Reel West Magazine Spring 2016 by Ron Harvey

S P E C I A L O S C A R I S S U E : T H E R E V E N A N T A N D A I R C O V E R I N F L ATA B L E S SPRING 2016

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Your complete list of Western Canada’s 2015 productions

Don Thompson FOCUS ON FINALÉ

CO NT E NTS

Spring 2016

Nominated for twelve Oscars, The Revenant, with filming locations in and ties to British Columbia and Alberta, won in the categories of Cinematography, Directing and Actor in a Leading Role. PHOTO BY KIMBERLY FRENCH

ALL THE POST THAT’S FIT TO PRINT

From the opening scenes to the neverending credits for Finalé Editworks. By Tom Hawthorne

THE TRUTH IS RIGHT HERE

4 ANGLE ON MARK LEIREN-YOUNG 9

LEGAL BRIEFS PATRICK ALDOUS

A look back at how Vancouver originally landed The X-Files mothership.

WESTERN TV, EH? DIANE WILD

OSCAR NIGHT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Reel West revisits The Revenant’s Academy Awards Contenders.

INDIE SCENE PAUL ARMSTRONG

G REEN SCREENS WIN GOLD STATUE

29 DIGITALLY YOURS ERICA HARGREAVE

Vancouver grips grab Hollywood’s biggest prize. By Nathan Caddell

THAT’S A WRAP

Reel West’s annual look back at all the action in western Canada.

30 THE WINDOW MARK LEIREN-YOUNG

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ON THE COVER: DON THOMPSON, president of Finalé Editworks. PHOTO BY PHILLIP CHIN REEL WEST MAGAZINE IS A WHOLLY OWNED ENTERPRISE OF REEL WEST PRODUCTIONS INC. IT EXISTS AND IS MANAGED TO PROVIDE PUBLICITY AND ADVERTISING THAT SUPPORTS THE GROWTH OF THE WESTERN CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY. EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER: SANDY P. FLANAGAN. EDITOR: MARK LEIREN-YOUNG. PUBLISHER: RON HARVEY. SALES: RANDY HOLMES, ADAM CADDELL CREATIVE DIRECTOR: ANDREW VON ROSEN. ART DIRECTOR: LINDSEY ATAYA. PHOTO EDITOR: PHILLIP CHIN. CONTRIBUTORS (EDITORIAL): PATRICK ALDOUS, PAUL ARMSTRONG, NATHAN CADDELL, ERICA HARGREAVE, TOM HAWTHORN, DIANE WILD. COPY EDITORS: CAROLINE DYCK, JESS EDWARDS. REEL WEST MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED FOUR 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 USA). BOTH PUBLICATIONS $60.00 (PLUS $10.00 POSTAGE TO USA) PRICES INCLUDE GST. COPYRIGHT 2014 REEL WEST PRODUCTIONS INC. SECOND CLASS MAIL. REGISTRATION NO. 0584002. ISSN 0831-5388. G.S.T. # R104445218. REEL WEST PRODUCTIONS INC. 2221 HARTLEY AVE., COQUITLAM, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, V3K 6W9. PHONE: 604-553-1335 TOLL FREE: 1-888-291-7335 EMAIL: INFO@REELWEST.COM URL: REELWEST.COM. VOLUME 31, ISSUE 1. PRINTED IN CANADA. TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 604-553-1335 OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT REELWEST.COM. REEL WEST WELCOMES FEEDBACK FROM OUR READERS, VIA EMAIL AT EDITORIAL@REELWEST.COM. ALL CORRESPONDENCE MUST INCLUDE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND PHONE NUMBER.

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

ANG LE O N

Reel West celebrates #OSCARSSOBC R BY MA R K LEIR EN -YOU N G

eel West was launched

back at the early days of this wild

thirty years ago to cel-

ride, which has taken Vancouver

ebrate the western Ca-

from aspiring to the title of “Holly-

nadian film scene, so

wood North” to no longer needing

it’s pretty special when

that moniker to let people know

the Academy Awards juries are do-

that almost anything and everything

ing the same thing. This issue we’re

can shoot in BC as long as David

featuring BC’s Oscar contenders —

Duchovny brings an umbrella. With

and our Oscar winner.

the western Canadian post indus-

If someone had told the founders

try booming, we’re delighted to fea-

of this magazine that one day we

ture one of western Canada’s post

could publish an “Academy Awards”

pioneers — Don Thompson — as

issue they may have believed it, but

our cover model. Thompson began

most readers would have assumed

working at the community television

it was the stuff of science fiction

station in his hometown of Nanaimo

like, you know, The X-Files.

at age 14. Today he heads Finalé, the

While most of the world was

Vancouver-based company that has

watching on Oscar night to see how

been at the forefront in changes to

Chris Rock took on #OSCARSSOW-

post-production

HITE I was tuned in hoping we could

television and feature films.

for

commercial,

launch the hashtag #OSCARSSOBC.

Columnist Diane Wild shares

I still wish the bear from The Rev-

her issues with the strange empire

enant had mauled Mad Max — but

of CBC, Paul Armstrong explains

it really is an honour to be nomi-

why he’s crazier than ever about

nated and it was a treat for me to

Crazy8s, Erica Hargreave wants

talk to our Oscar contenders as they

creators to get beyond the selfies

shared their hometown pride.

and our legal eagle Patrick Aldous

Since the dawn of the BC film industry, visiting producers have praised our local talent — and we’ve repeated the mantra that our crews were among the best in the world — but that doesn’t mean big productions don’t frequently import their own key creatives. The producers of The Revenant recruited top talent from BC and were rewarded with an amazing film and a dozen Oscar

PHOTO BY KIMBERLEY FRENCH

It was a treat for me to talk to our Oscar contenders as they shared their hometown pride. Vancouver actor Ryan Reynolds.

shares the happy news about “Happy Birthday”. With all the current critical, box office and social media love for western-made projects, this is the perfect issue to feature Reel West’s annual Production Wrap where we look back at everything that happened on the western Canadian scene. The list alone could easily

about this “runaway” production to

have filled this entire issue, so we

nominations. Meanwhile, a team of

While Deadpool was filling the

find out what BC had to offer. My

had to ask writer Nathan Caddell

grips grabbed an Oscar for an ever-

theatres, the most talked about TV

assignment was to explain why the

to go light on his introduction to

green idea for green screens.

series was The X-Files. The ground-

heck anyone would shoot here. My

make room for as many produc-

And while the western Canadian

breaking sci-fi series that solidified

LA bosses were sure the truth was

tions as possible — so consider this

industry was enjoying all the ac-

Vancouver’s role as a major produc-

out there somewhere and that the

part of the introduction to our 2015

claim at every major Awards show,

tion centre returned with as many

industry’s relationship with BC was

wrap.

Deadpool was showing everyone the

mysteries as ever. Twenty years ago

more of a fling than a long-term

It really was an amazing year.

money. The R-Rated Marvel smash

The Hollywood Reporter asked me to

relationship. I’ve unearthed that

And 2016 looks to be even more im-

wasn’t just shot in BC, but it starred

talk to Chris Carter and his stars

story and we’re reprinting it to look

pressive. The truth is right here. n

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REEL WEST SPRING 2016

O PE NING RE E L

Focusing on Finalé ZOOMING IN ON DON THOMPSON’S PASSION FOR POST BY TO M H AW T H O RN

e open on a wide shot of lumberjacks, falling trees

lourist Lorne Wright worked their magic; the release of the feature film

and an aerial view of log booms.

Tumbledown, a romantic comedy starring Rebecca Hall and Jason Sudeikis

Zoom in to sawmills, pan to clouds of sawdust and — Finalé logo.

(Finalé handled digital intermediate finishing and colour timing) and the William Shatner-narrated documentary When Elephants Were Young, which had its world premiere at the 2015 Whistler Film Festival.

Voiceover: Mighty British Columbia, land of beautiful vistas, whose

With clients ranging from major studios to local independent produc-

forests once provided the timber to fuel work at countless mills. Those

ers, from two-hour feature films to 30-second commercial spots, Finalé is

same forests, as well as the cities that grew from the wealth they offered,

a “can do, will do” place where one tight post-production deadline is met

provide the backdrop to countless corporate videos, television shows and

only for the staff to face the daunting task of tackling another. And an-

commercials, as well as movies.

other one after that. They work in rooms with more knobs and dials than

Where once the lumber was milled here, now the raw logs are exported.

Mission Control in Houston and in quarters with as many monitors as a

And where once raw footage was exported to Hollywood, now the refining

Best Buy showroom. The screening room boasts comfy leather seats, 5.1

takes place here.

surround sound, and an endless supply of fresh popcorn.

And we’re on — A state-of-the-art editing suite, a distinguished man on a cell phone. A super identifies him as, “Don Thompson, Finalé president” Thompson: The whole facility is running on all pistons right now.

The president and founder is Thompson, an amiable, outgoing, quickwitted fellow with a soft spot for those seeking a toehold in the industry. In a movie of his life, he’d be played by John C. Reilly, or maybe Boris McGiver, the character actor who plays a newspaper editor in House of Cards.

We hear a woman on the other end of the line, a producer: “Why is that?”

The backstory: Thompson grew up in Nanaimo with a father who worked

Thompson: Our charm? (He laughs, then pauses.) It would be the dollar.

for the federal employment ministry and a mother who had an admin-

In a building on Columbia Street in Vancouver’s Fairview Slopes, across

istrative job with a fisheries research station. The boy watched Batman

the street from a park and just downhill from the buzz of Broadway, an

and Get Smart on television, enjoying the goofy pratfalls, and later had an

army of editors and colourists and technicians beaver away at numerous

epiphany at the cinema when an older brother snuck him into the James

projects. The winter sun has long since set, not that anyone working in a

Bond flick Live and Let Die. “The first three minutes scared the crap out of

windowless world has noticed. It is late; the phone rings and Don Thomp-

me,” he remembers now, “but then I got into it. Wow, this is amazing.”

son answers because it might be a client on the other end and he is there to answer their needs.

At age 14, his high school humanities class was assigned to volunteer for a local enterprise. His buddy signed up for the local community tele-

The projects keep rolling in to Finalé Editworks, a post-production

vision station and Thompson tagged along. The buddy soon left, but not

workhorse of Hollywood North, where the greenback is worth one-and-a-

Thompson, who had found his calling. He had equipment to play with

quarter loonies. This winter has been as busy as Broadway at rush hour.

(‘toys,” he calls them even today) and freedom to learn the craft.

A crew installed Avid editorial systems at a Toronto studio for Vin Diesel’s

“I was working probably thirty or forty hours per week, night, week-

latest film xXx: The Return of Xander Cage; worked with editor Lisa Robi-

ends, holidays,” he said. Channel 10 in Nanaimo was grateful for another

son on the documentary, The Real MVP: The Wanda Pratt Story, about NBA

set of hands, no matter how young. He worked on everything — “current

star Kevin Durrant’s mother; and welcomed to the Vancouver offices actor

affairs shows. Our own news program. Lots of documentaries. Telethons.

turned director William H. Macy and the production team for the feature

Everything.”

film The Layover.

Soon, Thompson was taking time off school to catch a ferry across the

The staff also found time to cheer on such completed projects as the

Georgia Strait to hang out at the CBC station in Vancouver, where he met

biopic Tony Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, which aired on Lifetime in the Unit-

the likes of variety producers Alan Thicke and Michael Watt. By the late

ed States and on which both smoke artist Chris Boettcher and senior co-

1970s, he was working on The René Simard Show, a variety program fea-

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

“Once I saw all the bells and whistles and all the buttons that lit up and flashed, I thought, ‘wow, I really like postproduction.’”

turing the teenaged Quebec singer with a bleacher backdrop of fans. Loud, ecstatic fans. “The studio was full of young screaming girls waiting to see René or any of the bands that were on the show that week,” he said. “To me it was incredible to be in the middle of all that and see how television was really put together.” Certain this was to be his life’s work, he applied for the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s television stream in 1981. Despite his years of on-hand experience, he was rejected. Shocked, he drove to Alberta to find work at stations there. He also took a bartending

- DON THOMPSON

class on the side in case none of this worked out. With even more experience un-

ass off our clients.”

der his belt, he applied again, only

returned only to be told they could

the unlikely locale of Thompson’s

to fail once again to gain admission,

not yet be paid, so he grabbed free-

hometown of Nanaimo. The card

A breakthrough came when Fi-

though he was shortlisted. Barely a

lance work doing news editing at

was headlined by local boy Gordy

nalé was hired by Paragon Enter-

fortnight before the start of class-

CKVU. Meanwhile, the rest of the

Racette, a Tough Guy competitor

tainment to produce Lamb Chop’s

es, he was accepted into the pro-

safety video crew had been let go, so

turned prizefighter turned kick-

Play-Along for PBS, starring pup-

gram. He and some other students

young Thompson went from being a

boxer. Thompson hired his high

peteer Shari Lewis — a show to be

who shared his passion got their

camera assistant to head office and

school buddies as cameramen and

shot half in Beverly Hills and half in

hands on a set of keys and made

production manager.

prepared for the big event — which

Vancouver due to tax credits. (The

use of the equipment after hours,

It was while doing editing work

lasted all of 23 seconds before Ra-

Canadian company was so unfa-

an education in experimentation

at Gastown Post that he realized he

cette’s foot sent his opponent into

miliar with the process that it sent

and making-do — better than what

had found his home at the console.

dreamland. Thompson managed

a production truck off to California

“Once I saw all the bells and

to fill the other 59 minutes, 37 sec-

without the requisite customs and

He returned to Alberta to do

whistles and all the buttons that

onds with interviews and analysis.

immigration paperwork, as though

his practicum at ITV, home to the

lit up and flashed, I thought, ‘wow, I

He looks back on those days as,

it was just a family on vacation.)

trailblazing comedy show SCTV, as

really like post-production.’”

“the Wild West of programming.”

One of the directors of the show,

they got in the classroom.

Thompson was hired as a pro-

Finalé launched in 1988. “We

which ran for four seasons begin-

depart-

ducer with The Eyes, a Vancouver

grabbed some really innovative

ning in 1992-93 and which won

ment. This was followed by several

production company that wound

technology and we put a crew of

an Emmy, was Michael Watt, who

months of unemployment in Van-

up with a big contract to supply

incredible

together.” Post-

had served as a mentor nearly two

couver, as the province was hit hard

content to TSN, one of the fledgling

production companies were laying

decades earlier for a teenaged kid

by recession. He got a gig to work on

specialty networks. Armed with

off workers in anticipation of a pro-

from Nanaimo who really, really

a series of logging safety videos af-

Betacam camcorders, the latest

longed writers’ strike in Los Ange-

wanted to go into television.

ter first one friend and then another

in technology, the company had

les, so Finalé grabbed some of the

For a company called Finalé, the

had to back out. With a few hours

as much work as it could handle.

best and focussed on the Canadian

work is never done. There’s always

notice, he was off for three weeks to

They even talked TSN and CKVU

market. They

another project.

film in the wilderness of the north

into airing a one-hour special of a

without charging clients for over-

Fade Out:

end of Vancouver Island. The crew

world championship to be held in

time. The goal was to “service the

Super: To Be Continued… n

well as a station with a successful commercial

production

guys

worked

overtime

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www.buckleydodds.com REEL WEST SPRING 2016

LE G AL B RIE FS

“So, is Happy Birthday in the Public Domain, Or What?” BY PATR ICK A LDOU S

istorically, when film or

without a lyricist credited. Simi-

On September 22nd, 2015, Judge

through a public notification and

television producers have

larly, songbooks published in the

King granted the plaintiffs’ motion,

application process.

sought advice regarding

1920s did not credit a lyricist, with

ruling that Warner/Chappell had

So the answer to the question,

the use of the song Happy Birthday

one exception, which credits some-

failed to establish that Summy Co.

