Have you ever watched a TV show and thought about all of the work that goes on behind the camera to make the worlds on the screen come to life? From the initial pitch to the writers, actors, directors, editors, camera and boom operators and a seemingly endless number of crew, there are many hands involved in making it all come together.
This past autumn, members of the local business community got the chance to go behind the scenes and experience some TV-making magic as they visited the set of Little Dog (Cameron Pictures and Elemental Pictures). The event was the third instalment of Business & Arts NL’s “Scene First” series – an initiative, offered exclusively to Business & Arts NL business members and their employees, that strives to increase interaction and engagement between the business and arts communities.
During the visit, guests got ringside seats as they watched a scene being filmed, while witnessing the action that goes on behind the cameras as the actors strut their stuff. First assistant director Paul Pope called commands as a flurry of crew members buzzed around the warehouse, transformed into an arena. Surrounding the ring, about 100 background actors clapped and cheered as they effortlessly slipped into their roles as excited fans, creating an authentic and charged atmosphere. The experience was an eye-opening one that gave guests a better understanding of the complicated, yet choreographed, dance that is creating a TV show.
After a set and back lot tour, guests enjoyed some refreshments while learning about what goes into making a TV production during a Q&A session with executive producer Rob Blackie and line producer Ross Leslie. Blackie also spoke about the growth, strength and future of the Newfoundland and Labrador film industry and its contributions to the local economy.
The event was generously sponsored by business members Cal LeGrow. Justin LeGrow, Sales/Marketing Coordinator, says the evening was enlightening as well as entertaining.
“As a big movie/TV buff, I absolutely loved it and thought it was really cool. We were well taken care of, shown different set pieces and got to sit in the background of a climactic scene being shot,” he says.
“I got a behind-the-scenes look at just what goes into my favourite shows and movies being created and it was super neat.”
Little Dog premieres on Thursday, March 1 and stars Joel Thomas Hynes (Orphan Black, Republic of Doyle) as former pro boxer Tommy “Little Dog” Ross, who has to decide if he will re-enter the ring to face his old rival Rico “Havoc” St. George (Dwain Murphy – Nikita, Rookie Blue) after walking out of a championship bout five years prior. Other members of the Ross family include Ger Ryan (Redemption, The Street), who plays Tommy’s mother, and true nemesis, Sylvia; Katharine Isabelle (The Arrangement, Hannibal) as Tommy’s sister, Ginny; newcomer Billy Cochrane as Tommy’s nephew, Chesley; Stephen Oates (Riverhead) as Tommy’s older brother, Loyola; and Andy Jones (Random Passage, Codco) as the family patriarch, also named Loyola. Rounding out the cast is Patricia Isaac (The Magicians, Daydream Nation) as Tommy’s doctor and confidant, Vaani Abdeen; Julia Chan (Saving Hope, The Great Canadian Baking Show) as Rico’s wife and Tommy’s ex-fiancée, Pamela; and Mary Walsh (Hatching, Matching & Dispatching, This Hour Has 22 Minutes) in a recurring role.
For more information about Little Dog, and to watch a trailer, click here.
