Regina’s Verite Films is currently in preproduction on a new series called Renegade Press, a youth-aimed dramatic series for a whole whack of broadcasters. The series is about five teenagers who volunteer for Internet newspaper RenegadePress.com, and each episode is based on events that face or have faced the age group.

‘We follow our characters as they investigate teen life from within youth subculture,’ says cocreator/executive producer Virginia Thompson. ‘They usually end up learning more than they bargain for, and a lot about themselves.’

What makes the $4.9-million, 13 x 30 series particularly interesting is that it has an actual Renegade Press newspaper online. The Web component, a coproduction between Verite and Minds Eye Interactive, has a budget of $400,000, with funding from the Bell New Media Fund and the Saskfilm New Media Fund.

The broadcasters involved with the project are APTN, TVOntario, TFO, SCN, BookTelevision, Knowledge Network and Access – The Education Station. Other funders for the series include Telefilm Canada, the Shaw Television Broadcast Fund, the Independent Production Fund, federal and provincial tax credits, CanWest Independent Producers Fund, the LFP and the series’ distributor, Montreal’s Filmoption International.

Robert DeLint is the other creator/executive producer, and will also serve as Renegade Press’ key director. The executive story editor for the show is Jordan Wheeler (North of 60), senior story editor is Sarah Snow (Edgemont) and story editor is Ian Barr (Mentors).

After a cross-Canada search for young talent, Thompson and DeLint enlisted the services of Vancouver’s Bronson Pelletier and Toronto’s Ksenia Solo to star.

Thompson says production will begin Aug. 28, just days after Verite wraps the comedy series Corner Gas, starring comedian Brett Butt. Thompson cannot believe her company is so busy, but welcomes the challenge given the production climate in Canada.

‘It’s such a good news story in such a depressing year in film and television,’ she says.

The Peg gets Winning

The Winning Season, a TNT original movie produced by L.A.’s Rosemont Productions with MAGNA Global Entertainment and Viacom Productions, is shooting in Winnipeg. Principal photography began Aug. 12 and the shoot is expected to take five weeks.

The film is based on the book Honus and Me by Dan Gutman, about baseball player Honus Wagner, one of the first men voted into the Hall of Fame, during the 1909 World Series.

The film is being executive produced by David Rosemont (High Noon) and directed by John Kent Harrison (Old Man) from the script by Steven L. Bloom (James and the Giant Peach). Matthew Modine (Hitler: The Rise of Evil) stars as Wagner.

According to Rosemont, Winnipeg was chosen for the film because of its architecture (being a period piece set in the early 1900s), but more so because of CanWest Global Park and its baseball field, where the Winnipeg Goldeyes play. He says that despite the frantic nature of Winnipeg’s film scene right now, what with J-Lo in town shooting Shall We Dance?, and other projects also in production, he has been really impressed by the community. ‘It’s very busy here right now, but we are using every available piece of talent, both in front of and behind the camera, that we can,’ he says. ‘The people are great here, friendly and accommodating.’

A Winning Season is the fourth film to appear on TNT under the Johnson & Johnson Special Presentation banner. It will premiere on the network sometime in early 2004.

Halo wraps in Edmonton

THE independent direct-to-video feature production Halo wrapped production in Edmonton at the beginning of the month and is now in post at K.O. Productions. Under the production banner of Diluvian Motion Pictures, the film is aimed at the 16- to 24-year-old demo, fusing elements of films like The Fast and the Furious, Narc and Coyote Ugly, says 20-year-old executive producer Michael Maxxis. ‘Halo examines the underground club scene and the consequences of slipping too far into the nightlife,’ he says.

The film was financed independently and hasn’t had one cent of government money contributed to its budget. And it all started with Maxxis’ valet parking company.

‘I started the company to get into the movie business, to make contacts, and in order to raise money, and through the contacts made from that company, we managed to raise the entire budget,’ says Maxxis. ‘About 90% of the budget was raised through the valet contacts.’

The coexecutive producers are Gil Allan (Winter Kill) and first-time film producer Franco Imbrogno. Allan also directs, and Imbrogno has an acting role in the film. It was shot in high-def by DOP Art Raham (Where the Dinosaurs Roam). Halo stars musician/actors Alfie Zappacosta and Julian Austin, along with Christian Mena (Rent) and Jesse Lipscomb (Children of the Dust). Gregory Kennedy (Mentors) wrote the script.

Maxxis says targeting the direct-to-video and DVD sales and rentals markets was the idea from the outset, based on a lot of preliminary research done by the producers.

‘That’s the largest piece of the revenue pie and that’s what we wanted to go after,’ he says.

A distributor will be sought after the film’s completion.