Vancouver: Two productions on Vancouver Island are focusing on local talent to get the jobs done.

Croon, the CHUM Television-backed MOW for The New VI in Victoria, wraps five weeks of production Aug. 16. Directed by Hilary Jones-Farrow and produced by Sarah King (The May Street Group), Croon is a romantic comedy about an older couple who meet and fall in love when they take over a house-cleaning business.

The $1.8-million production is being shot on HDTV by James Tocher of Vancouver-based Digital Film Group and a local crew on location in Victoria.

‘The experience has been nothing but awesome,’ says King, referring to her mostly local crew. ‘We will always, first, work with Victoria people.’

Film students are filling entry-level jobs, seasoned pros resident in Victoria are in key positions, and when required, some people have been imported from Vancouver. Tocher, for example, is working with longtime May Street DOP David Malysheff (on set this time as a camera operator) to transfer some skills in working with HD.

One challenge was the presence of blockbuster X-Men II in Victoria, which scooped some crew, but King says that didn’t affect Croon’s production. ‘People are loyal to the production,’ she explains. ‘It’s a good movie to work on and it’s really nice material.’

And she hopes it creates a critical mass for increased production on Vancouver Island.

The Canadian cast includes Paris-based Alexandra Stewart (Exodus), L.A.-based John Kapelos (The Deep End of the Ocean) and Vancouverites Ellie Harvie (The New Addams Family), Babz Chula (Dirty) and Cedric De Sousa (Jinnah: On Crime). Other actors include Vancouver Island performers Jennifer Anne Lee, Joanne Wilson, Jessica Lowry, Robyn Hepples, Christie MacGregor, Josie Broadfoot and Gary Looby.

Croon will air on all CHUM stations in January 2003 and will be distributed worldwide by Minds Eye International.

Meanwhile, Vancouver-based documentary producer Clearwater Films is moving into drama with the production of Rage to Reason, beginning production in Campbell River in mid-September.

A love story set in a logging community, Rage to Reason explores the consequences that result when people resort to violence to try to get what they want.

‘[Campbell River] has the spectacular beauty we need for the film–forests, lakes, mountains–all within minutes of downtown,’ says producer/director Lili Schad, who is coproducing with Vancouver-based Shavick Entertainment.

The ‘clincher,’ she adds, is the Island North Film Commission, and the support of the local people, businesses and government organizations. ‘The film commission has gone out of their way to help us find everything we need, and everyone they have introduced us to has been incredibly supportive,’ says Schad. ‘Campbell River still seems to have a small-town community feeling, even though it has a lot of the resources that big towns have. It’s a perfect combination for the independent filmmaker.’

Cast and crew who live in the area will be given preference in hiring, says the filmmaker. Several roles will also be cast in Campbell River, including a logging crew and, if the right talent is found, a leading role for a seven- to nine-year-old girl.

Gettin’ to the next level

Vancouver-based magazine show Electric Playground, chronicling the business of video games, produced its 100th episode in July during its seventh season for Greedy Productions. The behind-the-scenes coverage has included interviews with ‘Mario’ creator Shigeru Miyamoto, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, The Rock from Scorpion King, and Angelina Jolie of Tomb Raider.

‘In the beginning, Electric Playground was a real grassroots effort, as we grappled with translating our passion for video games into a viable business,’ said Victor Lucas, president of Greedy and cohost of the show with Tommy Tallarico. ‘Over the last eight years, we have seen the video game industry grow exponentially, giving us the opportunity to bring our audience the most relevant reviews and interviews.’

Electric Playground airs on Discovery’s Science Channel, MTV Canada and Space: The Imagination Station.

For G4, Comcast’s newly launched 24-hour TV cable network all about video games, Greedy also produces the show Judgment Day, a review-based program hosted by Lucas, and video game Tallarico

That’s so next season!

W Network has ordered a second season of 39 half-hours of The Shopping Bags, produced by Vancouver-based Force Four Entertainment and New Shoes Productions.

Cocreators and cohosts Kristina Matisic and Anna Wallner will review 117 products this year, including vacuum cleaners, pimple removers and scotch. Also, they are bringing back the hidden-camera segments that expose consumer scams and offer tips on getting better service and saving money.

Production began in April and runs until March 2003. The first-season order was for 26 episodes

All in a day’s work

Four Saturdays, a ‘coming-of-middle-age’ film directed by Laird Pierce and Bart Simpson, won first prize in June’s 24 Hour Film Contest, the fifth such event. Fifteen teams of up to eight people each wrote, shot, edited and delivered six-minute shorts within 24 hours.

Saturdays features cast members Jason DeLong, Andrea Johnston and Sarah Mori, DOP Clancy Dennehy, editor Luis Lam, location sound mixer Zack Green, and a drum score by Dennehy.

Second place was Release (Mike Hardy and team), about a misunderstood genius, and third place was Bug Off (Edward Brando and team), about a girl who embraces her materialistic parents’ approach to life.

The next contests are scheduled for Sept. 21 and Nov. 23. For info go to www.24hourfilmcontest.com.

Other short stuff

Vancouver’s Titan Entertainment has scheduled a September start for production on the short film Unrecoverable Error, written by Tim Carter, directed by Bob Fugger and produced by Michael Patience.

The film, set to shoot in Vancouver and Chilliwack, follows a troubled graphic designer who gets an e-mail from God about a proposal from Archangel Gabriel to become a new-style prophet.

Brad Sivhon leads a cast of locals that includes Melissa Poll, Michael Kopsa, Fred Ewaniuk, Doug Abrahams, Shannon Jardine and Toren Atkinson.

The company recently produced The Terrible Old Man, which was acquired by CBC and CHUM. The half-hour documentary Chris Woods: Billboard, which follows the local artist during the creation of a painting, will air on Bravo! next year.

* Short film Found, by writer Kate Tremills and director Coleen Smith, wrapped in June. The coming-of-age story of a 12-year-old girl and her search for independence from her mother was shot in North Vancouver in May, with cast and crew working on deferral. Local child stage actor Grace Sherman stars along with Maria DiMartino. Found is festival-bound.

VIFF preview

Mark your calendars for Sept. 26 to Oct. 11 for the 21st annual Vancouver International Film Festival. According to festival organizers, 150,000 people are expected to attend 450 screenings of 300 films from more than 50 countries. Returning programs include Canadian Images, Dragons and Tigers and Walk on the Wild Side. France is the subject of this year’s Spotlight program.

The 17th annual Trade Forum is scheduled for Sept. 25-28.