Seymour Street "Intelligence"

"Intelligence" Takes Off at the 'Chick A Dee'

The producers of creator Chris Haddock's new CBC TV series "Intelligence" have invaded Vancouver's Granville downtown core, notably the 'Penthouse Night Club' on Seymour, now renamed the "Chick A Dee" for the series.

Premise of the gritty show focuses on 'Jimmy Reardon' (Ian Tracey) an illegal drugs distributor and strip club owner. Reardon is devoted to raising a daughter while ensuring his family business continues to run smoothly.

The Penthouse Night Club was established in 1947, hosting popular singing/jazz acts of the day, including The Mills Bros., Jimmy Durante and Louis Armstrong.

Today the club features 'exotic' dancers, with Haddock's crew usually having to clear out by 10 PM weeknights, at which time, the Penthouse regulars take over.

"Intelligence" the series, premieres October 10 on CBC.

Screaming Chicken Presented...

Granville Island for "Sex, Violence and Nursery Rhymes"

Sneak Peek enjoyed September 13 at Granville Island's Arts Club, for the Screaming Chicken live production of "Sex, Violence and Nursery Rhymes", as part of this year's Vancouver Fringe Festival.

Considered Vancouver's most trail-blazing local dance/theatre company, the Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society is a not for profit theater/burlesque company specializing in 'pushing the boundaries' of modern theater.

According to Screaming Chicken, "Our shows take inspiration from traditional Burlesque, Gran Guignol, Vaudeville, b-movies of the fifties and sixties and pop culture. They feature elaborate costuming, props and make-up, sometimes beautiful, sometimes shocking."

Premise of "Sex, Violence and Nursery Rhymes", focuses on 'Mother Goose' (Camero Luvroc) and 'Sister Grimm' (Melody Mangler), in an 80 minute production featuring comedy, striptease and dark humour.

Other characters appearing in the show include 'Darla Devine', 'Connie Lingus', 'Mya Mayhem', 'Whisky Rose', 'Tart n’ Tiny', 'Violet Femme', 'Bernie Bombay' and 'Evil Bastard'.

Directors are Norm Elmore and Rebecca Franklin.

Doing The Right Thing ...

Chiklis Looks 'Grimm' In "FF: Rise of the Silver Surfer"

Captain Kirk Was There ...

"Outfit" Wins 'Game of the Year' at 2006 CAEAA 'Elan' Awards

Produced by Vancouver's Holly Carinci and hosted by Canadian actor William "Captain Kirk" Shatner of "Star Trek" fame (also co-owner of games developer CORE Digital), the first Canadian Awards for the Electronic and Animated Arts (CAEAA), presented 37 'Elan' statuettes at the Richmond, BC River Rock Casino Resort, September 14.

Michael Stevens of SNEAK PEEK and BIG GAME HUNTER was in attendance as the awards were handed out in front of a live audience of approximately 700 people, including 390 VIP floor guests and 300 gallery seats for the public.

Highlights of the evening's black tie champagne reception, sit-down dinner and after-party included a video game 'hall of fame' award, given to Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka. The Alberta physicians switched careers as medical doctors 10 years ago to found BioWare, producers of video games "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" and "Baldur's Gate".

Overseen by auditing firm Buckley Dodds, here are this year's 'Elan' winners:

Animation - Best production; feature length: Sharan Wood and Ben Burden Smith of Mainframe Entertainment for Tony Hawk in "Boom Boom Sabotage".

Gaming - Best PC game: David Thompson and George Geczy of BattleGoat Studios for "Supreme Ruler 2010".

Student game of the year: Anthony Perrella, Chris Lee, Jack Kelley and M. Reid of the Vancouver Film School for "Rusty Gears".

Best original musical score for animation: Brian Carson of Mainframe Entertainment for Tony Hawk in "Boom Boom Sabotage".

Best musical score in a video game: Charles Deenan of Electronic Arts for "Need for Speed Most Wanted".

Student, best original musical score: Colin Janz of the Vancouver Film School for "Piece of Mind".

Best Soundscape of a video game: Charles Deenan of Electronic Arts for "Need for Speed Most Wanted".

Best original sound design for a video game or animated production: Tasha Brotherton of the Emily Carr Institute for "Woof, Woof, Woof".

Best animated short subject: Jeff Chiba Stearns for "Who Are You Anyways?"

Best animated effects: Steve McLeod of Studio B for "Being Ian: The Fifth" and "1/2 Sense".

Best visual effects: Pseudo Interactive of Pseudo Interactive for "Full Auto".

Best student visual effects: Injoon Hwang of the Arts Institute of Vancouver for "Demo Reel".

Best motion graphics in gaming: Antoine Guinard of Ubisoft for "Far Cry Instincts Predator".

Best motion graphics in the student category: Pius Jung-Kit Chan of the Vancouver Film School for "Backbone Medley".

Best graphics for gaming: Catherine Roy of Ubisoft for "Peter Jackson’s King Kong".

Best writing in an animated production: Vito Viscomi of Studio B for "Being Ian: Movie: Hurry for Hollywood".

Best writing in a student production: Eugene Flormata of the Arts Institute of Vancouver for "Zatomaru’s Boot".

Best storyboarding in animation: Chez Battista and Todd Denung of Studio B for "Class of the Titans: Make Up Exam".

Best character design for a video game: Catherine Roy of Ubisoft for "Peter Jackson’s King Kong".

