench like affair and trenches are cool. The girls work so hard and they have done such a great job. They are all crazy individuals in the script and they have taken the characters I wrote and they have taken them all the way.”

The tough part was creating that vision inside the sound stages of Vancouver Film Studios. Although Snyder had a crew he was familiar with, he was making several movies at one time using sets that often had to be kept up for the entire 18 week shoot in case they needed to reshoot. It was going to be expensive. He says he was passionate enough about the story that when Warner Bros balked he put together a trailer to give them an idea of what it would look like on film.

“Making more than one movie at a time, which was really what we did here, is always going to be tough.

But I really wanted to see this work.

When I talked to the studio they said ‘this is not based on anything and it is super strange.’ Their biggest problem was that it might be too obscure.

I cut together a little trailer to see what it could look like and they said ‘oh there is adventure in it.’ So then it kind of changed a little bit but like anything you face questions because it was a big deal to get people on board. You tell people ‘five girls go on crazy adventures and they seem to be in a brothel but they are really Zack continued on page 29

(main) Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures present epic action fantasy Sucker Punch; (above, left to right) Writer/Director Zach Snyder on set; Emily Browning as Babydoll and Carla Guigino as Madam Gorski Photos: Clay Enos

Reel West March / april 2011

19

Taking the Online Plunge Story by

Cheryl Binning Many producers are wading into new waters as they navigate their way through the multi-platform universe.

The new Canadian Media Fund has made it a requirement that all TV projects include a “rich and substantial” digital media component to be eligible for funding, such as interactive websites, mobile applications, videogames, Video On Demand or digital distribution.

But before a producer starts spending lots of money on flashy interactive applications for their TV project, they 20

need to make sure the content of their show supports this use.

“You have to be strategic and take the time to figure out exactly what you want the digital media property to do and what you want to achieve with it,” says Omni Films’ producer Leigh Badgley, who is in charge of the digital initiatives for the History series Ice Pilots NWT. Emily Carr’ University’s Social + Interactive Media Centre conducts applied research with industry partners on the use of digital media and integrating it in broadcast and film.

Alexandra Samuel, Director of the program, advises that producers ask: “what is the combination of content,

tools and relationships that you can offer your users that give them a reason to contribute and keep coming back.”

“The digital application really has to fit the property and enhance it -- otherwise it is a waste of time and energy,” adds Erin Berube, Manager of Production/ Digital Media at Anaid Productions, the company behind the award-winning Xweighted.com weight-loss site.

Samuel agrees and suggests that the first step is to differentiate between two types of TV shows: for some projects it makes the most sense to have an online presence that exists to promote the show and serve fans. Meanwhile, other TV projects have content that

lends itself to a digital application that has value beyond the show itself and could appeal to a broader audience who may not even watch the series.

For fan-based websites, Samuel says it is important to get viewers engaged on Twitter and Facebook and have show characters tweeting during every episode broadcast.

“Shows that are strongly character driven can build audience engagement through Twitter, Facebook and an interactive fan community online,” explains Samuel.

Ice Pilots NWT is an example of a series where fan engagement has been key to the success of the online site.

The documentary series follows the Reel West March / april 2011

adventures of a renegade Arctic airline Buffalo Airways and the pilots, engineers and crew who fly vintage warplanes to transport food and supplies throughout the far north.

Badgley says when developing the www.icepilots.com site, they started by figuring out the different types of fans that the show would generate, such as people interested in aviation, history buffs, and those interested in the North. They made sure the website appealed to all these niche interests.

“As much as possible know who your fans are and how they act and what drives them,” she says. “Having that marketing intelligence determines what type of site to create.”

Badgley says in the first cycle of the website they kept their business and marketing objectives simple. Working with Vancouver Web company Switch United and social media consultants Fantrust, season one of the website included information on the show and its characters, the planes they fly, video cockpit tours video, clips from the show, fun factoids about the North, a section on pilot slang, a photo gallery, and pod cast interviews.

“We built slowly,” says Badgley.

“That takes the pressure off trying to be all things to all people because there isn’t enough time or money.”

Badgley also realized that many people had stories or some connection to the North.

“So we decided to create the Storymap which is the user interactive portion of the site where users post their own stories using words, pictures, video and audio clips

about their experiences in the North,” says Badgley. “We wanted to create a people’s living history of the North.”

The site launched in November 2009, a week before the series premiered.

Badgley says they had over 12,000 views in the first four days and page views skyrocketed after the show went to air.

To continue to engage fans they run contests and giveaways.

“The fans make it so much fun,” says Badgley. “We give away hats and aviator caps and the winners post pictures of themselves in their gear.”

In year one of the site, Badgley says creating a revenue generating model wasn’t a priority but in the second cycle they have implemented a line of Ice Pilots merchandise that can be purchased online and they are selling DVDs on the site. Omni also has a deal with a publishing company to write a book inspired by the series.

Interestingly, Badgley says there are many American fans of the website who were intrigued by the content without ever having seen the series. They kept asking when Ice Pilots would be available in the US, so they now have an early American fan base for the show when it premieres on National Geographic in May. Xweighted.com is an example of an online property with value that extends beyond the fan base of the TV series.

Anaid Productions, based in Vancouver and Edmonton, created the site as a companion for their Slice weight-loss documentary series X-Weighted.

Xweighted.com offers Canadians the opportunity to register for a free 26week weight loss program, similar to

the plan that show participants undertake. Anaid launched a country-wide challenge in January 2010, inviting Canadians to take part in the weight-loss contest for the chance to win prizes.

Over 4,500 people participated.

The online program includes diet and exercise plans, a recipe section, information on healthy living, peer support through blogs and chat rooms, advice from the TV series fitness and nutrition experts, plus a Facebook page and Twitter feed.

A second 26-week challenge launched in January 2011. Participants can also register at any time to participate in the weight loss program outside of the contest.

“Xweighted.com is complementary to the TV series in that it allows fans to participate in the same way people par-

ticipate on the show,” explains Berube.

“But it is a standalone entity and a community on its own. There are definitely people who found out about the web challenge who hadn’t watched the show. Word of mouth about the website brought new people to the challenge.”

