Calgary International Film Festival 2005

There's still time to see some of the screenings this weekend at the Calgary International Film Festival 2005.

The Closing Gala on October 2 features Beowulf & Grendel with Gerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgard, and Sarah Polley. The film, which focuses on one of the oldest extant works of English literature, had its premiere at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. Tickets are $40.00

Edmonton International Film Festival 2005

Just a reminder that the Edmonton International Film Festival 2005 commences this Friday. There's still time to order your passes online until September 30th, after which you'll have to buy tickets at the venue of each screening.

Respecting Casts and Crews in Alberta

Edmonton Sun Columnist Kerry Diotte commented on photographer Dave Buston's criminal charges for trespassing on the set of The Assassination of Jesse James. I responded with the following letter:

Mr. Diotte,

I find it somewhat difficult to sympathize with photographer Dave Buston's situation regarding his criminal charges stemming from his incident on the set of The Assassination of Jesse James. I also believe it's unfair to label the film production as the bad guy, especially since Mr. Buston was apparently trying to get photographs to "pay for his kid's hockey camp." In attempting to get near a closed set, he knew he'd be potentially breaking laws and should have been aware of the results, yet he chose to ignore them.

While he may not have been "screaming gibberish and disrupting filming," he was likely there to take unauthorized photographs of the film production and its stars. Fort Edmonton Park does indeed have some of its areas closed off to the public, but this is certainly no different than film production that occurs in many cities around the world. Closing off of public areas is unfortunate, sometimes for a few hours or even several months, but it's done to protect the privacy and more importantly, professionalism of the cast and crew, letting them do their jobs without interference.

Most of us don't appreciate constant interruptions while doing our own work, so why should film cast and crew be subjected to the same? Bottom-line, the Hollywood film and television industry is a business. Each production is also usually established as a separate ‘business’ entity. Many businesses don't divulge corporate secrets and allow photography of production processes, so why would the film world be any different? While Mr. Buston is considered a respectable award-winning photographer, his statement and actions echoes those of the paparazzi, who chase media stars for profitable photographs. Again, I refer to "paying for his kid's hockey camp." Paparazzi style photography could be considered tantamount to corporate espionage, where a film's look and secrets could leak out and affect the financial aspects of the studio and film. All of these actions, no matter how small, could have an effect on jobs here in Alberta or elsewhere.

Though it isn't industry standard or obligatory, perhaps an Alberta press conference with the cast and crew would help to ease relations between them, local media, and the public. It would also generate more interest in the production and help showcase Alberta's film industry. However, if they did one for Alberta, then every province, state, or city would likely also want one; so one can see the complexities of doing so.

As an amateur photographer, I understand the excitement at getting that 'next great shot' and I do agree that people shouldn't be subjected to harsh treatment from non-local businesses, but in this case, I'd say the studio is justified in its actions.

Respectfully,

Chad Kerychuk

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Mr. Diotte also replied to me commenting that I had made several good points. I thank him for his follow-up.

Stars have come to expect paparazzi snapping away wherever they go, however in Alberta, where we are trying to foster an enjoyable and respectable working environment for film and television productions, such actions become especially damaging to the entire provincial workforce. Granted Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie may be dubbed 'Hollywood's hottest couple' by the media and having them in Edmonton is exciting for the city, but I believe Albertans should reaffirm our respectful nature through how we treat them. Allowing the celebrities to enjoy local museums, shops, and restaruants without being mobbed or photographed at every chance, keeps our city in high regard in the eyes of Hollywood and stars in general.

Even when the general public tries to capitalize on the sightings by selling snapshots to tabloid magazines (as evidenced by this Edmonton Journal report), it reflects poorly on not only Edmonton but also Alberta's professional reputation. Thankfully it sounds as though these incidents have not been common during the filming and most fans have been respectful of the cast during production and their off-time.

Hopefully film studios such as Warner Brothers, the company behind The Assassination of Jesse James understands that these actions do not reflect the attitudes of most Albertans and that we all take it personally when a few individuals tarnish our reputation. Though I have no official connection to the film, I have every confidence it will complete production in Canada without major problems. I'm also positive Alberta will continue to be a first-rate choice for large-scale and independent productions.

