Sunday, October 29, 2006

Everything's Great When You're Downtown

SNEAK PEEK : Vancouver Production Watch

Office workers, students and tourists in Vancouver are confused as to why movie production crews would choose to film daytime exteriors alongside rush-hour crowds and traffic at busy downtown location areas like Granville and Pender.

The answer is the free use of 'atmosphere' (ie. 'crowd extras') who consent to the recording of their likeness if they enter an area blocked off for filming.

And there is production everywhere you look in the downtown core, including producer/writer Chris Haddock's gritty new CBC TV drama series "Intelligence", shooting interiors at the Seymour located 'Penthouse Club', now renamed the 'Chickadee' for daytime shoots.

The feature "Case No. 39", starring Ian McShane and Renee Zellweger, took over a large area of sidewalk, filming sequences off Broadway in East Vancouver.

"Case No. 39" also filmed high above the crowds at West Georgia and Burrard.