Anaid received funding from BC Film, The Bell New Media Fund, the Canadian Television Fund Digital Media Fund and Slice for the launch of the site, and then did the second season – with many enhancements to the site --- with Canadian Media Fund money.

For cycle two of Xweighted.com, Anaid enhanced the community functionality of the site because they realized this is what attracted particiOnline Plunge continued on page 28

(main) Ice Pilots NWT has taken the plunge into the world of digital media with an interactive website and mobile compatibility, while Health Nutz (above) has not only created an interactive website, but also a quirky facebook game testing viewers’ knowledge of the show. (top right) Xweighted.com challenges users to participate in a 26-week weight-loss program which allows them to record their goals and track their progress along the way.

Reel West March / april 2011

21

Robert Carlyle as Dr. Nicholas Rush, Lou Diamond Phillips as Col. David Telford, Louis Ferreira as Col. Everett Young, Ming-Na as Camile Wray and Alaina Huffman as Tamara Johansen

Photo: Carole Segal

So long Stargate After 14 years and 17 seasons, the long-running Stargate series franchise is making its final curtain call Story by

Cheryl Binning American cable channel SyFy has cancelled Stargate Universe, the latest spin-off of the successful science fiction series that has included Stargate SG-1 (which debuted in 1997) and Stargate Atlantis (premiering in 2004).

The successful MGM-produced series has also spawned two straight to DVD movies, Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Continuum.

22

“It’s sad it’s over,” says Stargate cocreator and executive producer Brad Wright. “We were not at the end of our creative rope. The last ten episodes yet to air are some of our best work collectively.”

There’s no doubt that Stargate will be missed by its legion of devote fans. The franchise has also left an indelible mark on Vancouver.

The series, in its various iterations, has provided jobs for numerous above and below the line crew over the years, and launched many a career.

At the height of production, Wright says Stargate directly employed up to 300 people.

“Stargate has always shot a minimum of 20 episodes, so it provided long term stable work,” says line producer John G. Lenic. “It had a huge impact on the BC labour pool.”

Stargate also put a lot of money into the local economy.

“The budget was $40 million for the first season and it’s gone up from there so over the course of 14 years that’s a huge amount of money spent in BC,” says Lenic.

Stargate also developed the skills of its crew.

“It has been one of the longest series that has ever shot here and the whole franchise has been a great training ground for crew – technical, directorial and management,” says DGC BC executive director Crawford Hawkins. “Stargate was willing to work with new people and let them mature in their jobs. It developed so much talent.”

Many crew members also honed special skills in the sci fi genre.

“We did some of the most ambiReel West March / april 2011

tious stuff attempted in the town,” says Wright.

Lenic adds: “Crews got to be really creative because when you are dealing with science fiction elements you have to build it from scratch to make it unique and different.”

In the long-running franchise, crew also moved up the ladder as they expanded their skillset.

“I believe in promoting from within as it creates a sense of loyalty,” says Wright. “When you move up within a company you have a sense of belonging to something. People realized that if you work your ass off you get rewarded around here. You didn’t have to go elsewhere to succeed.”

For example, Robert C. Cooper, who created Stargate Universe with Wright, started as a story editor on SG-1, worked his way up to exec producer and took the helm as showrunner on seasons eight

Lenic started off as a unit manager, went on to production managing and spent the last seven years as the line producer on Stargate.

“A show that runs for this long gives people the ability to move up because there is a built in trust factor,” he says. “You know how the show runs and what works best. ” The series offered opportunities to first assistant directors, like Andy Makita and Martin Wood, to make the jump into the director’s chair.

Wood worked on Stargate for ten years, beginning as a first assistant director and then directing second unit on the first season.

“Then I got show nine to direct, then show eleven and soon I was directing episode after episode,” says Wood. “Stargate built many careers, mine included.

We got opportunities we wouldn’t normally be given on a series.”

tionships we forged on Stargate to Sanctuary and it proved successful.”

The Stargate franchise also gave opportunities to many B.C. actors over the years. The most famous being Tapping who got her first major breakthrough in 1997 when she was offered the role of Captain Samanth Carter on Sg-1, and has now gone on to star in and produce Sanctuary.

Many new actors got their first credits as day players on the series, as well.

“Sometimes actors would do a really small part and then come back in a bigger role because they had grown over the years as a performer,” says Wright. “There is a real talent pool here now.”

The series also hired as many Vancouver-based directors as possible.

“Our core directing talent was all from Vancouver,” says Wright. “We looked here first and that served us well.”

“It was one of the best experiences of my life. It’s an amazing family that Brad and Robert put together and kept together– a family I grew up with.”

– Martin Wood, Director through ten. He went on to become the co-creator and partner with Wright on Atlantis and Stargate Universe.

“People used Stargate as a stepping stone in their careers and it was a good one at that,” says Hawkins.

“The franchise has a great reputation. When you said you worked on Stargate, people realized you knew what you were doing.”

And Wood credits what he learned on Stargate to giving he and fellow Stargate alumni Amanda Tapping and Damien Kindler the ability to successfully create and produce their own sci-fi series Sanctuary.

“We had the confidence that we could take a shot at our own show and people had confidence in us,“ says Wood. “And we took the rela-

Another key area of the industry where Stargate has left a huge impact is the visual effects business.

The show helped grow the VFX talent pool in the city by developing it’s own in-house special effects team, as well as spending millions of dollars at various effects house in the city.

“We developed a talent pool in vfx and the caliber of work has got

better and better over the years,” says Wright. “Now it is amazing.”

Many people gained experience with green screen and visual effects on Stargate and moved on from there, points out Wood.

In fact, writer/director Neil Blomkamp worked as an animator on Stargate.

“Then he goes on to make District 9,” says Wood.

Beyond the incredible career opportunities the Stargate franchise offered the local industry, the series also created a great environment in which to work.

“It was always fun to come to work,” says Lenic. “It wasn’t just a job.

Everyone really wanted to be here. It was a family.”

Wood agrees.

