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Fall 2014 $5.00

Film, TV, online and digiTal ProducTion

in WesTern canada

2013 WesTern magazine aWards FinalisT

viff‘14

Black FlyBye Bye Blues

PreggolandPristine Coast

+ more

a communiTy reVisiTed in Julia KWan’s reTurn To ViFF

New editor New Look

reel WesT goes digiTal

Welcomes neW Team

4 Welcome

RonHaRvey

6 WesTern TV, eh?

DianeWilD

8 digiTally yours

eRicaHaRgReave

9 indie scene

PaulaRmstRong

15 legal BrieFs

loRimassini

30 The WindoW

maRkleiRen-young

coveR:JuliakWaninvancouveR’scHinatoWn;PHotobyPHilcHincontents:DiRectoRscottRenyaRDbeHinDtHecameRaonThe PrisTine CoasT;PHotobyJonnmatsen

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24 coRneRgasRetuRnsfoRcHRistmas Howfansprimedthepumpforthebigscreenreturnofcanada’sbeloved

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26 filmmakeR’sDiaRy JasonbourquesharesthedarksecretsbehindthemakingofBlack Fly.

@ReelWestmag

conTenTs

vancouverinternationalfilmfestivalissue

21

3Reel West Fall 2014

Welcome

W elcome to

@reelwestmag.

As tv and film

producers face

the challenges and benefits of an

increasingly digital universe, maga-

zine publishers are moving forward

in a world where you’re more likely

to be reading this on your pad than

on paper. For us, that creates a fas-

cinating new dynamic where read-

ers are used to getting timely news

instantly, but magazines might be

downloaded to your favourite de-

vice forever.

At Reel West we‘ve decided to de-

liver more timely news through our

new e-newsletter, our Twitter feed

and Facebook page, and feature

more timeless stories in our maga-

zine, which will now be published

quarterly.

To move forward into our third

decade, I’m delighted to be intro-

ducing our new editor, who’s defi-

nitely not new to covering the west-

ern Canadian tv and movie scene.

Mark Leiren-Young has written

about film and tv for The Hollywood

Reporter, TV Guide, TV Week, Canadian

Screenwriter, The Georgia Straight and

The Vancouver Sun.

He’s also a former Reel West Cover

Boy — seen here alongside Battlestar

Galactica’s delightful Tricia Helfer.

His award-winning movie, The Green

Chain, which played at VIFF in 2009,

was profiled by Ian Caddell. The

Green Chain’s screenplay earned

Mark his third Writer’s Guild of

Canada Award nomination.

Mark is also a National and

Western Magazine Award winning

writer. As we go to print, his CBC

radio documentary, Moby Doll: The

Whale That Changed the World, is up

for a Jack Webster Award, and he’s

earned a second consecutive nomi-

nation for “best column” for his

work in backofthebook.ca. He won

the award last year.

In addition to launching Mark’s

new column on our back page, I’m

thrilled that he’s introducing two

new columnists to our magazine.

Our new social media maven

Erica Hargreave, will be covering all

things online in her column Digital-

ly Yours. The founder and creative

head of Ahimsa Media, Erica teach-

es cross-platform storytelling and

digital media at BCIT and around

the world. This issue, she’s sharing

topical tips on crowdfunding.

Our second new columnist is one

of Canadian tv’s crowdfunding suc-

cess stories. Diane Wild created the

online newsletter TV, Eh? over seven

years ago as a labour of love. But as

much as she loved promoting the

Canadian tv scene, running a news-

letter and podcast series became a

bit too labourious. She canceled TV,

Eh? late last year. This summer, Di-

ane decided to take a shot at crowd-

funding her publication on Indiego-

go, setting $1500 as her target. She

raised over $21,000 from tv creators

and fans across Canada.

This issue, we’re launching the

debut of Western TV, Eh? and Diane

will be keeping us up to speed with

what’s happening in tv-land in our

part of the world.

If you’re not already subscribed

to TV, Eh? visit her site at tv-eh.com

We’re also introducing a new

contributor — one of BC’s best writ-

ers, Tom Hawthorn. Tom has writ-

ten for a wide variety of newspapers

and magazines including the Globe

and Mail, Reader’s Digest, and Cana-

dian Geographic. He’s the author of

Deadlines: Obits of Notable British Co-

lumbians and was the 2014 Harvey S.

Southam Lecturer at the University

of Victoria.

I’d like to take this opportunity

to thank our outgoing editor Cheryl Binning for her hard work and dedi-

cation to keeping Reel West rolling.

I’d also like to take this oppor-

tunity to ask you to follow us on

Twitter (@reelwestmag), like us on

Facebook, enjoy us on Issuu, sub-

scribe to our newsletter and stay

tuned as we move onto other so-

cial media platforms. And be sure

to share your stories with us so we

can share them with the world be-

cause that’s what we’re here for —

to celebrate the people behind the

scenes and on the screens in west-

ern Canada. n

Reel West Welcomes New Team

fRomReelWestPublisHeRron harVey

Cover-boy-turned-editor MARK LEIREN-YOUNG

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: POWER TO THE INDIE: DIRECT DISTRIBUTION, MARKETING AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM AND LAB Featuring Bond360, Indiegogo, Drafthouse Films, VHX.tv, Film Presence, Variance Films, CineCoup, Seed&Spark and BitTorrent

A TOTAL DISRUPTION PRESENTATION With award-winning documentary filmmaker, Ondi Timoner

ALL KINDS OF FUNNY Featuring motorcycle and cat enthusiast, Adam Reed, co-creator of Sealab 2021, Frisky Dingo and creator of ARCHER

CROSSING OVER: TRANSITIONING FROM INDIE TO STUDIOWith Writer/Director, Jay Duplass, Jeff Who Lives at Home

GENRE SMASH! Featuring Continuum, Guardians of the Galaxy + more!

ENHANCING THE TV EXPERIENCE With James Milward, Secret Location

MEET THE GATEKEEPERSExecutives from HBO, E1 Television, Showtime and FX

TELEFILM CANADA Tête-à-Tête and Speed Dating Meetings

SEED&SPARK WORKSHOPCrowdfunding to build an audience

+++ Festival Music House, WIFTV Martini Madness, Industry Mixers

Full program + guest speakers available at www.viff.org/industry

Twitter : @VIFFindustry | E: [email protected] | P: 604.685.3547

All sessions take place at The Industry Centre

Vancouver International Film Festival: September 25th - October 10th

THE PREMIER SCREEN BASED MEDIA CONFERENCE ON THE WEST COAST.

GET READY

reel WesT fall20144

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: POWER TO THE INDIE: DIRECT DISTRIBUTION, MARKETING AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM AND LAB Featuring Bond360, Indiegogo, Drafthouse Films, VHX.tv, Film Presence, Variance Films, CineCoup, Seed&Spark and BitTorrent

A TOTAL DISRUPTION PRESENTATION With award-winning documentary filmmaker, Ondi Timoner

ALL KINDS OF FUNNY Featuring motorcycle and cat enthusiast, Adam Reed, co-creator of Sealab 2021, Frisky Dingo and creator of ARCHER

CROSSING OVER: TRANSITIONING FROM INDIE TO STUDIOWith Writer/Director, Jay Duplass, Jeff Who Lives at Home

GENRE SMASH! Featuring Continuum, Guardians of the Galaxy + more!

ENHANCING THE TV EXPERIENCE With James Milward, Secret Location

MEET THE GATEKEEPERSExecutives from HBO, E1 Television, Showtime and FX

TELEFILM CANADA Tête-à-Tête and Speed Dating Meetings

SEED&SPARK WORKSHOPCrowdfunding to build an audience

+++ Festival Music House, WIFTV Martini Madness, Industry Mixers

Full program + guest speakers available at www.viff.org/industry

Twitter : @VIFFindustry | E: [email protected] | P: 604.685.3547

All sessions take place at The Industry Centre

Vancouver International Film Festival: September 25th - October 10th

THE PREMIER SCREEN BASED MEDIA CONFERENCE ON THE WEST COAST.

GET READY

arrow(season3)

Canadian actor Stephen Amell re-

turns as Oliver Queen (aka “the Ar-

row”) in the third season of CW’s hit

Arrow, executive produced by Gerg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and

Andrew Kreisberg and based on the

DC Comics character Green Arrow.

Filming is scheduled to continue in

Vancouver (aka the fictional Star-

ling City) until mid-April.

backstrom(season1)

Backstrom will film Vancouver as

Portland until mid-November, with

The Office’s Rainn Wilson in the lead

as a self-destructive detective. Exec-

utive produced by Hart Hanson, the

Canadian-raised creator of Bones,

and director/writer/actor Kevin Hooks, the one-hour drama is based

on a series of novels by Swedish

criminologist Leif G.W. Persson. FOX

picked up the show for midseason

after CBS passed.

girlfriend’sguidetoDivorce(season1)

Lisa Edelstein (House) and come-

dian/actress Janeane Garofalo

(Criminal Minds) are among the

stars of the upcoming Bravo show

based on Vicki Iovine’s Girlfriends’

Guide book series. Edelstein plays a

self-help author trying to keep her

divorce a secret and relying on her

divorced friends for advice.

Developed by Marti Noxon (Buffy the

Vampire Slayer) and executive pro-

duced by Noxon, Meryl Poster, Vicki Iovine and Robbie McNeil, the se-

ries marks the network’s first origi-

nal scripted series. Filming contin-

ues in Vancouver until mid-October.

Heartland(season8)

CBC’s family friendly western dra-

ma, Heartland, continues shooting

in the Calgary area until early De-

cember. Amber Marshall is talented

horse trainer Amy Fleming and

executive producers are Tom Cox,

Jordy Randall, Michael Weinberg

and Heather Conkie.

izombie(season1)

Rose McIver (Masters of Sex, Once

Upon a Time) heads the cast as a

medical resident turned zombie

who blends in with the not-undead

by taking a job at a morgue. Execu-

tive produced by Rob Thomas, Diane

Ruggerio-Wright, Danielle Stokdyk

and Dan Etheridge, who all worked

on Thomas’ Veronica Mars, iZombie is

an adaptation of the comic book se-

ries by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred. It will air on The CW and is

shooting in the Vancouver area until

the end of January.

WesTern TV, eh?

What’sHappeninginthe(Western)Worldoftelevision

Who’s roaming the streets and studios of British Columbia and Alberta? You might

spot zombies and superheroes, detectives and western-garbed women, a couple of

former House stars, an Office alum or a Kid in the Hall. And fans of first class writ-

ing have double the chance of seeing writer/producers Marti Noxon or Greg Berlanti since they’re spearheading two series each. There are as many shows destined for

The CW as there are homegrown Canadian series, helping Western Canada become

a hotbed of hot young actors. Here’s the scoop on what’s shooting here:

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bydiane Wild

Reel West Fall 20146

motive(season3)

CTV’s homegrown whydunnit, Mo-

tive, shoots until mid-February,

helmed by showrunner Dennis

Heaton and executive producers

Rob Merilees and Louise Clark.

