Monday 26 May 2014

"A Huge Achievement"

On May 9th we released the trailer for Catherine Adelaide. It was a big step for me as a new director and film writer. Not only for me, but as well as the entire team and the film itself. Within a few hours of releasing, the Catherine Adelaide Facebook page doubled its fan base and currently has over 240 likes. This may seem tiny and little gain for a film audience, especially when a video or a Facebook page can gain great popularity in a matter of seconds. But for me, this little increase in Facebook followers is a huge achievement that makes me ecstatic and thankful towards the people who have constantly supported this project.

In the end, Catherine Adelaide will be a tender film which has been put together by well-trained but young professional artists who are active in the Newfoundland film culture. And in my opinion, an amazing team who has accomplished a great deal. Catherine Adelaide had three main goals, one – to provide a creative on-set opportunity for friends I knew that were interested in filmmaking living in the Corner Brook and St. John’s area. Two – To have fun and learn while doing it. Three – To illustrate a story of leaving home that could potentially relate to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.

So far in my opinion we have completed two out of three goals, and the third will have to wait until we release the final cut of the film. But this is not something I am too worried about because we did it, and had fun doing it. Something that I think is important to the art and trade of filmmaking.

I want to say ‘thank-you’ for all your support and interest in a short that has been cradled very carefully by an exceptional team.  

Thank-you all for being awesome,
Andrew Tremblett

Wednesday 21 May 2014

The Next Steps

Producer Ryan Butt here, folks. Back on the Blog-Train, choo-chooing down the development track along with our ever growing project, currently at Post-Production station in St John's!

What a crazy Winter! For everyone involved, Catherine Adelaide is but one of many projects. Some of us have dayjobs, some of us are just getting out of school, and a few of us have other pieces we are involved with! Throughout the past few months, we've gotten very used to interpreting texts and emails at various points in the day -- some nervous, some totally pumped, most excited, all hilarious.

Jian, with that cute face we don't mind.


So where exactly are we right now?

Glad you asked, bold italics!

Well I just can't wait for the answer!

Well shut-up and let me tell you...

Okay!

Where was I...

In February we were incredibly honoured to have the Newfoundland Labrador Film Development Cooperation come on-board with generous funding for our post-production process! In the early days, Andrew and I had thought that after filming, we'd lock ourselves in his room again and spend many sleepless nights poring over footage and putting it together bit by bit, occasionally breaking for Doctor Who and to top-up on Pop Tarts -- much like we did with our first effort together, The Boys. Luckily, though, that isn't the case! Thanks to the donation from the NLFDC we have been able to continue working with Christian Davis, as well as bring Aaron Elliott who is going to do the film's overall colour correction. This means the Catherine Adelaide project has been able to continue employing young professional artists, which has been and will continue to be a major focus of ours.

Editor Christian Davis

Last week I had the privilege of seeing a rough cut of the film, and couldn't be more excited. We all have something pretty special on our hands, there is no doubt about that. Soon, Andrew will be making a few trips from Gander to St John's to put together the finishing touches, and we will have a finished project to begin submitting to festivals -- something new and a little scary for us, but luckily we have an experienced guide in the form of Jana Gillis.

So, that's a general feel of where we are right now -- at this very second, though, I'm listening to some songs
sent to me by the director. Originally Andrew wanted an old Jazzy atmosphere for the short picture, but now we are all leaning towards the idea of contacting Newfoundland and Labrador musicians and bands. This would tie a nice big local bow around our little film. This process is amazing, since it involves sampling a ton of awesome local music with the hope of making it a part of the film!

The right music, as you probably already know, can make or brake a film. We're far form making a final decision, at this point, but as always the journey has been plenty of fun.

A trailer post soon to come!

Saturday 18 January 2014

Perfect Symmetry

Making a movie isn't easy...


You've heard that a million times, and it's definitely true-- but what is easy!? If things in life were easy, they'd be boring. The real aim is never to do things easy, but to have fun when doing them. With the right crew, the right locations, a movie can be a delightful challenge and a welcome learning experience, and this is exactly what we encountered with Catherine Adelaide -- the right team in the right places at the right time.




This was no accident, either. From day 1 in early conception and pre-production, throughout grant applications and beyond, the aim was to bring in young professional artists and give them the experience of working on a semi-professional film! Luckily, those are not hard to find-- talented young professionals are found all across this island, and indeed that is where our cast and crew come from: all across the island! As we mentioned in our last post, we boast the talents of natives from Gander, Corner Brook, Churchill Falls, and St John's-- a well rounded mix covering all corners of our New-Found-Land, integrating and mixing together different perspectives from all kinds of different corners. We'll highlight everyone in a future post, but for now... A retrospective of the project! 