“People worked 12 hour days instead of 18 and got to go home and see their families,” he says. “Guest actors often commented on the fabulous atmosphere on set and the sense of humour that pervaded. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

It’s an amazing family that Brad and Robert put together and kept together– a family I grew up with.”

Wright says another Stargate movie may come to fruition yet, and he plans to create other series that will shoot in the city. But he also hopes that other new local projects come along as well.

“I hope there are other shows that step up in helping keep our incredible talent pool flush with work,” says Wright. “Otherwise people will go to LA and that saddens me because all the talented people who acquired all this expertise on Stargate should be able to make a good living in Canada.” n

(Above Left) Patrick Gilmore as Dr. Dale Volker and Louis Ferreira as Col. Everett Young. (Above right) Robert Carlyle as Dr. Nicholas Rush and his double.

Reel West March / april 2011

Photos: MGM

23

(Top Row, L to R) Christopher Heyerdahl, Pete McCormack, Dawson Dunbar. (Middle Row, L to R) Chad Willet, Kelly-Ruth Mercier, Gabrielle Rose. (Bottom Row, L to R) Julia Benson, Calum Worthy, Angelina Cantada Photos by Phil Chin

Diary

Leos Rising

Leo Awards producer Sonny Wong and Leos president Walter Daroshin have been responsible for the awards, which honour the best in BC film and television production, since 1999. You would think it would get easier....

Diary by

Sonny Wong However, as Wong explains in his diary on last year’s awards ceremonies, every year bring new challenges. Wong and Daroshin will be back at it again this year, producing the Celebration Awards on May 19 at the Club 560 and the Gala Awards on May 21 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

April 5, 2010 Finalé Editworks is the site of the Leo Awards committee meeting. The Board of Directors has struck this committee to examine how we might handle the projected shortfall for this year’s Leo Awards. Among the committee members are Tom Adair, Hal Beckett, Bernie Melanson, Walter Daroshin, Dianne Neufeld, Don Thompson, Donna Wong-Juliani, and myself.

Due to the declining economy that has significantly affected sponsorships, the Leo Awards 2009 had sustained a shortfall that Walter and I were carrying on our personal lines of credit. Meanwhile, 2010 was looking difficult as well with another projected shortfall that might cripple the organization.

One proposal that runs the gamut of the room is to cancel the Celebration Awards Ceremony (or the technical awards night) and expand the Gala Awards. Those categories that don’t find their way into the Gala would simply be ‘announced’ in some fashion. However, the conversation quickly turns to the merits of each individual award and how one category can be deemed more important than another. The committee agrees that by pitting categories against each other, the spirit and inclusiveness of the Leo Awards would have been diminished. The committee agrees to set this proposal aside.

Then, one member asks “what is the highest cost line item in the Leo Awards budget?” Walter responds that with the exception of the hotel costs, the trophies, at $50,000, are the most expensive item in the budget. Each trophy is assembled and handcrafted out of crystal glass, brushed aluminum and cast resin by local artisans. In fact, each trophy is unique.

Is it a coincidence that the cost of the trophies is almost equal to the projected shortfall? The conversation then turns to the possibility of removing the trophies for the 2010 year. To some this is an abomination. To others it is a necessity. Tom Adair goes on to make a really good point: a winner of a Leo Award is still an award winner. He or she just may not receive a trophy this year. The committee also rationalizes that the Leo Awards, as an institution, is far more important to preserve than saving the trophies for a year. The committee meeting ends with the agreement that, in the absence of additional funding, the Leo Awards will forego trophies for 2010. This recommendation will be taken to the greater Board.

After the meeting, Walter and I talk on the street. We agree that we will try like heck to find the additional funding, but we both realize that that will be difficult. However, we must try.

May 3Today we announce the nominees for the 2010 Leo Awards. It’s always a celebratory and busy day since the announcement heralds the home stretch.

Because the results are published on our web site, traffic spikes and continues Reel West March / april 2011

to be active right into the ceremonies. So, with 11 program categories and 63 craft awards we’ll be handing out 84 Leos. It’s a full slate again and that will result in some intense times over the next few weeks. Fun though!

I meet with Andy Chu. Andy has agreed to help produce our Red Carpet in return for a sponsorship for his company, Arc2 Entertainment. It’s a great exchange that works out for both organizations. The immediate problem that needs to be solved is: from where do we get a red carpet? In years past, we’ve been fortunate to have The Bay sponsor the red carpet. Part of that sponsorship meant The Bay provided the actual red carpet. They use a lot of it for in-store promotions for occasions such as Christmas and Valentines Day. Unfortunately, with 2010 being an Olympic year and with The Bay being a significant sponsor, their budgets were spent and our contact was AWOL. Hopefully, Andy can find a solution. There’s not much time.

May 5 The folks at Northwest Digital (Alex Tkach, Peter Mastalyr, Celina Stefanucci) are great! We’ve used the same colour palette for the Leo Awards show for a number of years. It’s a blue/silver tungsten effect that is on the cooler side and I want to warm it up this year. And they come through! Bernie Melanson, the Leo Awards’ chairman, who also doubles as the video producer, is on hand to see the new look. The colours are now more in the gold and amber range. We like it!

Now that we’ve announced the nominees, the race is on to put the show reels together for the two awards ceremonies. That means locating DVDs, RIPing them into digital format, identifying segments to show during the ceremonies, reviewing the content, matching the nominee names and titles with the video segments, reviewing the content, creating and voicing the audio introduction of nominees, reviewing the content, and finally, mastering the shows to DVD. Much of this heavy lifting is done by Bernie, Walter, and the good folks at Northwest Digital.

May 6 Started the day with a great meeting with Mercedes-Benz which has agreed to come on as a sponsor. They will be recognized as the Official Vehicle of the Leo Awards, including the vehicles we use for the Red Carpet. I covered items such as number and types of vehicles we will need to drop off VIPs for the Red Carpet, number of vehicles that will be displayed at the Leo Awards, and other such sponsor benefits. This is a great start to our relationship with Mercedes-Benz and I’m hoping that it’s a long and mutually beneficial one.