I know a lot of the readers of this blog are people looking for work as extras or hoping to get into the film industry in Alberta as a professional. There's a chance some of you know people that may be considering selling photos of productions or stars to media outlets. As somebody with a stake in the media production industry in Alberta, I urge you to please ask them to consider the impact it could have on all of us.

Thanks.

Ang Lee Loves Calgary Area

Louis B. Hobson with The Calgary Sun talked to Director Ang Lee about his experience shooting Brokeback Mountain in the Calgary area last year.

Lee was recently at the Toronto Film Festival with stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal to promote the film. Brokeback Mountain has already received the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival for Best Picture, which is sure to be the first of many accolades.

“I had the best time of my life in Calgary. I have never been so happy in my career as when I was shooting in Calgary,” said Lee, pointing out he “has filmed nine movies all over the world and, without question, my Calgary crew was the best I’ve worked with.”

It was not Lee’s idea to shoot Brokeback in Alberta.

“I have always insisted on shooting my films where they are set and Brokeback Mountain is set in Wyoming and Texas so that’s where I wanted to shoot.”

It was Lee’s producer Jim Shamus and the film’s screenwriter Diana Ossana who asked Lee to look at Alberta.

Ossana, who writes with Larry McMurtry, had seen their Johnson County Wars filmed in Alberta.

“They told me I couldn’t find landscapes anywhere in the world better than Alberta offers, so I went to check it out for myself.”

It was love at first sight.

“Not only were the landscapes in Alberta more grand than I’d imagined but there were all these little western towns that looked straight out of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.”

The best was yet to come.

“People at the Alberta Film Commission went out of their way to accommodate us."

“We got tax breaks. They worked to get us every location we asked for and they gave us access to their best film crews even though ours was a small budget film.”

After working with the local film crew, Lee says “these were the best people for the movie I was making."

“They know everything about the western down to the smallest detail and they were eager to share their knowledge with me. They treated me like one of their own.”

Check out this link for the rest of Lee's comments on the film's story.

Photo from Calgary Sun article.

Brokeback Mountain Trailer

Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. © Focus Features.

The website for Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain is now activated with QuickTime and Windows Media versions of the trailer.

The film, which won the Golden Lion for Best Film award at the 2005 Venice Film Festival, was shot in Alberta last year. The award was presented by legendary Japanese animation Director, Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle) at the closing awards ceremonies.

Brad a Boon to City Coffers: EDE

A story on the trickle-down effect created by the filming of The Assassination of Jesse James in Edmonton can be found at this link on EdmontonSun.com

Alberta's Digital Doubles

Andrew Hanon with Sun Media has a story on some Albertan men's unique acting contributions to the upcoming feature film The Assassination of Jesse James:

When Brad Pitt and an army of movie makers invaded the province to film The Assassination of Jesse James, they were determined to make the western epic as realistic as possible.

One critical problem: The legendary outlaw was missing half a finger. Pitt, who plays the titular character, has a perfect 10.

That’s where Louise Mackiewicz comes in. As the movie’s extras casting director, it was her job to find so-called “hand doubles,” people whose hands will be filmed in the place of Pitt’s whenever a close-up of them is necessary.

Calgary-based Mackiewicz had to find a man who was missing half of his left middle finger, and who would be ready on short notice to work for a day or two here and there as needed.

As it turns out, she tracked down five who fit the bill, two in Edmonton and three in Calgary.

“We were really hoping to find a local hand double,” Mackiewicz said yesterday, moments after signing the two Edmontonians at a casting call on a south side soundstage.

She wasn’t allowed to reveal their names.

Having hand doubles in both cities means producers don’t have to pay for travel and accommodation.

Historians can’t agree on how Jesse James lost half a finger. Most say he got careless and shot it off himself, while others say he lost it in a gunfight.

In a film about an outlaw gunfighter, I'd say their contributions are pretty important!