Things kicked off in St John's on the Second day of the New Year, with chilly temperatures keeping everyone more awake through the early morning than any reasonable cup of coffee ever could (though that definitely helped the 6am call.). The shoot just barely missed the rolling outages that began on the evening of the 2nd, and enjoyed a snowy & crisp downtown St John's city-scape, still lit by the occasional twinkling Christmas lights in the windows-- perhaps contributing to the subsequent blackouts, but we appreciated it all nonetheless. It's one of the capital's many defining features-- beautiful nightlife, and signal hill silhouetted against the horizon. Thanks to the volunteer Jazz Car provided by Brian Woodford and assistance from Kyla Churchman, we summed up the evening's scenes and wrapped St John's filming without a hitch! Pints at the Duke Of Duckworth followed, and then some much-deserved Zs.

From there production moved to interior locations in Corner Brook, across the island! Despite the film being set in St John's, it was always important for producers Ryan David Butt and Andrew Tremblett to bring the film to the West Coast-- in this interview with the Gander Beacon, Andrew sums it up perfectly: “We realized we had a lot of community support here in Corner Brook __– that’s something we really didn’t want to lose even though the story is set in St. John’s,” said Mr. Tremblett. “What myself and Ryan decided is that we have the opportunity to try and bring two of these worlds together so we made a pact that we would shoot in St. John’s and Corner Brook. It’s very difficult to do but I think it will be worth it for the final product.” ...And that is indeed what we were lucky enough to encounter. Not that St John's would not have been accommodating to a short film set within it, but working alongside friends & even family in old familiar places was an important aspect to the process, which we hope (and believe, really) has resulted in a more intimate and personal experience. 


Kicking off at #7 Broadway on Saturday evening, the production filmed Oliver's house in an apartment once occupied by one of the crew-- generously allowed by the current tenants & landlord-- kind of at short notice! It was a nostalgic trip for Ryan and Andrew as well, who shot their first film 'The Boys' together in the basement of the building, along with owner Jim Parsons. Old memories were shared in a familiar space between takes, expertly lit by new DOP Peter Buckle of PB Productions, who came on-board for the West Coast shoot. Along with him, we were joined by students from both CNA Stephenville Campus and Grenfell Theatre folks, volunteering their time and efforts to help us make it all an easier process behind the scenes!

From #7 there we moved to the home of Andy & Sarah Minnes, where the general rule of thumb was 'do what you'd like!'. This selfless attitude from the hosting couple could not have been more appreciated, and allowed for the necessary time to seriously consider every angle and aspect-- something that might not have been possible anywhere else, thanks to some pretty amazing friends! 




With Saturday wrapped, we were tasked to SLEEP by AD Jana Gillis, with a 12pm call the next day for location filming at the White Horse Lounge on Broadway! Owner/ operator Kevin Buckle granted us access this famed Corner Brook watering hole, the location of many of the crew's past shenanigans (and no doubt future ones as well), providing a unique atmosphere and personality that only this bar could have provided... Some pretty beautiful stuff resulted as our 3rd actress Toshon Dawe joined the shoot and wrapped within an afternoon, bringing along a great energy to the role of 'Diane'! 

After the afternoon's shoot, things moved to the tail-end of shooting at Andy & Sarah's once more. Again, our hosts were simply delightful and considerate, patiently accommodating a short film shooting in their own kitchen! 

Meanwhile, throughout the day, crew were secretly sourcing a very special practical prop for the evening: Birthday cake for Director Andrew Tremblett! Turning 21 on the final day of shooting for his first spoken-word short, Andrew was then greeted with both a Vanilla Cake from the Catherine Adelaide folks as well as a delicious chocolate gateau from his rommates after the production had wrapped! 




It was an incredible ride, made even more special by the many tiny details that came together throughout the creative process-- before and after cameras were even rolling! 

Now, we look to Post production and release! 

As per usual, keep your eyes peeled here for all the details. 

Thanks for your time, have a great day! 




Saturday 4 January 2014

Corner Brook, here we come! (Also: Press Release.)



The St John's chapter of our short shooting schedule has wrapped (with some tasty celebratory pints at the Duke Of Duckworth https://twitter.com/CAdelaideFilm/status/418932302027448320/photo/1), and the cold is now a distant memory-- aside from the fact we're still thawing our fingers & toes.