Lindsay Namiache, our publicist from Jive Communications, and I meet later that day. It’s a fitting meeting following my morning meeting with Mercedes-Benz since we cover the Red Carpet activities, including attending VIPs, nominees and local stars. The Red Carpet is a raucous mad house with celebrities vying for attention and media outlets mostly pre-selecting who they want to cover. Lindsay recommends that only invited VIPs should walk the Red Carpet but I decide that we should allow spouses and family as well. This might not be good policy but how do we tell someone they can’t accompany their spouse? Besides, I would prefer a busy Red Carpet!

May 7 Hal Beckett, a board member and music producer of the Leo Awards, and I have lunch. Hal has good news and bad news. The bad: he was unsuc25

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26

cessful in finding the money from foundations and sponsors to hire the Vancouver Film Orchestra, an 80-musician symphonic ensemble of which Hal is the music director. The good: he’s found enough to stage a 12-player orchestra led by conductor Fred Stride. I am thrilled!

In 2009, due to budget cutbacks at the sponsor level, the Leo Awards had to forego its live band, led by George Blondheim, after 11 years.

We turned to local DJ phenom and Leo Awards’ friend Zak Santiago to fill in, and he did with aplomb. But admittedly, Walter and I like the energy and gravitas of a live orchestra and with Hal’s help, we have one!

Hal and I spend time determining the stage plot, integration of the orchestra with the live awards program, style of music, number of intros/extros and attire etc.. After Hal and I wrap up, I high-tail it across town to meet with Rozmin Watson.

I’m thinking that with her event and administrative background, Rozmin would be a good ticketing coordinator. She accepts the position and I’m relieved that one additional item has been solved. Ticketing for the Leo Awards is always an intensive and detailed process with hundreds of ticketing and seating requests jammed over a two-week period. I’m confident Rozmin can do the job.

Next, I rush back to the office to meet with Walter and Drew Scott.

Drew is our associate producer and responsible for producing the funny video segments that are interspersed throughout the Leo Awards show.

Drew presents a number of sketches in which Walter and I will be performing. My first thought is: is he nuts? But Drew’s got some good stuff so Walter and I agree to participate. Drew has also lined up a number of local actors and camera crew who have volunteered to be part of the production.

May 10 Lindsay and I meet again. She wants a list of nominees and VIPs that are coming to the Leo Awards. I tell her that I don’t have one since attendees don’t usually confirm until fairly late in the day. That includes our list of presenters since schedule juggling always takes place until the last minute. We are going to have to scramble in the last week to get the Red Carpet celebrities, nominees and presenters organized with the media outlets, but that’s always the case.

Later, Hal Beckett and I head over to

the Westin Bayshore for a site tour with Jeremy Lyon, our technical contact at the hotel. We plan the staging for the orchestra along with audio requirements.

The afternoon ends with a meeting with Shaw Community Television and Jim Reis, producer of The Express. For the last two years, Shaw has produced a Leo Awards TV special on The Express with host Johanna Ward. Jim, Walter and I go over the plans for this year’s Gala event, including some of the nominated programs that Shaw might feature on their program. Walter shares some of the interesting story angles that he’s learned over the last few weeks of adjudication and Jim promises to follow up on a number of the more interesting stories.

May 11 In the middle of a meeting with Metropolitan Fine Printers to redesign the Leo Awards certificates, Andy Chu phones with some news: still no red carpet. I begin to worry.

May 13-14 I’m on a plane to Montreal for some client meetings for my real job. The arrangement we have with the Foundation that owns the Leo Awards allows us to take a license fee and share in the profits from the event.

Unfortunately we have not been able to do so as we roll anything we make back into the show. We’re eternal optimists however and keep thinking we will make a profit in the following year.

Sometimes I think we take our not-forprofit status too seriously! Walter and I are fortunate that we are able to serve the Leo Awards and while our intention is to make a profit we have so far settled for having our costs covered.

We affectionately refer to ourselves as glorified volunteers. We truly believe in the value of celebrating artistic excellence. What makes it all worthwhile is seeing the award recipients celebrating and our sponsors finding value in supporting our community.

May 17 Sonya Salomaa and Benjamin Arthur have agreed to serve as hosts of the Leo Awards Gala event! So Walter, Drew and I converge on agent Russ Mortenson’s office at Pacific Artists to discuss hosting duties and entertaining ideas for audience engagement. Walter introduces the profile of the audience and what’s worked well in the past. I go through the run-down of the show and identify opportunities where funny bits might resonate. Drew has ideas to create a couple of video segments to complement Sonya and Benjamin’s stage duties.

Walter and I also introduce anReel West March / april 2011

other element to the show: Babz Chula has recently passed away and we would like to do a tribute to her. It seemed natural to honour Babz since she’s been part of the Leo Awards since the beginning, not only having won Leos but as a presenter and emotional supporter. Given her contributions to the industry, honouring her is the least we could do.

May 20 Walter and I review the winner and nominee certificates at Met Press and make some changes. They won’t be ready in time for the Leo Awards so we will have to get them out after the event. The red carpet team meets at my office and agrees on a plan of attack. Despite the uncertainties regarding unconfirmed VIPs, we agree on how to handle the guests as they confirm. Andy delivers some good news: The Bay has agreed to provide their red carpet!

May 28 To make final preparations for the site production requirements, Gary Rodman, our technical director and I head over to the Westin to meet with our contacts, Waleed Abouchacra and Heather Little. Then, Waleed throws the book at me. He is unhappy that I’ve moved our production services away from the hotel’s in-house supplier. Waleed is going to charge the Leo Awards an additional $11,000 in fees to cover off their commission shortfall that they would normally receive from their in-house supplier. The meeting is unexpectedly hostile and cold. I can’t believe what I’m hearing after having been with the Westin for the past eight years! I am insulted and ready to walk.

These additional charges are totally unacceptable and being informed of them this late in the day severely compromises the Leo Awards.

To make matters worse, Gary and I finish the production meeting just in time for Walter to arrive at the hotel for our scheduled meeting for the menu tasting to determine the food items, wine selection and plating for the Gala evening dinner. I can barely contain myself, or stomach the food just having had such an intense and disruptive meeting. Nor can I share my thoughts with Walter with the hotel reps at the same table. I feel very uncomfortable with the whole exchange.