Sharing Our Space With a Superstar

Graham Hicks with the Edmonton Sun files this tidbit on filming at Fort Edmonton Park for The Assassination of Jesse James:

As reported in yesterday's Sun, Brad Pitt is in the city, isn't afraid of being seen in public, and is now filming his movie The Assassination of Jesse James in the closed-to-the-public Fort Edmonton Park.

The park has been a hive of activity all week long. Sets built at the Film Alberta studios were moved and erected to enhance locations in Fort Edmonton Park that will serve as three towns in the movie.

It was organized chaos in the wardrobe department during the week. Two giant tents were filled with period costumes as the 100 to 150 extras arrived for fittings.

The costumes, our contacts say, are an indication of how big-budget films spend money in the name of quality. They were all imported from England for the shoot, with no detail spared.

"You can sure tell the budget difference between this film and Snow Day," says one set worker (Snow Day being the most recent Hollywood feature film shot in the city).

A reason why few of Edmonton's large pool of professional stage actors were hired for speaking roles in Jesse James: "They were looking for small, scruffy and hairy," says actress Davina Stewart. "Not many of us met the criteria."

Mike Ross also has an amusing story on the 'Brad watching' that's going on. Thankfully security is pretty tight at the park and filming of the production isn't being disrupted too much.

The Edmonton Journal also reports on the 'capture' of one photographer found hiding in the set trying to snap photos of the cast.

Permittee Status

I'm now a Permittee with both The Director's Guild of Canada - Alberta District Council and I.A.T.S.E. Local 210.

I figure it's a good way to get even more experience in filmmaking, meet some great people, and help out Alberta's Film and Television Industry.

So if you know of any production requiring a Production Assistant (that's where Permittees need to start for the Director's Guild of Canada), please let me or the DGC know. It takes many hours to achieve Member status in both organizations, so I'm going to have to put my time in.

I know it's also a lot of hard work (which I'm used to in the Film, Video, and Multimedia production world) but I'm really looking forward to this next step in my career!

Calgary Film Fest Fever Heats Up

CANOE -- JAM! Movies has a story on the upcoming Calgary International Film Festival and the growth of the festival over the years:

"We had just over 40,000 people attend last year's festival and we're expecting that to grow considerably this year because we've added new venues," says Marrelli.

The Globe, Uptown, Telus World of Science Centre and Plaza theatres will be joined by Eau Claire Cinema #6 and the Jack Singer Concert Hall, which will host two of the festival's gala presentations. The opening night gala at the Globe on Sept. 23 is Deepa Mehta's Water, which opens the Toronto International Film Festival tonight.

Metha and the film's star Lisa Ray will be in attendance.

On Sept. 24, John Fawcett, who began his directing career in Calgary, will present his new psychological thriller The Dark at the Uptown.

It stars Maria Bello and Sean Bean.

You can read the whole article at this link.

The Festival runs from September 23 to October 2. You can find more information on the official website - CalgaryFilm.com but online ticket purchasing will not go live until a day or two.

Start Shootin'!

Steve Tilley with The Edmonton Sun provides more information on the Edmonton portion of The Assassination of Jesse James:

With today being a moving day for the production company, Pitt will be shooting for the first time in Edmonton tomorrow at Fort Edmonton Park, which is now closed to the public.

Three different Western towns will be represented by the park's array of historic streets and buildings, according to a Sun source close to the production.

Pitt's co-star Mary Louise Parker, who plays the outlaw's wife, is also expected to fly into Edmonton today to join the production and begin shooting her first scenes tomorrow.

From the sound of it, things in Edmonton have so far been going along smoothly:

"Everybody at Fort Edmonton Park has been wonderful, the city of Edmonton has been really good to us," a production spokesman said yesterday. "We're looking forward to enjoying some Edmontonian hospitality, and we hope the public understands why we have to have a closed set."

That's great news! Read more at the full article online.

Jesse James Comes to Edmonton

The Edmonton Sun reports on the commencement of the filming of the Edmonton portion of The Assassination of Jesse James:

This month [Fort Edmonton Park] stands in as the set of a Hollywood western starring Brad Pitt, and as you'd expect, the buzz has begun. Spokespersons for the park and movie want to temper that excitement, stressing the set is closed and there's no way fans will catch a glimpse of Pitt as the cast and crew work - let alone get an autograph.

and...

