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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: ONCE UPON A TIME’s Hook & Smee on Dave’s Fish & Chips Roof in Steveston for 2×11 – Updated

Now that we’ve seen Colin O’Donoghue’s nefarious and dangerously seductive Hook heading into Storybrooke on his pirate ship in the last scene of Once Upon a Time’s mid-season finale, it’s no longer a big spoiler where I photographed him in early November or who he was with.

Once Upon a Time crew put a fake chimney on top of Dave’s Fish & Chips in Steveston south of Vancouver to film scenes of Hook and Christopher Gauthier’s Smee spying from the roof. It’s probably not a coincidence that Dave’s Fish & Chips is next door to Mr. Gold’s on Moncton Street. After all, Hook has come to Storybrooke to exact his revenge on Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold. Or that his henchman Smee, who already abducted Rumplestiltskin’s beloved Belle once at the behest of her florist father, plays a role in Hook’s plans.

Watch your backs RumBelle. As Colin O’Donoghue told TVLine earlier this month: “Belle is such a huge part of Rumple’s life…She might figure into the equation.”

[Spoiler Update: After what I saw Once Upon a Time filming this morning, I’m no longer sure that Belle is Hook’s target. The cloak Hook is holding belongs to Bae.]

Read More »SHOOT: ONCE UPON A TIME’s Hook & Smee on Dave’s Fish & Chips Roof in Steveston for 2×11 – Updated

WEEK: December 3-9, 2012

SHOOT: FRINGE Showrunner Joel Wyman Directing Lance Reddick Under the Cambie Street Bridge for Series Finale, 5×13

Showrunner Joel Wyman is directing the last episode ever of Fringe this week in Vancouver to the delight of fans who follow him on Twitter (@jwfringe). He told American media at the 100th Episode party last weekend at the Fairmont Pacific Rim that the series finale is “massive….really big”. It sure is. Fringe had two units working yesterday. The main unit with Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson and other cast filmed downtown in underground parking at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, then in and around Oceanic Plaza in front of dozens of fans until 2:00 a.m.  Meanwhile, a second splinter unit had set up lights under the Cambie Bridge to film scenes with Lance Reddick outside the False Creek Energy Centre. Broyle’s black car from 2036 parked on the gravel suggested Reddick might show up on set with aging makeup but it was a surprise to have Joel Wyman leave the main unit to direct these scenes. I don’t want to spoil plot so I’ve withheld photographs of filming like I’ve done with scenes from the second to last episode but it’s no secret that Reddick is in the final two episodes.

Joel Wyman below is taking a photo of the lit-up pedestrian/bike path above.

Read More »SHOOT: FRINGE Showrunner Joel Wyman Directing Lance Reddick Under the Cambie Street Bridge for Series Finale, 5×13

SHOOT: Charming Family Reunion in ONCE UPON A TIME Mid-Season Finale, 2×10

It was such a cold, wet October day in Steveston south of Vancouver when Once Upon a Time filmed the happy family reunion of Ginnifer Goodwin’s Snow, Josh Dallas’s Charming, Jennifer Morrison’s Emma and Jared Gilmore’s Henry walking arms round one another past the Storybrooke Library for tonight’s mid-season finale. But there was so much joy. I laughed when I saw Goodwin coming out of the cast van wearing an old-fashioned rain bonnet to protect her Mary Margaret pixie cut. Only Goodwin could look cute in one of these. And when Goodwin walked back from one of the takes with her arms outstretched like a monster.

But it’s been a long wait for this reunion scene to appear on screen. So it’s a bonus to have our season two villains, Barbara Hershey’s Cora and Colin O’Donoughe’s Hook, heading into Storybrooke on his pirate ship in the final scene. I photographed this dastardly pair disembarking from the ship at Steveston’s Britannia Shipyards a few weeks before Once Upon a Time filmed the reunion scene. Storybrooke is going to be one busy place in the new year.

Read More »SHOOT: Charming Family Reunion in ONCE UPON A TIME Mid-Season Finale, 2×10

WEEK: November 26 – December 2, 2012

SUPERNATURAL’s Cartoon Suicide on Lumbermen’s Building Roof for Ep. 8×08

Supernatural filmed one of its cartoon deaths from this week’s Hunter Heroici on top of the Lumbermen’s Building in downtown Vancouver two months ago. The guest actor below committed cartoon suicide by stepping off the ledge but not falling right away. He stands for a few moments in mid-air above Richards Street, long enough to exclaim, “It’s a miracle. God wants me to live”, and then suddenly drops in a cartoon whoosh.

I waited until the episode aired to post these photographs because I couldn’t figure out what I saw in this scene. And I still don’t know how they filmed it. I assume there was a green screen on the roof as our cartoon suicide acted as if he was in mid-air and then fell to the street below.

Read More »SUPERNATURAL’s Cartoon Suicide on Lumbermen’s Building Roof for Ep. 8×08

ARROW’s Katie Cassidy & Colin Donnell Filming Downtown at Oceanic Plaza

Uh-oh Tommy. Looks like Laurel’s mad at you. Katie Cassidy’s Laurel paced up and down as the Arrow cameras rolled in downtown Vancouver’s Oceanic Plaza yesterday, before stepping right into Colin Donnell’s face in take after take. She talked and talked until he walked away. It should have been a romantic setting with that big balloon light floating above them to simulate moonlight, but apparently not. Guy Bee (@GuyNormanBee) is directing this episode, which had an earlier outside scene of Colin Donnell’s Tommy walking and talking to Laurel on his cell phone along West Hastings. [Update: So Laurel was mad at her Dad who used her as bait in a bid to capture The Hood; and Tommy walks away because Laurel hadn’t told him she’d been meeting with The Hood].

Read More »ARROW’s Katie Cassidy & Colin Donnell Filming Downtown at Oceanic Plaza

BIG READ: Sarah McLachlan’s Holiday Music Video Shoot

Published November 29th, 2012 on Vancouver is Awesome
Sarah McLachlan’s new holiday classic “Find Your Voice” filmed its music video on a block of West 13th Avenue near Vancouver City Hall last Sunday. It features students from her Sarah McLachlan School of Music: exuberant students who spent all afternoon doing take after take fuled by hot chocolate, craft services and joy.
All of the proceeds from the music video will go to their school which helps at-risk youth to learn music. Click on Sarah McLachlan.com for a free download and on the Sarah McLachlan School of Music to make a donation. I spoke with the lovely and impossibly serene Sarah McLachlan briefly after filming wrapped when it was too dark and too cold to say antyhing intellible, so I’ll use her prepared words instead: “Christimas is a difficult time for many both economically and emotionally and I hope this Gift of Music can help in some small way. My holiday with is that we can all find the good in everyone and  in every situation and be kind to each other. I wish you all a very Happy, peaceful holiday filled with love, laughter and light!””