May 29 Walter and I spend the day shooting videos for the show. Drew has lined up a who’s who of performers in the film industry to play bit parts in our videos. We begin the day at Section 3 in Yaletown and finish off Reel West March / april 2011

at Sonya Salomaa’s house. It’s a fun day since we both get to do things that are normally outside of our purview.

Hopefully, our acting is acceptable!

June 1 Heather Little tells me that the Westin has agreed to waive some, but not all, of the additional production fees. It’s still more than I want to pay, but I accept the proposal. With three days left before the Celebration Awards, there’s little I can do.

June 2 Sonya Salomaa, Benjamin Arthur, Jacqueline Samuda, and Walter and I get together to discuss final hosting details for the Leo Awards.

Jacqueline is the ‘voice of the Leos having voiced all the video intros for the show’s nominees. She’s also the ‘Goddess voice’ at the live event (ie, the anonymous voice that fills the room) so we look to discuss final details on how and when Jacqueline would be interacting with Sonya and Ben. We nail down some final ideas and hope that they resonate with the audience.

Later, I send out the embargoed list of Leo Awards winners to the media.

June 4It’s show day and I rush over to Northwest Digital to pick up the show DVDs. I deliver them to Gary Rodman at the hotel who begins testing them immediately. Bernie is on hand to troubleshoot in case there are any issues with the video output. Gary and I quickly move into a production meeting to review the technical specs, lighting, media and schedule. It’s all good so we get ready for rehearsal for the presenters.

We experienced some technical difficulties in getting our clips to show as planned. However our presenters, namely Amanda Tapping, were real troopers in ad-libbing the nominee information. It was a bumpy ride but we got through it. We later discovered an authoring problem in the DVDs and after an all-night session fix the problem in time for the Saturday night Gala.

June 5 I get up early and pick up the DJ gear that we’ll need for the Red Carpet, from Tom Lee Music ,and deliver it to the hotel. I arrive at the hotel ballroom for more rehearsals.

This time it’s both the orchestra and the presenters that go through the paces. Since this is Fred Stride’s first Leo Awards, Hal Beckett is on hand to facilitate the orchestra rehearsal and tie in the music cues with the evening’s schedule. The orchestra continues in the ballroom while I Diary continued on page 29

Mega-movies descend on Vancouver It was a blockbuster of a March in B.C. with the mega-movies Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Underworld 4, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn all in production. “These high profile shows really help build our reputation,” says B.C. Film Commissioner Susan Croome.

Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the fourth installment in the hit movie action franchise starring Tom Cruise, and Underworld: New Dawn is the latest film in Lakeshore Entertainment’s vampire/werewolf movie series and stars Kate Beckinsale.

And Breaking Dawn Part 1 and 2 are the final installments in the massively popular vampire romance franchise led by actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart and based on the books by Stephanie Meyers.

“Having great credits sends the message that we are capable of producing an excellent product here and reinforces our excellent reputation as a great production centre,” says Croome. “That gives other major shows more confidence in B.C.’s depth and breadth of talent, expertise and infrastructure. That leads to repeat business.

Great credits lead to more great credits.”

For example, Summit Entertainment shot the earlier Twilight Saga films New Moon and Eclipse in B.C., then returned for Breaking Dawn. This is the first time Paramountproduced Mission Impossible movie has shot locally.

“That is a fabulous credit for us,” says Croome.

These big movies do extensive hiring of crew as well as secondary actors in the province.

DGC-BC executive director Crawford Hawkins says movies like Mission Impossible and Underworld 4 are great resume-building shows for B.C. crew and employ a large amount of people at once time.

“These crews are huge,” says Hawkins.

“Over 90% of people working on these shows are British Columbians,” adds Croome.

Working on a high profile movie is prestigious for local crew.

“The big movies bring in their top people from LA but it is great training for the local crew and a big star on your resume to work for people of such high stature,” points out Hawkins.

Mega-movies also offer opportunities for entry-level crew.

“They use gobs of PA’s,” says Hawkins.

Local actors also find lots of work in secondary and small roles.

“There is a great acting pool in the province,” says casting director Stuart Aikens, who’s involved in casting Breaking Dawn and Underworld 4. “It is a superb community and that is why LA looks here all the time.”

And the recognizability that comes getting cast in a high-profile movie watched by millions of people is a great credit on an actor’s resume. It can lead to bigger and better parts in other movies and boost an actor’s career.

A spin-off benefit of big shows landing in B.C. is all the money spent in the province.

Mission Impossible 4 is rumoured to be budgeted at over $65 million and lots of that cash will be spent in B.C. Croome points out that these huge productions spend a lot of money on local goods and services. Everything from lumber companies, rental houses, caterers, furniture and clothing stores, and gas stations benefit.

“It isn’t just cameras,” points out Croome. “It touches deeply into the economy.

When a film unit moves into a neighborhood even the local coffee shops benefit.”

So how busy is too busy? And how much work can the local industry handle?

Croome says the province can shoot between 35 and 40 shows at once, depending on the size and type of project.

B.C. has about a million square feet of studio space although even when stages are at full capacity, the province can accommodate projects that can use warehouse space or that are primarily location shoots.

However, it can be challenging for smaller projects looking for crew when there are several mega-movies shooting.

“They have big second unit shoots that take up a disproportionate amount of crew,” says Jim McKeown, production coordinator on the Canadian movie Foreverland, which wrapped shooting in early March.

“So someone who would normally be in the running [for a lower budget or indie film] says they can make more doing day calls on this big show than they can committing to your project for a number of months,” explains McKeown.

Mega Movies continued on page 28 27

Online Plunge continued from page 21

pants to the challenge. For example, they made it easier for challenge participants to direct message each other, leave feedback and “friend” each other.

“We added a mentor feature so people with weight loss success are highlighted and participants can go to them for support and encouragement and check in like a buddy system,” says Berube. “We also had a bigger email marketing campaign where we touched base with participants each week reminding them to go to the site.”

While the X-Weighted TV series has not been renewed for an additional season, Anaid is looking at ways to keep xweighted.com running as a stand-alone weight-loss site.