Kristin Lehman and Louis Ferreira

play Vancouver homicide detectives

— yes, Vancouver is Vancouver —

while Lauren Holly is the coroner

in this police procedural that starts

with the reveal of the killer and the

victim, then unspools to reveal the

motive.

onceuponatime(season4)

The Vancouver area morphs into

Storybrooke again for the new sea-

son of ABC’s hit Once Upon a Time by

executive producers Edward Kitsis,

Adam Horowitz and Steve Pearl-man, shooting until early April.

Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love) and

Jennifer Morrison (House) are Snow

White and her daughter Emma

Swan in this fairy tale mashup.

olympus(season1)

This mythological drama for Syfy

is executive produced by Nick Will-ing, Matthew O’Connor and Grant Rosenberg and stars Sonita Henry

(Star Trek) as Medea. The series fol-

lows young Hero as he transforms

into a ruthless leader and a match

for the Gods themselves. The Van-

couver shoot is scheduled until ear-

ly November, before filming moves

to London.

someassemblyRequired(season2)

YTV’s youth oriented sitcom Some

Assembly Required films in front of a

live audience in Burnaby until mid-

December. Kolton Stewart stars as a

teen who runs a toy factory with the

help of his friends. Executive pro-

ducers are Alex Raffe, Dan Signer

and Howard Nemetz.

strangeempire(season1)

CBC takes a dark turn with this

western from writer Laurie Fins-tad (Durham County), executive pro-

duced by Tim Johnson and Finstad,

and starring Melissa Farman (Lost)

and Tattiawna Jones (19-2). When

most of the men in the frontier

town of Janestown are murdered,

the women are left to struggle for

survival. Strange Empire premieres

October 6 and films until mid-Octo-

ber in Aldergrove.

supernatural(season10)

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles

return as the Winchester broth-

ers in the long-running CW series

from executive producers Robert

Singer, Jeremy Carver, Phil Sgriccia,

McG and Adam Glass. This season,

which shoots around Vancouver

until mid-April, will include the se-

ries’ 200th episode.

the100(season2)

Featuring Eliza Taylor (Neighbours)

and Paige Turco (Person of Interest),

CW’s post-apocalyptic drama is

scheduled to shoot in and around

Langley until mid-January. Execu-

tive producers are Jason Rothen-berg and Les Morgenstein.

theflash(season1)

Dr. Barry Allen was introduced in

Arrow and gets his own series as the

Flash in this CW spinoff by execu-

tive producers Greg Berlanti, An-drew Kreisberg, David Nutter and

Sarah Schechter. Flash films in the

Vancouver area until mid-October.

Grant Gustin (Glee) stars as the “the

fastest man alive.”

theReturned(season1)

A popular French suspense series

gets the American treatment by

executive producers Carlton Cuse

(Lost) and Raelle Tucker (True Blood)

for A&E. Carl Lumbly (Alias) and Jer-

emy Sisto (Suburgatory) are among

the cast shooting in and around

Vancouver until early October. The

Returned features a small town

rocked by the sudden reappearance

of some residents who were long

presumed dead.

theWhispers(season1)

Lily Rabe (American Horror Story),

Barry Sloane (Revenge) and Milo

Ventimiglia (Chosen) star in ABC’s

sci-fi drama about aliens who have

invaded Earth by enlisting the help

of unwitting children. Executive

produced by Soo Hugh and Zack Es-trin, the series is set to film in Van-

couver until mid-December.

un-Real(season1)

Shiri Appleby (Girls) headlines the

new dark comedy for Lifetime as a

staffer on a reality dating compe-

tition program. Marti Noxon and

Robert Sertner are executive pro-

ducers with the Vancouver-based

production, scheduled to shoot un-

til mid-November.

youngDrunkPunk(season1)

From Bruce McCulloch (Kids in the

Hall), this homegrown single-cam-

era comedy for City is scheduled

to film in Calgary from September

25 – December 18. Set in Calgary in

the 1980s, Young Drunk Punk focuses

on two recent high school graduates

who don’t quite feel they belong.

Executive producers are McCulloch,

Susan Cavan, Jordy Randall and

Tom Cox. n

Diane Wild is the Vancouver-based

founder of the TV, eh? website (www.

tv-eh.com), covering news, reviews

and interviews about Canadian televi-

sion shows.

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D id you hear the one about

the dude who jokingly

posted about potato sal-

ad on Kickstarter? Here’s what he

wrote. “I’m making potato salad.

Basically, I’m just making potato

salad. I haven’t decided what kind

yet.” And here’s the punchline. He

raised $55,492. Whether you just

laughed or exclaimed “WTF” maybe,

just maybe, you should be paying a

little more attention to this crowd-

funding thing.

What was Zack Danger Brown’s

intention with his potato salad cam-

paign - aside from a good chuckle?

He’d publicly hoped to raise $10.

Secretly his goal was $60. Never in

his wildest dreams did he expect to

raise over $50,000. Who would?

As a creator, this excites me.

Whether you’ve long been a fan of

crowdfunding or have been skepti-

cally watching from the sidelines,

this past year has carried some

telling examples for creators. Such

examples suggest crowdfunding

may indeed be a viable alternative

to play with in the Canadian film

and tv funding game, opening the

playing field up to creators who

are willing to put in the work to

experiment with a new model of

funding that sidesteps traditional

gatekeepers.

After all, it’s not just potato salad

that’s getting funded.

2013 saw a revival of the cult tv

hit, Veronica Mars. After seven years

off network television, Director Rob

Thomas made one last ditch at-

tempt to raise financing for a film

and started a Kickstarter campaign.

He was skeptical as to whether or

not it would work. You see, he need-

ed $2 million to go to camera, and at

that time the most Kickstarter had

ever raised was $900,000.

Rob raised $1 million in the first

4 hours! By the twelve hour mark,

he’d raised the $2 million he needed

to shoot. The campaign continued

on to raise a total of $5,702,153, un-

locking a variety of the campaign’s

stretch goals.

I hear a few mutters of “Well …

Veronica Mars is a big American enti-

ty with a pre-existing fan base.” True

enough, but our Canadian creators’

campaigns are nothing to scoff at.

Take Indie Game: the Movie, by Mani-

toba filmmakers James Swirsky and

Lisanne Pajot. With two Kickstarter

campaigns, they raised $94,676 for

the documentary. Their goal had

been $50,000. In the process, they’d

inadvertently marketed their docu-

mentary, creating a fan base and

anticipation for its release. Win -

Win!

Corner Gas: The Movie made

$285,840 on Kickstarter (see story

on page 24).

I interviewed a number of other

Canadian creatives who have suc-

cessfully crowdfunded their own

projects, and here’s what they

learned form their campaigns:

Past radio and tv producer, host,

and now YouTube publisher, Steve

Dotto’s reasoning for crowdfund-

ing is that it creates a direct con-

nection between his viewers and

himself, the content creator. He was

looking to recapture some revenue

from his community. With 40,000

subscribers on his YouTube chan-

nel, a small contribution from each

one would make for a very healthy

income. Community support allows

him to create more compelling con-

tent that isn’t focused on pleasing

advertisers instead of viewers. Ul-

timately, crowdfunding closes the

gap, and removes the middleman,

so you don’t have to deal with net-

works or other publishers to reach

your audience.

Steve’s advice to others who want

to crowdfund their projects: “First,

mature the product you are offer-

ing to the community. I think it’s

important to establish your brand

before asking people to invest in

you. Also, I primed the pump. I did a

small private campaign to get some

activity in my account before asking

the general public to support me. I

think if people visit any online prod-

uct and hear crickets you will have

a difficult time converting them

into supporters.”

Sarah Keenlyside of Inkblot Media

has both crowdfunded her own films

and invested in the crowdfunding

campaigns of others. From this ex-

perience, she thinks it’s important

to ask yourself, “Why should people

care about my project? What are

investors getting out of the invest-

ment? Even $5 and the time it takes

to donate $5 is a big ask based solely

on your word that they will enjoy the

film when it’s finished.”

What got Sarah to invest in other

people’s campaigns? She was famil-

iar with the people behind the cam-

paign and admired their previous

work. She cared about the subject

matter featured in the film. She was

curious about the subject matter.

She liked their technical approach

and wanted to see it realized. Or the

rewards were just so rewarding that

she couldn’t resist.

Writer, adventurer (and digi-

tal editor at Air Canada’s enRoute

magazine) Daniel Baylis’ advice

from crowdfunding his memoirs is,

“Don’t rush into it. Take the time to

plan out your attack, communicate

your goal clearly and then make a

stellar video.”

Part-Time filmmaker Kemp Ed-

monds advises that, “It’s like politics.

For success you need to ask anyone

who you can to take part. You need

to sell yourself and your campaign

24/7 to ensure success. Also, build

partnerships and have others fea-

ture what you are doing. Think PR.

Think unique hook. Why does your

story matter to the greater audi-

ence? How can you get a newspa-

per or radio reporter to jump on the

story? Then use every social media

channel you can to reach, engage

and converse with folks, especially

those with places to amplify your

message about your campaign.”

And novelist Doreen Pendgracs

suggests you study the algorithm

of the crowdfunding platform you

are on so that you benefit from their

help in marketing your campaign.

She also advises you keep the video

that you are using to promote your

campaign short. She learned this

the hard way, having created one

8-minute video that should have

been two shorter videos.

Final words: Don’t get greedy

with your crowdfunding campaign,

but do be realistic in your budget-

ing. Make sure that you are not

overselling and can deliver what

you’re promising.

When you start your crowdfund-

ing campaign be sure to tell us —

and tweet us — @reelwestmag. We

love seeing what our Canadian cre-

atives are up to! n

Erica Hargreave gets her kicks out of

weaving stories across platforms, and

teaching cross-platform storytelling

and digital media at BCIT and around

the world!

crowdfundingturnstheaudienceintothegatekeepers

digiTally yours

byerica hargreaVe

@reelwestmagreel WesT fall20148

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Looks like another strong year

for BC films at the 2014 Van-

couver International Film

Festival, running September 25 to

October 10, with some past direc-

tors returning and other filmmak-

ers appearing in new roles.

Matthew Kowalchuk, who

screened the feature Lawrence & Hol-

loman last year, returns with a short

film Bedbugs: A Musical Love Story

written by Shauna Johanneson and

based on her husband James Dan-derfer’s real life misadventures with

the pests. Danderfer also composed

the music for the film.

