L.A.’s Bruckheimer shares her

experiences with Breakfast Club

Vancouver: l.a.-based producer Bonnie Bruckheimer (Beaches), a partner with Bette Midler in All Girl Productions, roused herself out of bed, or at least away from the set, mighty early to speak at the Academy’s Breakfast Club last month.

Bruckheimer, who’s in town for the summer filming the Disney family comedy Man 2 Man (previously titled Pals Forever) starring Chevy Chase and Farrah Fawcett, came to chat to the sold-out audience about feature film development.

After producing the box office bomb For The Boys, Bruckheimer says both she and Midler were so disappointed with the film’s reception they decided to steer clear of musicals. But with the recent resurgence of the genre, they’re back developing musicals again as well as an animated film for Walt Disney Studios featuring Midler’s voice. However, working with the cartoon kings presents its own challenges, says Bruckheimer. ‘They want so much control. As a producer you have to give up almost everything to have the `honor’ of making an animated film with them.’

Bruckheimer says she disagrees with Jeffrey Katzenberg, chairman of Walt Disney, who contends that ‘making a film is about compromising.’

Her advice to filmmakers is: ‘Don’t compromise! You work so hard for so long, if you compromise it won’t work and you’ll never be happy about it.’

Surprise, no money!

Producer Aerock Fox of Fox Productions says he was a tad surprised to read in Playback last issue that the B.C. Trade Corporation’s Export Loan Guarantee Program is now defunct as far as its inclusion of the film industry. ‘Heck, we were just talking to them two weeks ago and they assured us everything was fine.’

Now one of his projects, a feature entitled Stray Dogs, which was being cast and had hot new l.a. director Thomas Fuji attached to it, is in question. ‘We’ll have to restructure the project, but it would have been nice to know they were at least thinking about eliminating the program,’ says a very miffed Fox.

Fox says he’s also been trying to work with the b.c. government’s Venture Capital Corporation program, but that’s also been a ‘nightmare.’

‘We’ve spent thousands of dollars and been frustrated at every turn. I think what’s at the root of all the problems here is that they (the bureaucrats managing the vcc program) just don’t want to support the film business. They just can’t understand or handle its unique business elements.’

Next on the books for Fox is a possible China coproduction entitled Chow Chow Luigi, a family drama along the lines of Sandlot about kids, soccer and friendship, and some more active lobbying efforts to encourage the government to get a move on that much-needed tax incentive scheme.

New era of co-operation

Wayne Sterloff, president and ceo of British Columbia Film, says interprovincial coproductions appear to be entering a new era of co-operation following a meeting with all the provincial film funding agencies during last month’s Banff Television Festival.

‘The old ad hoc approach has become passe,’ says Sterloff. ‘All the agencies wanted to streamline and co-ordinate their policies to create more businesslike rules that would encourage, not discourage interprovincial coproductions.’

Rails for rent

Filmmakers, so you’ve got a script calling for a scene to be shot on a railway with mountains in the background and a river rushing below but you’re having trouble finding the right spot. Well, the just-opened West Coast Railway Heritage Park, located two kilometers north of Squamish, b.c., might be the answer.

Situated on 12 acres, with six tracks near the adjunct of the Squamish and Mamquam Rivers, the park also features 54 pieces of historical rolling stock (eventually it will house 80 pieces), including a steam locomotive, an 1890s business car, mail car, dining car, cabooses, crew car, a military ‘troop’ car and a 1914 workshop.

Spokesman Vic Leach says the park authorities hope to attract business from the film community to help sustain the park.

Grass is always greener

After putting in many years in support of their union brothers and sisters, a few local union stalwarts have crossed over to the other side of the bargaining table and appear to find the change of view a lot more rewarding.

George Chapman, who spent over 10 years with IATSE Local 891, first as business agent then as its president, is now production managing the film Little Panda, being shot partially in China and Canada.

Brent O’Connor, former business agent for IATSE 891, has also stepped across the line to take over the production managing reins on TriStar’s big-budget feature, Jumanji, scheduled to begin shooting here next month.

A generous gesture

In light of all the recent reports about location gouging in Vancouver, here’s a story from the flip side. Producers Alan Morinis and Leonard Terhoch of the low-budget, hard-hitting television series Eye Level had a big surprise earlier this month when they received a cheque in the mail. The cheque was their own for furniture rental from Riverview Hospital where they had shot some scenes.

Apparently, when the hospital administration found out the series is about kids living on the streets who’ve left abusive home situations only to find they’ve traded one nightmare for another, they sent back the cheque with a note saying they wanted to help support productions which shed some light on this growing problem. Hats off to Riverview for its generosity.

Writers and codirectors on the series are Ric Beairsto, once a street worker himself, and Jeff Cohen, who last year was story editor on the highly successful teen drama series Madison.

To achieve Eye Level’s very gritty, realistic urban look while keeping the budget lean, up-and-coming dop Danny Nowak shot most of the episodes using a hand-held technique.

Eye Level wraps production later this month and will air next spring on educational broadcasters across the country as well as on cfcf-tv Montreal and itv in Alberta.