“We are working on a funding model to keep it going,” says Berube, pointing out that until their license with Slice expires, the broadcaster has the right to generate all advertising on the site.

A key trend in companion websites is offering fans of a show a multi-viewing experience. For example, the recent Oscar Awards ceremony gave viewers the opportunity to watch the show on their TV screen and also go to their laptop or mobile device to watch the Oscars website for a live backstage feed.

“The data shows that more and more people watch TV with other screens in play at the same time,” says Samuel.

“They are watching TV while texting or going on the Internet.”

So the challenge for producers is to get their audience engaged in a web or mobile application of their series, while watching TV. “If you can find a way to give viewers a multi-screen experience related to your show it means what they are doing on their iPad or computer isn’t a distraction from your show,” explains Samuel.

Ice Pilots has created a multi-screen application for its second season. They added a mobile optimized version of the website and built an interactive segment, called Social TV, so viewers can answer quiz questions related to the episode they are watching.

The Social TV quiz is being promoted on Facebook and during the broadcast with an on air bug that drives viewers to the Social TV site on their laptops or mobile device.

“If they answer correctly it unlocks a special video that is delivered to their mobile handset,” says Badgley. “It’s engaging fans in a more interactive way.”

One video is released per TV episode.

“The videos are fun goofy stuff with 28

characters from the show but not necessarily related to the episode,” says Badgley.

Health Nutz, a new six part APTN comedy series from Vancouver’s Chasing Pictures, has also created webisodes and a social game to engage fans while watching the show.

Health Nutz centres around a washed up alcoholic former pro hockey player who inherits a Juice Bar from his father.

But there is one condition – he has to get and stay sober. The show follows the zany characters that hang out at the Juice bar.

Series creator/producer/writer Jason Friesen and co-writer and producer Dasha Novak created eighteen webisodes for the show.

“We wrote our online content as we wrote the episodes,” says Novak. “And we filmed the webisodes with our actors during production.”

Fans of the show can play a Health Nutz Facebook game (www.facebook. com/healthnutztv) where they are asked questions about characters and choose from among four possible answers.

“If the user picks the wrong answer, they get a funny comeback, a funny slam towards them,” says Friesen. “When they pick the right answer, we show them a clip from one of our webisodes.”

Fans can also watch webisodes through a YouTube interface at www.healthnutz. tv. Three webisodes will be released when each episode is broadcast.

“The webisodes touch on characteristics of our characters and tap into things hinted on the show,” says Friesen.

For example Chuck the Juice Bar tender has a bridge phobia that is mentioned in the series so one webisode is a funny scene where he attempts to confront his fear.

The Health Nutz online campaign was programmed and launched by Ayogo Games, and financing came from APTN, BC Film, the Canada Media Fund and the Bell Development Fund.

“We are hoping some of the webisodes go viral and people will send tweets about it and post on Facebook and that will attract viewers,” says Novak. “We also have characters tweeting during every episode.”

Whether a TV show’s online experience is simply a Twitter feed and a Facebook page, or more elaborate with webisodes and a social game, it’s important to remember that content is king.

“It’s not about the technology, it’s about how you engage with viewers and the quality of content,” says Samuel. “You are better off spending twice as much money on content and human support rather than the technology.” n

Beginnings continued from page 13

I don’t remember much about the ride to the set. I felt like one of those soldiers jumping off the boats on DDay preparing to meet their doom. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was on the bridge.

Neil was directing, showing me where I would enter with Bruno. I spent a lot of time nodding but didn’t hear a word he said.

“Places ladies and gentlemen!” yelled the 1st A.D. Bruno must have felt that there was something wrong. He coaxed me back to our starting position. When we got there he whispered to me “It’s going to be all right.” I felt somewhat relieved but I still couldn’t remember a single line of dialogue. Then I remembered I had a copy of the sides in my pocket. Too late. “Action!”

And the train began to move.

Everything appeared to be in slow motion. Demi and Hoyt were coming from the Canadian side. Bob and Sean were twenty feet in front of them holding their cassocks as they swiftly made their way across the bridge. Bruno and myself were honing in from the U.S. side. I glanced over the railing which I’m sure people thought was such a great character thing to do. I was actually contemplating jumping over. But I am not a swimmer and because of my girth I would sink like the Titanic. I looked over to Bruno. He gave me a wink.

As I glanced past him I could have sworn I saw my mother walking along side whispering “You don’t look like Paul Newman!” It was either my mother or the Steadicam. As we hastily approached the centre of the bridge my lines were coming back to me. But not in the right order! Five feet from the centre I took a deep breath and thought to myself “Lips don’t fail me now.” Sean and Bob had just reached their marks with Demi and Hoyt bringing up the rear. I hit my mark, Bruno at my side, opened my mouth, not knowing what the hell I was going to say, but hoping some sound would come out. A sound did come out, but not from me.

B B B B B B B R RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! It was the loudest fart I had ever heard. It had come from under Hoyt’s robe. The bridge scattered like mosquitoes. De Niro was the fastest followed by the Steadicam. Hoyt was fanning his robe! “Man I don’t know what the hell I ate but I sure as hell feel better now!”

And I, of course, could not stop laughing. I realized I was never going to be Paul Newman. I wasn’t going to Hollywood and that everybody farts, even movie stars. And I may not be the best actor in the world but I’m certainly not the worst. I’ve been on this train now for 36 years. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. And maybe that’s a good thing. Or is it? n

Mega Movies continued from page 27 When there are a lot of projects shooting at once, certain crew can be difficult to find.

“In November, for example, you couldn’t find a camera first assistant to save your life,” says McKeown. “There were none available because they were all working. So when it’s really busy in town you have to do more legwork to track down the people you need for your shoot.”

On the positive side, there is more room for crew to move up a rung on the ladder, when certain positions can’t be filled. As well, Hawkins points out some crew, such as carpenters, who may have left the industry to work in housing, may come back in busy times.

Another drawback: with all the first and second units shooting on these large movies, McKeown says services like caterers are in high demand and that can lead to shortages.