Bedbugs tells the story of love

starved Tracy Polokowski, who

thinks her ‘Yes’ day has come until

her hipster boyfriend dumps her,

she gets bedbugs and finds herself

ostracized by everyone she knows.

But the love she’s been looking for

just might be inside her mattress.

“It’s especially great to be back

after winning the Best BC Emerg-

ing Director award last year at VIFF.

Making Bedbugs was an exercise in

pure joy - now what an honour it is

to share another film with audienc-

es again at VIFF,” says Kowalchuk.

The film was made through Van-

couver’s annual eight-day filmmak-

ing challenge, Crazy8s. “Without the

support of Crazy8s we would never

have made it,” says Johanneson. “It’s

incredible how the community ral-

lies around the Crazy8s”.

Director Ana Valine, who has

screened several shorts at VIFF in-

cluding How Eunice Got Her Baby,

returns with the feature Sitting On

the Edge of Marlene. Adapted for the

screen by Valine, the movie is based

on the novella by BC author Billie Livingston. Marlene tells the story

of mother and daughter con artists

who struggle to survive as they wait

for the father to return from prison.

“VIFF have been kind enough to

screen all my short films so I feel like

this is a rite of passage,” says Valine.

Her advice for indie filmmakers?

“Have support and mentors in place

so you can ask for advice along the

way. It’s a long journey.”

Marlene received the Women in

the Director’s Chair Feature Film

Award and is funded by Telefilm

Canada, Super Channel, The Har-

old Greenberg Fund and tax credits.

eOne is distributing.

Kris Elgstrand is also back at VIFF

with the feature Songs She Wrote

About People She Knows, which pre-

miered at the Toronto International

Film Festival. He screened Doppel-

gänger Paul at VIFF four years ago.

In Songs, which was shot on Super

16mm, Carol learns how to lose

friends and alienate people while

somehow inspiring her boss. Elg-

strand calls the film, “a ‘sort-of mu-

sical.’ It’s not really a musical but it

is sort of one.”

Elgstrand’s words of wisdom:

“Make the movie you want to make.

If you want to make it you’ll find

a way to fund it and do it. Oh, and

maybe don’t write California into

your script if you can’t afford it, or

you may have to guerilla shoot it as

we did.”

Another filmmaker who just did

it is Sonja Bennett, a darling of the

Festival known for her leading roles

in films like Punch and Random Acts of

Romance. Bennett’s back at VIFF as the

writer - and star - of Preggoland - di-

rected by Jacob Tierney (The Trotsky) and produced by Kevin Eastwood.

The film, which debuted at TIFF,

also stars screen legend James Caan, who Bennett exclaims chal-

lenged her story-wise, “which was

a great thing. And his character be-

came richer for it. As an actor he is

warm, generous and spontaneous.”

Says Bennett, “I wrote the screen-

play to play the lead character, a

35-year-old woman-child who feels

alienated from her friends who are

all in various stages of parenthood.”

When Ruth is mistakenly thought to

be pregnant she finds the perks of

pregnancy too seductive to pass up.

“Writing Preggoland was my crack

at being proactive about my career

and I fell in love with writing in the

process.” n

Paul Armstrong is a film producer who

also produces The Celluloid Social Club

and the Crazy8s Film Event.

DirectorsviffknowsPremierebedbugs,billie’sbook,caanjob

indie scene

byPaul armsTrong

vancouver calgary edmonton saskatoon regina london kitchener-waterloo guelph toronto markham montréal

Immigration Law Group

Miller Thomson LLPmillerthomson.com

catherine a. Sas, [email protected] Foreign Legal Consultant with the State Bar of California

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For more information please call 604.687.2242

added experience. added clarity. added value.

MT_Reel West Digest Ad_v6.indd 1 5/5/2011 1:35:47 PM


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In an interview for a Reel

West cover story just before

the release of her movie Bye

Bye Blues in 1989, Alberta

director Anne Wheeler

told writer Ian Caddell, “it’s an epic

feature that looks good on the big

screen.” And that’s where audiences

will get to see it for the first time in

over a decade now that the original

35 mm print has been digitized just

in time for a special silver anniver-

sary screening at the 2014 Vancou-

ver International Film Festival.

Even film fans who were around

for the movie’s debut may not have

been able to catch it in theatres. “It

got quite huge distribution in the

States, but in Canada it was pretty

typical,” says Wheeler. “It was in

seven cities for a very short amount

of time.”

Wheeler (who has been based

in BC since 1990) originally set out

to make a documentary about her

parents, but found so much mate-

rial about her father, a doctor who

was captured and imprisoned by

the Japanese military during World

War Two, that he became the sub-

ject of A War Story. That doc was

a critical favourite, picking up all

sorts of prizes including a Blue Rib-

bon Award at the American Film

Festival.

Wheeler decided to follow up

with her mother’s story. But her

mother - who’d played piano in

a dance band - wasn’t interested

in getting the documentary treat-

ment. “She said to me, ‘well sweet-

heart, waiting almost five years for

your husband - not knowing if he’s

alive - and trying to keep a home

going with children and find a way

to make a living is kind of boring.

Maybe you should dress it up a little

bit.’ So I said, ‘okay if you don’t mind

I’ll do what’s called creative nonfic-

tion.’ And she said, ‘just make it en-

tertaining.’ Because she was truly

an entertainer.”

To set the movie in motion,

Wheeler started by capturing her

mother’s music. “The first thing I

did was I took her into a studio with

some of her old musician friends.”

Then Wheeler started the script.

“I probably wrote twenty drafts be-

cause my parents met each other

when they were young and there

were a lot of places to start the story

and to end the story. I finally landed

on her coming home from India

where they had been living. They’d

both been raised on the prairies, but

ended up going to India.”

So did Wheeler. Bye Bye Blues —

which was shot by Vic Sarin — was

the first Canadian feature to film in

India.

While Wheeler was working on

her drafts she also did her home-

work. Intead of talking to her moth-

er Wheeler interviewed dozens of

other women, “who had lived simi-

lar lives.”

As the screenplay and then the

movie came together, Wheeler’s

mom resisted becoming part of the

development process. “She didn’t

want to see it until it was com-

pletely finished. She wanted to see

it with a big audience.”

Wheeler cast Rebecca Jenkins as

her mother’s cinematic avatar. “She

has that wonderful spirit and love

of music.” Robyn Stevan was chosen

to capture the essence of Wheeler’s

free-spirited aunt.

When opening night arrived and

it was time for mom to attend the

premiere at Edmonton’s Garneau

Theatre Wheeler says, “It was the

ultimate terrifying screening.”

Says Wheeler, “My mother

watched the movie very quietly and

I thought, ‘oh my goodness. Maybe I

went a bit too far.’ She didn’t seem

to be laughing and she sat really

still for the whole viewing. Then the

audience all cheered and wanted

us to both stand up and take a bow

and she was very reluctant to get

up. I kind of pulled her up and said,

‘Come on mom, everybody wants to

see who you are.’ So we got her up

on her feet and she looked around

and she sat down and she leaned

over to me and she said, ‘How did

you know all that?’” Wheeler still

laughs at the memory.

The movie was nominated for 13

Genies and picked up three - best

actress for Jenkins, best supporting

actress for Stevan and best original

song for Bill Henderson for When I

Sing. The film also scored nomina-

tions for Best Picture, Best Director

and Screenwriter for Wheeler and

Best Supporting Actor (for both Mi-

chael Ontkean and Wayne Robson).

Digitizing the movie means that

after it appears on big screens it will

finally be available on smaller ones.

The movie was never released on

DVD and Wheeler jokes that any re-

maining VHS tapes that haven’t dis-

integrated are now collector’s items.

“I don’t think there’s a week that’s

gone by when somebody hasn’t got-

ten ahold of me and asked, ‘How

do I get this film?’ And I’ve had no

way of getting it to the public,” says

Wheeler. “It’s a great new beginning

for an older film.” n

To read the original cover story from the

August-September 1989 issue of Reel

West Magazine, visit www.reelwest.

com/news/2014-09/bye-bye-blues-

25-anniversary.

oPening reel

VIC sARIN with ANNE WhEELER on set of the original Bye Bye Blues.File Photo

Canadian Classic Back on the Big Screen

anneWHeeleRsaysHelloagaintoBye Bye Blues

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On August 12th, Can-

ada’s “Prince of Pot”,

Marc Emery, was

released from US

prison – at the same

time, his wife, Jodie Emery was look-

ing at running for the federal Liberal

Party to take the fight for marijuana

legalization to Ottawa.

On October 17th, Roger Larry and

Sandra Tomc’s frank and funny doc-

umentary Citizen Marc, chronicling

the adventures and inspirations of

the Emerys, will hit select theatres

across Canada.

The timing for both couples could

hardly be better.

After talking to Larry about the

movie after the film’s screening at

the 2013 Whistler Film Festival, I did

an email Q&A with Larry and Tomc

about their adventures with Emery

and the challenges of spending half

a dozen years on a single story.

They responded – like they cre-

ated this film (and their previous

movies Crossing and Tested) – as a

team. Says Tomc, “We write every-

thing together. It should all say

“we.” Think of us as the Borg. Or Co-

hen Brothers.” Here’s the buzz on

Citizen Marc:

Q: What sparked this story for you?

sandra Tomc & roger larry:

At the time that we began this film

we were inspired by films like Hoop

Dreams, Brother’s Keeper, and the 7UP

series, all classic documentary fea-

tures that follow characters over

many years. So we were looking for

a character in a situation that was

compelling and would remain so

over a period of years. Additionally,

we were looking for a story that was

politically charged in a way that in-

trigued us. In Marc Emery we found

the perfect subject.

In 2006, when we started film-

ing, he was fighting extradition and

facing life imprisonment for what

was essentially a political crime.

We think of North America as place

devoid of political prisoners, but

Emery and others are proof to the

contrary, a fact we thought impor-

tant to expose.

The conflict around legalization

was also interesting to us. Prohi-

bition was so counter-productive

when they tried it with booze that

we could not help but feel that Em-

ery was on the right side of history.

Is marijuana legalization the

most important issue facing the

world? Of course not. But it made

Emery even more interesting to us

in that he was willing to lay his life

on the line for others’ right to es-

sentially party.

Yet on another level, his situ-

ation also revealed the degree to

which our lives are controlled by

forces outside our control, forces

like government and corpora-

tions heavily invested in promot-

ing the drug war and the prison-

industrial complex that feeds off

it. This led us to interview Noam

Chomsky, who had some very per-

suasive arguments about how the

drug war is really just another way

for corporate America to make a

buck. There was also Emery’s out-

sized personality. We were curious

whether his success as an activist

was linked to his seemingly bound-

less ego, something that the film

suggests was the case.

A number of people are willing to

put themselves on the line for their

beliefs, but few are able to generate

the attention and political action

Emery has. All these reasons com-

bined to make Marc Emery an irre-

sistible subject to us.

