Force Four’s Making it Big

Vancouver – Force Four Productions’ reality documentary pilot Making it Big made it big with Life Network in Canada and Oxygen in the U.S. and went into production with another six and possibly 12 one-hours Sept. 7.

The show, in which three people in a creative industry vie for the opportunity to be mentored by an icon of their field, will explore the areas of cuisine, photography, fashion design, advertising, choreography and entertainment reporting. Contestants, sourced from Canada and the U.S., complete assignments that are judged by a panel, including an industry big shot.

Vancouver photographer Lindsay Siu won the pilot episode that aired in March and got to meet New York photographer Melanie Dunea. Series producer Sue Ridout says Siu has been able to build her career because of the experience.

‘It’s smart reality,’ says Ridout.

Career success author and series creator Nicole Williams hosted the first episode, but is too busy to host the series, she adds. The majority of production will be in Vancouver, though back-stories and meetings with mentors mean the production will also travel.

Production on six episodes will go to mid-December. Ian Edwards

King and Queens of Diamonds

Vancouver – Writer/director/producer Mark Miller’s latest documentary has taken him from Vancouver to Nunavut, and from New York to the Northwest Territories, as he follows the pursuits of two Canadian women in search of a girl’s best friend.

Principal photography on Queens of Diamonds, an investigation into Vancouver-based Eira Thomas’ and Catherine McLeod-Seltzer’s quest to find the next Canadian diamond mine in Nunavut, began on Aug. 12 and will continue until the end of December. DOP Craig Lawrence is lensing the one-hour doc, with Kevin Mills editing.

Erin Mussolum and Michelle Welygan produce the film through Miller’s Alberta-based prodco Mark Miller Productions. It is commissioned by Global and will be hosted by Global National’s Kevin Newman, with an airdate planned for spring 2005. The $132,000 doc receives additional funding from the CTF and CAVCO.

Mussolum and Welygan, partners in Vancouver-based Artizan Productions, are also in production on The Big V, a documentary about virginity and its place in what they refer to as today’s ‘sexually saturated’ culture. The producers have been working on the doc for almost two years with the support of VisionTV. Additional production funding comes from Knowledge Network, with development funds from Telefilm Canada and British Columbia Film. The Big V was shot over the summer and will be delivered in December. Laura Bracken