“There can also be more competition for locations,” adds McKeown. Not only can this drive up prices, it can also make it difficult to get the place you need on the date you want it.

“Different shows try to work together,” says McKeown, explaining that shows will try to accommodate each other. “For example I hear you want this house for these days. Is there any way your schedule can be moved around?”

Aikens says actor availability isn’t a huge issue when there are several big movies shooting.

“The majority – except for 10% of the roles — are day players so actors may have a day on Mission Impossible and a day on Underworld,” he explains.

Actor schedules get more complicated when there are several big TV series shooting at once and talent is moving from one to the other.

“You have to clear actors to find out if they are available because they may have sporadic dates in every episode or every other episode,” says Aikens. “So there is a lot of juggling of schedules.” n

Reel West March / april 2011

Zack continued from page 19

in an insane asylum.’ So it is a little bit of a struggle. But it is original and it is action-y and the girls are amazing and the setting is sexy so on the other hand it seems like an easy sell.”

But will it be too dark for a mass audience? Snyder says that developing the right tone for so many different stories within one film was not simple. “I am very happy with the tone.

It is really interesting to me that the tone has a slightly dark point of view whether we are in the insane asylum or on an adventure. Everyone is trying to find their way and their adventures are metaphors for their struggles.

They are always at a point in the story where the transitions are happening to the characters and during the adventures we get some of that so the tone stays on an even keel.”

Snyder’s reputation for being one of the more easy-going directors in Hollywood has served him well when it has come to casting. Unlike a lot of higher budget films, his movies rely more on ensemble casts than on A-list stars.

Although 300’s Gerard Butler became a movie star after the movie came out, he was just a lead member of a large cast when the movie was made. The Watchmen graphic novels also featured several pivotal characters sharing time on screen. This movie features the five young women and then adds several supporting villains and heroes played

by Jon Hamm, Carla Gugino and Scott Glenn among others. Snyder says that he doesn’t mind working with bigger casts even though he knows that it means a lot of egos are involved.

“Its weird I just recently realized that I have only made movies that had ensemble casts. And it’s interesting because I don’t think I would have done a version that wasn’t acceptable to these girls. The movie is all about power and about being on edge of sorts. So you are asking questions of your characters, and thus Diary continued from page 27

head over to the Red Carpet. By 3:00 the Mercedes-Benz cars arrive and we move them into place. At 4:00 Red Carpet begins and it doesn’t stop until past 6:00. The Red Carpet is a busy place. It’s both crazy and fun.

Unfortunately, it causes us to start the show late, yet again. The orchestra has been playing for over 10 minutes trying to lure the guests into the ballroom and I’m running around asking Reel West March / april 2011

your actors, all the time. When is a person strong and when is a person weak and when do you have to dig down in yourself? I like those kinds of movies, or so it would seem.”

Chow says that it wasn’t just the high paid help that was given the director’s ear. He says that the crew was also part of the collaborative process.

“I met with Zach before Watchmen and it was such an uplifting experience. He came from a TV commercial background and I had done that when there wasn’t’ too much work here. He was very clear and precise and with the team we put together it became a great ride. Guys were coming to work and saying ‘this is fabulous’ and I would say ‘it’s time to go home’ because usually you have people watching the clock but on Watchmen and with this film, they stay. He is so approachable. He will come into my office and say ‘what have you got to show me?’ and my crew goes up to him and shows him what they have and so they have built a relationship.

For Watchmen we were doing newspapers that had to be period correct.

He would answer every question as though he had heard it for the first time. Everyone was so uplifted. We were happy and everyone wanted to contribute so when Sucker Punch came up how could you say no?”

Snyder didn’t have to work too hard to get Warner Bros to come to Vancouver. They like the tax break and they knew he wants to make movies in the city. However, he admits that he was committed to coming back to work with the team that had served him well on Watchmen.

“I pressed them (Warner Bros) but what they see is that there is a great tax break,” he says. “For me it is about having a short hand. So coming here gives you that and the tax break and I get the opportunity to work with the guys I want to work with which is perfect.” n the guests to enter the ballroom. Finally, the Gala Awards begin 20 minutes late. And again, it goes without a hitch. Everyone seems to be having a good time and the live orchestra really adds to the overall ambiance.

There’s little to think about except getting this evening wrapped in the best way possible. A few diehards rustle up an after-party and I end up at Ginger 62 until 4:00am. The Leo Award are done for another year. n

Legal Briefs

Young Blades Case could Impact Film & Television Industry Lori Massini Entertainment Lawyer

A major reason why film producers incorporate single-purpose companies is to try to limit their legal liability in the event that an action giving rise to a potential lawsuit occurs. This can be a very effective way of limiting liability, but there are a couple of potential issues that producers often fail to consider. One such issue concerns Section 96 of the Employment Standards Act (ESA), which provides that the officers and directors of a company may be held personally liable for the payment of up to two months’ unpaid wages to its employees. There has been some debate, however, as to whether this provision extends to situations where the engagement of such employees is subject to a collective agreement.

While we are able to advise our clients on areas of employment law, we thought it would be useful to ask labour and employment lawyer, David G. Wong of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, some questions about director and officer liability, as David recently received a favourable decision for his client in a film-related hearing.

What was the nature and outcome of the case?

This case arose from a grievance arbitration under the Independent Production Agreement (IPA) between the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) and the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA). In the grievance, the WGC claimed that two single purpose companies owed a number of its writers for unpaid production fees for their work on the production of Young Blades. On October 9, 2008, the arbitrator issued an Order against the companies in regards to the grievance. After taking steps to enforce the Order against the companies, including filing the Order in court, the WGC elected to pursue the officer and director of the companies, Kirk Shaw, personally, for the amount of the Order.

As noted above, under the ESA, directors or officers of corporations can be held personally liable for up to two months’ unpaid wages for each employee. In the context of unionized employees, though, the ESA does not universally apply where the employment relationship is governed by a collective agreement and the grievance arbitration procedures that go along

with it, because unionized employees have the protection of a union, and thus aren’t in need of the same protections as nonunion employees. The ESA does, however, contain a provision that permits enforcement of grievance arbitration decisions concerning wages. Through this provision, the WGC attempted to have Mr. Shaw held personally liable for the amount of the Order.