Q: When I heard you were making

this movie I assumed the goal was

to put “the Prince of Pot” on a ped-

estal. Not so much... Was this the

story you thought you were going

to tell, or did it shift as you dove

into the research?

sT & rl: I think that what we end-

ed up with is a balanced portrait.

Part of that comes from the fact

that the two of us came at the story

with very different opinions about

Emery. But in the end, we both came

to agree that Emery deserves to be

revered for his accomplishments as

an activist and founder of the legal-

ization fight. Simultaneously, he is

not always a sympathetic character,

but who is?

We’re interested in his quirks

because of his accomplishments. I

think his massive ego, his abrasive-

ness, his stubbornness, his atten-

tion-getting are what make him one

of Canada’s greatest activists ever. I

also believe that when you look at

his childhood as we do, it’s no sur-

prise that he has these traits as well

as a kind of boundless ambition.

Q: I was surprised by Marc’s earlier

adventures in politics — especially

his impact on Ontario’s Sunday

shopping laws. What surprised you

most?

sT & rl: What surprised us most

was that he was far from a single-

issue activist. The range of issues

that he had tackled in his early

days ranged from championing Two

BC Buzz on HotPot Doc

QuesTion & ansWer

MARC EMERY at Bridge studio in Vancouver Photo by jeFFery lando

RogeRlaRRyanDsanDRatomcexPloRetHeseeDs

ofcanaDa’smaRiJuanamaRtyR

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Q&A | continued on next page


Live Crew’s banned record As Nasty

As We Wanna Be to fighting a minor

business improvement tax. In that

latter fight he spent twenty-five

thousand dollars and lost. We were

interested in what it was in Emery

that drove that kind of tenacity and

commitment to what, in this case,

was a ridiculously tiny issue.

The other surprise was that all

these issues were driven by a com-

mitment to Ayn Rand’s philosophy

of “objectivism,” as she termed it –

which meant libertarianism with

a Nietzschean superman spin in

which the great enemy was the

government and the saviour was

the exceptional individual engaged

in feats of capitalistic self-interest.

So while we were very sympathetic

to Emery’s anti-prohibition politics,

his underlying ideology could not

have been more at odds with our

own outlook, which is pro-welfare

state, something that comes out in

the film.

Q: It looked like you had phenome-

nal access – can you talk about how

that happened.

sT & rl: The access that Emery

provided was really open to anyone.

He made himself extremely avail-

able to his public. Emery is a pro

at this stuff and is used to being in

front of the camera. We did have to

stop filming for three months from

April, 2006 to July, 2006 because

Emery signed an exclusivity agree-

ment with the CBC while Nick Wil-

son was making his very fine Marc

Emery film The Prince of Pot. Where

we differed from Nick and others

who have made films about Emery,

is that we went in with a certain

critical perspective on Emery and

his politics and we were in it for the

long term. We shot for six years.

Q: Roger, when we spoke at Whis-

tler you said some of the Emery’s

friends and supporters were upset

by aspects of the film – can you talk

about that?

sT & rl: Parts of the film are con-

troversial. As we said, while the film

is pro legalization, it is not uncriti-

cal of Emery and his politics.

Q: Are the Emerys planning to pro-

mote the film?

sT & rl: We don’t know.

Q: How do Marc and Jodie work to-

gether?

sT & rl: They are a heck of a team.

Jodie is one of the few people Marc

really listens to and takes advice

from. Jodie has really come a long

way and grown into a political role

that is both separate from Marc’s

but also entwined with his.

Q: How do you two work together?

sT & rl: We have a great working

relationship, which doesn’t mean

we don’t fight. We actually fought

about the film the whole time, but

while sometimes that can lead to

tension after work we also think

that the wrestling with the content

that goes on ultimately makes the

film stronger and more complex.

Both of us changed our minds over

time, and the final film is a map of

where those struggles took us.

We don’t recommend it for all

couples or all films, but it works for

us and we think it works better on

Citizen Marc than any of our previ-

ous works. It was never boring for

us and from the reaction of audi-

ences it appears it’s never boring

for them. For all our differences of

opinion, we were both committed

to telling an exciting character-

driven story that was as suspense-

ful and compelling as it was rich in

meaning.

Q: What was your favourite aspect

of making this movie?

sT & rl: Digging deep. The expanse

of time we took making it provided

creative and conceptual opportuni-

ties not normally available to docu-

mentarians today. Having the abil-

ity to really work the material was

a great privilege and tremendously

rewarding.

Q: What do you think of Jodie’s as-

pirations to run for the Liberals?

sT & rl: We haven’t investigated

Jodie Emery’s platform as a candi-

date, so we don’t know yet whether

she’s someone we would endorse.

In general, her political views run

to the right of ours. We would only

vote for her if she promised to work

in favour of progressive policies.

Q: Would you vote for her?

sT & rl: If she was the candidate

in our riding with best chance of

beating the Conservative candidate,

we would vote for her for sure. n

Q&A | continued from previous


A lthough Kyle Fogden pre-

viously wrote a thorough

overview of the Supreme

Court of Canada decision in Cinar

Corporation v. Robinson, I wanted to

revisit this case, given the impact it

has already had and will likely contin-

ue to have on Canadian copyright law.

Specifically, I wanted to focus on two

points of law that I feel are important

and interesting clarifications in copy-

right law in Canada.

The case concerns Claude Rob-

inson, who, in 1982, created some

character sketches, script synopses,

and other materials for a children’s

television series he called Robinson

Curiosity, which was loosely based

on the book Robinson Crusoe. After

attempting, and failing, to secure

financing with the Cinar Corpora-

tion, the project was abandoned.

However, in 1995 a show called

Robinson Sucroe, produced by Cinar,

was broadcast on television. Robin-

son felt the show was a copy of the

show he had created thirteen years

earlier, and commenced an action

for copyright infringement against

Cinar. The case eventually landed in

the Supreme Court of Canada.

One of the most important things

to come out of this case, in my opin-

ion, is the rejection of the so-called

“Altai” test for copyright infringe-

ment. At the trial level, counsel for

Cinar Corporation put forth an argu-

ment that Canadian courts should

adopt a three-part test in evaluat-

ing copyright infringement claims,

much like the one employed by US

courts in American infringement

cases. This was rejected by the trial

court judge in favour of a “substan-

tiality” test. The test proposed by

Cinar’s counsel was very similar to

the Altai test, which looks at poten-

tial copyright infringement in three

separate steps: abstraction, filtra-

tion, and comparison. Basically, this

test involves breaking the two works

into smaller parts to identify which

components constitute ideas and

which are expressions of those ideas.

As producers know all too well, ideas

aren’t protected by the Copyright

Act, which only affords protection

to the original expression in a work.

The second step involves discard-

ing anything not protected, such as

ideas and information in the pub-

lic domain. The third step involves

comparing what remains to look for

similarities. This test has proven to

be quite successful in the US, and

has been endorsed by courts in oth-

er jurisdictions, such as the UK and

France. However, instead of adopting

this approach, the trial judge held,

and Supreme Court judges affirmed,

that dissecting Robinson’s case into

component parts was problematic

and instead courts should favour a

holistic approach to most infringe-

ment claims. Specifically, the court

felt that it was important to look at

the works as a whole, and to “not

conduct the substantiality analysis

by dealing with the copied features

piecemeal.”

Cinar also attempted to argue

that expert evidence procured and

presented by Robinson should not

be relied upon, arguing that the in-

fringement must be assessed from

the perspective of a lay person.

The trial court agreed, and the Su-

preme Court judges affirmed, that

the perspective of the lay person

in the intended audience may be a

useful tool, but since the question

remains whether a substantial part

of the work was copied, the question

should be answered by someone

whose knowledge base allows him or

her to fully assess all of the relevant

aspects. In this case, the intended

audience is children, and obviously

a more experienced perspective is

crucial, and so the courts allowed

expert testimony to be admitted.

This case is important because,

although it does not substantially

change the face of copyright law in

Canada, it does offer some insight

into how the SCC will treat copy-

right infringement cases in the film

and television industry. n

Lori Massini is a lawyer with the en-

tertainment law boutique Chandler Fogden. Lori’s practice focuses on en-

tertainment law with an emphasis on

the film and television industry.

theimpactofcinarcorporationv.RobinsononProducers

legal BrieFs

C F CHANDLER FOGDEN

L A W C O R P O R A T I O N

Doran Chandler Kyle Fogden

201 - 120 West 3rd Avenue, Vancouver BC V5Y 1E9

[email protected] | www.chandlerfogden.com tel 604 684 6377 fax 604 684 6387

F i l m | T e l e v i s i o n | N e w M e d i a | M u s i c E n t e r t a i n m e n t L a w

Lori Massini Kim Roberts, Of Counsel

C F CHANDLER FOGDEN

L A W C O R P O R A T I O N

Doran Chandler Kyle Fogden

201 - 120 West 3rd Avenue, Vancouver BC V5Y 1E9

[email protected] | www.chandlerfogden.com tel 604 684 6377 fax 604 684 6387

F i l m | T e l e v i s i o n | N e w M e d i a | M u s i c E n t e r t a i n m e n t L a w

Lori Massini Kim Roberts, Of Counsel

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Buckley DoDDschartereD accountants1140-1185 W. Georgia St., Vancouver, B.C., V6E 4E6

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30 years experience


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Everything Will Be Bows at VIFF 2014

Julia Kwan arrives early for our interview at the Cafe Brixton in Van-

couver’s Chinatown and chooses a chair facing the window. Before

we even start our hour-long chat, I’ve already learned two things

about Kwan that will be hammered home throughout the interview:

One: She’s extremely eager to discuss her work.

Two: At heart she’s still the girl who used to visit Chinatown with

her parents, calling all the elders “auntie” and “uncle.”

With Everything Will Be, Kwan is bringing her sixth film to VIFF — her first

full-length movie since Eve and the Fire Horse debuted to rave reviews and nu-

merous awards in 2005. A documentary is new territory, but like everything

else she’s done, the material is familiar and close to her heart. Asked how

she came up with the idea for the film, which profiles the changing world of

Vancouver’s Chinatown, Kwan answers, “Just walking through Chinatown.”

The National Film Board’s David Christensen approached her about

shooting a documentary. They just needed to choose a subject. “We came

up with this idea because I was walking through Chinatown and I don’t

spend that much time here like a lot of people, but I noticed there’s a shift

here at this moment, a transition in the neighbourhood, so I wanted to

document that. And also I was feeling a bit nostalgic because I remember

coming here with my parents and we had to address everybody as ‘“Aunts’”

and ‘“Uncles’” even though they weren’t because there was this great sense

of community and I really missed the vibrancy. So I really wanted to docu-

ment this particular moment in time and not a few months after the con-

dos have gone up,” says Kwan, who talks about the new developments with

a sense of regret.