“Is Happy Birthday in the public do-

in their productions, the advice

one other than the Hill sisters. In

had ever acquired the copyright for

main, or what?” as I write this is,

given has been that Happy Birthday

a sworn deposition in support of a

the lyrics to Happy Birthday. Howev-

“Not yet, but it seems likely.” The

is owned and controlled by War-

1934 copyright infringement suit

er, the Court found it to be a disput-

U.S. District Court has declared

ner/Chappell Music Inc. and that

regarding the use of Good Morning

ed question of fact as to whether

that Warner/Chappell’s claim on

any use of the song needs to be

to All, Patty Hill stated that she had

anyone else may legitimately own

the copyright is invalid and the

licensed. A recent decision in the

written the lyrics to Happy Birthday,

the copyright in Happy Birthday.

only other parties who seem to

U.S. District Court for the Central

but that has never been definitively

District of California has thrown

established.

On November 9, 2015 the As-

have a potentially legitimate claim

sociation for Childhood Education

on the copyright have consented to

the copyright status of Happy Birth-

In 1935 the Summy Co. regis-

International and the Hill Foun-

the proposed settlement. Barring

day into question. However, con-

tered the U.S. copyright in the lyrics

dation, Inc. applied, without op-

the unforeseen (e.g. a third party

trary what seems to be popular be-

to Happy Birthday. Warner/Chappell

position, to intervene in the case,

making a last-minute claim on

lief, the matter will not be settled

acquired the Summy Co. in 1988.

arguing that through a series of

the copyright), and provided that

until at least March 14th, 2016.

On the basis of the 1935 registra-

testamentary transfers from the

the rather technical and complex

The melody of Happy Birthday is

tion of the lyrics to Happy Birthday

Hill sisters, these organizations

legal requirements for the certifi-

the same as that of a song called

by the Summy Co., Warner/Chap-

had a legitimate copyright claim to

cation of a “settlement class” are

Good Morning to All, written by sis-

pell has taken the position that the

Happy Birthday.

met in the eyes of the court, the

ters Mildred and Patty Hill in Ken-

tucky, some time before 1893. In

not expire until 2030.

The matter was set for trial in

odds are that Happy Birthday will

December, 2015. However, on De-

officially enter the public domain

1893, the Hill sisters assigned their

In 2013, a production company

cember 8th, the parties informed

on or shortly after March 14, 2016.

rights in a manuscript which con-

working on a documentary film

the court that a settlement had

Until that time, producers are en-

tained Good Morning to All to Mr.

tentatively entitled Happy Birthday,

been reached, but this settlement

couraged to consult legal counsel

Clayton F. Summy, who published

about the history of the song, filed

requires the approval of the court.

before using Happy Birthday in their

the manuscript in the form of a

suit in U.S. District Court challeng-

A motion for preliminary approval

projects. n

songbook entitled Song Stories for

ing Warner/Chappell’s claim on

of the settlement will be heard by

Kindergarten

the

the copyright in the song Happy

Judge King on March 16, 2016. The

Birthday and arguing that the song

court is asked to certify a “settle-

same year. As such, there is no dis-

should be, “dedicated to public use

ment class,” which includes, among

pute that under the U.S. Copyright

in and to the public domain.” This

others, all persons who have paid

Act of 1909, copyright protection

plaintiff was joined in the action

for the use of Happy Birthday since

for Song Stories for Kindergarten, in-

by other plaintiffs who objected to

1949.

cluding Good Morning to All, ended

having to pay licensing fees to War-

In addition, the court is asked

in 1949.

ner/Chappell for the use of Happy

to declare that Happy Birthday is

Birthday in their projects.

and

registered

within the public domain. Pursu-

Patrick Aldous is a partner at Chan-

origin of the lyrics to Happy Birth-

On March 23rd, 2015 Chief Unit-

ant to the terms of the settlement,

dler Fogden Aldous, a Vancouver-based

day. It appears certain that they

ed States District Judge George H.

Warner/Chappell will provide a

boutique entertainment law firm. His

were written after Good Morning to

King heard motions from both the

compensation fund of $14 million

practice focuses on music, but also in-

All. Happy Birthday first appeared

plaintiffs and the defendants for

US which will be made available to

cludes film, television, publishing and

in a published songbook in 1911,

summary judgement in the matter.

members of the settlement class

digital media.

What remains uncertain is the

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

FLAS H B ACK

On Location with The X-Files Back in 1995 BY MARK LE IRE N-YO U NG

Back in 1995 I was on the set of The X-Files to write stories about the made-in-Vancouver sci-fi phenom for The Hollywood Reporter. With The X-Files back in BC - and everybody raving about our all-star crews - here’s a look back at what the film biz was like twenty years ago when X-Files creator Chris Carter helped put Vancouver on the map as the centre of TV’s sci-fi multi-verse…

ancouver originally landed The X-Files because of an alien

to something more sinister than random weather patterns. Meanwhile, a

abduction.

handful of gawkers gather in the parking lot, hoping to catch a glimpse of

X-Files creator and executive producer Chris Carter was

Duchovny and Anderson.

preparing to shoot the series pilot in Los Angeles but he

Although the novelty of film and TV crews shooting in and around Van-

couldn’t find a forest for the big flying saucer scene. “Where

couver has worn off as the number of productions has multiplied, The X-

do you go for good forests? You go to Vancouver,” says Carter in a phone

Files still draws a crowd. After all, it’s not only the most high-profile series

interview from his office in Los Angeles. “So we picked up lock stock and

being shot in Vancouver — it’s arguably one of the highest-profile shows

barrel and moved to Vancouver for the pilot and realized it was a great

being shot anywhere.

place for the series.”

In the first season The X-Files was a cult hit, but during the second season

Although he’d never worked in the city prior to shooting the pilot (his

the cult turned into a bonafide religion with the show’s ratings increasing

only previous visit was almost a decade earlier when his wife, screenwriter

faster than any other series on TV while also earning consistent critical

Dori Pierson, was in Vancouver working on a Movie of the Week), now Carter

raves, a Golden Globe Award for Best Dramatic Series and an Emmy nomi-

is one of Vancouver’s biggest boosters. “It’s a fantastic place to work. First

nation in the same category. The success of the series has spawned comic

of all because I have a great crew, second of all,” says Carter, “because it’s

books, paperbacks, serious talk of an X-Files movie, Star Trek style devotees

the biggest backlot in North America. It really has so many different looks

known as X-Philes who are attending X-Files conventions and an official

and it doubles for anywhere in the U.S. besides the southwest and certain

World Wide Web site (and several unofficial ones) where fans dissect and

coastal and or bayou locations. So you can really make it look like anywhere

debate each episode with a passion previously reserved for discussing the

which is important for a show like The X-Files because it takes place around

details of the various incarnations of the Starship Enterprise. Two of the

the United States.” Carter estimates that Vancouver has served as approxi-

show’s writer-producers, Glen Morgan and James Wong, left the show in the

mately 30 States in the show’s first two seasons.

middle of the second season to create the expensive new Fox sci-fi series

On this particular sunny summer day FOX’s hit sci-fi/horror series is shooting on location in the suburb of North Vancouver and although you

Space: Above and Beyond, which is being heavily promoted with frequent references to the creators’ X-Files roots.

can see the lush forests if you look up towards the mountains, the cameras

In a break from shooting, Anderson says she feels Vancouver “is an ex-

are aimed at a tacky video arcade in the type of generic strip mall that could

cellent place to work.” Says Anderson, “The crews are great, the people are

be found in any suburb in North America.

honest and straight-forward and human. Almost everybody who comes

The episode, the third of the upcoming third season, is set in the fictitious

here falls in love with the city and there are so many possibilities for var-

town of Connorville, Oklahoma and in the scene being shot, a clerk is being

ied environments within the city, varied terrains, that we can pretend that

interrogated about a recent death just outside the arcade. The police claim

we’re shooting all over America and pull it off.”

the victim was struck by lightning but Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and

However, despite her fondness for Vancouver, Anderson says it’s not

Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) — the two FBI special agents who investi-

some place she’d like to live. “It’s a bit too small for me. I like big cities — or

gate bizarre cases each Friday night at 9 p.m. — suspect the death is related

at least being close to big cities in the middle of nowhere.”

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

FILE PHOTO

Asked how he feels about Van-

His only criticism is that the skies

couver, Duchovny looks up at the

aren’t clear all that often. “It does

He says the low Canadian dol-

started to do The X-Files Vancou-

clear blue sky and replies, “On a day

rain a lot and I think that’ll scare

lar is also an attractive reason to

ver ensemble theatre. We’ve used

like today it’s beautiful. I find it’s

some people away — the kind of

shoot up North, although his show

actors two and three and going on

incredible that it’s such a beautiful

people that like to live in LA be-

does have a budget that he puts at

four times now in our little more

city. I think it’ll be over-run pretty

cause it never rains, they’ll never

between 1.2 and 1.5 million dollars

than two year run but I’m only

soon. It’s too nice.”

come here.”

per episode. “There are certain fi-

budgeted to bring up four Ameri-

you can move around the city.”

deep — and that’s why we have

However, he admits it took him a

The rain certainly doesn’t scare

nancial incentives and people say,

can actors an episode. Beyond that

while to see much of it. “The sched-

Carter though — for The X-Files it’s

“Oh you save money.” And I always

I have a lot of other parts to cast

ule is so tough that we kind of live in

a major asset.

tell people I don’t save any money

and I’ll bet you I’ve cast upward of 600 actors.”

a bubble anyway so I could be living

“It does rain there a lot and I

by being in Vancouver, I actually get

in Atlanta or LA or New York and

think that’s a common complaint

to put more on screen by being in

Although Carter still lives in LA

pretty much feel the same because

about the place — and it does make

Vancouver. That’s the difference.

he has no plans to use his new-

I have so little free time to enjoy

the work harder — but it also gives

I actually get to produce a better

found clout to move the series

the environment. But I do find that

my show a really great scary qual-

product for the money that they

closer to home — and he seems

Vancouver is beautiful and it’s got

ity.” He says the city also has a “gray

would have given me to make the

amused that despite his California

mountains and lakes and oceans.

moody light” which might not be

product anyway.”

zip code he has suddenly become

It’s got everything. I guess I’d heard

good for some film-makers, “but it’s

of it before I’d come up here but

a great X-Files light.”

Carter says he’s also been im-

one of Vancouver’s most influential

pressed with Vancouver actors, al-

citizens. “I just love Vancouver,” says

I’d never been here and I probably

Carter says he finds Vancouver

though he wishes there were more

Carter with a laugh, “if they want to

would have never come here my

very “film friendly” explaining that,

of them. “I think there’s a very good

give me the key to the city I won’t

entire life.”

“there is a certain ease with which

acting pool there — it’s not really

turn it down.” n

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

W E ST E RN T V, E H ?

Rating CBC’s Ratings Strategy BY DIA N E WILD

BC-produced

gets behind launching their new

er written all over them, the way co-

The private networks put their se-

Strange Empire was can-

dramas and I can’t fault them for

production The Book of Negroes was a

rialized, based-on-a-Radio-Canada

celled last year, I chose

that, but their arts and lifestyle pro-

winter hit last year.

show 19-2, on cable. They won’t

not to panic. Sure, it was the first

gramming barely registered a blip

series out of the gate after CBC’s

on the ratings radar.

hen

On the horizon is the rebirth of

touch the kinds of arts and lifestyle

Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, which

programs CBC has brought back to

declaration that they would pur-

The Romeo Section marked creator

was cancelled after one low-rated se-

their lineup. They favour cop shows

sue edgier, more cable-like fare.

Chris Haddock’s return to the pub-

ries and Kim’s Convenience, based on

and medical shows that might ap-

And edgier, cable-like shows gen-

lic broadcaster — and to Canada

a popular stage play. I’m not placing

peal to an international audience

erally garner lower ratings than

— after a season with HBO’s Board-

bets yet on huge audiences for either.

without offending with too much

mainstream populist shows, so the

walk Empire. It was his follow-up

The brightest of CBC’s program-

overt Canadianness. We need CBC if

low ratings — in the quarter-million

to Intelligence, a similarly complex,

ming bright spots remains Alberta-

we want to truly see ourselves on-

range — shouldn’t have been terri-

espionage-themed series that was

shot Heartland and Murdoch Myster-

screen with any frequency.

bly unexpected. Plus, fall is always

cancelled on a cliff-hanger after two

ies, both in their ninth seasons with

I applaud the bold new CBC with

a tricky time to attract eyeballs to

seasons in the quarter-million range.

strong viewership and both as far

the cable-like strategy. I hope they

Canadian shows with competition

Expecting more of The Romeo Section

from cable-esque as you can get

don’t blink. Strange Empire, The Ro-

from US marketing and hockey. Last

wasn’t hugely realistic and, sure

without being NCIS. Heartland ap-

meo Section and This Life are among

season’s acquisitions weren’t doing well either, but the old stalwarts were doing fine and shifts take time. But then Strange Empire was cancelled and I had to decide whether to believe the CBC that ratings weren’t the only reason, or curl up in the fetal position at the thought of an onslaught of cheap reality shows and yet another series about Avonlea.

CBC needs shows that people want to watch. But it also needs to fill the role of a public brodcaster.

the most interesting series to appear on the broadcaster in recent years. But critics tend to enjoy edgy and different in droves, while audiences flock to the familiar. If CBC wants ratings, emulating complex cable shows isn’t the way to do it. If CBC wants to make bold programming choices, they need to be bold in the face of niche ratings.

The cable-like vision seemed un-

enough, its first season was on par

proaches a million viewers in over-

And if we want a thriving public

dimmed when CBC announced this

with the cable-esque, the serialized

nights on a good week and Murdoch

broadcaster, maybe we need to let

season’s new series, which included

Strange Empire and Intelligence before

regularly draws well over a million.

go of the idea that ratings are the

Vancouver-set The Romeo Section as

it.

Old stalwarts like Mercer, 22 Minutes,

sole indicator of success. Maybe

well as a Radio-Canada remake,

The winter season isn’t faring

The Nature of Things and Marketplace

delivering quality shows to under-

This Life, City acquisition Young

much better. Schitt’s Creek is getting

are doing well. But a network can’t

served audiences matters more.

Drunk Punk, as well as thoughtful re-

strong numbers for a new CBC se-

build a strong future only with an-

Maybe telling unequivocally Cana-

ality series Keeping Canada Alive and

ries, but it lost about half its audi-

tediluvian series.

dian stories matters more.

