Published Friday May 15th, 2009
The filmmakers behind the motion picture being shot in Fredericton this week say they're thrilled with
New Brunswick's talented film crews and production teams.
Reality television star and former screen idol Corey Haim will star in American Sunset, but producer
Jackie Giroux said the true leading men and women of this production are New Brunswick's talented
camera operators, sound technicians, grips and other crew members.
She said about 99 per cent of the crew hails from this province - a feat that no other commercial film
production has accomplished.
Giroux, who's also the screenwriter of American Sunset, said the film's production team was so
impressed with the crew that worked on its previous Fredericton film, Blue Seduction, that it felt
comfortable relying more heavily on New Brunswick's film industry this time around.
"I brought one person in from Toronto - a generator operator," she said.
"But everyone else, even the (assistant directors) are from New Brunswick. Apparently, that's never
been done before ... They're competent, talented, efficient and easy to work with."
And the filmmakers have also been taking advantage of New Brunswick's picturesque scenery.
The production spent a week in Moncton for principal photography before moving to the Fredericton
area for a couple of weeks. It will return to Moncton for a few more days after it wraps things up Sunday.
A number of New Brunswick landmarks might make it into the film - several scenes were shot at the
Kings Landing Historical Settlement, the Magnetic Hill Zoo and Parlee Beach.
"We've got fabulous locations on this movie," said Giroux.
"It's a different type of film than (Blue Seduction) was, so the locations had to be extraordinary."
Tony Merzetti, executive director of the New Brunswick Filmmakers' Co-operative, said between 25 and
30 independent films are made in the capital region every year.
He said those projects have given local crew members the opportunity to build their skills and gain
valuable experience.
"If the only experience people had was when commercial productions periodically came to town, their
skills would gradually deteriorate or they'd leave the industry before they were able to develop their
talents," he said.
"So what these local independent film producers are doing is giving these people the opportunity to train
and develop skills that they can use here, or take with them wherever they go."
He said New Brunswick is building a reputation for having hospitable locations, talented crews and solid
actors.
And that's why Giroux believes this could be the start of a beautiful friendship with the capital region.
"I believe there will be (more films made here)," she said.
"There's one we're working on now called Left of the Dial, and (Canadian actress) Neve Campbell is
extremely interested in it. And we've got about three-quarters of the money.
"We're looking for about $250,000, which is not a lot of money, and I think we'll get it very shortly."
By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com