A spokeswoman for the movie, who wouldn't be identified to avoid phone calls from fans, said filming starts at Fort Edmonton Park on Thursday and continues until the end of September. About one-third of the movie will be shot there.

But of particular importance is this:

Filming will take place in several areas of the 56-hectare park, said Fort Edmonton's Darryl Lindenbach. The park is still hosting school tours of other areas, but the facility is closed to the public.

"Edmonton is a fantastic arts community, so the best thing we can do is to show them that when they come here they can make good art. We aren't going to hound them," Lindenbach said.

"If we want to encourage more film in the city, it would be to our best interest to let them do their job, and that's what we are facilitating within the park."

Read the full story at CANOE -- JAM! Showbiz.

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As somebody with a future stake in continued film and television production in Alberta, I cannot agree more with Lindenbach, Mayor Mandel, and other production members who have commented on members of the public trying to track down celebrities. Please respect the privacy and professionalism of all cast and crew. While it may be your dream to meet a big star, play a role in a major motion picture, or obtain the latest tabloid snapshot of Brad Pitt, harassing production offices and locations or hounding celebrities puts not only their jobs at risk, but cast and crew member careers as well. We definitely don't need that kind of public relations for Alberta.

A sincere thanks from myself and the rest of the Alberta Film, Video, and TV production community!

Brad Pitt Saddles Up As Jesse James

Brad Pitt as legendary outlaw, Jesse James. Photo courtesy of Sun Media and Warner Bros.

Louis B. Hobson with The Calgary Sun (print and online editions) today reported on the filming of The Assassination of Jesse James:

Brad Pitt saddled up in earnest for the first time yesterday. Pitt is both the star and a co-producer of the $30-million western 'The Assassination of Jesse James' that has been filming in Calgary since Aug. 29.

According to a Sun source, yesterday was Pitt's first day in front of the cameras.

He was filming outdoor scenes with several cast members as well as Sam Shepard, who plays Jesse's older brother Frank James.

Pitt arrived in Calgary on Aug. 16 for meetings with fellow producers brothers Ridley and Tony Scott as well as David Valdes.

He also familiarized himself with the horse he is using in the film and was fitted for costumes and make-up.

The article also mentions that director Andrew Dominik filmed scenes near Millarville, Turner Valley and along the Bow River at McKinnon Flats while Pitt was away from the production. They also filmed for one day in Calgary's Heritage Park.

Read the full report at CANOE -- JAM! Showbiz.

Thanks to Mike for the scan!

Lights, camera, grants!

There could be more good news for Alberta's film industry.

The Alberta Government is considering doubling its annual contributions to the motion picture industry as reported by Darcy Henton in this article at the Edmonton Sun:

The Alberta Motion Picture Association made that pitch to the government behind closed doors yesterday.

Doug MacLeod, association president and co-chair of the province's handpicked 18-member film commission advisory council, says the current $13.5 million program will generate $200 million in economic spinoffs this year.

He hopes to double those returns in three years with "substantially more" provincial dollars.

Economic Development Minister Clint Dunford said the province hasn't made any decision yet, but he supports increasing the fund.

"I would like to see the fund grow because I think film is a clean industry," he said. "When they come, they spend money.

"There's no question about it."

He concedes that pulling back industry incentives in 1995 didn't work and the province suffered as a result.

It seems that the provincial Liberals and NDP parties also support the proposal. Read more at the full article.

Ang Lee Takes on the Western

Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival recently where the director and stars spoke about the Alberta-filmed movie:

He said setting the story in the 1960s in the conservative West "helped set up the obstacles, especially to gay love, affection."

More difficult than interpreting a love story between men - cowboys at that - was getting beyond cliched perceptions about the American west, he said

"My biggest enemy was the (western) movie genre which was invented," said the director, whose films include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hulk, The Ice Storm and Sense and Sensibility.

Read the full report, including comments from stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger at CANOE - JAM! Movies.

You can also read an older Calgary Sun article about the commencement of filming back in May 2004 at this link.