And yet she insists on looking out the window.

”I think this is a very subtle change. It’s on the cusp of change, so I really

wanted to capture these subtle shifts and capture it through the eyes of

people who live and work in the community. It’s very intrusive, it’s not like

a (one) day interview, it’s following them over the span of a year. Everyone

I talk to is either working here or lives here and it ranges from a ninety-

year-old woman who knits hats on the street to Bob Rennie, the real estate

marketer. So that was my motivation.”

Ah, yes, Rennie.

Some might see the synopsis for the film and assume he’s going to be

vilified - but he’s not. Kwan’s non-narrated doc sees Rennie as the kind of

developer who will preserve the culture of Chinatown in the midst of inevi-

table change. Kwan recites one of his quotes from the film: “As Bob Rennie

says, ‘If you follow the artists and prostitutes you get a good sense of where

the city is going.’” Then Kwan laughs.

“It doesn’t worry me. I just ask that there’s respect for what was there

and for the elderly Chinese people to have a presence and to keep low in-

come people in mind. In Chinatown, when you build condos they have to

have 20 percent non-market housing, so there are things in place to protect

the cultural integrity and also the low-income seniors, but there should be

more of that.”

Although Kwan doesn’t dispute Rennie’s vision, it’s clear she’s nostalgic for

the Chinatown of old, even as she acknowledges it’s no longer viable in the

changing business climate. “I was born and raised in East Van, so I spent a lot

of time in Chinatown because my parents worked here. So on the weekends

my dad worked as the head waiter at the very successful Ming’s Restaurant

in the 70’s and 80’s and my mom worked right across the street as a seam-

stress at Keefer Laundry,” says Kwan, pointing out the window at the differ-

ent buildings. “So I had great ties to this community. But during the last few

years, every time you ask your friends, ‘Where do you go for good Chinese

food?’ it’s Richmond, right. Nobody thinks of Chinatown as a place with good

food, it’s more of a tourist destination now. It’s been exoticized in some ways.

I remember walking down the street on Pender and within a two block radius

there were 15 shuttered shops. That was three years ago and just seeing the

difference now — it’s been astounding. The oyster bar down the street just

opened and there are all these galleries. So that was my motivation and also

this sense of guilt that I hardly ever spend time in Chinatown anymore.”

coVer FeaTure

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Kwan’s guilt is very apparent

as she talks about the new gen-

erations of Chinatown families. It’s

easy to see she’s nostalgic about

the neighbourhood where she grew

up. “A new city can’t sustain itself if

new people don’t come in. You look

at the first generation — the kids

are educated, so they don’t want to

carry on the tradition of the shops

and stuff. I do have one subject in

my film — she’s a second genera-

tion tea shop owner just across the

street from where we’re sitting.”

Kwan points down the road. “But

that’s a rarity now. It seems like a lot

of people in the Chinese commu-

nity, they do embrace the change

because they realize something’s

not working. But everybody always

talks about respect for the commu-

nity. You know, it’s very important to

get a sense of where we come from.”

Though she was born and raised

on the coast, Kwan studied film and

psychology at Ryerson University in

Toronto. The Chinatown that rep-

resents that city doesn’t seem to

have the problems that Vancouver’s

does. It remains a booming tourist

attraction that isn’t suffering from

closed storefronts or an unsightly

neighbourhood. However, it also

doesn’t have the culture or history

that makes Vancouver’s Chinatown

a tight-knit community - a fact that

is not lost on Kwan.

“It’s different here. People still go

to Toronto’s Chinatown for food and

stuff. It’s a self-sustaining commu-

nity. When you think about this Chi-

natown having a very dark history

— it was born out of the Depression.

It was like a forced ghetto that be-

came a safe haven. And I think peo-

ple just want to preserve that sense

of memory.”

Kwan’s film opens with barely a

noise for the first five minutes, just

the sound of shopkeepers pulling

down garage-style doors and flick-

ing on switches in the early morn-

ing while an elderly woman softly

sings. It’s a visually stunning and

effective scene, but it was one of so

many in this film that was challeng-

ing for Kwan to capture.

(Top to Bottom) LEUN ChEUNG LAI, Chinese herbs Enterprises. WAI ChEE LO, Vancouver seniors singing Club. KEN LUM, Gore studios.

PhotoS by MiChael david hawley


“A lot of people don’t understand

the concept of filmmaking and they

don’t want to be a part of it because

they don’t understand and I didn’t

want to interrupt their livelihood.

It’s very intrusive,” says Kwan on

how hard it was to get her subjects

to let her follow their lives for a year.

“There was a lot of begging in-

volved and I realized my Cantonese

was worse than I thought it was. So I

had these great translators involved

because I understood about 80 per-

cent. A lot of people said the same

thing: ‘Why do you want to shoot

me? There’s nothing special about

me.’ But I really felt I wanted to give

a voice to the silent sort of minority

in the neighbourhood.”

The people in this tight-knit com-

munity have long memories and

it makes sense that they wouldn’t

trust Kwan’s camera snooping

around their shops and homes.

There’s a sense that they have been

misled by the bright lights of Holly-

wood before. Year of the Dragon, the

1985 film starring Mickey Rourke

and directed by Michael Cimino,

was filmed partially in this neigh-

bourhood, with Vancouver standing

in for New York. The experience left

the community camera-shy.

“The film ended up shooting in one

of the societies and using these pic-

tures of some of the really respected

society members and elders as gang-

sters. They really disrespected the

memory, so there’s no trust.” Kwan

spent six months convincing a hus-

band and wife herbalist team to let

her film them. “It took months of beg-

ging. My researcher and I went back

and forth and we actually ended up

hiring their daughter and he still said

no until they finally relented.”

Following up Eve and the Fire Horse

was never going to be easy. That

film, about two young sisters going

through family trauma, debuted to

rave reviews at both VIFF and TIFF.

Kwan and her crew were invited to

Sundance and not long after, Eve

and the Fire Horse walked away with

the Special Jury Prize in the World

Cinema – Dramatic category.

Kwan was a star. After shooting a

couple of shorts and taking a break

for personal reasons, her return to

full-length in the form of a docu-

mentary seems like an odd choice

for the filmmaker/writer, who ad-

mits she had some trouble with the

form at first.

“There were a lot of challenges.

This was my first documentary and

I chose a really hard one. It’s an ob-

servational documentary, it’s not

like a narrative film where you have

a script and you have a foundation.

So that was really hard for me to

not have a script to follow. I actu-

ally tried writing one and my DP

(Patrick McLaughlin) threw it across

the room. He was just like ‘You

know this is never going to hap-

pen,’” laughs Kwan. “But you know,

it’s made me a better storyteller be-

cause I really had to think about the

structure of story and character.”

Kwan says she enjoys VIFF be-

cause of the way it cultivates and

respects local films. “Everything

I’ve done has shown at VIFF,” she

says, before doing a mental check

and making sure. “I always liked it

because they really embrace the

Canadian films and there’s always

a huge selection of Canadian docu-

mentaries and films and they have

a really good Asian selection too.

They’ve managed to put together

such a great selection of BC films.

TIFF used to have a program for

Canadian films but they got rid of

that, people always called it ‘the

Canadian ghettos,’” she laughs. “But

just having that and having more of

a selection is good.”

Seeing the director in Vancouver,

in her natural habitat, feels right.

From studying in Toronto and win-

ning international awards in Park

City, Utah, Kwan has come a long

way from walking around a Chi-

natown with aunts and uncles on

every street corner. But that part of

her never left. It’s obvious from the

way she looks out the window. n

- Julia KWan

“...they do embrace the change because they realize something’s not working. But everybody always talks about respect for the community... it’s very important to get a sense of where we come from.”

Photo by MiChael david hawley


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As a boy, Scott Renyard walked the wild creeks and rivers near

his Revelstoke home. The weekend treks were spent fishing

for bull trout and Dolly Varden. Father told son about legal

limits and why they were in place and the son indulged an

unquenchable curiosity about the natural world.

Fishing demands patience and the pair bonded as they waited for a nib-

ble. Not that the trips were without adventure. Once, the boy’s dog, Prince,

a short, white French basset hound-chihuahua cross, tried to sample a por-

cupine as an hors d’oeuvre.

The wilderness adventures led Renyard to study botany at university, but

it was a last-minute, fill-in job on a catering truck on location that brought

the graduate student to the movies. That modest taste of the movie world

convinced him to combine his love of science with a passion for storytelling.

He continued sport fishing in midlife, angling along the Vedder River in

Chilliwack. He noticed fewer chum salmon with each passing year. Fewer

coho salmon. Then, the government halved the number of hatchery steel-

head you were allowed to catch. He began to wonder if the decreased stocks

in the Fraser River and its tributaries could be related to the diseases attrib-

uted to the open-net fish farms dotting British Columbia’s inlets.

The result of his inquiries is The Pristine Coast, a documentary that pre-

mieres at the 2014 Vancouver International Film Festival. The doc highlights

the controversial research of biologist Alexandra Morton, whose analysis of

declining fish stocks in the Broughton Archipelago blames diseases intro-

duced into wild stock by farmed fish.

The filmmaker recorded six days of her Get Out Migration march four

years ago, a 500-kilometre walk from Sointula on Malcolm Island to the

provincial legislature in Victoria. He also recorded 118 days of testimony at

the Cohen Commission, the federal government’s public inquiry into the

decline of sockeye salmon in the Fraser.

As director and writer, he also includes the research of Dr. Trisha Atwood,

an expert in the cycling and storage of carbon in aquatic ecosystems.

Lest that all seem a mite serious, keep in mind the diseases attributed to

the fish farms involve the words “lice,” “lesions,” “burn marks” and “bleed-

ing fins.” The Pristine Coast is a serious documentary whose subject matter

sounds like a horror movie.

“I like to do investigative environmental projects,” Renyard said. “I like

to look deep into what’s behind a problem and find out if what happened

actually happened and how it happened.”

His formal science education made it possible for him to decipher the

technical jargon found in the reams of fisheries reports on the subject.

“Why is disease a problem? How is it being transmitted? What diseases

are here? What populations are being affected? In the end, what does that

mean in terms of the larger eco-system?”

The Pristine Coast took four years to produce, including an intense

20-month period leading up to its completion on Labour Day. Renyard, who

is the kind of guy who prefers to memorize telephone numbers rather than

rely on a cellphone’s memory, had a tough time calling an end to the re-

search of an obviously complicated story.

