The Holy Shitballs episode, as Arrow star Stephen Amell calls it on Twitter, filmed on location inside the Westin Bayshore Hotel with assassins Deadshot (Michael Rowe) and China White (Kelly Hu) trying to kill Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) at a benefit honouring Merlyn for his work with Starling City. This is where I saw the Dancin’ Merlyn Boys ahead of their scene.
Last Wednesday, Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) asked Frank Chen (Chin Han), an associate in The Undertaking, for help in ordering a hit on Malcolm Merlyn. Read More »PROMOS: ARROW 1×16 Dead to Rights
Stephen Amell could work as a stunt performer if he didn’t have a job already as the star of Arrow. His Oliver Queen/Hood stunt double Simon Burnett did the jump and running sequence first in Gastown — jump from the roof of the grey van in the alley over a semi-trailer piled with plywood crates onto the street, slide over the trunk of a yellow Starling City cab and run into the other side of the alley. Camera crew let me stand behind them to watch three or four takes with Simon Burnett and then the last one with Amell himself. Amell did the exact same sequence as well as Burnett but instead of coming to a halt just past the camera, Amell blasted by me down the alley. I could have snapped one more photo but risked him running right through me. Automatic set ban? For sure. This is not to take away anything from Simon Burnett. He’s the one who jumped from the Hotel Gastown roof to the top of a parkade. And he’s the one who smashes through candy glass windows feet first as the Hood. But Amell is simply amazing.
Perennial Saturn Awards (sci-fi, fantasy & horror) winner Fringe gets a final hurrah this year with a nomination as Best Network Television Series and individual nominations for Joshua Jackson as Best Actor, Anna Torv as Best Actress, John Noble as Best Supporting Actor and Blair Brown and Lance Reddick as Best Guest Stars. Fringe won Best Network Television Series in 2010 and 2011 so it could go out with a three-peat. Anna Torv already has a three-peat with Best Actress on TV awards in 2009, 2010, and 2011. John Noble got the win as Best Supporting Actor on TV in 2010. And Leonard Nimoy picked up Best Guest Actor on TV in 2009.
Other filmed-in-Vancouver productions scoring nominations include Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, The Killing, Falling Skies, Arrow and Vancouver’s own Continuum.
Sunday, February 17th- Vancouver crime drama Motive 1×3 airs on CTV, filmed in Queen Elizabeth Theatre as cruise ship terminal.
Friday, February 15th – Godzilla reboot with Bryan Cranston, Eliabeth Olsen and Aaron Johnson and a script by The Walking Dead’s Frank Darabont gets filming dates on BC Production list. March 1st to June 1st
Friday, February 15th – American TV pilots Backstrom (CBS), Big Thunder (ABC), Blink (The CW), Joel Wyman’s InHuman (FOX) and Rita (Bravo), appear on BC Production List. For details click here.
Thursday, February 14th – Motive films in North Vancouver near Marine Way & Capilano.
Thursday, February 14th – Continuum creator Simon Barry nominated for Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriter Award. Also on cover of Screenwriter magazine.
One Valentine’s night. Three shoots. Vancouver production crews worked late into the night on Valentine’s Day to film scenes for TV series Supernatural, Arrow and Vancouver’s own Continuum in the downtown area. I looped around from Supernatural on Station Street beside Pacific Central Station to Arrow on Franklin Street near the Terminal City Ironworks complex to Continuum at the Plaza of Nations and back again to capture our crews at work.
Supernatural crew worked inside and outside the Ivanhoe Hotel at the rear on Station Street, not packing up until 2 a.m. One exterior scene had Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) arriving at the motorhome below and possibly loading a prop dead body into the trunk of a car. Arrow set up on Franklin Street either in or near the Terminal City Ironworks complex in east Vancouver to film motorcycle scenes in the morning, Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) in a rooftop meeting and much later, someone shooting arrows into a black town car. Wonder who? Arrow ran late so probably packed up past its scheduled 2 a.m. departure.. Continuum’s crew started early too at the Plaza of Nations on the dock to film scenes aboard Kellogg (Vancouver actor Stephen Lobo)’s yacht (Adriana), then moved inside their Vancouver police station set with background performers and back outside for night scenes aboard Kellogg’s yacht and a steadicam scene of mad time traveller Jason (Vancouver actor Ian Tracey).
6:22 p.m. – Supernatural crew ready to roll at motorhome.
Our crews work up to sixteen hours a day five days a week to bring scripts to life in all kinds of weather. Mostly cold and wet. Those lucky enough to still have jobs don’t have enough time to see their loved ones on Valentine’s Day far less watch the shows they work on. So no, these aren’t “Hollywood jobs”, but they are good well-paid ones. And they’re leaving for Toronto because of Ontario’s superior tax credits. As a result, Vancouver lost its bragging rights as North America’s third biggest film and TV production centre to Toronto (after Los Angeles and New York). And lately, it’s gone from bad to worse. British Columbia’s third biggest industry, generating over $1 billion, faced unprecedented unemployment last month. Read More »BIG READ: Vancouver Film Crews at Work – #SaveBCFilm
Next Wednesday night on Arrow a jewel thief called “Dodger” (James Callis) strikes at one of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell)’s friends. So Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) — the newest member of Team Hood — gets glammed up to go undercover with Oliver and Diggle (David Ramsey). And Oliver steals a motorcycle.
Also introduced next week are pickpocket Roy Harper (Colton Hayes from Teen Wolf) befriended by Thea (Willa Holland) and police detective McKenna Hall (Janina Gavinkar) as Oliver’s new girlfriend.
In next Wednesday’s Arrow, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell)’s life hangs in the balance. His mother (Susanna Thompson) shoots him after he confronts her dressed as The Hood at Queen Consolidated. And he turns to fan favourite Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) for help. She brings him to Diggle (David Ramsey) at the warehouse.
