As I document the making of the film Bigsby written by Fritz Bishop and John Bury, I recognize the contribution of ideas and lessons from all those involved. Before filming I was able to meet the core cast and crew during the table read held in a second floor room at Cape Breton University. This gathering gave us an opportunity to introduce ourselves and share our eagerness for the project to come. A perfect opportunity to get comfortable with the equipment and individuals I would be working with.
Now, we are only a day into production. As I begin to film the documentary I am realizing the amazing project I have been chosen to be part of and I have a feeling this experience will be one I will always remember!
The first day of filming on McConnell Dr. was a huge learning experience for me as the youngest one helping on set with the production. It was a good learning curve from my previous experience of filming maximum five people in action to now filming nearly fifteen. My past experience working with iCreate Cape Breton provided me the confidence, techniques and skills to apply to this work.
To capture the essence of the set, characters and process. I began by interviewing some extras that seemed very approachable, knowing that although their roles were not of the main cast, their energy and involvement made them just as important. Their approachable personalities helped me get comfortable with the interview process and filming the surroundings. It was a group of three lovely ladies. From my experience with iCreate and my involvement in the arts, I found it important to ask their opinions about how someone my age may be suggested to get involved into film and the arts. Their appreciation to the arts and their admiration of youth being involved was fantastic; their encouragement was filled with kindness and wonderful advice. The three shared stories of how they first got into theater and through networking they were placed in contact with Fritz. I found one comment in particular to be very applicable, they said, “as long as you aren’t afraid to try something new, you’ll go far and have fun!”
With their advice in mind I began doing some filming of the set environment, I filmed some establishing shots of the yard. I filmed some shots of the actors in their casual conversations, laughing as everyone waited to get started with the day’s scene. It was cool to see the excitement build up as people shared suggestions and read lines.
After about a half hour, Kenzie, one of the directors and camera man, set up his camera. His set up pointed to the emptiest part of the yard, with a table that had a sign that read: “Krusty’s Krazy Katering”. I filmed him; observing his process. When he finished getting his camera perfectly set in the angle he wanted towards the table and sign, he motioned for the rest of the cast for the scene to come into frame.
Throughout the day I kept filming the process of everyone, as well as getting the chance of filming a few more interviews. As the sets changed, I continued to capture everyone’s reactions, techniques, and places that where completely new to me; I began to think about my future.
iCreate Cape Breton has given me this huge opportunity and it is helping me plan for my future. This wonderful experience of filming and documenting has made me think I’d love to do it for a living. Because of the wonderful things I didn’t even realize I could do on this little island, the amazing people I have met, and the skills I have been learning— I’m excited for my future. It’s all because I needed some connections and I found them. I hope you find yours too!
Patricia Gardiner-Pineau
Documentarian