We'd now like to take a few quick minutes and thank the volunteers who helped us out during the St John's shoot. Brian Woodford was the intrepid driver of our 'warm car' in which the Actors took shelter while we set up shots. Kyla Churchman was a jack of all trades throughout the shoot who showed up bright and early Thursday morning with incredibly short warning, and rocked out with us! You can see her in the picture below, bundled up against the wind while Mihalis looks majestic.



We'd also like to thank the City Of St John's for being incredible hosts throughout this short production period within its walls, and can't wait to show it off in all its wintry glory. Next up, Corner Brook!

Why shoot two locations 8 hours away from one another, you might be asking?

We'll answer that in a future post, but for now suffice it to say that we're very happy that this production plan worked out since the dual-town aspect was actually a very important part of the project from the early stages.

In the meantime, we've assembled a press release!

Check it out here:

Currently wrapping production and moving on to shoot in the Corner Brook area, Catherine Adelaide is a short motion picture about two lovers who find themselves at different points in their lives; an illustration of romance and friendship set against the backdrop of a snowy downtown St. John's night.  
Oliver is a St. John's native and hopeful writer, working on a novella and days away from moving to Toronto, where he hopes to make a career. Catherine, meanwhile, is a young woman from the Toronto area who is confident with her place in life; working as a waitress at a downtown Bar & Grill, she is saving up for a life on the island-- her adopted home that has charmed her since coming for school. The film takes a snapshot in their parallel lives, noting the unspoken attractions they share for one another, but problems surface when it becomes apparent that their passion cannot last due to opposing dreams. One is looking for a life away in the city, while the other is content with a life lived by the sea. 
Captured through a soft romantic lens in North America's oldest city, Catherine Adelaide will examine what it means to be a young lover on this island province, and highlight the choice that they eventually must make concerning their feelings in the face of their ambition. 
Written & Directed by current Grenfell Theatre student Andrew Tremblett, this short motion picture is the sophomore effort from BlueStone BlackWood, a homegrown West-Coast production company, in affiliation with PB Productions, with generous funding from the Newfoundland Labrador Arts Council. Featuring on-screen and behind the camera talents of young professional Grenfell & CNA Alumnus, this production is a cross-island effort with shooting locations in both St John's and Corner Brook areas, featuring the talents of St Johns, Corner Brook, Gander, and Churchill Falls natives. 
Starring:
Heidi Kent as Catherine
Mihalis Barry as Oliver
Toshon Dawe as Diane 
Written & Directed by Andrew Tremblett
Produced by Ryan David Butt & Andrew Tremblett
1st AD Jana Gillis
Director of Photography, St John's: Kyle Taylor
Director Of Photography, Corner Brook: Peter Buckle
Key Grip: Christian Davis 
Filming resumes in Corner Brook from January 10th to the 14th. Correspondence can be forwarded to producer Ryan David Butt via catherine.adelaidepro@gmail.comor replying 'all' to this email.  
You can also follow along with the production through either of the following Social Media links: 
Cheers! 'till next time. Hope you're all safe and warm.

Thanks for reading,

The CA Team


Thursday 2 January 2014

Lights, Camera, SHIVER! Day 1 On Catherine Adelaide

From this...


To this...



In less than 7 hours!

Bright and early this morning past the Catherine Adelaide Crew & Cast woke up to catch North America's first glimpse of the sun. So began day one of production, with everyone braced against the power of an almighty eastern gust getting together camera/ lighting, and standing the actors in place. We were, however, blessed by a St John's staple-- the Signal Hill star was able to provide enough backlight for a quick & easy setup without any hassle!



Aside from the aforementioned wind.

It's a thrill to finally be at this stage of the game. The process began about a year ago with Andrew Tremblett's original short story, subsequent script, and now the project has grown to this point! 9 of us crazy people standing on top of a hill dancing around singing bolywood.



It's incredibly exciting to be creating a very Newfoundland script with very Newfoundland themes along with proud Newfoundlanders, as well as other fine people from across the country! St John's, Gander, Corner Brook, Churchill Falls are all represented in this shoot.

At this stage of the game we have so many people we'd like to thank, because it has been a huge team effort on the part of many people. There are so many of you, though! Naming you all would take so much time, so we'd just like to throw out acknowledgement of our deep appreciation for all the fine folks who have helped out in the past year, and we'd also like to especially thank the Newfoundland Labrador Arts Council for their funding.

We'll keep posting here as things develop, as well as on our Twitter & Facebook pages! Feel free to keep in touch with us as well as spread the word!