Hello Goodbye, performing and visual

ence from last year’s premiere of 1.4

CBC needs shows people want to

But maybe, just maybe, we can

arts series such as Crash Gallery and

million. X Company, from the mak-

watch. But it also needs to fill the

hope for a new hit or two next sea-

Exhibitionists.

ers of Flashpoint (and more toward

role of a public broadcaster. The pri-

son. n

Do some of those titles seem un-

the mainstream end of the spec-

vate networks aren’t likely to air a

familiar? That’s because if you’re

trum) debuted its second season

serialized Chris Haddock show. City

Diane Wild is the founder of the TV,

like most people, you didn’t see

with just over half a million viewers.

cancelled Murdoch in its prime be-

eh? website (www.tv-eh.com), cov-

them or any promotion for them.

This winter season doesn’t have any

cause the one-hour drama was too

ering news, reviews and interviews

CBC threw their fall marketing bud-

new original entries with blockbust-

expensive for their CanCon budget.

about Canadian television shows.

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

Sound engineer CHRIS DUESTERDIEK on set of The Revenant. PHOTO BY KIMBERLEY FRENCH

FE AT U RE STO RY

Oscar Night in British Columbia THE REVENANT’S QUARTET OF BC CONTENDERS BEAR THEIR SOULS BY MARK LE IRE N-YO U NG

t 5:30 am Pacific Time on January 14th, the Academy of

We’re doing huge tent-pole feature films like X-Men, like Star Trek — the

Motion Picture Arts and Sciences began announcing the

kind of things studios don’t take risks on,” says Waldbauer. “When you have

contenders for the 2016 Oscars and as The Revenant began

local talent on shows like that you know that the studio is going to pay to do

racking up nominations so did BC moviemakers. After the

what they want. They have no qualms about bringing someone if they need

last name from the final envelope was read there were four

to and now they’re bringing us around the world and that speaks volumes

Vancouver-based contenders for Hollywood’s grand prizes.

about the local talent for sure.”

Sound mixer, Chris Duesterdiek, was getting ready for work when he

Duesterdiek is equally effusive about the BC talent pool. “I’m happy to

got the life-changing call from his brother. “I was just getting up to go to

be part of this community and know we’ve got such good people. Over

work on Planet of the Apes and my brother called me, he’s a tugboat captain

the twenty years that I’ve been here it just keeps getting better and better,

in Vancouver, and he called about five minutes after they announced it.”

there’s less head butting and people are really working together as more of

There was a certain poetry in the call since it was Duesterdiek’s brother

a team. It’s sort of like a high-powered engine — it’s not all about the carbu-

who urged him to move to BC from Winnipeg two decades ago to test the

retor, it’s not all about the spark plugs. Every part has to work well in unison

waters in the local film industry.

with each other and when you can work well together then you’ve got a

Visual effects wizard, Cameron Waldbauer, learned he was part of the

fantastic crew and that’s how I think Vancouver has developed over the

team nominated for an Oscar for the second year in a row when friends

years. We work together very well and that makes us a really well oiled ma-

started calling. “I woke up to the phone buzzing and a few of my friends

chine,” says Duesterdiek. “You could take a Vancouver crew and put them

were watching the announcements and called and said, ‘oh my god you just

anywhere in the world and they’d pull it off. Our depth of talent is fantastic.”

got nominated for an Oscar.’” His previous nomination was for his work on

Pandini noted that while The Revenant was shot in BC and Alberta, key

X-Men: Days of Future Past, which also earned him nominations for a BAFTA

creatives were recruited from around the world. “Most of the department

and a Visual Effects Society Award for Supporting Visual Effects in a Pho-

heads were hired from all across the world. There were only a few of us

toreal Feature. This year the Visual Effects Society presented The Revenant

from Canada. It was definitely a collaboration of many, many people from

team with the award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driv-

many countries.”

en Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture).

He’s hoping that the fact that four Canadian department heads were up

Robert Pandini was making coffee and getting ready to go to work while

for Oscars will bode well for BC. “I’ve been in this business for thirty some

he watched the livestream on his tablet and saw himself nominated for

odd years here and I think that it’s good for Canada in general; it’s good for

makeup and hairstyling. Production designer, Hamish Purdy, tuned in on his

the film industry… The recognition that we’ve had, what we were able to

phone. “I sat there with the sound way down and just watched the nomina-

produce up here, will definitely bring more and more people up here. Not

tions come in and mostly I was amazed at how many The Revenant racked

that they hadn’t been coming already, but I think we’re going to see a bit

up.” Then it was time to open the envelope for Purdy’s category. “It was four

more quality, more people deciding that they can do whatever they want

others and then us. We were the last ones mentioned. I couldn’t believe it. I

up here. If Alejandro can shoot The Revenant in Canada and come up with

went downstairs and made a cup of coffee, came back upstairs and my wife

twelve nominations why can’t they do the same?”

says, ‘what are you doing up?’ And I said, ‘well I just got nominated, I don’t

And the nominees are...

think I’m going to go back to sleep.’ And she said, ‘What? What?’” All four nominees didn’t just talk to Reel West about the honour of being nominated for their work on director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s bleak wilderness adventure epic, but the honour of representing BC. Says Waldbauer, “It’s a pretty neat thing for the city. Obviously, if you want

Hamish Purdy PRODUCTION DESIGN

to come make a movie, you can come here and get world class talent work-

Hamish Purdy had an unexpected qualification for working on a movie

ing on your film and pull off amazing things… I’ve been doing this for twenty

where the most infamous scene features a giant grizzly having its way with

years and I can tell you when I started, Americans would have to come up

Leonardo DiCaprio. Purdy was once a ranger at BC’s Bowron Lake Provincial

and kind of run our departments. Now we’re running them ourselves.”

Park. “I used to see bears all the time when I was working up there. All

And those films aren’t working with BC crews because of the low dollar. “

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

the time it was thick with bears. I never saw a grizzly, but I did see lots of

black bears.” Purdy hadn’t just seen bears, he’d already experienced life in the type of wilderness that defined the movie. “I’m very handy in the woods.” In addition to the Oscar nomination, Purdy was part of the team that shared the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Period Film. Purdy credits landing the job to his mentor, Jim Erickson, the recently retired BC designer who received an Oscar for his work on Lincoln. “He was a great guy. He taught me so much. I would say every six weeks or so on The Revenant I would give him a call and just tell him what was going on and what was coming up. He always asked the right questions.” Purdy’s favourite design challenges? “The fort was fantastic. I really got to dig into that, that was fun and there are a lot of things in the fort you didn’t see in the movie.” This included a trading room where pelts were stacked and weighed. “That was a really neat room that I decked out, but we didn’t get to see it.” He also enjoyed recreating the period boat that transported the traders. “The boat was interesting — all period correct, but it actually had a 300 horsepower jet engine hidden inside it so we could get back to wherever we wanted to quickly, so the boat felt very real. The pile of skulls was fun too, the buffalo skulls. The level of detail was crucial because anything and everything could turn up on screen.” One of his favourite scenes from a design perspective was the opening attack on the village. “I don’t know if you noticed, but that was shot in one take, so it was an incredible amount of choreography that we had to do with stunts and burning and arrows and horses and mud and blood and it was just exciting to watch how we were able to make that happen because throughout that scene there’s a whole bunch of crew members hiding behind

Production designer HAMISH PURDY (pictured in middle photo) and some of the Oscar-nominated on-set details he responsible for creating. PHOTO BY KIMBERLEY FRENCH

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

The Revenant’s sound team, from left to right, CHARLIE O’SHEA, CANDICE TODESCO and CHRIS DUESTERDIEK. PHOTO BY KIMBERLEY FRENCH

the lens. And then, as the camera

Society’s top prize for Outstanding

with him I realized I’ve got to do

one-third off the sound cart. That

turns, were all moving to stay off

Achievement in Sound Mixing for

something different here.”

part was kind of different. There

the camera,” says Purdy. “So it was

Motion Pictures — Live Action as

Says Duesterdiek, “I’m lucky to be

a real dance of choreography and it

well as the US Motion Picture Sound

working with all these good people

had all our concentration to get it

Editors’ Golden Reel Award.

because they make you look better.

Duesterdiek was the production

forced

And I brought out Charlie Campagna

sound mixer. The other award nomi-

want to be the one who didn’t have

Duesterdiek and his team to come

and Candice Todesco because they

nees on his team were working with

it right.”

up with a new way of working. “It

were the best people that I knew of

the sound in post — and Duesterdiek

The key to getting it right? Re-

wasn’t like a regular project, it was

and I didn’t want to do the film if I

tried to give them a variety of sounds

search. Purdy studied paintings

a whole new way of doing things

couldn’t get good people. It makes it

to mix. “We would work at acquiring

from the era as well as journals and

from what most film crews are used

easier when you know everyone is

a library. We’re putting stereo micro-

old trading records. “That was really

to. We had to be very malleable

really at the top of their game.”

phones out in the bush getting ra-

something — to go through that,

and change in an instant and just

the journals of trappers working at

adapt.”

right because you certainly didn’t

The

outdoor

shoot

was a lot of planning, but anything could change on any given day.”

Duesterdiek and his crew cre-

vens having conversations back and

ated a portable system that they

forth; we’re putting microphones

that time. Sometimes the journals

Duesterdiek learned the movie

could schlep through the snow, up

under sheets of ice to get rivers flow-

would just be accounting — what

was going to require a different

the goat trails and anywhere else

ing — just weird acoustic things that

they were owed or what they owed

approach while it was in prep. “I

they needed to go. “I set myself up

you can’t really get from a sound ef-

the company. That was fascinating.”

called up our video playback guy.

with a bag, a mixer recorder and

fects library.” Duesterdiek also tried

He was spending two months re-

a wireless system the same way

to collect the sounds of footsteps

hearsing with the director and the

that documentary and EPK guys

and marching in all different types

background talent and then the real

do. So I had to go out and invest a

of snow. If there really are a hundred

talent. So I talked to our video play-

bunch of money and I set up what I

words for snow, there are even more

back guy, Justin Johns and he said,

called the “Sound Baby,” something

sounds the snow can make.

SOUND MIXING

‘look dude, you can’t approach this

I could wear on my chest that could

The only item on the audio wish

the way you normally do. You have

do everything. It was a little heavy

list that Duesterdiek couldn’t de-

Chris Duesterdiek didn’t win the

to be really mobile because they’re

because it had nine wireless micro-

liver?

Oscar for The Revenant, but he and

going up goat trails and there are

phone feeds coming into it, with a

He was asked to try to collect

his team did take home pretty

boats on rivers and they’re doing

twelve-track recorder and transmit-

bear noises for the movie’s signa-

much every other award available

360 degree shots where you’ve got

ters for the director and video. So we

ture mauling. “Am I going to go out

for their work — the BAFTA for

to move with the camera and hide

spent about two-thirds of the movie

and open up a can of tuna and just

Best Sound, the US Cinema Audio

behind bushes.’ So after speaking

working out of this bag and only

see what happens?”

Chris Duesterdiek

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

Robert Pandini MAKE UP & HAIRSTYLING “I knew we were involved in something pretty cool,” says Robert Pandini, whose team was also nominated for a BAFTA for The Revenant. The head of the hair department on The Revenant shared the challenges that made the shoot the stuff of local legend even before the Oscar acclaim. “There was a lot of stuff. It was long; we were away from home for a lot of the time. I went from BC to Alberta to Argentina… The fact that Alejandro was very particular with the details that he wanted, that was a challenge trying to please him,” says Pandini. “The fact that we shot only at magic hour. There were no lights used in the film, so we were limited in the time that we had to shoot every day — an hour and a half, two hours maybe. So all the elements had to be in place at that time, ready to shoot. You couldn’t wait.” The other challenge was that anything and anyone could end up on screen. “We did a lot of long shots,” says Pandini. “So we never knew who was going to be on camera. At any given time any background performer, any stunt guy, anybody, could be in a close up at any time. He was doing a lot of 350 shots, so everybody had to be really bulletproof and a hundred percent ready to shoot the moment those cameras rolled. We had to get it right the first time when they wanted to shoot and if, for some reason, it didn’t work out well we went back the next day and we shot it until we got it right. I think the devil’s in the details and that was a challenge just to get everything absolutely perfect. — every character had to be as perfect as we could make them. A lot of us have worked on a lot of different films in our careers, but that was just one that really kind of raised the bar.” And everyone agreed that Iñárri-

(Top) Make-up and hairstylist ROBERT PANDINI working on set. (Top) The crew hard at work with LEONARDO DICAPRIO and director ALEJANDRO G. IÑÁRRITU pictured center. (Bottom) A scene from The Revenant. PHOTOS BY KIMBERLEY FRENCH

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

tu wasn’t prepared to settle for anything less than perfection. “Alejandro was not a difficult man, he knew what he wanted and he knew what he didn’t want and so it was kind of great to have the freedom to work within his parameters. That sounds like kind of an oxymoron, but it was great freedom as long as we worked within what he needed to see.” The most challenging look for Pandini to create was for the film’s

“I walked in and saw what the movie was going to look like and I thought to myself, this is going to be amazing.” - CAMERON WA L DB AU R

villain played by Tom Hardy. Since the character had been scalped, the wigs had to be perfect and practi-

was determined to create a perfect

of times you’d be expected to do

mounted on a camera car, a stunt

cally indestructible. “Trying to de-

movie. “Alejandro is a perfectionist,

something like this without the

man and digital effects. “We had it

velop the right glues to use that

like myself, so I kind of get where

resources, but on this film they

on a track and had it fly off the end

would hold up in the rain, snow,

he’s coming from. When you gave

found the money, they found the

of a track at about eighteen kilome-

freezing conditions, mud, all those

him something that was what he

time and went and did it properly.”

tres an hour. It was pretty fun.”

things. So he was kind of the biggest

asked for there were never any is-

The biggest challenge?

challenge for me.”

sues. When you showed up with

“Everything was a challenge on

movie was a potential Oscar con-

something that wasn’t what he

that show, to be honest. Allejandro

tender on the first day when he

asked for he’d let you know,” says

focuses so much on the details that

checked out the dailies. “I walked in

Waldbauer. “He

perfec-

every tiny gag turned into a big gag

and saw what the movie was going

tion and, if you’re okay with that,

because everything needed to be

to look like and I thought to myself,

everything’s fine. It was actually

perfect.”

this is going to be amazing.” Also

Cameron Waldbaur

expects

Waldbauer says he knew the

VISUAL EFFECTS

fun in the end, because you’re not

The most complicated special

amazing… two Oscar nominations

always held to the highest stan-

effect wasn’t the infamous bear –

in two years. “Two years in a row

Cameron Waldbauer says the big-

dard and everyone will cheat and

that qualified as a stunt job – it was

— it’s a pretty amazing feeling. It’s

gest treat for him on The Revenant

try to get away with something

sending a horse off a cliff. Waldbau-

pretty awesome to get that kind of

was working with a director who

that maybe isn’t perfect… A lot

er worked with a mechanical horse

recognition from your peers.” n

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REEL WEST SPRING 2016

FE AT U RE STO RY

Aircover Business Set to Inflate with Oscar Win BY NAT H AN CADDE LL

ome people run away

the company, with trips to London

from

Steve

(Avengers: Age of Ultron), Ireland (Game

Smith sprinted towards

of Thrones) and Australia (Pirates of the

the beast.

Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales). “It

Godzilla.

Smith

had

estab-

really hasn’t stopped.”

lished himself as a well-known

Word of mouth was a huge con-

key grip in the film industry, hav-

tributor to the company’s success,

ing worked on productions like The

as producers and directors saw the

Muppets, X-Men 2 and Fantastic Four

advantages Aircover could provide.

when he and three other key grips

“We did no advertising because we

(David McIntosh, Mike Branham

were not in a position to expand

and Mike Kirilenko) decided to start

fast enough if we started advertis-

Aircover Inflatables in 2012.

ing, so we relied on word of mouth,”

The film industry in Vancouver

says Smith. “Facebook and Twitter

was an obvious breeding ground for

and all that, as soon as the walls

the four to get together. “The Van-

went up, it was all over everything

couver film community is very tight

pretty quick.”

knit, especially among key grips,”

Though business was strong,

says Smith, the company’s CEO.

Smith wasn’t exactly expecting a

“Although we are quite often after

FILE PHOTO

nod from the Academy. “I was sit-

the same jobs we are always happy

containers on top of each other. I’ve

row. Let’s say you want a thousand

ting at my desk and my friend sent

for the other fellow and continue to

even put hundreds of telephone

feet, we would just add until it’s a

me an email congratulating me on

support each other in many ways,

poles in the ground, built them that

thousand feet. And then we cover

the win,” he recalls. “[My friend] had

whether borrowing equipment or

way. And that’s fine, but you can’t

it with either a green material or a

read it in Variety. That is how the

passing on info about a job that we

predict how strong the winds are

blue material or whatever the pro-

Academy released the info. I sat at

have heard about.”

going to be. So we wanted to come

duction wants to cover it with.”

my desk for a few minutes just tak-

Based out of Delta, British Columbia, the principle product that

up with a safer way to do that, and we came up with this Air Wall.”

It wasn’t long before green met

ing it in. Then I looked up the article

green, as the first film to utilize

in Variety just to make sure it was

Aircover provides is called the ‘Air

Smith continues, rifling off the

the Air Wall was 2013’s Vancouver-

for real and not a mistake. Then I

Wall,’ an inflatable green screen

technical merits of the wall. “We

filmed Godzilla. Less than three

called the partners and told them to

with a minimum height of 32 feet.

have a big tray, 40 feet long, eight

years later, Aircover has worked on

get their tuxes ready.”

The tool makes it much easier and

feet wide and 14 inches tall. And

numerous big-budget films and won

As far as how the Academy

for films to project and create even

we place a cargo container on the

an Academy Award. At the 2016 Sci-

Award will affect business, Smith

larger visual effects, as the Air Wall

ground and we fill it with concrete

entific and Technical Awards, the

has already seen a change in busi-

has much more flexibility than the

blocks and then we set our contain-

Air Wall took home a Technical

ness: “I mean, there’s no direct proof

traditional green screen.

er on top of that, and inside that

Achievement Award.

of Oscar to an order. But so many

“With the visual effects walls

tray is a balloon, an air mattress.

“We did Godzilla and it just took

people know about it now. So many

we’ve built them in every which

And we just fill it up with air and it

off from there,” says Smith. After us-

more than knew before. And the

way,” says Smith. “We’ve built them

makes a wall, 32 feet tall and 40 feet

ing 720 feet of Air Wall on that film,

press and the media, you can’t buy

out of scaffolding, stacking cargo

long and you just add those down a

it was a busy couple of years for

that right? It’s just been fantastic.” n

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

INDIE S CE NE

19 Crazy8s Celebrates Crazy Growth BY PAU L A R MSTR ON G

out counter with everything except

stretched thin. As Currie explains,

But for writer and director Jesse

zy8s is BC’s largest short

one key item to impress some new

“We actually secured the second

Lupini, a student at the Vancouver

ow in its 17th year, Crafilm event with over 1700

friends coming over, thereby forcing

biggest Cathedral in the city to film

Film School, the biggest challenge

people attending last year’s Gala

him into a mad dash to get what

for free, but had to move to a small-

with Iteration 1 was post production.

and 97 films made to date, includ-

he needs before they arrive at his

er Church to accommodate light-

“It takes place in a futuristic facil-

ing six in 2016. As the event grows,

house.

ing power needs.” They filled it by

ity, involves a massive indoor tree,

the competition gets tougher each

Shauna Johannesen, who won

reaching out to a local talent agen-

and features a ton of visual effects,

year, in 2016, 179 people pitched

the 2015 Leo Awards for Best Ac-

cy, whose roster “offered their valu-

which was the hardest part, since

for a shot at the six final positions.

tress and Best Screenplay for her

able time”. For Currie, none of this

only five days of post-production

Despite how busy the BC film in-

2014 Crazy8s hit Bedbugs: A Musi-

would have been possible were it

was a minuscule amount of time

dustry is this year, they still came

cal Love Story, returned as a direc-

not for, “the incredible film commu-

to pull off what we did… we had a

together to provide equipment and

tor this year with Trying, in which

nity in Vancouver. All of us hone our

team of talented artists who worked

services to the finalists and offered

a seemingly simple decision turns

skills on larger productions, both

late into their nights after finish-

their support in developing our lo-

into a trying obsession for a saucy

domestic and foreign, and jump at

ing their day jobs to complete our

cally grown industry. The boom may

high school teacher and her hus-

the chance to produce Canadian

shots. It was humbling to be a part

not last forever — even if this one

band as they race against time to

stories, of the highest calibre, to

of such an incredible team.”

seems like it might.

make their sexy-time... successful.

share on world-wide platforms.”

Joel Ashton McCarthy, writer-di-

Ryan Silva, producer of Grocery

Although she too found it tough to

Local DP, Shannon Kohli, had

rector of the horror comedy, I Love

Store Action Movie, who also works

find crew, for Johannesen the big-

challenges relating to time — spe-

You So Much It’s Killing Them, about

at Brightlight Pictures, found that

gest challenge was Crazy8s time

cifically recreating the period from

a serial killer obsessed with math-

the biggest production challenge

parameters. “We had a lot of pages

1890 to 1910 in her film, A Family

ematics who falls in love with her

was, “finding key crew members,

to shoot in 3 days and a lot of shots,

of Ghosts. “We were extremely for-

co-worker, echoes these sentiments.

due to the value of the Canadian

including

tunate to find Hycroft Manor and

“Dealing with securing a wide vari-

dollar leading to so much film

solved some of that by rewriting a

James Town, both instrumental in

ety of locations, getting clearance

work in Vancouver. We overcame

few scenes to eliminate locations or

allowing us to pull off the period

to block off streets, stage murders,

it by branching outside our normal

tell story beats in simpler-to-shoot

look”, said Kohli. Also key in a pe-

and handle weapons was challeng-

search avenues for crew.” Expanding

ways.”

riod piece is production design and

ing. But we were blown away with

some

montages.

the search meant training new crew

Also returning to Crazy8s this

for that Kohli was fortunate to have

all the support this short film had.”

members — one of the key purposes

year this time as director, was Pat-

a strong team that, “pulled cos-

Ever modest, McCarthy is pretty

of Crazy8s.

rick Currie, who had written and

tumes all over town and what they

resourceful himself in pulling off

The other mandate is storytell-

starred in Stewing three years ago.

didn’t find they constructed from

shoots in less than simple circum-

ing, and Crazy8s is always focused

In the bisexual rom com Meet Cute,

scratch. We also had a whole team

stances, being best known as the

on original stories. This is what at-

co-written by and starring Brend-

together sourcing the set decoration

director of Taking My Parents to Burn-

tracted director Matthew Campbell

ee Green, an unexpected exciting

and props”.

ing Man. n

to Grocery Store. “I’m always looking

first kiss unravels the lives of two

Another Crazy8s contender this

for unique stories to tell, and with

strangers as they discover their

year where location and produc-

Peter n’ Chris writing it, I knew we

undeniable attraction challenges

tion design were key was Iteration 1

could do something different.” Peter

everything they thought they knew

in which Katharine Isabelle plays a

n’ Chris are the well-known comedy

about themselves.

woman who wakes up in a strange

duo Peter Carlone and Chris Wilson,

Their biggest production chal-

white room and must solve a se-

Paul Armstrong is a film producer who

who also starred in the film in which

lenge was location, and filling that

ries of puzzles — with the help of

also produces The Celluloid Social Club

Chris’ character arrives at a check-

location with background in a city

her quickly multiplying past lives.

and the Crazy8s Film Event.

the game has changed

• Shoot spectacular HD, 2K, 4K • 4K/2K raw recording option • Vast exposure latitude • High speed shooting at up to 240fps in 2K 106 - 8678 Greenall Ave • Burnaby, BC • 604.436.4492 Oﬃces in Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon REEL WEST SPRING 2016

www.mvcc.ca

MVCC is pleased to announce the acquisition of Sony’s new PMW-F55 4K resolution camera.

2 01 5 PRO DU CT IO N W RAP-U P

That’s a wrap! W R I T T E N BY NAT H AN CADDE LL

t first glance, the films Deadpool and The Revenant don’t share a lot of common ground. They are, however, both about characters set on serving up a large dose of revenge while providing a showcase for the leading men to prove they can act. While both films received much fanfare upon their release, they generated almost as much attention for the way in which they were filmed. And both movies were shot in western Canada. Deadpool shut down the Georgia Viaduct in Vancouver for two weeks to film major action sequences. The Revenant, which was shot in B.C.

and Alberta, generated horror stories from the cast and crew. Both films received rave reviews and increased the profile of western Canadian work. As the Canadian dollar has struggled, the film industry has thrived. In Vancouver, the number of film and television productions was up 40 percent from

last year. According to the city of Vancouver, Deadpool alone hired more than 2,000 locals, paying them an estimated $19 million. The film set box office records for the month of February 2016. Last year also marked the return of one of Vancouver’s all-time most famous productions - The X-Files. As Mulder and Scully returned for another romp in Lotus Land, other high profile television shows either continued their runs in Vancouver or set up promising futures with pilots. Continuum and The 100 sustained their popular runs with new seasons in Vancouver. Meanwhile, Fargo’s setting shifted from Minnesota to North Dakota on screen, but middle America was once again played by Calgary. With Canada seeing Leonardo Dicaprio, Steven Spielberg (for two different productions) and J.J. Abrams in 2015, it’s exciting to imagine what is in store for 2016. The city of Vancouver expects 2016 will be an even busier year for the biz, setting and breaking all new records. Here’s a snapshot of what happened on the western Canadian film, TV and digital scene in 2015.

BRITISH COLUMBIA BC | FEATURES THE SHACK Based on the novel by Canadian author William Paul Young. God invites a grieving man to meet with him. DIR: Stuart Hazeldine EP: Mike Drake PROD: Brad Cummings, Gil Netter PM: Christopher Foss PC: Melyssa Davies LM: Monty Bannister ASST LM: Derek Sutherland ASST LM: Sean Meade EXTRAS CASTING: Sara Brown CAST: Sam Worthington, Radha Mitchell, Octavia Spencer.

ARMY OF ONE Larry Charles (Borat, Bruno) directs this comedy in which a man sets out on his own to find Osama Bin Laden. DIR: Larry Charles EP: Patrick Newall PROD: Daniel Clarke, Dan Beckerman PM: Daniel Clarke PC: Lisa Ragosin LM: David Tamkin ASST LM: Graeme Blatherwick CASTING DIR: Maureen Webb CAST: Nicolas Cage, Rainn Wilson, Russell Brand.

BESTIES High-school comedy about two best friends who become enemies when one of them dates the other’s older brother. DIR: Kelly Fremon EP: Brendan Ferguson PROD: James L. Brooks PM: Daniel Clarke PC: Judith Swan LM: Abraham Fraser ASST LM: Jason Traversy EXTRAS CASTING: Sandra-Ken Freeman CAST: Hailee Steinfeld, Blake Jenner, Woody Harrelson

THE BFG The film adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl novel, directed by Steven Spielberg. A young girl happens upon a giant who has been outcast from his counterparts for refusing to eat humans. PM: Brendan Ferguson PC: Nicole Oguchi EP: Kathleen Kennedy, John Madden, Kristie Macosko PROD: Frank Marshall, Sam Mercer PROD: Adam Somner DOP: Janusz Kaminski PD: Rick Carter CAST: Rebecca Hall, Mark Rylance, Jemaine Clement.

BIRTH OF THE DRAGON Biography featuring a no-holds barred challenge by martial arts legend Bruce Lee against kung fu master Wong Jack Man in 1965. DIR: George Nolfi EP: Leo Shi Young, Stephen J. Rivele, PM: Drew Locke PC: Laura Livingstone PROD: Janice Williams, Michael London, Christopher Wilkinson LM: Emily Keller ASST LM: John MacCulloch EP: David Nicksay CAST: Billy Magnussen, Terry Chen, Ron Yuan.

DIR: Nacho Vigalondo EP: Shawn Williamson, Justin Bursch PM: Brian Dick PC: Lynne Taylor PROD: Nahikari Ipina CAST: Anne Hathaway, Jason

Sudeikis, Tim Blake Nelson

COME AND FIND ME A man must track down his missing girlfriend after realizing that she wasn’t who she was pretending to be. DIR: Zachary Whedon EP: Chris Ferguson, Brian KavanaughJones PM: Tracey Nomura PC: Alison Stephen LM: Ken Meisenbacher CAST: Aaron Paul, Annabelle Wallis, Garret Dillahunt

DARC When Japanese gangsters that specialize in human trafficking capture the daughter of an Interpol agent, a rogue agent takes matters into his own hands. DIR: Nick Powell PROD: Lindsay Moffat PM: Ian Smith PC: Jennifer Pitcher LM: Amy Barager CAST: Armand Assante, Tetsu Watanabe, Kippei Shiina.

test to stave off cancer survives -with a disfigured face, a twisted sense of humour and super powers. DIR: Tim Miller PM: Michael Williams LM: Rino Pace EP: John J. Kelly CAST: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein

ENTANGLEMENT Dramedy about a man who figures out a family secret and then falls in love. He starts to realize the two events are more connected than they seem. EP: Amber Ripley, Krista Kelloway CAST: Thomas Middleditch, Jess Weixler.

FINDING MR. RIGHT II The sequel to the Chinese box office smash in which a woman from Beijing who’s having an affair with a high profile tycoon goes to Seattle to birth his child in secrecy. DIR: Xiaolu Xue PROD: Shan Tam, Mathew Tang DOP: Chi-Ying Chan PD: Chung Man Yee PM: Simon Richardson PC: Michael Lien CAST: Wei Tang, Nesta Cooper

HOME INVASION Horror film about, you guessed it, expert thieves invading the home of an unsuspecting mother and child. PROD: Jeff Sackman, Devi Singh, Jeff Schenk DIR: David Tennant PM: Matt Drake LM: Michael Gazetas ASST LM: Stephen Sangster CAST: Natasha Henstridge, Jason Patric and Scott Adkins

BRAIN ON FIRE Based on Susannah Cahalan’s memoir of the same name in which she details her struggle with a rare disease. DIR: Gerard Barrett EP: Rob Merilees PM: Ian Birkett, Abraham Fraser PC: Deena Kittson LM: Nicholas Wade ASST LM: John Hall CAST: Chloe Grace Moretz, Carrie-Anne Moss, Richard Armitage.

