The job of writing the screenplay for Canadian tv movies and miniseries is rarely given to a ‘hired gun.’ In the case of this year’s batch of nominees in the category of Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries, the writers were all personally involved with the subjects they took on. Playback asked four of the five nominees why they thought their stories needed to be told to a Canadian tv audience and how they made that happen.
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B.C. screenwriter and producer Pete White sees his Gemini-nominated script for the cbc in-house production of Peacekeepers as a ‘positive’ story. ‘It’s the Canadian peacekeeping story you haven’t heard,’ says White, who had the help and hindrance of a lot of people consulting on the project.
In 1992, when White first pitched cbc’s Jim Burt the idea of a tv movie based on the peacekeeping efforts of the Canadian military, ‘they kind of shrugged, needless to say,’ recalls White, who first worked with Burt on his 1986 script for Striker’s Mountain, which also earned him a best writing Gemini nomination. ‘But when things started to heat up in Bosnia and General MacKenzie became prominent in the news, I repitched it to them.’
White was given a development deal and began a year of research, talking to peacekeeping soldiers of all ranks, from cooks to commanding officers. Focusing on three distinct areas where Canadian peacekeeping troops were stationed, White went back to Burt with three stories, one each from Cypress, the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia.
Burt and Brian Freeman, cbc executive in charge of production, eventually chose White’s story about one platoon’s experience trying to keep the peace in a small town in Croatia.
‘The specific story of the `King of Krasna’ that became Peacekeepers emerged from interviews White had with members of 3 Battalion ppcli in Victoria. ‘I had four stories from Bosnia/Croatia, but we went with this one because it was small and doable; it was one platoon in a small town,’ says White.
Throughout development, producer and veteran writer David Barlow helped guide White’s script. So did three military advisor/consultants who were asked to read various drafts to ensure realism while exercising no editorial control beyond ensuring the film was accurate in its depiction of Canadian soldiers in the field.
‘David was the head producer/story editor and I was the coproducer/writer,’ says White. ‘He certainly had input, but the script was always my call. With David, when he gives advice, you always listen to it because it’s always good.’
Also in this report:
Profiling Best Direction in a Dramatic TV Series: Kari Skogland p.22
Jon Cassar p.22
Jane Thompson p.27
Profiling Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries:
Jim Burt: The non-nominee behind so many nominations p.29
Janis Cole p.29
David Adams Richards p.31
Keith Ross Leckie p.37
Profiling the contenders for Best Sports Program or Series p.39
The nominees list p.44