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Susan Gittins

Longtime mainstream media (MSM) journalist and author Susan Gittins began writing about and photographing Vancouver’s many film and TV location shoots in the summer of 2010 after the Winter Olympics put the city and its beauty on the world stage. Movies and TV series often showcase the Vancouver area in similar fashion. Vancouver is Awesome commissioned her YVRShoots series in the fall of 2010 and it ran regularly for three years. She launched her own daily YVRShoots blog in the spring of 2012.

SHOOT: GODZILLA’s Big Fight at Steveston Docks as San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf

Godzilla fought other monsters last week for three nights in a row at the Steveston docks dressed like San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf. U.S. soldiers did their best, shooting bullets at the primeval sea monsters in the water from a red Go Whales Tours whale-watching boat. Despite the noise of the simulated gunfire, it wasn’t effective. I asked the military extras if they thought they’d got him — “He’s still out there. Stay tuned,” they admitted.

And so Godzilla returns to the Steveston docks tonight, but this time with the second unit. Does this mean Godzilla goes kaboom?

Read More »SHOOT: GODZILLA’s Big Fight at Steveston Docks as San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf

SHOOT: GODZILLA Invades ONCE UPON A TIME’s Storybrooke, aka Steveston

Feature film Godzilla invaded Steveston last week. Two hundred U.S. military extras stormed the village to protect it from the wrath of the Japanese monster. Ahead of the Tuesday shoot, crew turned Moncton Street into a different American town instead of the familiar Storybrooke, Maine, of Once Upon a Time. They covered up the Steveston Marine & Hardware with Tall Pines Tools and Fasteners rather than Welcome to Storybrooke. Turned the Cannery Cafe into Taqueria Bosque. instead of Granny’s Diner. Dressed Splash Toys as the Wood Eagle Bar rather than Neighbour’s. And so on.

U.S. military backgrounders outside what used to be Mr. Gold’s Pawnbroker in Storybrooke.

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WEEK: May 13-19, 2013

 

SHOOT: Amanda Tapping Directs CONTINUUM in Arch Alley Downtown – Part 2

It’s Amanda Tapping week: Guest star on Wednesday night’s season finale of CW hit Supernatural and Thursday night’s season finale of Vancouver whydunit hit Motive. And directing the current episode of Vancouver-cop-from-the-future series hit Continuum.

Are there zombies in this episode? Here is Amanda Tapping directing Victor Webster as Detective Carlos Fonnegra  yesterday looking at corpse in the trunk of a car parked in the gravel lot off Arch Alley. Or as Webster tweeted: “I’m examining a decomposing corpse covered in maggots in an alley full of garbage and grafitti. What did you do today?” The makeup actually seems more  like The Walking Dead than Continuum. [Update: But this is no anonymous corpse. Is that Kiera’s frenemy CSIS agent Gardiner (Nicholas Lea) under that makeup?]

Related: Amanda Tapping Directs Continuum in Arch Alley Downtown – Part 1

Read More »SHOOT: Amanda Tapping Directs CONTINUUM in Arch Alley Downtown – Part 2

SHOOT: Amanda Tapping Directs CONTINUUM in Arch Alley Downtown – Part 1

It’s Amanda Tapping week. Guest star on Wednesday night’s season finale of CW hit Supernatural and last night’s season finale of Vancouver whydunit hit Motive. And directing the current episode of Vancouver-cop-from-the-future series hit Continuum.

Here is Vancouver’s Sci-fi Queen directing a scene this afternoon from the video village in Arch Alley east of Victory Square. After each take Tapping strode out to talk to the actors Stephen Lobo and Magda Apanowicz, and to crew and then briskly walked back to the alley again in her riding boots. Still very much the ageless Helen Magnus of her long-running series Sanctuary.

Read More »SHOOT: Amanda Tapping Directs CONTINUUM in Arch Alley Downtown – Part 1

SHOOT: ARROW’s Archer Showdown on Hudson’s Bay Roof for Tonight’s Season Finale

Two Men. Two Bows. One Roof.

Emerald Archer vs Dark Archer for the season finale.

A late April rehearsal of Hudson’s Bay rooftop fight scene at dusk in downtown Vancouver, part of Arrow’s final shoot of the season.

Arrow has been building to the ultimate showdown between Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman)’s alter egos for much of the season. Is this it? If so, who will be victorious? It didn’t look good for The Hood from my vantage high above in the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre (often featured in Arrow cityscapes).

Update: The slumped figure near the open door  turns out be Diggle (David Ramsey) in the season finale.

Rehearsing catching one of the Hood’s arrows.

Read More »SHOOT: ARROW’s Archer Showdown on Hudson’s Bay Roof for Tonight’s Season Finale