Initially, a delegate of the Director of the Employment Standards Branch accepted the WGC’s position and issued a determination that Mr. Shaw was personally liable to pay the wages. In response, Mr. Shaw appealed the determination to the Tribunal, and was ultimately successful in having the determination cancelled – in practical terms, reversing the decision that he was personally liable to pay the wages.

What do you think are the potential implications of the decision?

This decision confirms that it requires more than a mere administrative procedure in order for a Union to be able to successfully enforce a grievance arbitration decision under the ESA. Instead, before a grievance arbitration decision can be enforced under the ESA, the specific requirements in the ESA for enforcement must be satisfied. From a practical perspective, this decision means that the directors and officers of corporations with a unionized workforce have some protection against being personally held liable for wages of employees of that corporation. This protection, although not absolute, is significant in industries like the film industry in which a new corporation is often created on a production-by-production basis and where the potential exists for a production to fail and the corporation to go bankrupt.

What effect would the original decision (overturned on appeal) have on producers?

Had the original determination holding Mr. Shaw personally liable for the amount of the Order been upheld, it would have resulted in a situation in which directors and officers of corporations with unionized workforces would have been significantly exposed to potential personal liability. In the context of the B.C. film industry, this result could have had a chilling effect by making it difficult to find individuals willing to take on the increased risk that would have resulted from being a director or officer of a production company. n 29

Final Edit show, as well as taking home two additional Oscars.

And Inception has an Alberta connection: scenes for Inception were filmed in the Kananaskis region of that province.

Victoria Film Fest Winners

Katrin Bowen (center) was the recipient of an Artistic Achievement Award for her feature film Amazon Falls

BC Women in the Spotlight Women in Film & TV Vancouver honoured the filmmaking talents of eight women with Spotlight Awards.

Make Believe Media CEO Lynn Booth was named Woman of the Year for her significant success in film or television, and for mentoring other women in the industry.

WIFTV said in a statement that Booth was chosen for her commitment to hiring women in above the line positions, such as directors, writers, editors and DOPs, as well as her body of documentary and factual work, which includes the series Very Bad Men, True Pulp Murder and The Devil You Know.

“I am most pleased to be acknowledged for what I love doing – telling stories, with women, above the line, behind the camera, in the edit suite, and over the years,” said Booth of the honour. “My thanks to all the women I have worked with making film and television. I am grateful to you all and accept this award in memory of my first DOP and Editor, Laurie Long.”

Katrin Bowen was honoured with an Artistic Achievement Award for her outstanding feature film debut Amazon Falls and Alexandra Raffe was named Honourary Friend 30

for her commitment to hiring female directors, writers and editors on her new series Endgame, as well as mentoring women in the industry over the past twenty years.

The WIFTV Artistic Innovation Award went to Ann-Marie Fleming for her body of work (I Won Landslide, The French Guy, Blue Skies, New Shoes, and I Was A Child of Holocaust Survivors) that demonstrates vision, experimentation and innovation in the telling of women’s stories.

Dusty Kelly received the Wayne Black Service Award for her volunteer work within the industry for many organizations, including the BCIFP Women’s Initiative Steering Committee and mentoring new filmmakers.

The Sharon Gibbon Lifetime Member Award – recognizing a member’s volunteer work within WIFTV - went to Deb Sears for hosting WIFTV’s Networking Breakfasts for many years.

Lindsay George was honoured with the Kodak Image Award for her cinematography on over 14 projects in the last five years, including the feature A Night For Dying Tigers.

And Rina Fraticelli was given the PleaseAdjustYourSet.com Award

for advocacy in the promotion of gender equity in the screen-based media. Fraticelli created Women in View, a national association of media professionals with the goal to achieve greater diversity and balance in Canadian media. She also spearheaded the international conference SEXMONEYMEDIA in Vancouver in 2010, a collaboration with WIFTV and Simon Fraser University and Women in View.

Oscar nod for BC sound designer He didn’t walk away with a shiny trophy, but he’s a winner in B.C.’s books.

Kudos go to Burnaby native Craig Berkey who was nominated for two Academy Awards for sound mixing and sound editing on the film True Grit.

The US western is produced by the Coen brothers and stars Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Hailee Steinfeld.

Berkey was nominated alongside Skip Lievsay for best sound editing on the picture and he was co-nominated with Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland for sound mixing.

The movie Inception won in both categories at the Feb. 27 awards

The Victoria Film Festival closed two weeks of film screenings on February 13th by handing out awards to a number of films, including Bruce McDonald’s Trigger, named best Canadian feature.

Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies picked up the Audience Choice Award; Best feature went to Feo Aladag’s When We Leave; and Best Doc winner was No Fun City by Melissa James and Kate Kroll.

The animation award went to Trembling Veil of Bones by Matthew Talbot-Kelly. Best short was picked up by Jeff Chan’s Apostles and Heal

by Mian Adnan Ahmad was named best student film.

Western Genie nominees feted The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television hosted a Genie Awards nominee reception in Vancouver on March 1st to honour Western-based nominees.

The Western nominees are: Sonja Bennett for Cole (performance by an actress in a supporting role; John Zaritsky and Montana Berg for Leave Them Laughing (best documentary); Dennis Foon for A Shine of Rainbows (Adapted Screenplay); Lauren Grant, Lori Lozinksi and Lisa Jackson for Savage (Best Live Action Short Drama); Myron Hyrak for Fubar II (art direction and production design); Leon Johnson for High Life (achievement in sound); Timothy Olyphant for High Life (performance by an actor in a leading role); Molly Parker for Trigger (performance by an actress in a leading role); Callum Keith Rennie for Gunless (Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role); Vic Sarin and Catherine Spear for A Shine of Rainbows (Adapted Screenplay); Rossif Sutherland for High Life (Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role); and Beverley Wowchuck for Gunless (costume design). Savage, produced by Jackson, Grant and Lozinski, won the Gemini for best live action short drama at the March 10th ceremony held in Ottawa. n Reel West March / april 2011