COLOSSAL

DEADPOOL

Sci-fi thriller in which a downtrodden woman becomes strangely connected to a giant creature.

Based on the Marvel Comics character, Wade Wilson, a special forces operative, undergoes a radical

GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS A young woman in a small town starts to receive photographs of other young women who have been brutally murdered. EP: Nawaf

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

Alghanim CO-PM: Galen Fletcher PC: Ashley Fester LM: Jane Victoria King ASST LM: Jenna Chalmer EXTRAS CASTING: Annie Klein CAST: Katharine Isabelle, Kal Penn, Mitch Pileggi

planet. DIR: Justin Lin PROD: Jeffrey Chernov PM: Stewart Bethune PC: Eva Morgan LM: Ann Goobie ASST LM: Paul Giordano EXTRAS CASTING: Andrea Brown CAST: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana

STOLEN PATH A privileged woman becomes involved with a pauper on the Croatian countryside in the early 20th century. DIR: John Banovich EP: Goldie Smitlener PROD: John Banovich DOP: Clayton Richard Long PD: Keith Stark CAST: Daniela Smitlener, Jacob Brkopac, Robert Duncan

HIDDEN FORTRESS - AKA PLANET OF THE APES 3 The latest visit to the Planet of the Apes. DIR: Matthew Reeves PROD: David Stark, Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver PM: Michael Williams, Adrienne Sol LM: Mark Voyce ASST LM: Myles Lennig CASTING DIR: Bliss McDonald EP: Mark Bomback, Jenno Topping DOP: Michael Seresin CAST: Andy Serkis, Judy Greer, Woody Harrelson

STRANGER IN THE HOUSE Jade, a successful lawyer commits to caring for her widowed father after he suffers injuries in a car accident. She comes back from vacation and discovers that dad married the caretaker she hired for him. DIR: Allan Harmon PROD: Cynde Harmon Production Manager Galen Fletcher PC: Michele Picard CAST: Emmanuelle Vaugier, Matthew MacCaull, Jordana Largy

MIDNIGHT SUN Remake of the Japanese film in which a teenage girl lives with a rare disease that makes any exposure to sunlight deadly. DIR: Scott Speer PROD: John Richard, Zack Schiller, Jen Gatien, Tracey Jeffery PM: Mandy Spencer-Phillips PC: Stacey Harris LM: Kirk Johns ASST LM: W. Robert Millar EXTRAS CASTING: James Forsyth CAST: Patrick Schwarzenegger, Bella Thorne, Rob Riggle

PHIL Actor Greg Kinnear makes his directorial debut with a dark comedy about a dentist whose life falls apart after one of his patients commits suicide. DIR: Greg Kinnear EP: Ron McLeod PROD: Aaron Gilbert, Sandy Stern PM: Ron McLeod PC: Mark Tachowsky LM: Dan Carr ASST LM: Jason Kent EXTRAS CASTING: Lisa Ratke CAST: Greg Kinnear, Luke Wilson, Emily Mortimer.

REAL FICTION Director Kirk Caouette’s follow-up to his acclaimed indie ‘Hit ‘n Strum’ is an action drama about a hit man and a sex worker on a killing spree. DIR: Kirk Caouette EP: John Cassini PROD: Jacqueline Nguyen, Rick Podd, Ines Eisses, Stuart Mackay-Smith DOP: Pieter Stathis PD: Chris Wishart PM: Jacqueline Nguyen LM: Tammy Tamkin SFXC: Brant Mcilroy CASTING DIR: Kara Eide CAST: Kirk Caouette, Andrea Stefancikova, Adrian Hough

THE BOY An American nanny takes a job with a British family and is shocked to learn their child is a life-sized doll. She’s more shocked when she realizes it might actually be alive. EP: David Kern DIR: William Brent Bell PM: Penny Gibbs LM: Abraham Fraser PC: Brett Davies CAST: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, James Russell

THE LAYOVER Comedy centered around two girlfriends who go on a road trip to escape their stressful lives. The plane gets re-routed by a hurricane and the dreams of a stress-free trip are harpooned. DIR: William H. Macy EP: Keith Kjarval, Aaron Gilbert PM: Jennifer Carpenter PC: Jill McQueen LM: David Fullerton ASST LM: Jonathan Cairns EXTRAS CASTING: Lisa Ratke CAST: Alexandra Daddario, Kate Upton, Molly Shannon

Going where no one has gone before… the USS Enterprise crew is attacked by an unknown group of aliens and left stranded on a foreign

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

TOMATO RED Based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell, a drifter ex-con becomes involved with a family of criminals. EP: Elizabeth Gill, Daniel Bekerman PM: Daniel Bekerman PC: Brodi-Jo Scalise LM: Christin Lindgard CAST: Jake Weary, Anna Friel, Julia Garner

Coordinators: Andy Hoang, Cassidy Kennedy LM: Debra Beaudreau ASST LM: Shafik Chernovsky EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

KINDERGARTEN COP 2 The sequel to the 90’s comedy with Dolph Lundgren in the Schwarzenegger role as an FBI agent working undercover as a Kindergarten teacher. DIR: Don Michael Paul PROD: Mike Elliott, Simon Abbott PM: Simon Abbott PC: Stacey A. Harris LM: Jack Veldhuis

MONKEY UP A talking monkey befriends a young girl while pursuing an acting career. EP: Anna McRoberts PM: Darcy Wild PC: Ron Pachkowski LM: Peter Pantages EXTRAS CASTING: Sara Brown

TOMBOY A male assassin is transformed into a woman by a rogue surgeon. DIR: Walter Hill EP: Kenneth Burke PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Suzan Derkson PC: Audrey Hellmer LM: Nicole Chartrand CAST: Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver, Freida Pinto

WARRIOR’S GATE A teenager is magically transported to China and learns to use his video game skills to become a kung fu warrior. DIR: Matthias Hoene EP: Ariel Zeitoun, Oliver Glaas, Christine Haebler PROD: Luc Besson, Mark Gao DOP: Maxime Alexandre PD: Hugues Tissandier PM: Tia Buhl PC: Ellen MacDonald LM: Michael Gazetas ASST LM: Jon Cairns CAST: Dave Bautista, Sienna Guillory, Uriah Shelton

6:42 WWE Studios film about a suspended cop who receives a mysterious threat and jumps back into action. EP: Michael Luisi PROD: Donald Munro PM: Thierry Tanguy Production Coordinators: Cassidy Kennedy, Andy Hoang LM: Debra Beaudreau ASST LM: Kelsey Fonda Santa’s daughter brings her boyfriend home for the holidays. DIR: Christie Will EP: Oliver De Caigny PM: Navid Soofi CASTING DIR: Matthew Santoro

BEFORE I FALL

THE REVENANT Based on true events surrounding frontiersman Hugh Glass as he gets left for dead by his crew and goes on a quest for revenge. DIR: Alejandro G. Inarritu PC: Jill Christensen PM: Drew Locke LM: Robin Mounsey CASTING DIR: Michelle Allen EXTRAS CASTING: Alex Brown CAST: Leonardo DiCaprio,

MONSTERVILLE Horror-comedy in the vein of Goosebumps. Teenagers must resist an evil circus performer who is holding a house of horrors show in their town. PROD: Dan Angel, Billy Brown, Tracey Jeffrey DIR: Peter DeLuise PM: Tracey Jeffrey PC: Cathy Fullerton ASST LM: Kirk Johns

BC | DIGITAL FEATURES

BECOMING SANTA

STAKES

STAR TREK BEYOND

Actor Giancarlo Esposito’s second feature as a director looks at reality television with a critical lens. Contestants kill themselves for public enjoyment. DIR: Giancarlo Esposito EP: Shawn Williamson PROD: Jamie Goehring PM: Jamie Goehring PC: Joey Setter LM: Rico Mielnicki ASST LM: Brendon Olsen EXTRAS CASTING: Stephanie Boeke CAST: Sarah Wayne Callies, Famke Janssen, Josh Duhamel

A man who is developing the power to become invisible tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. EP: Ian Hay PROD: Hans Dayal, Katie Weekly PM: Hans Dayal PC: Jerry Pender DIR: Geoff Redknap CAST: Aden Young, Camille Sullivan, Julia Sarah Stone

Hockey drama set in Prince George. DIR: Kevan Funk EP: Trish Dolman PROD: Christine Haebler PM: Mandy Spencer-Phillips PC: Scott Matthews LM: Michael Gazetas

Christopher Adams

THIS IS YOUR DEATH

PM: Thierry Tanguy Production

THE UNSEEN

HELLO DESTROYER

DIR: Adam Wingard EP: Jenny Hinkley PM: Simon Abbott PC: Rhona Williscroft LM: Will Fearn ASST LM:

Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson

A high school student gets the Groundhog treatment and lives her last day on Earth over and over again. EP: Matt Kaplan DIR: Ry Russo-Young PROD: Marc Bienstock, Jon Shestack, Marc Bienstock PM: Thierry Tanguy PC: Andy Hoang, Cassidy Kennedy DOP: Michael Fimognari ASST LM: Debra Beaudreau PROD ASST: Matthew Villeneuve EXTRAS CASTING: Linda Labelle

INTERROGATION EP: Michael Luisi PROD: Donald Munro

NUMB Thriller about a couple who discover a map that leads to hidden gold. PM: Robyn Wiener PC: Craig J. Lane LM: Shane C. Lennox DIR: Jason Goode

PUPSTAR EP: Robert Vince PROD: Anna McRoberts PM: Matt Drake

SANTA’S LITTLE HELPER A businessman gets fired from his job and competes to be Santa’s elf in this family holiday film. DIR: Gil Junger EP: Michael J. Luisi PM: Donald Munro UPM: Thierry Tanguy Production Coordinators: Cassidy Kennedy, Andy Hoang LM: Debra Beaudreau ASST LM: Aleksander Stirajs EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

STAGECOACH Based on the true story of an outlaw who comes out of retirement to hatch a revenge plot. DIR: Uwe Boll PROD: Jack Nasser PM: Tara Cowell-Plain

THE CRASH PAD Rom-com about a love triangle between a younger man and a married woman. EP: Vicki Sotheran,

Greg Malcolm PM: Chris Rudolph PC: Nancy McKenzie

THE HOLLOW When three sisters visit their aunt on a remote island, a horror movie ensues. DIR: Sheldon Wilson EP: Shawn Williamson PROD: Jamie Goehring PC: Joey Setter LM: Dan McWilliams

BC | TV PILOTS BEYOND A young man wakes up from a 12-year-old coma to discover that while he is still emotionally a teenager, he has gained superpowers. DIR: Lee Toland Krieger PROD: Tracey Jeffrey PM: Mandy Spencer-Phillips PC: Cathy Fullerton LM: Kirk Johns ASST LM: W. Robert Millar EXTRAS CASTING: James Forsyth

BREED A detective discovers that a strange creature is responsible for a string of murders in the Pacific Northwest. EP: John Scott Shepherd, Nicky Weinstock, Scott Winant PROD: Nicky Weinstock DIR: Scott Winant PM: Genevieve Bridges PC: Jill McQueen LM: Casey Nelson ASST Location Managers: Kris Kadzielski, Jendrek Kowalski EXTRAS CASTING: Sandra Couldwell

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE

that follows a young teen with the ability to control technology with his mind. DIR: Zach Lipovsky EP: Brian Hamilton Line PROD: Ian Hay DOP: Todd Williams PD: Tony Devenyi PM: Ian Hay PC: Rhona Williscroft LM: David Fullerton SFXC: John Sleep CASTING DIR: Candice Elzinga EXTRAS CASTING: Sara Brown

MY SO CALLED WIFE Dark comedy about a drifter who gets men and women to fall in love with her and then leaves with their money and secrets. EP: Paul Adelstein, Adam Brooks DIR: Adam Brooks PROD: John Lenic PM: Christina Toy PC: Almaz Tadege DOP: Tobias Datum LM: Ritch Renaud ASST LM: Jessica Feskun

ROADIES From Cameron Crowe and J.J. Abrams - an ensemble comedy that looks into the lives of roadies. Director/ EP: Cameron Crowe EP: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burke, Winnie Holzman PROD: Iain Paterson, Vladimir Stefoff PC: Anita Truelove LM: Catou Kearney ASST LM: Peter Klassen

SHOOTER

DEAD PEOPLE

THE ADVOCATE

Medical drama that follows a female heart transplant surgeon through her work and personal life. DIR: Robert McNeill EP: Jill Gordon, Amy Brenneman, Brad Silberling PROD: Gordon Mark PM: Matthew Chipera PC: Almaz Tadege LM: Ritch Renaud ASST LM: Jessica Feskun

HOME When a suburban family starts digging up secrets, their perfect life is shattered. EP: Jerry Bruckheimer PROD: Terry Gould PM: Michele Futerman PC: Terri Garbutt LM: Dominic Main

MIX Drama about a treasured family restaurant that starts to question what direction they should be headed in. EP: Jennifer Cecil, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack DIR: Daniel Barnz PROD: Jae Marchant PM: Scott Graham Production Coordinators: Shalia Edl, Blair Hackman LM: Sheri Mayervich ASST LM: Mike Bogdanovic

MTX! Adventure comedy bought by Disney

Flawed guardian angels intervene in the lives of people, often when they aren’t welcome. EP: Mark Burnett, Roma Downey, Yves Simoneau PROD: Brad Van Arragon PM: Jim O’Grady PC: Susan Crawford LM: Terry MacKay ASST LM: Derek Sutherland

The story of real life former talent agent Byrdie Lifson-Pompan who teamed with Valerie Ulene, a medical doctor and a health education specialist, to launch a healthcare consulting and case management company. DIR: Michael Robin EP: Sheldon Turner, Jennifer Klein, Michael Robin PROD: Connie Dolphin PM: George Horie PC: Judith Swan LM: Rick Fearon ASST Location Managers: Alix Falkiner, Jason Traversy

THE ARRANGEMENT Adapted from a script by Mad Men producer Jonathan Abrahams about a young Hollywood star who is a member of the Institute of the Higher Mind, and an actress is paid to marry him. Talk about Risky Business. DIR: Ken Olin EP: John Lenic PM: Wayne Bennett PC: Nicole Oguchi LM: Heather Vedan ASST LM: Bob McQuarrie

THE WILDING Supernatural drama set around a North Carolina family who’s daughter leaves mental health treatment and starts having visions of the dead. DIR: Ciaran Foy EP: Rose Lam PM: Ian Birkett PC: Deana Kittson LM: Philip Pacaud ASST LM: Robert Archibald EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

UNTITLED JENNA BANS PILOT Grey’s Anatomy writer Jenna Bans

DC: LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Time-traveller Rip Hunter leads a B-team of DC’s heroes and villains against an apocalypse. EP: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Phil Klemmer, Chris Fedak PROD: Vladimir Stefoff PM: Richard Bullock PC: Anita Truelove

