‘It was an organic evolution,’ says Gil Cardinal, looking back at the chain of events that led to his first experience directing a tv miniseries, Big Bear, and which led to a 1999 Gemini nomination.

Although Cardinal had directed and produced numerous award-winning documentaries through his Edmonton-based company Kanata Productions, he was without any dramatic experience and initially had no intent of helming the shoot.

But Big Bear had a tumultuous 10-year development process with numerous ‘delays and close calls.’ When the director originally attached to the project left, Cardinal offered to step in. ‘The cbc politely said I didn’t have enough experience,’ laughs Cardinal.

Over the next few years of continued development, Cardinal worked on a rewrite of the script, which chronicles the life of Chief Big Bear during the Northwest Rebellion of the late 1800s, and also began directing for the tv series North of 60 and The Rez.

The Montreal coproducer on Big Bear, Claudio Luca at Tele-Action, then began to champion the idea of Cardinal directing, pointing out to the cbc that it would make sense for an aboriginal to direct the script. Cardinal’s episodic work provided an additional comfort level for the broadcaster.

As for his experience directing the $8.5-million Big Bear, Cardinal says, ‘A tv movie is more intense and longer than episodic, but the same rules apply. What’s wonderful and challenging and exhilarating about episodic is what you have to accomplish in a set period of time and within budget realities. It can be just as tight in tv movies. My big concerns were working with actors and the story, while at the same time taking care of all the details. It really is a juggling act.’

Cardinal is planning to write dramatic scripts himself and direct other projects in the future. ‘I love the dramatic process and working with actors.’ He recently directed several episodes of the Minds Eye/Anaid Productions series Mentors, and the live inaugural broadcast for the launch of Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

Cheryl Binning