He has been asking questions about nature for as long as he can remem-

ber. His family lived in an area north of the train tracks outside Revelstoke

stoRybyTom haWThorn

FeaTure sTory

Director Fishes for Truth About

BC’s SalmonscottRenyaRDcombinesPassionsfoRscience

anDstoRytellinginThe PrisTine CoasT


known as CPR Hill. “We grew up

playing in the bush. We built forts,

climbed trees, wandered around

and looked at plants,” he said. In

Grade 4, his class project involved

collecting wild flowers. By the end

of the school year, his scrapbook in-

cluded about 400 different samples,

the result of an obsessive pursuit

indulged during weekend jaunts

with his father and field trips with

his class.

A fascination with plants, espe-

cially with ferns and the Queen’s

Cup, which has a small, star-shaped

white flower and grows beneath co-

niferous trees, inspired an interest

in botany. He moved to Vernon after

Grade 4 and maintained his pas-

sion as he matured even though his

peers were less interested in plants

than they were in the power plants

under the hoods of their hot rods.

After a few semesters at Okana-

gan College, Renyard transferred to

the University of British Columbia

where he gained a science degree

with a major in botany and a minor

in geography. An ambitious under-

grad thesis involved determining

whether a commercial use could

be found for the milfoil threaten-

ing to choke lakes in the Okanagan.

He took samples of milfoil (Myrio-

phyllum spicatum) from Kalamalka

Lake. He also gathered samples of

Potamogeton crispus, a curly-leafed

pondweed thriving from the leech-

ing of effluent into Kal Lake, as it

is also known. He used those two

plants to grow red clover (Trifolium

pratense) to see which was the bet-

ter organic fertilizer.

He took a masters in resource

management and regional plan-

ning, writing a thesis on the

sports fisheries of Burrard Inlet.

Even though these fishing spots

were within close proximity to the

gleaming glass towers of Vancouver,

no scientist had ever bothered to do

even a basic survey to determine

what the anglers were catching, or

how long they spent in the pursuit.

He wandered the creeks and shore-

line around the inlet, interviewing

fishermen as they caught crabs

and smelt and other small species.

He also learned that a bit of salm-

on fishing took place on the North

Shore at certain times of the year. “It

was a nice way to connect back to

what I had done as a child,” he said.

While writing his thesis, he got a

call from a high school friend who

needed an extra hand aboard a ca-

tering truck. Renyard had been a

cook at a hotel and a steakhouse,

so preparing gourmet meals from

a portable kitchen seemed a good

way to replenish his dwindling

stock of cash. The grad student

was soon preparing meals for the

cast and crew of The Boy Who Could

Fly, a drama about an autistic boy

featuring Jay Underwood and Lucy

Deakins and such supporting cast

as Colleen Dewhurst, Fred Savage, a

teenaged Jason Priestley (in his first

feature film role), and Fred (Her-

man Munster) Gwynne as a dipso-

maniacal uncle. The shoot did not

end well for the caterers, who were

replaced for going overbudget, but

the taste of celluloid glamour left

Renyard hungry for more.

“After I got the introduction to

the film business, I liked it. I could

see it was a sector that was growing.

I suspect I was a bit naive in terms

of where it would lead, but the pay

was good.” He spent the next 15

years working crew positions on a

number of productions. “Towards

the end of it, I found the hours were

getting to me. You work long, long

hours. I wanted to still be a part of

filmmaking, but I was yearning to

go back to my science.”

Renyard, whose credits include

writing the final episode of the Neon

Rider series, began making annual

pilgrimages to what is now called

the Banff World Media Festival,

where he learned more about the

production of Canadian films, shift-

ing his ambitions from larger pro-

ductions to independent ones. He

had in mind a documentary about

the death of a killer whale in captiv-

ity. While there was interest in the

project, his lack of experience as a

director was preventing a go-ahead.

Then, by happenstance, a producer

suddenly needed a director for a

one-hour documentary on cougar

attacks. Renyard got the job, Project

Cougar did well in the ratings for

Discovery Canada, and his career

was on its way.

He directed a six-part educa-

(Top to Bottom) ALExANdRA MORtON surveys the sockeye die-off. A disturbing look at the pre-spawn chum die-off.

PhotoS by aniSSa reed / jody eriKSSon


“I like to look deep into what’s behind a problem and find out if what happened actually happened and how it happened.”

tional series called Check It Out be-

fore serving as a producer for the

feature film The Green Chain and The

Green Film, a five-minute eco-come-

dy. All the while he persisted in put-

ting together his orca doc, which he

financed himself. He was Ahab and

a baby killer whale named Miracle

was his Moby Dick.

“What intrigued me about that

story was I heard they suspected

environmentalists had tried to free

the whale,” he said. “That’s how it

got tangled in the net and died. A

lot of people were against the keep-

ing of captive whales and that could

have happened. I started to do re-

search.”

The impetus for the documen-

tary had come when his stepfather,

Peter Termehr, told him he had reels

of Super 8mm film of the reha-

bilitation of the whale. It had been

rescued from the secluded cove

of Menzies Bay before being trans-

ported to Victoria, where it was at

first immersed in the swimming

pool of the old Oak Bay Beach Hotel,

a spectacle that drew crowds of on-

lookers. When he first screened his

stepfather’s films, he thought: “This

is amazing footage! Why hasn’t it

seen the light of day?” It turned out

several earlier projects had foun-

dered and the film remained un-

seen by a wide audience.

The resulting documentary told

the story of the first juvenile ceta-

cean to be rescued in British Co-

lumbia, a story ending when it got

tangled in a net and drowned at

Sealand of the Pacific, a Victoria

aquarium that has since closed.

(Spoiler alert: “It wasn’t environ-

mentalists. Mistakes were made.”)

Renyard’s documentary won a

Golden Sheaf at Yorkton, Sask., for

best nature doc, a special jury prize

at the Houston International Film

Festival, and an honourable men-

tion at the Blue Ocean Film Festi-

val. It aired in Canada on CBC and

Nature.

The Pristine Coast has again

caused Renyard to dive deep into a

complicated mystery.

A lifelong sport fisherman who

has long enjoyed the bounty offered

by British Columbia’s rivers and

ocean, Renyard now finds the idea

of consuming local fish to be unpal-

atable. Populations are in distress

and disease is rampant. That’s no

fish tale. n

- scoTT renyard

Ph

ot

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y j

on

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at

Se

n


Corner Gas: The MoviePrimesthePumpforacanadian

christmasPresence

With a multi-platform release in December 2014, Cor-

ner Gas: The Movie is being packaged as a Christmas

gift for fans who have stayed loyal since the finale

of Canada’s most successful sitcom five years ago.

How loyal? When producers launched a 30-day

Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign last spring looking for $100,000 fans

topped that request within 24 hours. By the time the Kickstarter campaign

closed the Corner Gas crew raised $285,840 from around the world with the

iconic Canadian sitcom collecting cash from as far afield as Australia, Saudi

Arabia, India, China, Japan and Kyrgyzstan.

Executive Producer Virginia Thompson told Reel West the Kickstarter

campaign was about making the fans a part of the process. “Corner Gas is

one of the first movies to open its set to fans. It was a wonderful experi-

ence, but required a group of people to organize and run fan engagement

throughout our shoot period to do this well. The Kickstarter funds helped

pay for this fan engagement. Funds were also used to produce and ship the

Kickstarter rewards to fans as well as enhance the film itself.”

The fans aren’t just a virtual presence in the film. Ten “backers” kicked in

$2500 or more for the chance to be background performers in the feature. And

one fan sent $6000 for a collection of perks that included a speaking role.

Then there are the Corner Gas pilgrims.

“Dog River” – aka Rouleau, Saskatchewan – is a major tourist destina-

tion. So much so that in 2009 Saskatchewan’s Premier Brad Wall declared

April 13th “Corner Gas Day.” The annual event celebrates the finale of the

CTV series. The last episode Good Night, You’ve Been Great, was viewed by a

record-breaking 3.02 million viewers, the largest audience ever for a Cana-

dian scripted television series.

“Every day without fail, you could see fans of every age stopping by Dog

River to get a glimpse of the place their favourite show was filmed, only to

be hugely surprised that the film was being shot and their favourite ac-

tors were present,” says Russell Yuen – an actor who joined the Corner Gas

ensemble for the feature.

“As we were filming the occasional Winnebago or tourist with camera

in hand could be seen innocently lurking around in the background. They

would sometimes, once again innocently, walk into base camp and start

taking pictures of the buildings they are so familiar with from the show.

Without hesitation the actors would stop what they were doing, even if on

occasion in a bathrobe, and happily pose for various pictures with the fans.”

The Province of Saskatchewan didn’t just give Corner Gas its own day, they

also helped kick start the $8.5 million inter-provincial coproduction with

Ontario through a combination of tax credits and direct grants from public

agencies. Tourism Saskatchewan contributed $1.475 million and Creative

Saskatchewan added another $500,000, according to an Order-In-Council

dated May 15, 2014. Other funds include $2.5 million from Telefilm Canada,

$800,000 in tax credits from the province of Ontario, $350,000 in federal tax

credits and $1.6 million from Bell Media, which owns CTV.

Corner Gas was originally developed by Brent Butt, Mark Farrell, David

Storey, and Virginia Thompson for CTV and The Comedy Network. It pre-

stoRybyKaTJa de BocK

FeaTure sTory

Executive Producers dAVId stOREY, BRENt BUtt and VIRGINIA thOMPsON

Photo by Steve wilKie


miered January 22, 2004 on CTV

with 1.15 million viewers and was

a runaway hit, averaging 1.4 million

viewers over its 107-episode run.

The movie is set five years after

the series wrapped. There’s still not

much going on 40 kilometers from

nowhere, but that’s about to change

as the fine folks of Dog River, Sas-

katchewan face their biggest crisis

ever. Brent Leroy (Brent Butt) and

the gang discover their town has

been mismanaged, leaving resi-

dents with little choice but to pack

up and leave. As residents make

one last rally to save Dog River, the

small town folks are forced to take

on a corporate giant.

The entire cast has returned, in-

cluding Butt, Gabrielle Miller, Eric

Peterson, Fred Ewanuick, Janet

Wright, Lorne Cardinal, Tara Spen-

cer-Nairn, and Nancy Robertson.

Written by Butt, Andrew Carr, and

Andrew Wreggitt, the movie was di-

rected by David Storey, who served

as key director on the series and

exec produced by Thompson, Butt

and Storey. Saskatchewan producer

was Jack Tunnicliffe.

In addition to the original cast,

the movie includes Yuen (Bulletproof

Monk) as the ever-present-but-pre-

viously never-seen Won Hu, owner

of Dog River’s Foo Mart, the local

grocery store. The sign on the store

reads “FOO _ MAR _ _ T.”

Thompson says Won Hu was in-

troduced because the fans wanted to

know the owner of the Foo Mar. “Rus-

sell is a wonderful actor and was

perfect for the role. He understood

the Corner Gas brand of comedy and

we loved working with him.”