BC | TV SERIES ARROW Season three and four of the DC Comics series about a billionaire playboy who comes back to protect his city as an amazing archer. EP: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg PROD: Todd Pittson LM: Kirk Adamson, Bill Burns PC: Fawn McDonald CASTING DIR: Sean Cossey EXTRAS CASTING: Sandra Freeman

FALLING SKIES Fifth season of sci-fi thriller where survivors of an alien attack on Earth join forces and fight back. EP: David Eick, Todd Sharp, Olatunde Osunsanmi PROD: Grace Gilroy DOP: Barry Donlevy PD: Rob Gray PM: Michele Futerman PC: Genevieve Bridges LM: Casey Nelson-Zutter SFXC: Dan Keeler CASTING DIR: Sean Cossey EXTRAS CASTING: Sandra Couldwell

THE GAME OF LOVE

STRANGE CALLS A young police officer is transferred to a rural town and starts to discover some supernatural things about it. DIR: Jason Winer EP: Blake McCormick, Aaron Kaplan, Tracey Robertson PROD: Shawn Williamson PM: David Magee PC: Lynne Taylor LM: Peter Klassen ASST LM: Renee Bella

HEART MATTERS

UNVEILED

A television remake of the 2007 Antoine Fuqua/ Mark Wahlberg film about an ex-Marine who exiles himself after a mission gone awry. DIR: Simon Cellan Jones PM: Genevieve Bridges PC: Kathleen Whelan

A remake of the 80’s horror anthology. DIR: Bradley Buecker EP: Alex Kurtzman, Bob Orci, Mitch Galin, Heather Kadin, Joe Hill, Jerry Golod, Aaron Baiers PM: Bonnie Benwick PC: Anja Liimatainen LM: Karen Lo ASST LM: TJ Rumpel Mystery drama featuring a cab driver who, after a near-death experience, gains the ability to interact with the dead. EP: Tom Kapinos, JJ Abrams PROD: Vladimir Stefoff DIR: Marc Allan Buckland PM: Richard Bullock PC: Anita Truelove LM: Michael LeGresley

pens a program about the return of a politician’s young son after he was presumed dead years earlier. EP: Tom Hoberman, Jenna Bans, Laurie Zaks, Todd Lieberman DIR: Paul McGuigan PM: Colleen Mitchell PC: Aren Ophoff LM: Jina Johnson

BATES MOTEL Season three and four of the prequel to the 1960 film Psycho. PROD: Justis Greene PM: Heather Meehan PC: Jennifer Metcalf DOP: John Bartley LM: Kendrie Upton

Hallmark-style film about a wealthy family that has a dispute over the sale of a basketball arena. Out of that quarrel comes love. DIR: Farhad Mann EP: JJ DuBois, Kirk Shaw, Alexandra Julson PM: Barbara Chisholm PC: Barbara Chisholm LM: Shafik Chernovsky ASST LM: Erez Barzilay

GIRLFRIEND’S GUIDE TO DIVORCE Season two in the life of Abby McCarthy, a self-help writer who attempts to hide her separation from her husband from the public eye. DIR: Robbie Duncan McNeill EP: Robbie McNeil, Vicki Iovine, Meryl Poster, Marti Noxon PM: Christina Toy PC: Almaz Tadege Location Managers: Ken Brooker, Ritch Renaud ASST LM: Shawn Flynn, Jessica Feskun

IMPASTOR CEDAR COVE Follows a small town and the municipal court judge who presides over it. Season three. EP: Ron French, Steve Harmaty PROD: Randy Cheveldave PM: Chris Rudolph PC: Nancy McKenzie LM: Jack Veldhuis

COBALT A spinoff series that will serve as the prequel of the popular The Walking Dead. DIR: Adam Davidson EP: Gale Anne Hurd, Dave Erickson PROD: Ron French, Craig Forrest PM: Alexia Droz PC: Jennifer Aichholz LM: Dan Carr ASST LM: John MacCulloch

CONTINUUM Season four sends Vancouver into 2080. EP: Tom Rowe, Simon Barry, Pat Williams PROD: Holly Redford PM: Tia Buhl PC: Ellen MacDonald LM: Robert Murdoch ASST Location Managers: Andrzej Dec-Williams, Dylan Kilgour EXTRAS CASTING: Sandra Ken Freeman

A slacker on the run steals a man’s identity and ends up posing as a small town’s gay pastor. EP: Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Richard King, Robert Greenberg PM: Warren Carr PC: Sarah Jane Harris LM: Steven Sach

IZOMBIE Season one and two of the critically acclaimed series in which a coroner’s ASST discovers she’s a zombie and must feed on brains to maintain her humanity. EP: Rob Thomas, Diane Ruggerio-Wright, Danielle Stokdyk, Dan Etheridge PROD: Scott Graham DOP: John Bartley PD: Dustin Farrell PM: Yvonne Melville PC: Blair Hackman LM: Sheri Mayervich ASST LM: Mike Bogdanovic EXTRAS CASTING: Doreen Ferreira

LUCIFER Satan, bored of Hell, moves to Los Angeles to fight crime. EP: Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Joe Henderson, Ildy Modrovich, Glen Weisman, Tom Kapinos PROD: Eric Holberg, Nathan Hope PM: Bonnie

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

Benwick PC: Kim Buckham LM: Tracey Renyard ASST LM: Ryan Kelly

MINORITY REPORT The first Steven Spielberg-directed movie to hit the small screen. Set eleven years after the 2002 film of the same name in which the future can be seen and is used to prevent crimes. DIR: Steven Spielberg EP: Greg Beeman, Max Borenstein, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Kevin Falls PROD: Neal Ahern PM: Warren Carr PC: Sarah Jane Harris LM: Steve Sach

MISTRESSES Follows four girlfriends as they embark on their own paths. DIR: Constantine Makris PROD: Lily Hui PM: Doug Brons PC: Carol Schafer LM: Heather Vedan ASST LM: Bob McQuarrie

MOTIVE Season three and four of a Vancouver detective who tracks down killers by figuring out their motives. EP: Rob Merilees, Louise Clark PROD: Brad Van Arragon PM: Cecil O’Connor PC: Corine Buffel

ONCE UPON A TIME Season four and five about a Maine town that’s crawling with characters from well-known fairy tales. EP: Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Steve Pearlman PROD: Kathy Gilroy PM: Dennis Swartman PC: Clark Candy LM: Scott Walden

PROOF Fantasy drama series about a doctor who knows what happens when people die. EP: Rob Bragin, Kyra Sedgewick, Tom Jacobson, Jill Littman, Alexander Graves DIR: Alexander Graves PM: Kim Steer LM: Phil Pacaud PC: Deana Kittson EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

SECOND CHANCE A billionaire and an engineer bring a dead police officer back to life. DIR: Kate Dennis, Paul Anthony Edwards EP: Craig Hill PROD: Shawn Williamson PM: Paul Lukaitis PC: Melissa Crich Location Managers: Michael Roberts, David Tamkin ASST LM: Derek Sutherland, Amanda Hanson EXTRAS CASTING: Sandra Ken Freeman

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED Season three of the series in which a young teen takes ownership of a toy company and populates the workplace with all of his friends. DIR: Ken Friss DIR: Jonathan Rosenbaum EP: Alex Raffe PM: Lucy MacLeod PC: Jennifer Pitcher EXTRAS CASTING: Sandra Ken Freeman

to Earth after a massive war. EP: Les Morgenstein, Jason Rothenberg DIR: Dean White, John Showalter PROD: Jae Marchant PM: Colleen Mitchell PC: Aren Ophoff LM: David Halifax ASST Location Managers: Patrick Subarsky, Braden Jennings EXTRAS CASTING: Doreen Ferreira

THE FLASH Season one and two of the superhero series about a crime-fighting speedster. EP: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, David Nutter, Sarah Schechter PROD: JP Finn PM: Charles Lyall PC: Lukia Czernin LM: Greg Jackson ASST Location Managers: Trevor Brokop, Kirk Renard, Jason Traversy EP: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, David Nutter, Sarah Schechter Directors of Photography: Jeff Mygatt, C. Kim Miles

SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT Bottom of Form The Magicians Students are recruited to a mysterious school and realize the magic they read about as children is more real than they thought. EP: John McNamara, Sera Gambe, Michael London, Janice Williams PROD: Mitch Engel PM: Matthew Chipera PC: Jill McQueen LM: Peter Pantages ASST LM: Brad Erickson

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What would happened if Germany won WWII? EP: Ridley Scott, David Zucker, Frank Spotnitz, Richard Hens PROD: Erin Smith PM: Yvonne Melville PC: Corine Buffel LM: Mary Jo Beirnes

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THE ROMEO SECTION Spies people to get their secrets in this drama from Canadian showrunner, Chris Haddock. EP: Chris Haddock, Laura Lightbow, Steven Surjik, Jeese McKeown PROD: Arvi Liimatainen, Kevin Eastwood, John Lenic PM: Lynne Bespflug PC: Elaine Fleming LM: Dan McWilliams ASST Location Managers: Kevin McLean, Chris Adams, Andrzej Dec-Williams

TIES THAT BIND Cop drama revolves around a female police officer and mother of two in suburban Seattle. When she must arrest her brother, she takes in his two children. EP: Tom Berry, Sheryl J. Anderson, Dean Batali PROD: Gilles LaPlante PM: Matt Drake PC: Crystal Remmey LM: Neil Robertson ASST LM: Jason Traversy

What’s up in Canadian television

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TV, eh? covers news, reviews and interviews about Canadian television shows, with the odd foray into the odd industry that produces them.

SUPERNATURAL The series about two brothers taking over their dad’s profession as a hunter of the supernatural hit seasons 10 and 11. EP: Robert Singer, Jeremy Carver, Phil Sgriccia, McG, Adam Glass PROD: Jim Michaels, Craig Matheson PM: Craig Matheson PC: Jason Fischer LM: Russell Hamilton, Janet McCairns ASST LM: Allan Ross, Ryan Kelly

THE 100 Season two and three of the CW series that became a Netflix smash. Follows a group of teens as they become the first people to return

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WHEN CALLS THE HEART Season two and three of the western drama about a young school teacher who leaves the big city to teach in a small mining town. EP: Eric Jarboe PROD: Michael Shepard, Vicki Sotheran, Greg Malcolm DOP: Michael Balfry PD: James Robbins PM: Simon Richardson PC: Michael Lien EXTRAS CASTING: Sara Brown

X-FILES Mulder and Scully are back in this revival of the 90’s series about two agents who investigate the impossible. DIR: Chris Carter EP: Glen Morgan, Chris Carter PROD: Darin Morgan, James Wong, Grace Gilroy PM: Genevieve Bridges PC: Judith Swan LM: Casey Nelson-Zutter ASST Location Managers: Jendrek Kowalski, Kris Kadzielski EXTRAS CASTING: Lisa Ratke

YOU ME HER A comedy about a “polyromantic” relationship between a married couple and another lover. EP: Peter Jaysen, Alan Gasmer, John Scott Shepherd PROD: Jonathan Schwartz, Darcy Wild PM: Darcy Wild PC: Taare Belton- Bodworth LM: Shane Lennox ASST LM: John Ellington EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

BC | MOVIE OF THE WEEK ABDUCTED LOVE DIR: Brenton Spencer EP: Kirk Shaw, Alexander Julson PM: Mel Weisbaum, Mary Sparacio PC: Audrey Hellmer LM: Christina Ollson ASST LM: Dan Moore EXTRAS CASTING: Laurie Pavon-Solis

FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS

about a group of young dancers at the fictional American Ballet Academy in New York City. EP: Vicki Sotheran, Greg Malcolm PM: Tracey Nomura PC: Nancy McKenzie LM: David Fullerton

town. DIR: Jonathan A. Rosenbaum EP: Larry Girmaldi, Robyn Snyder, Kim Arnott PROD: Ian Smith PC: Ron Pachkowski LM: Paul Russell ASST LM: John Knowlton EXTRAS CASTING: Erin Fikowski

PERFECT HIGH

FORCED EXPOSURE

High school drama about a girl who starts getting into prescription drugs and descends into heroin addiction. EP: Tina Pehme, Kim Roberts DIR: Vanessa Parise PM: Ian Smith LM: Paul Russell PC: Miles Gorovich

DIR: Monika Mitchell EP: Gilles LaPlante PC: Diana Donaldson LM: Ken MacAlpine ASST LM: Ken Poole

CHESAPEAKE SHORES Based on the 10-book series by Sheryl Woods about the O’Brien clan, a multigenerational family who reunite after years apart to face their past. DIR: Martin Wood EP: Dan Paulson PM: John Prince PC: Michael Lien

‘TIS THE SEASON FOR LOVE A woman who lives in New York returns home for the holidays and realizes she shouldn’t have left. DIR: Terry Ingram PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Tim Sereda PC: Yale Kussin LM: Jamie Lake ASST LM: Warren Fulton EXTRAS CASTING: Sara Brown

CRADLE OF LIES

ALL THINGS VALENTINE

Romantic comedy about a woman who is stranded at the airport at Christmas. She accepts a ride from a man who has rented the last car in town. EP: Ron French, Craig Forrest DIR: Kristoffer Tabori PM: Alexia Droz, Kent Sponagle PC: Lynne Taylor ASST LM: Daniel Dornbierer

An aspiring chef enters into an ice sculpture contest against her boss. DIR: David Mackay EP: Chad Oaks, Tim Johnson, Oliver DeCaigny PM: Navid Soofi PC: Matthew Santoro LM: Sean David Cummings ASST LM: Liam Powell

DEBBIE MCCOMBER’S DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW

EVIDENCE OF TRUTH DIR: Jesse James Miller PROD: Kirk Shaw, Alexandra Julson PM: Mel Weisbaum, Mary Sparacio PC: Steve Merk LM: Terry Hayes ASST LM: CJ Miko EXTRAS CASTING: Laurie Pavon-

Solis

MY ONE CHRISTMAS WISH

DYING TO BE LOVED

Family musical about a college student who feels lonely during the holidays. She places an ad trying to find a family to spend the break with. DIR: James Head EP: Jonathan Schwartz PM: Darcy Wild PC: Taare Belton-Bodsworth LM: Shane Lennox ASST LM: Chani Schmidt EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

DIR: Paul Shapiro EP: Gilles LaPlante PM: Crystal Remmey PC: Diana Donaldson LM: Ken Poole

MARK & RUSSELL’S WILD RIDE

CENTER STAGE: DANCE CAMP

Shot in downtown Duncan, this adventure comedy follows two high schoolers as they learn how to drive on an escapade through

ANGELS IN THE SNOW Family film about how a Christmas getaway saves a household. EP: Ken Atchity, Norman Stephens, Kirk Shaw DIR: George Erschbamer PM: Barbara Chisholm LM: John Wittmayer

Third instalment of the franchise

FURTHER ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING Rival teen babysitters team up to hunt down a child they both look after who goes missing. EP: Shawn Williamson DIR: John Schultz PM: Paul Lukaitis LM: Michael Roberts PC: Melissa Crich

HARVEST MOON Drama about a city woman who is tasked with saving her family’s struggling pumpkin farm. DIR: Peter DeLuise EP: Harvey Kahn PM: Catherine Kretz PC: Yale Kussin PROD: Ian Smith LM: Nancy Larman ASST LM: Warren Fulton EXTRAS CASTING: Doreen Ferreira

