Back home and doing his own thing

Not many people find directing jobs a mere six months after graduation. But talent, drive and a modest measure of luck allowed Calgary-based director Randy Bradshaw to step out of the classroom and onto the set without missing a beat.

After completing art studies at the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily College), followed by a stint at Calgary’s s.a.i.t. studying broadcasting and communications, Bradshaw directed a docudrama entitled Probe. The film won several awards and led to a plum job at ACCESS Network, where he spent five years directing and producing educational programs.

A desire to get involved in larger dramatic projects led to the creation in 1980 of Bradshaw MacLeod and Associates with longtime friend Doug MacLeod. They completed two short dramas for pbs in the u.s. and the company lay dormant for the next decade.

In 1983, luck stepped in again. Bradshaw was accepted as one of four candidates from across the country for the bbc’s directors training program. Sponsored by cbc in Toronto, the course brought in renowned British television directors Leonard Chase and Hugh David to teach multi-camera dramatic production.

Bradshaw says the course was one of the greatest experiences of his life, and he credits Chase and David with helping to define who he is and what he does as a director.

‘They taught me not only the technical side of the process of directing, but they also explored the creative side,’ says Bradshaw. ‘I learned what it means to provide a vision of your imagination, how to corral those visions when you are reading a script, and how those visions need to illustrate not only the narrative of a story, but more importantly, the emotional value.

‘They also taught me what it meant to be a director – how you need to really understand yourself in order to communicate with actors and how to impart values into your work.’

Listening to these men talk about their work with such tremendous love and passion pushed Bradshaw to pursue his own film projects.

He spent the balance of the ’80s living in Toronto, honing his skills as a director of episodic tv on such series as The Campbells, Adderley, Street Legal, e.n.g., 21 Jumpstreet, Mom P.I. and Night Heat. The latter offered him his first opportunity to work on a u.s. network series.

In 1991, Bradshaw made the commitment to move back home.

‘I moved back to Alberta because I wanted a bit of balance. Even though I love doing episodic I wanted to try to pursue more projects of my own. I thought the credits and experience I had amassed would help me do that.’

It’s a decision he hasn’t regretted.

‘It’s great working in the Alberta industry right now, it’s so vibrant,’ says Bradshaw. ‘Gosh, there’s three series going on here right now; three years ago that would have been unthinkable. Now people can live and work here in the industry and not feel compelled to leave in order to do that.’

Bradshaw MacLeod was revived and a slate of projects went into development. Four years later, one of those projects, an mow called The Song Spinner, has finished its first leg in Nova Scotia and is currently shooting in Edmonton, with Bradshaw at the helm.

It’s a fairy tale written by Pauline LeBel about a seven-year-old girl who lives in the mythical Shandriland where all noise is forbidden. There she meets an elderly woman, Zantalalia, and together they bring back the joy of music to their people.

‘It’s a story about finding a voice for her courage,’ says Bradshaw. ‘On a deeper level, and why I was attracted to the project, is the underlying political allegory. The land of Shandriland is immersed in a very repressive government. They don’t have much freedom and they don’t have any hope, music or laughter. They have no way of expressing themselves.’

Bradshaw says the film’s theme has implications for many societies, from Chile under Allende to present-day China.

‘What’s important is that sometimes the will of the people can overturn an oppressive regime, and in our story, it’s a young girl and an old woman that find the courage to inspire others.’

While Bradshaw has directed a lot of action fare, he says his heart is in human drama. ‘I think I have a different sensibility, my strength is in capturing more of the emotional element in a story.

‘Sonny Grosso, a producer whom I admire very much and who has always been supportive of my career, said when he first hired me for Night Heat that he wouldn’t hire me for every other episode, but when he had an episode that was really important, then he’d give me a call. That makes me feel good. I’m comfortable with the knowledge that producers won’t hire me to do the `regular’ thing.’

As for the ongoing task of developing himself as a director, Bradshaw says, ‘I’ve made lots of mistakes but the most important lesson I’ve learned along the way was to listen to myself. I try to always ask myself why I’m doing a certain show. Is it for the money, do I like the producers, will it get me somewhere else, or do I like the story?

‘Now I try to make sure I always do things for the right reasons because I’ve made mistakes where I’ve done it for the wrong reasons and then I’m never as happy with my work.’

Several years from now, he says, ‘I would hope that when people look at my work they can see I’m a good storyteller and that I really cared about my work. I’d like to be in the position to say the things I want to about life and the world, but maybe not have to take four years to do it.’