Yuen jumped at the chance to

be in the movie, especially when

he heard no Chinese accent was

required for the role. “Comedy, no

accent, and a piece of Canadian his-

tory? Yeah, I’m in,” he laughs, add-

ing he passed on American roles

because he didn’t want to miss the

opportunity to work on Corner Gas, a

project he considers a true piece of

iconic Canadiana.

Corner Gas: The Movie opens with an

exclusive Cineplex Front Row Centre

Events theatrical debut across Cana-

da, December 3rd through December

7th. It will be on The Movie Network,

CTV and The Comedy Network later

in December. A special DVD will be

released in time to be under Cana-

dian Christmas trees. n

calling sonJa BenneTT suPerhuman mighT

Be a BiT oF an undersTaTemenT.she’satapark

in vancouver’s east side on the last day of filming

Preggoland (the comedy she penned), shooting her

last scene (yes, she’s also the lead), while bouncing

her baby (playing her baby) on her knee, all with a

smile on her face. in the last five years bennett has

given birth to two children and a full-length feature

film.and if thatwasn’t enough,herdebut script at-

tracteddirectorJacobtierney(The Trotsky)andlead-

ingmenJamescaan(The Godfather)andDannytrejo

(From Dusk to Dawn).Preggoland revolvesaround35

year-oldRuth(bennett),whofakesapregnancytofit

inwithher friends.bennett,who’sbeenactingsince

2002andhasstarredinfilmslike random acts of ro-

manceandyoung People Fucking,startedwritingthe

script(herfirst)whenshewaspregnantwithherfirst

child.onceitwaspickedup,shewasn’tsureifshe’d

gettoplaytheroleshe’dwrittenforherself.“ididn’t

knowifiwasgoingto,iwantedto,”saysbennettear-

nestly.“andthenineededthesupportofkevin(east-

wood,oneoftheproducers)andalotofotherpeople

alongthewaytomakethatdreamhappen,butyeahi

very,verymuchwantedto.always.”

bennettdescribeshertwodutiesonthefilmas“iso-

lated”sinceshefinishedwritingthescriptlongbefore

sheknewshewouldplayRuth:“Wheni’monsetifeel

likeanactor.istillhavetomemorizemylinesandstill

domybookwork just like ialwayswould. i feel like i

can’tdothembothatthesametime.they’reseparate

jobs-formeanyway.”

tierney says it was his familiarity with bennett, as

wellashisloveforthescript,thatbroughthimtothe

project.“sonyaandihaveknowneachotherformany

years,notsuperwell,butworkedtogether,”saystier-

ney.“shesentmethisscriptandigotsentalotofcom-

edyscriptsafterTrotsky andiwas justnot intothem

andthisoneiwasjustintorightaway.iloveditsspirit

and i loved its humour and i love the characters she

createdandithinkshe’sanamazingactorandsoitwas

justaperfectstormwherei justsaid, ‘icanseethis, i

candothisforyou.’”

landing name actors caan and trejo for their low

budgetproductionalsocamedowntothescript.“the

truthisthatthescriptalwaysgetssomeone,”saystier-

ney.“butgenerallyi’vebeenluckyinthatinmyfilmsi’ve

gottentheactorsi’vewantedandiwasthrilledthatJim-

my(caan)wantedtodoitbecauseiknewitwasgood

material and there was stuff to play with. and when

you’vegotthatyou’vegothalfthebattlerightthere. i

knewweweregonnagetsomebodygoodforthatpart.”

ifbennetthadanychoiceinthematter,andclearly

shedid,Preggolandwasalwaysgoingtobefilmedin

andaroundvancouver.thebulkofthefilmwasshotin

mapleRidgeandPittmeadows,andnothingwasgoing

tostoptierneyfromrepresentingbconceitwasde-

cidedthatthelowermainlandwouldbetheshooting

location.“ithinkififilmedamovieanywhereiwould

setitthere,”saystierney.“idon’tunderstandwhypeo-

plefeeltheneedtofakelocations.youcantellstories

allovertheplace.andthisisreallyexcitingformebe-

causei’venowmadeafeaturefilmintoronto,montreal

andvancouver.”

forbennettitwouldbehardtoimaginePreggoland

happeninganywhereelse.“allthelocationsandevery-

thingihadinmind.there’sacoffeeshopinthemovie

thathasachildren’splayareaandit’sjusttwoblocks

fromhere.i liveaboutfourblocksfromwhereweare

rightnow.alloftheseplacesihadinmyhead.those

weren’ttheplacesweactuallyshot,buttheyrepresent-

edthoseplaces.”n

Preggoland received its world premiere at the 2014

Toronto international Film Festival before debuting in

front of the hometown crowd at the 2014 Vancouver

international Film Festival.

side reel

Jacobtierneyandsonjabennettgivebirthto Preggoland

stoRybynaThan caddell

sONJA BENNEtt and JAMEs CAAN in PreggolandPhoto by MiChael hall


1983 I’m living on the Kingston

Peninsula, a ferry ride away from

Saint John, New Brunswick. On a

grey January afternoon, I’m flip-

ping through the pages of the latest

Uncanny X-Men in Edward’s Corner

Store. A blast of cold air grabs my

attention. I look up as a customer

kicks the snow off his boots. Noel

Winters, a neighbour I’ve seen only

from a distance, throws me a smile

as he walks past me to the counter

and buys a pack of cigarettes. I don’t

know it yet, but I’ve just made eye

contact with a serial killer.

1984 We’re part of this small

country community because my

parents thought it was the ideal

place to raise a family. Ironically, it’s

now buzzing with the horrific tale of

shotgunned neighbors and garbage

bags full of the hacked up bodies

discovered at the Browns Flat dump.

It’s brutal and terrifying. It leaves

an indelible mark on me, a thirteen-

year old aspiring filmmaker.

1996 While taking the one-year

film foundation course at Vancou-

ver Film School, my writing instruc-

tor tells our class, “Write what you

know.” I decide to write a thriller

loosely inspired by Noel’s story and

When a writing teacher says “write what you know” it’s usually intended as a

warning for students to avoid getting too ambitious. But filmmaker Jason Bourque

knew a serial killer. The writer-director shares the challenges of bringing the story

of a real life small town nightmare to the big screen in his new movie, Black Fly,

which debuts at VIFF 2014.

FilmmaKer’s diary

filmmakertellsthestoryoftheReallifeserial

killernextDoorDiaRybyJason BourQue

JAsON BOURQUE directs dAKOtA dAULBY on set of Black FlyPhoto by ChriS helCerManaS-benge


my own experiences growing up on

the Kingston Peninsula. It’s my first

script and I make a few creative

changes based on my recollections,

deciding to tell the story through

the eyes of a fictional teenager who

gets pulled into the orbit of his hard

drinking, small town brother, who

also happens to be a killer. The first

person who reads Black Fly is my

VFS classmate Ken Frith.

2002 Ken and I have formed Gold

Star Productions in Vancouver and

we focus on music video, short

film, and documentary production.

I somehow skip making my first

Canadian indie feature and jump

straight into directing Movies of the

Week. Meanwhile, I use Black Fly as

a writing sample, triggering a de-

cent run of contracted scripts. I’m

always pushing Black Fly, but the re-

jection letters from various broad-

casters and production companies

are mounting. A few indie produc-

ers show interest, bogging down the

project with options, shopping deals

and close calls with investors.

sePTemBer 2012 The only way

I’m going to get this movie made

is with Ken. Even though we don’t

have a feature film credit we apply

to the regional Telefilm office for

funds to write a second draft. The

feedback I get is extremely positive.

We’re approved!

ocToBer 2012 For the first

time, I start looking at Black Fly from

the perspective of a seasoned direc-

tor. As the second draft progresses, I

begin seeing the potential for a truly

unique psychological thriller with a

keen sense of character and place. I

know Black Fly needs to be driven by

gritty, unpredictable performances

and I start a list of potential Cana-

dian name actors I admire. There’s

an opportunity for a combination

of both stunningly beautiful visu-

als and terrifying sequences. Even

though we have no financing, I start

initial talks with my old pal Mahlon

Todd Williams about being our cin-

ematographer. We worked togeth-

er for years on music videos and

MOWs, developing a wonderfully

creative relationship.

January 2013 We apply for

Telefilm regional production funds

while I continue directing and writ-

ing - mostly Syfy disaster flicks. It’s

a strange niche to fall into, but after

working on a dozen of these proj-

ects where I unleash mass destruc-

tion I’m now “the apocalypse guy.” I

love the work but I’m also craving

the heavy realism of Black Fly, a sto-

ry devoid of solar flares, tornadoes

and earthquakes.

augusT 2013 Success! We re-

ceive the official letter from Telefilm

confirming their commitment. Ex-

ecutive producer Tim Brown helps

us nail down a Super Channel pre-

sale and we’re off to the races. Ken

and I pursue private investors and

producing partners to complete our

financing. After a few close calls, it’s

obvious we need a “re-think.” Even

with Telefilm and the pre-sale, clos-

ing financing in a tight market is

proving to be a nightmare. Several

potential sources turn up empty.

Others aren’t very “filmmaker

friendly.” Options range from a crip-

pling 25% interest and personal

guarantees to a page one rewrite

in order to generate pre-sales. We

politely decline the opportunity to

turn Black Fly into a vehicle for a B

movie action star.

sePTemBer 2013 Rather than

giving up ownership and creative

control, Ken and I decide to make

Black Fly on our home turf at half

our original budget. It makes the

most sense – a 100% BC made indie

thriller within a community that

supports its own. We also decide

not to pursue name actors. Instead,

it’s whoever is best for the role and

Telefilm is sticking by us. At this

stage we know we need another

partner with a track record for these

lower budgets.

With her strong reputation and

knack for knowing everyone in the

industry, we team up with local

producer Robyn Wiener (Lawrence &

Holloman, American Mary). We all gel

immediately and get to work, but

even with more production friendly

rewrites and budget cuts the num-

bers still aren’t working. We’re still

missing a piece of the pie.

January 2014 With a Telefilm

deadline looming and no more fi-

nancing in sight, I’m offered a high-

paying job on a reality show. The

day I need to make my decision

we receive last minute salvation

through the Roger’s Telefund. It’s a

close call. If I had taken the reality

job, Black Fly would still be on the

back burner.

Our financing is completed and

we’re officially green-lit.

FeBruary 3 2014 Prep official-

ly starts. Even with an industry in

production overdrive, the support is

still staggering. We somehow cobble

together a crew along with several

excellent production service deals.

Some of the crew are industry vet-

erans, a few have never been on a

professional set.