I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU DIR: Steven Monroe EP: Shawn Williamson PROD: Jamie Goehring, Kevin Leeson PM: Michelle Samuels, Scott Matthews LM: Christina Ollson ASST Location Managers: Dan Moore, Kim Aitken EXTRAS CASTING: Stephanie Boeke

IN THEIR OWN HANDS Thriller about a boy who goes missing. The boy’s mother and sister believe their neighbour was involved and pursue justice on their own. DIR: Jason Bourque EP: Oliver De Caigny PM: Navid Soofi PC: Matthew Santoro

JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS Romantic fantasy about a young woman who gets a glimpse of Christmas future as she’s forced to choose between going to the city for her dream job and staying in her town to marry her boyfriend. DIR: Sean McNamara EP: Oliver De Caigny PM: Tara Cowell-Plain PC: Terri Garbutt LM: Will Fearn

Comedy about a couple that annulled their marriage years ago, or so they thought. A mistake in the paperwork means they’re still married. EP: Holly Redford DIR: Neill Fearnley PM: John Prince Production Coordinators: Louisa Main, Lei Leng Ong PM: Dominic Main ASST LM: Ken Poole Sci-fi mystery film from veteran Canadian director David Winning. DIR: David Winning EP: Kirk Shaw, Devi Singh PM: Mel Weisbaum PC: Mary Sparacio EXTRAS CASTING: Laurie Pavon Solis

AN ICE SCULPTURE CHRISTMAS

Based on the book of the same name by Stevie Cameron. Follows the true story of Robert Pickton and the lives of the women he picked up in the Downtown Eastside and murdered on his farm. DIR: Rachel Talalay PROD: Rupert Harvey, John Prince PM: John Prince PC: Terri Garbutt LM: Greg Astop

COUNTRY GIRL

The directorial feature debut from actress Amanda Tapping centres on a woman who’s life inexplicably changes after a conversation with a man dressed as Santa Claus. DIR: Amanda Tapping PROD: Oliver De Caigny PM: Navid Soofi PC: Matthew Santoro LM: Sean Cummings ASST LM: Sean Grant A romantic comedy about Valentine’s Day. A female blogger falls for a man only to discover that he blames her for his last relationship ending. DIR: Gary Harvey PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Jamie Lake PC: Yale Kussin LM: Dan McWilliams ASST LM: Steve Kinghorn EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

ON THE FARM

Jason Bourque EP: Gilles LaPlante PM: Barbara Chisholm LM: Shafik Chernovsky ASST LM: Gerri Hogan

GARAGE SALE MYSTERY SERIES: GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT & THE WEDDING DRESS About a bargain hunter and her knack for solving crimes. DIR: Peter DeLuise PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Catherine Kretz PC: Yale Kussin LM: Jendrek Kowalski ASST LM: Jason Durocher EXTRAS CASTING: Sara Brown

GET OUT ALIVE An estranged couple must put away their differences when their lives are targeted by dangerous criminals in this thriller. DIR: George Erschbamer PROD: Devi Singh, Kirk Shaw PM: Mel Weisbaum PC: Steve Merk LM: Christina Ollson ASST LM: Dan Moore EXTRAS CASTING: Laurie Pavon-Solis

A GIFT WRAPPED CHRISTMAS A personal shopper meets a workaholic dad and his son during the holidays. Romance blossoms. EP: Oliver De Caigny PM: Navid Soofi PC: Matthew Santoro LM: Sean Cummings ASST LM: Liam Powell

GOURMET DETECTIVE: A HEALTHY PLACE TO DIE The crime-solving duo of Henry and Maggie are at it again as they find themselves at the centre of another murder at a luxury resort spa. DIR: Scott Smith PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Catherine Kretz PC: Jim McKeown LM: Paul Russell ASST LM: Jonathan Cairns

HEART FELT Romance about a Valentine’s Day gift that doesn’t go as planned when a man’s ex shows up with a DNA test and his new girlfriend takes off. DIR:

LAST RESORT A couple on the brink of divorce try to plan their daughter’s wedding. DIR: Michael M. Scott PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Allen Lewis PC: Jim McKeown LM: Michael Farias ASST LM: Kyle Weldon

LITTLE PINK HOUSE Based on a true story about a city using an “eminent” land claim to seize control of a working class neighbourhood for a proposed ‘urban village’. DIR: Courtney Balaker PROD: Shawn Williamson PROD: Arielle Boisvert PM: Brian Dick PM: Brad Medhurst PC: Samantha Istance

LOVE ON THE SIDELINES A struggling fashion designer becomes an ASST to an injured football player. PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Catherine Kretz PC: Yale Kussin EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

LOVE YOU TO DEATH PROD: Kirk Shaw, Alexandra Julson PM: Mel Weisbaum, Mary Sparacio LM: Christina Ollson ASST Location

Managers: Dan Moore, Kim Aitken

DYING TO BE LOVED DIR: Paul Shapiro EP: Gilles LaPlante PROD: Costa Vassos PC: Jessica Mason LM: Richard Greenhalgh

MAGIC STOCKING A widow finds an old Christmas stocking at a yard sale ,but discovers there may be something more to it. DIR: David Winning PROD: Oliver De Caigny PM: Navid Soofi PC: Matthew Santoro LM: Sean Cummings

RUFUS A young boy named Manny finds a mysterious collar and puts it on the

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

family dog. Suddenly, the dog turns into a boy, with one caveat: he still acts like a dog. DIR: Savage Holland EP: Scott McAboy PM: Wayne Bennett PC: Kathleen Whelan LM: Abraham Fraser ASST LM: Michael LeGresley

MECHANICS OF LOVE DIR: David Weaver EP: Shawn Williamson PROD: Jamie Goehring, Kevin Leeson PM: Michelle Samuels PC: Scott Matthews LM: Christina Ollson ASST Location

Managers: Kim Aitken, Dan Moore CASTING DIR: Stephanie Boeke Skip to main content

METEOR ASSAULT After a deadly meteor storm is labelled a one-off, an astrophysicist realizes he’s being tracked by the government. Of course, he soon discovers the storm was no onetime occurrence. EP: Kim Arnott, Ivan Hayden, Andy Levine DIR: Jason Bourque PM: Tracey Nomura LM: Ken Meisenbacher PC: Emma Peterson

MR. WRITE DIR: Rick Bota EP: Shawn Williamson PROD: Jamie Goehring, Kevin Leeson PM: Michelle Samuels PC: Scott Matthews LM: Amy Barager ASST LM: Dan Moore EXTRAS CASTING:

Stephanie Boeke

MURDER, SHE BAKED: THE PEACH COBBLER MURDER The series continues with Hannah once again thrust into a case. This time, however, she’s accused of committing the crime as her competitor is found dead. DIR: Kristoffer Tabori PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Jamie Lake PC: Yale Kussin LM: Nancy Larman ASST LM: Warren Fulton EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

MY MOM ROBS BANKS DIR: Terry Miles EP: Oliver De Caigny PM: Navid Soofi, Darren Robson PC: Matthew Santoro LM: Sean Cummings ASST LM: Matheson Kincaid

BLOWN COVER A former accountant tracks down white-collar criminals but steps into more violent work when husband, an FBI agent, is killed. PROD: Gilles Laplante, Costa Vassos DIR: Chad Krowchuk PM: Costa Vassos LM: Brad Erickson PC: Stephanie Brodsky

Stephanie Boeke

RESCUE ME DIR: Farhad Mann EP: Shawn Williamson PROD: Kevin Leeson PM: Michelle Samuels PC: Scott Matthews LM: Christina Ollson ASST Location

Managers: Dan Moore, Kim Aitken EXTRAS CASTING: Stephanie Boeke Romance about a princess who escapes from her entourage in New York City. She meets a man who shows her his side of the city. DIR: James Head EP: Vicki Sotheran PM: Simon Richarson PC: Nancy McKenzie LM: David Fullerton ASST LM: Jonathan Cairns EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

WISH UPON A CHRISTMAS

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

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Series centred around four postal workers takes a turn when they deliver a letter to a soldier in Afghanistan from his daughter. PROD: Harvey Kahn DIR: Kevin Fair PM: Allen Lewis LM: Michael Farias PC: Yale Kussin

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED 4 The postal workers travel to Washington, D.C. to bring a letter from an American POW to a Senate Hearing Committee. DIR: Lynne Stophewich PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Allen Lewis PC: Yale Kussin LM: Michael Farias CASTING DIR: Kit Hayward

LIAR, LIAR, VAMPIRE At high school, a popular girl mistakes a new student for a vampire. He gains celebrity status and enlists the help of his next-door neighbour to keep up appearances. DIR: Vince Marcello EP: Scott McAboy, Amy Sydorick PM: Wayne Bennett PC: Kathleen Whelan

A woman has trouble committing, so she hires herself out as a nanny to a workaholic widower. DIR: Lynne Stopkewich EP: Harvey Kahn PM: Jamie Lake PC: Yale Kussin LM: Christin Lindgard

A librarian hosts a murder mystery book club and discovers people in the group are being killed off in a similar manner to those in the books they read. DIR: Martin Wood EP: Irene Litinsky PROD: Jamie Goehring PM: Jamie Goehring PC: Allison Stephen LM: Rico Mielnicki EXTRAS CASTING:

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A businesswoman is assigned to visit an ornament factory that is experiencing a downturn and it’s herMT_Reel West Digest Ad_v6.indd 1 job to play Grinch. DIR: Terry Ingram EP: Shawn Williamson PROD: Jamie Goehring PM: Jamie Goehring PC: Joey Setter LM: Rico Mielnicki ASST LM: Brendon Olsen

A 30-year-old woman bonds with both a young girl and a widower, learning some life and love lessons in the process. DIR: Terry Ingram PROD: Kim Arnott PM: Christian Bruyere PC: Stacey A. Harris Competing Chicago radio hosts bond when they have to work together. DIR: Kristoffer Tabori EP: Jonathan Schwartz PROD: Robert Lee PM: Robert Lee

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ONCE UPON A HOLIDAY

LOVE UNDER THE STARS

LOVE ON THE AIR

Immigration Law Group

THE BRIDGE Two new university students become close and The Bridge, a local bookstore, starts to play a role in their lives. DIR: Michael Rohl EP: Kim Arnott, Trish Dolman, Ian Smith PM: Ian SmithPC: Ron PachkowskiLM: Paul Russell ASST LM: Steve Kinghorn EXTRAS CASTING: Erin Fikowski

THE BRIDGE PART 2 The continuation of the story of a local bookstore. DIR: Michael Rohl EP: Kim Arnott, Trish Dolman, Ian Smith PM: Ian Smith PC: Ron Pachkowski LM: Paul Russell ASST LM: Steve Kinghorn EXTRAS CASTING: Erin Fikowski

MURDER, SHE BAKED: A CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MYSTERY

EP: Shawn Williamson PROD: Jamie Goehring PM: Jamie Goehring PC: Alison Stephen LM: Rico Mielnicki

A small-town baker becomes a sleuth after she discovers her delivery driver shot to death behind her shop. PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Allen Lewis PC: Yale Kussin DIR: Mark Jean LM: Jamie Lake

UNDER FIRE

ANGEL OF CHRISTMAS

UNGODLY ACTS

A reporter sets out to write a story on her family’s cherished heirloom, a Christmas angel. DIR: Ron Oliver EP: Christian Bruyere PM: Christian Bruyere PC: Jim McKeown LM: Jack Veldhuis ASST LM: TJ Rumpel

THE CHRISTMAS NOTE Based on the bestselling novel by Donna VanLiere. A woman finds her life in disarray as Christmas approaches, but discovers a new purpose when she attempts to deliver a message to her neighbour. DIR: Terry Ingram EP: Shawn Williamson PROD: Jamie Goehring PM: Jamie Goehring PC: Joey Setter LM: Rico Mielnicki ASST LM: Brendon Olsen EXTRAS CASTING: Stephanie Boeke

THE DATER’S HANDBOOK A woman turns to the titular bible at her sister’s behest and goes on several dates to try the handbook out. DIR: James Head PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Catherine Kretz PC: Yale Kussin LM: Nancy Larman ASST LM: Warren Fulton EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

ANYTHING FOR LOVE A high-powered female executive and a male nurse go through an online dating snafu and fall in love with each other. DIR: Terry Ingram PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: John Prince PC: Pam Gilles LM: Paul Russell ASST LM: Victor Sanchez EXTRAS CASTING: Kit Hayward

JIM HENSON’S TURKEY HOLLOW A family travels to Turkey Hollow to visit an aunt. The kids grow bored without the internet and try to track down an elusive monster. DIR: Kirk R. Thatcher EP: Harvey Kahn PM: Catherine Kretz PC: Yale Kussin LM: Michael Farias ASST LM: Jane Victoria King EXTRAS CASTING: Sara Brown

UNAUTHORIZED BEVERLY HILLS 90210 STORY Reveals the behind-the-scenes drama that occurred during the first four seasons of the popular show. DIR: Vanessa Parise EP: Howard Braunstein PM: Christian Bruyere PC: Jim McKeown LM: David Fullerton ASST LM: TJ Rumpel EXTRAS CASTING: Laurie Pavon-Solis

UNAUTHORIZED MELROSE PLACE STORY Goes behind the scenes of the popular 90’s show as actors play the roles of former stars like Thomas Calabro and Heather Locklear. DIR: Mark Griffiths EP: Howard Braunstein PROD: Christian Bruyere, Ian Hay PM: Ian Hay PC: Jim McKeown LM: David Fullerton ASST LM: Mark Wilmot

TONI BRAXTON: UNBREAK MY HEART Biopic that documents the life and times of singer-songwriter Toni Braxton. DIR: Vondie Curtis-Hall

DIR: David Winning PROD: Kirk Shaw, Alexandra Julson PM: Mel Weisbaum, Mary Sparacio PC: Steve Merk LM: Terry Hayes ASST LM: CJ Miko

by the 1996 film. Follows a small Minnesota town and the grim outcome of a police investigation. PROD: Kim Todd PM: Leslie Cowan PC: Michelle Gougeon

A coming-of-age film about two quirky teenagers forced to become friends. EP: Phyllis Laing, Devan Towers PROD: Jeff Beesley, Joanne Levy, Dave Schultz DIR: Dave Schultz DOP: Thom Best CAST: Eric McCormack, Sheila McCarthy, Maddie Phillips

A modern spin on Pride & Prejudice takes a young woman looking for love to a fancy dog show. EP: Howard Braunstein PM: Christian Bruyere PC: Jim McKeown LM: Jack Veldhuis

HEARTLAND

WELCOME HOME

HELL ON WHEELS

DIR: Michael Scott EP: Jonathan Schwartz

Season five in the life of former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon and his life as he heads west to a town called Hell on Wheels that moves with the construction of the railroad. PM: P. Danabassis PC: J. Bond

BC | WEB SERIES ELECTRA WOMAN & DYNA Follows two superheroes as they move from Akron, Ohio to L.A. in hopes of making it big in the crime fighting world. EP: Tim Carter, Tomas Harlan, Chris Foss DIR: Chris Marrs Piliero PM: Chris Foss LM: Monty Bannister PC: Melyssa Davies