FeBruary 5 2014 Location

Manager John Wittmayer shows me

a wonderfully decrepit house. I fall

in love. It combines several mini-

moves and has the perfect look, but

the owner is in Hong Kong and we

don’t know if he’ll sign off. Without

it, we’ll have a very difficult sched-

ule on our hands.

The creative lynch pin is having

Williams at the DOP helm. All our

past productions together have

built towards one thing - making

this movie.

FeBruary 7 2014 We plan the

hell out of the shoot to maximize

our schedule and create a truly raw,

tense, cinematic experience. We de-

cide we’ll focus on more poetic vi-

suals to contrast the ugly side of the

human spirit and the matter-of-fact

violence. Along with a strong un-

dercurrent of dread, there’s a mys-

tery element to Black Fly. We decide

long prime lenses and precise dolly

moves through layers of foreground

will be the order of the day for a

large chunk of filming.

Our battle plan includes natural

and practical light sources when-

ever possible, allowing for a smaller

crew, less gear and a focus on the

acting. The overall cinematographic

vision is topped off with a healthy

dose of texture by utilizing peeling

paint, rotting walls and faded pho-

tographs provided by production

designer Paul McCulloch. Our vi-

sual motifs are getting nailed down.

Digital storyboards and shot lists

are coming together. But what we

truly need is an incredibly talented

cast to knock Black Fly out of the

ballpark…

FeBruary 8 2014 We cast

through local agent Judy K. Lee and

see a wealth of Vancouver talent.

Matthew MacCaull, the first person

we audition, nails the lead part for

Noel. Christie Burke is cast as Pau-

la. I’ve never met an actor who has

wanted a part so badly and her en-

thusiasm is contagious. But the cast-

ing of Jake proves far more difficult…

While in prep, we lose an actor

who was attached since develop-

ment. The actor landed a pilot. But

“I’m now “the apocalypse guy.” I love the work but I’m also craving the heavy realism of Black Fly, a story devoid of solar flares, tornadoes and earthquakes.” - Jason BourQue


there’s a happy ending. We have one

final casting session with Matthew

as the reader. Dakota Daulby (Sitting

on the Edge of Marlene) is coming on

board, our perfect Jake.

FeBruary 24 2014 It’s a snowy

Monday on our first day of shooting.

The flurries provide a magical qual-

ity to our visuals. It climaxes with a

breathtaking wide shot in downtown

Vancouver at night. Dakota walks

across an empty soccer field covered

in virgin snow. His footsteps fade in

the distance. It’s epic in the context

of the story.

march 7 2014 So far our shoot

has had the usual production hic-

cups, technical glitches and cre-

ative curveballs, but the momen-

tum is never lost. Matthew, Dakota

and Christie all bravely go to some

very dark places. There are a cou-

ple of times it feels like an insane

asylum as we prepare for the next

scene. Matthew breaks from the

‘80s heavy metal blasting in his

ears to improv with Christie. It’s

a wonderfully raw exchange with

both of them in character. Scream-

ing and sobbing ensues. Alec Wil-

lows stares vacantly out from the

porch, still shaking off the previous

setup, that in his own words was, “a

little too intense.” Matty Finochio,

not saying much and covered in

fake blood, wanders around like a

shell-shocked soldier. What I love

about these actors is that there’s

no place they would rather be. We

know we’re making something spe-

cial and the crew feels it. My awe-

some cast pulls out all the stops

and our film community “thank-

you” list continues to grow.

march 14 2014 Taillights fade

on an old range rover as it passes a

boarded up farmhouse. It’s our last

shot, taken with a tiny splinter unit

on Denman Island - another sup-

portive community wanting to help

out and share in our excitement. It’s

a wrap and boy that comes with a

whole lot of relief.

June 2014 Post is surprisingly

smooth and again relies on some

incredible favors and deals in or-

der to deliver production value far

greater than our budget. Rob Neil-

(Top to Bottom) MAtthEW MACCAULL as Noel henson and dAKOtA dAULBY as Jake henson. dAKOtA dAULBY as Jake henson. ChRIstIE BURKE as Paula.

PhotoS by ChriS helCerManaS-benge


son, our editor and post-production

supervisor, proves an invaluable re-

source. His brother Michael Neilson

provides a beautifully eerie score

that surpasses expectations. The

only hindrance has been my sched-

ule. Since Black Fly, I’ve directed two

MOWs and my feature documen-

tary Music For Mandela is premiering

in London. It’s my busiest year ever

and I have a feature to finish.

July 28 2014 Stuck at the ho-

tel in London, I’m desperately try-

ing to download final Black Fly VFX

shots. It’s taking forever and eat-

ing fish and chips with my hands

is doing a wonderful job of greas-

ing up my keyboard. Next, I need

to type up sound design feedback

for Miguel Nunes at Bionic Audio

Ltd. Luckily his first pass rocks.

We’re on the right track, although

I suddenly get hit with this idea

for a last minute audio motif. The

memory fragments that Jake can’t

pin down need a hint of fly buzzing

in their sound design. I’m throwing

him a last minute thematic tweak,

hoping it can be incorporated.

augusT 2 2014 Wyckham Por-

teous, an award-winning folk singer,

provides us with an original song in-

spired by his viewing of our rough

cut. He’s totally captured the mood

of Black Fly and I decide to use it

over the final credits. It’s a rush to

master the song, but we manage to

make it work.

augusT 5 2014 My favorite day

in the whole process, watching the

fully color-timed Black Fly as the

sound mix is finalized. The theatre

at DBC Sound is huge. The final vi-

suals, color-timed by Claudio Sepul-

veda at Encore, look beautiful. For

myself, Ken and Robyn, we know

we’re delivering a truly cinematic

experience.

Today. Looking back, this was

the most difficult and rewarding

shoot of my career. After eighteen

years, it feels so good finally getting

this story out of my head and onto

the festival circuit. All the support

during this process allowed me to

maintain creative control without

the ties that sometimes hinder

filmmakers answering to distribu-

tors, broadcasters or private inves-

tors. It’s a privileged position to

be in and one that I’m extremely

thankful for. n

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Providing a comprehensive overview of national and provincial funding bodies and engaging stories and words of wisdom by seasoned producers.


FILMS SUMMIT EVENTSI never felt like a westerner

until I moved to Toronto.

I worked as a writer for

a national teen quiz show

and constantly found my-

self explaining to the Toronto-

based team that no one outside of

Hogtown knew or cared how long

Yonge Street was. There were days

it seemed like every other question

was about something no kid in BC or

Nova Scotia ever studied in school.

I watched from up-close as tv

shows featuring “the best talent in

Canada” were put together featur-

ing the best talent in Canada that

happened to be in Toronto that

week. One afternoon I was walking

through the halls of the CBC build-

ing when Roger Abbott and Don Fer-

guson from the Air Farce approached

me and said, “you’re from Vancouver,

right?” Suddenly, my comedy duo

Local Anxiety became the only west-

ern Canadian content on Sketchcom.

The eastern Canadian content for

the show consisted of a troupe from

Montreal that had recently relocated

to somewhere near Yonge Street.

And don’t even get me started

on how tough it was to watch my

beloved Canucks on Hockey Night in

Canada, which always seemed like

the official broadcaster of the To-

ronto Maple Leafs.

Then there were the federal elec-

tions that were declared over before

they’d even closed the polls back

home in Vancouver.

Suddenly I got “western alien-

ation.”

The longer I lived in Toronto the

more I found myself missing…

pretty much everything about BC…

from our beautiful landscapes to

our always-entertaining political

scene. I missed Alberta too - be-

cause I’d spent so much time there

as a performer and playwright.

The more time I spent work-

ing with national arts and cultural

organizations the more I realized

there was no conspiracy to exclude

western Canada - and most east-

erners weren’t that arrogant, just

indifferent. To them it was all about

math. It’s always about math. It’s

easy to hold Annual General Meet-

ings in Toronto - not only are most

members within driving distance -

but Ontario governments have tra-

ditionally tended to be more gener-

ous about kicking in funds to help

these events happen.

And Ontario and Quebec don’t

just have the votes in federal elec-

tions, they’ve also got the votes in

all those national organizations.

One of the first people who talked

to me at length about how this af-

fected our creative culture out west

was John Juliani, when the dynamic

director (who died in 2003) led the

fight to start the Union of BC Per-

formers. I won’t rehash the reasons

BC performers separated from the

national union (and not just because

I don’t remember all of them) - but

I do remember it all came down to

math and the sense that deals being

made served Toronto actors better

than they served actors in BC.

Ontario and Quebec also have

the votes for national awards -

which is why it’s always impressive

when films from outside central

Canada made a dent at the Genie

and Gemini Awards, now the Cana-

dian Screen Awards.

This issue we’re looking back

at the 25th anniversary of Anne

Wheeler’s Bye Bye Blues - which re-

ceived thirteen Genie nominations,

winning three. Pretty much every

other award that year went to De-

nys Arcand’s Jesus of Montreal. Argu-

ing over which film deserved more

awards is like debating the merits

of poutine versus Prairie Oysters,

but if Vegas had been handicapping

the event the shock of the night

wouldn’t have been that Jesus rose

with nine awards, but that Bye Bye

said hello to three.

Right before the ceremony

Wheeler told the Globe and Mail that

while she was honoured to be nomi-

nated the awards were “a popularity

contest.” She went on to point out

that films from provinces with a lot

more voting members than Alberta

in the then 1300 member Academy

were likely to be a smidge more

popular.

That’s why it’s no surprise that tv

and film awards sprung up in BC, Al-

berta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Another person I used to discuss

this with was Ian Caddell.

Ian often talked about the impor-

tance of a magazine like Reel West

that showcased Western Canadian

film and tv creators on the cover.

And he’d talk about why we had to

celebrate our industry - and nurture

our stars - to help it grow and thrive.

Ian’s knowledge of the local scene

was unparalleled. For roughly three

decades I think he interviewed ev-

erybody about their first features

and tv debuts. And almost every

time I write anything about some-

one shooting something I wish he

was still with us so I could find out

about their secret origins - because

he knew a lot more about the west-

ern screen scene than the Internet

Movie Database. And he knew be-

cause western Canadian movies

mattered to him - and he thought

they should matter to everyone. Ian

covered the movie scene, kept run-

ning this magazine, and swapped

stories about the cinema right up

until his death two years ago.

I moved home to BC over a de-

cade ago. These days I don’t feel re-

motely alienated. But I do feel very

privileged to have this opportunity

to share our stories. n

Reeling West and REal Western Aliens

The WindoW

bymarK leiren-young

MARK LEIREN-YOUNG no longer suffers from “western alienation”


FILMS SUMMIT EVENTS

ANIMATRIK FILM DESIGN • Vancouver, CanadaSee why we are the triple-A choice at animatrik.com

PERFORMANCE CAPTURE

Fall 2014

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Transcript of Fall 2014