ALBERTA AB | FEATURES BURN YOUR MAPS Adventure film about a young boy who suddenly has an existential epiphany that he is a Mongolian goat herder. EP: Wayne Marc Godfrey, Robert Jones PROD: Patrick Aiello, Mark Canton, Courtney Solomon DIR: Jordan Roberts PM: D. Steeden PC: M. Gougeon CAST: Jacob Tremblay, Vera Farmiga, Virginia Madsen

THE REVENANT Based on true events surrounding frontiersman Hugh Glass as he gets left for dead by his crew and goes on a quest for revenge. EP: Brett Ratner, Paul Green, Markus Barmettler PROD: Arnon Milchan , Alejandro González Iñárritu DIR: Alejandro González Iñárritu PM: Drew Locke PC: Jill Christensen CAST:

AB | TV SERIES BLACKSTONE Season five of the powerful drama that documents the struggle for power on a First Nations reserve. EP: Ron E Scott, Jesse Szymanski PM: Karen Redford PC: Crystal Kadatz DIR: Ron E. Scott

DELMER AND MARTA CYCLE Comedy that tracks the antics of an odd Alberta couple. EP: Camille Beaudoin, Eric Rebalkin PROD: Jesse Lipscombe DIR: Michael Kennedy PM: Karen Redford PC: Crystal Kadatz DOP: Wes Doyle

FARGO Season two of the drama inspired

MB | FEATURES CONSIDERING LOVE AND OTHER MAGIC

Police investigate a religious cult. DIR: Carl Bessai PROD: Harvey Kahn PM: Tim Sereda PC: Yale Kussin LM: Dan McWilliams EXTRAS CASTING: Sara Brown

UNLEASHING MR. DARCY

MANITOBA

Ninth season of the CBC drama about a family and their life in a small Alberta town. PM: Lorenz Augustin PC: Joe D’Addetta

TINY PLASTIC MEN Season four of the series about a group of toy testers that make up the lowest level of the company’s employees. EP: Eric Rebalkin, Camille Beaudoin, Jesse Lipscombe Directors: Michael Peterson, Chris Craddock PM: Karen Redford PC: Crystal Kadatz DOP: Wes Doyle

WYNONNA EARP Based on the comic book series about a super heroine who heads a special Us Marshal unit known as the Monster Squad. PM: Leslie Cowan PC: Hudson Cooley LP: Brian Dennis DOP: Gavin Smith

AB | MINI SERIES LEWIS & CLARK Story of American explorers Lewis and Clark as they lead a voyage to the Pacific Coast. PM: Brian Leslie Parker PC: Kim Goddard-Rains DIR: John Curran

AB | MOVIE OF THE WEEK THE RECKONING The finale in the Lancaster County series based on the book by Beverly Lewis. The series revolves around an Amish town as it deals with faith. PROD: Tim Johnson, Maura Dunbar, John Kerr, Mike Frislev, Chad Oakes DIR: Mark Jean PM: John Kerr PC: K. Ringer DOP: John Spooner

SASKATCHEWAN SK | FEATURES A.R.C.H.I.E. A teen girl moves to a small town to live with her uncle, the town mayor. PROD: Glenn Paradis, Shayne Putzlocher, Sara Shaak DIR: Robin Dunne

DEVIL’S GATE In Devil’s Gate, North Dakota, an FBI agent and the local sheriff work to locate a missing woman and her young son. PROD: Brendon Sawatzky, Scott Mednick DOP: Miroslaw Baszak CAST: Bridget Regan, Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Schull

A DOG’S PURPOSE A partially animated film about a dog that tries to discover his purpose in life over the course of different lifetimes and owners. EP: Alan C Blomquist PROD: Gavin Palone DIR: Lasse Hallstrom PM: Lesley Oswald PC: Tamara Mauthe DOP: Terry Stacey CAST: Bradley Cooper, Peggy Lipton, Dennis Quaid

LOVESICK A 30-something man is already depressed when he finds out his ex is engaged. Things turn around when he meets a new woman. DIR: Tyson Caron PM: Colleen Wowchuk CAST: Jay Baruchel, Jessica Paré, Ali Tataryn

ROAD TO INQUITY Crime drama about a man who is pulled in two different directions by First Nations groups running drugs at the Canadian-U.S border. PROD: Liz Jarvis, Tina Keeper, Mark Ennis PM: Maryam Decter CAST: Justin Rain, Aqqalu Meekis, Linsay Willier

MB | TV SERIES PINKERTONS A father, son and America’s first female detective team up to solve crimes in the Wild West. PROD: Phyllis Laing PM: Leslie Oswald PC: Tamara Mauthe

MB | MOVIE OF THE WEEK JULIANA & THE MEDICINE FISH Based on the book by Jake MacDonald about a girl who moves to Winnipeg from Ontario with her mom after her parents’ divorce. When her father comes to visit, the two scheme to catch the famous ‘medicine fish’ and win the lodge’s competition. EP: Phyllis Laing, Jim Compton, Chris Samwell PROD: Jeremy Torrie PM: Jean du Toit PC: Jenny Ng-Turner DOP: Charles Lavack

SUNNYSIDE Sketch comedy series about the fictional neighbourhood of Sunnyside, a place modeled after Toronto’s Parkdale. EP: Dan Bennett, Mark Gingras, Phyllis Laing DIR: Shawn Thompson DOP: D. Gregor Hagey

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

DIG ITALLY YO U RS

Turn the Camera Outwards — Returning to Social Media’s Original Intentions BY ER ICA HA R GR EAVE

nough with the selfies al-

pled over lessons learned. Leaving

ies, they’ve just made this idiocy

worry if everyone else is on Snap-

ready! I cringed in 2013 when

those poor Kindergarten teachers

more mainstream. It is a sad state

chat. It’s okay not to spend your en-

the Oxford Dictionary made

asking, “Where did I go wrong?” as

of affairs when, as a broadcast jour-

tire meal with friends filming their

they pour another stiff drink.

nalism instructor, I’ve had to ex-

every bite, or rather than flying a

They didn’t go wrong — we in the

plain to an aspiring journalism stu-

kite with your niece and nephew,

media did, by creating false idols

dent that an Instagram feed filled

watching them do so through a lens.

I’ve seen selfies at funerals and

and a celebrity-crazed culture. And

with photos of themselves is telling

so many other inappropriate places.

it isn’t just traditional media that

the wrong story.

I thought this had to be a fad, these

deserves the blame, as the internet

Journalism is about other peo-

(or in front of it, snapping selfies of

people had to clue into the fact that

and social media have sent these

ple’s stories, not your own. You need

your fabulous life), you are probably

they look like self-obsessed prats

bad ideas viral.

to turn the camera outwards.

missing the story that is going on

‘selfie’ the word of the year. This can’t bode well, I thought, but I never predicted it would get this bad.

If you’re spending your life observing the world through a lens

when they post picture after picture

Having created celebrities on the

The secret to success in the digi-

of themselves in their Instagram

internet, I’ll let you in on a little se-

tal space that broadcasters are still

Don’t get me wrong, as story-

feeds. Don’t get me wrong, I love to

cret… It’s called social media for a

struggling to figure out is not about

tellers we make our livings looking

see pictures of my friends and the

reason.

broadcasting your message — it’s

through a camera lens, and we need

about being social and creating

to shoot the odd selfie to place our-

faces behind the stories I follow, but

I created digital celebrities, by …

around you.

in moderation. One or two selfies

selves within the story and to act

for every ten pictures, not eight self-

as a conduit in connecting our au-

ies for every ten, or nine for ten, or ten for ten! Sadly, this selfie obsession isn’t slowing down, it’s speeding up. This year has seen the selfie obsessed reach an all time low — ringing in New Year’s Eve with selfies in front

Sadly, this selfie obsession isn’t slowing down, it’s speeding up.

dience with the community we are building a story around. But, for me, that will only be the odd shot I’m in as I don’t want to miss the story going on around me — the story that makes my writing, my photos, and my videos that much richer. So let’s raise a glass to our Kindergarten

of a burning skyscraper in Dubai; causing two peacocks to die of fright

wait for it … being social and using

community. If you want an audi-

teachers and thank them for teach-

at a zoo in China by grabbing them

the digital celebrity I’d created as a

ence to take a stake in your project

ing us that it is not all about me, so

for selfies and violently plucking out

conduit to shine a spotlight not on

and get them invested in making

that they can finally sit down next

their feathers and, most recently and

themselves, but on the communi-

you a success, take an interest in

to us with pride and enjoy a pint.

horrifically, beach goers in Argentina

ties around them. Others tried to

them, engage with them (around

As we at Reel West Magazine love

killing a baby dolphin by passing it

copy what I’ve done and failed.

their content, as well as your own).

to turn the camera outwards and

around for the selfie of a lifetime.

Why? Because they were trying

Shine a spotlight on them.

shine a spotlight on our commu-

Hello people! Do you not see some-

to be a celebrity and create an ‘all

thing wrong with this picture?

about me universe.’

Isn’t Kindergarten where we learn that it is not all about me? Well,

I was creating a story and building a community.

From a budgeting perspective this also makes your digital media

nity, we hope you’ll join us online at @ReelWestMag. n

more cost effective, as you don’t need to create all the content your-

guess what? The reality TV craze

In the broadcast world’s desper-

self. Look at what your community

of the past few decades, in which

ate race to figure out the web, we

is doing that is beneficial to your

we’ve transformed the Kardashians

aren’t helping matters. With report-

story and shine a spotlight on them.

Erica Hargreave gets her kicks out of

and Real Housewives of Wherever into

ers trying to be ‘internet cool’ and

Turn the camera outwards.

weaving stories across platforms, and

the 21st-century dream, has tram-

using the lingo while snapping self-

Please, please, please — don’t

teaching at BCIT.

@reelwestmag REEL WEST SPRING 2016

T H E W INDOW

Talking tax credits again? How is this still a thing? BY MA R K LEIR EN -YOU N G

ot again. I read that the BC

in the type of green industry every

budget line item,” says Williamson.

declined to comment, express out-

government is looking at

jurisdiction on the planet is trying

“We must consider the many mil-

rage or burst into tears.

revisiting the province’s la-

to build.

lions of dollars that remain in local

So, on behalf of Reel West readers,

bour tax credits for film and TV pro-

The Okanagan film commission

hands as part of the film industry,

I’ll be less diplomatic and share the

duction — and potentially capping

just sent out a press release asking

Taxis, hotels, lumber, restaurants,

reaction I had when I saw this was

them — and knew the story had

for film workers — and anyone who

clothing and retail to name a few.

up for discussion again. WTF?

to be from a fake news site. Ryan

wants to work in the film biz — to

Film is a growth industry in BC em-

Apparently there is talk of capping

Reynolds just put more money into

get their butts to somewhere near

ploying many thousands of people

the credit, because there’s nothing

the BC economy than liquid natural

Osoyoos yesterday.

in a very “green” industry. Ontario,

film producers love more than bud-

gas and Finance Minister Mike De

This year’s Reel West production

Quebec and Manitoba are holding to

geting based on money that may or

Jong is wondering if the province

round up is fifty percent larger than

their current tax credits. The value

may not be there.

can afford to stick with a tax incen-

last year’s — and almost all of these

of the Canadian dollar is outside of

The BC industry is strong enough,

tive plan that helped Deadpool de-

additional productions are from BC,

all of our control and effects the in-

and our talent pool is so deep, that

liver more than $40 million in direct

the province with the tax credits.

dustry across the country equally.”

not everyone will go away if our tax

spending to our province? Paging

Hit films and TV shows don’t

Allan Harmon, the Chairman of

credits drop or the Canadian dol-

the Nova Scotia Film Industry. Any-

just generate short term income

the BC branch of the Directors Guild

lar returns to par with the US buck.

one? Bueller?

— they’re also epic, never-ending

of Canada, was equally polite when

But some producers will certainly

The same day I saw this fake news

tourist ads. Relic and Nick stopped

I asked him to weigh in. “With MP-

decide that the grass is greener for

in The Globe and Mail, I received the

battling over logs in The Beachcomb-

PIA taking the lead so we can be

their

real news from the Motion Picture Association of Canada that Deadpool put more than 2000 people to work in BC. Tomorrowland injected 91.9 million dollars into the BC economy, which, I presume is the kind of future we’re dreaming of. A report commissioned by the MPA Canada crunched the numbers using Statistics Canada’s multiplier math and reported that Tomorrowland alone generated, “$6.96 in economic output for every dollar of BC tax incen-

half-a-billion-dollar

project

in some other province where the

Hit films and TV shows don’t just generate short term income — they’re also epic, never-ending tourist ads.

tive received by the production.” The

grass is only green for a few months every year. I’m still old enough to remember the dark days of… four years ago… when the industry was on the verge of an apocalypse because of our high dollar and low tax credits. Back in those ancient days of 2012 and the “Save BC Film” campaign, key players in the industry were fleeing to Ontario and LA in search of steady employment. There’s a great segment on HBO’s

economic impact from the TV series

ers TV series in 1990 — and tourists

heard in Victoria with one voice, we

John Oliver show that examines

Once Upon a Time is the stuff of fairy

still flock to Gibsons to pose in front

intend to work with Minister De Jong

ideas that should have been van-

tales. One hundred episodes shot in

of the Persephone and visit Molly’s

and the Premier to effect a plan that

quished to history’s dustbin called,

Steveston? That’ll pay for a lot of fish

Reach. Steve Martin was smitten by

will help us sustain this vital busi-

“How is this still a thing?” In 2006,

and chips and, you know, health care

Daryl Hannah in Roxanne back in

ness that we’re continuing to build

I wrote a letter thanking Finance

and bridge building.

1987 but the love affair that movie

in this Province. The government has

Minister Carole Taylor for keeping

sparked with Nelson still shows no

taken a wise initiative to include the

BC’s film and TV tax incentives alive.

tion or Visual Effects tax credit in

signs of waning.

members of our industry in these

The Financial Post reported that the

2015 and, in a startling coincidence,

Brightlight

President,

discussions, they are not aiming at

film and TV industry contributed

the province continues to grow into

Shawn Williamson, who has fought

a unilateral decision. This will be a

roughly two billion dollars to the BC

one of the busiest post centres for

this battle on behalf of the BC biz

business decision based on busi-

economy in 2015. Debating the mer-

animation and FX on the planet.

several times, offered a diplomatic

ness models and we’re providing the

its and impact of tax credits for the

These are high paying, high-end,

reminder to the government when

background information required

film biz after a year like 2015 where

skilled jobs by people who not only

I asked him to comment. “It is im-

for the optimum outcome.”

the problem was, apparently, too

buy nice houses in Vancouver, but

portant to consider the huge invest-

I contacted other industry leaders

actually live in them. These people

ment film brings to the province. Tax

who have led previous campaigns to

are known as “taxpayers.” They work

credits should not stand alone as a

keep the BC scene buzzing and they

BC improved our Digital Anima-

Pictures

many productions taking advantage of it…. How is this still a thing? n

REEL WEST SPRING 2016

J U N E 12 - 15 TH

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