Best character design in a student production: Joel Furtado of the Emily Carr Institute for "Tree for Two".

Best animation crafts: Gino Nichele and Conrad Helten of Mainframe Entertainment for "Barbie Fairytopia Mermaidia".

Best 3D animation in a student production: Joel Furtado of the Emily Carr Institute for "Tree for Two".

Best innovation in gaming: Catherine Roy of Ubisoft for "Peter Jackson’s King Kong".

Best classical or stop motion animation in a student production: Stephanie Sim of the Vancouver Film School for "The Story Tree".

Best production design or art direction in animation: Zo Evamy and Greg Huculak of Bardel Entertainment for "Dragon: Metal Ages".

Best visuals for a video game in a student production: Gordon Moran of Van Arts for "Demo Reel".

Game design of the year: Backbone Entertainment, Vancouver, for "Age of Empires: The Age of Kings".

Best direction in animation: Josh Mepham of Studio B for "Being Ian: Movie: Hurry for Hollywood".

Best mobile game of the year: Buena Vista Games for Disney’s "Kim Possible Kimmunicator".

Best console game: Ben Mattes of Ubisoft for "Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones".
Viewers choice: game of the year: Kelly Zamak of Radical Entertainment for "Hulk Ultimate Destruction".

Ready to Rocket Award: Lani Lum-Watson of the Arts Institute of Vancouver.

Lifetime achievement award in animation: Marv Newland.

Video game hall of fame: Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka of BioWare.

Best animated production in a student category: Joel Furtado of Emily Carr Institute for "Tree for Two".

Best animated production in a television series: Michael Hirsh of Cookie Jar Entertainment for "Caillou" (eps. #306, 308, 309).

Best game of the year: "The Outfit" by Relic Entertainment.

The 2006 Canadian Awards for the Electronic and Animated Arts (CAEAA), was produced by Holly Carinci.

VIFF Film and Television Forum

21st Annual VIFF Film and Television Forum

The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) Film & Television Forum dedicated to the 'art and business' of filmmaking, launches its 21st year with a focus on 'content'.

The four-day event takes place September 27- 30, 2006 and features master classes, seminars, workshops and industry networking events with speakers from award-winning productions.

“Strong content is the key to all success stories”, Forum Program Director Helen Du Toit said.

“In such a competitive marketplace, we need to be bolder with our original content, and savvier about pitching and packaging.”

The art of filmmaking is explored on several fronts in master classes that feature close encounters with filmmaking professionals.

"Desperate Housewives" writer/supervising producer Alexandra Cunningham presents Dramatic Twist – New Directions in TV Drama.

The Simpsons"- Comedy Writing Master Class with Joel Cohen is set to entertain as well as educate.

Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald ("One Day in September, Touching The Void") explores Dramatic Narrative in Documentary Filmmaking in this master class.

In response to industry demand, the Forum will provide enhanced access to both forum and festival guests.

New for 2006, the forum introduces Speed Dating Sessions, designed for emerging and transitioning filmmakers. The sessions are an opportunity to pitch projects and get feedback from senior producers and development executives.

Also launching at this year's forum, September 27 is Industry Hour - nightly cocktails and an opportunity for BC's film and television community to network with forum/festival guests.

New Filmmakers' Day (NFD) returns Sept. 30, designed for emerging filmmakers, featuring Career Fast Track: The Actor/Director Relationship; Writing Low-Budget Screenplays; Slice & Dice: Anatomy Of A Scene.

The 21st Annual Film and Television Forum takes place in the Rogers Industry Centre at the Vancouver International Film Centre and Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street, September 27 – 30.

VIFF: (604) 685-3547
Fax: (604) 688-8221
forum@viff.org

"Tales Of The Rat Fink" at The Granville

'Big Daddy' Lives In "Tales Of The Rat Fink"

The Canadian-produced documentary "Tales of the Rat Fink", examines the career of designer/graphic artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.

Roth’s career, revved up in the 1950's, was driven by an urge to soup up racing cars, design space-age vehicles and render hot-rodding monster logos like "Rat Fink".

Narrated by actor John "Roseanne" Goodman, with actress Ann-Margret and comedian Jay Leno, Tales of the Rat Fink is a tribute to a pop-culture pioneer.

Click here to sneak peek the trailer.

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.

Right On Target

Sneak Peek Smallville's "Green Arrow"

Women In Film and Video Vancouver

Sneak Peek Parties With Women In Film & Video

Women In Film and Video Vancouver (WIFVV), a group of professional women, supporting, advancing, promoting and celebrating the achievements of women in the British Columbia Film, Video and Television Industry, held their annual Martini Madness party, Wednesday, September 27, at the "Celebrities" night club, 1022 Davie St., Vancouver.

The fashionable, laid-back evening event was attended by Sneak Peek among hundreds of talented, West Coast women film-makers, producers, animators and performers.

Sponsorship for Martini Madness, was provided by Bacardi Canada, Celebrities, FMA Vancouver, Paladin Show Services, Penske Trucks and The Westin Grand.

Click here to sneak peek more WIFVV

Vancouver TeleFilm Party

VIFF Film & Television Forum - Sept 29 - Seymour Street, Vancouver

As part of this year's Vancouver International Film Festival, the 21st Annual Film and Television Forum September 27 – 29 hosted a series of panel discussions, master classes, tête-à-tête sessions, roundtable discussions and workshops geared to the professional development of the Canadian film and television community.

The three-day event provided a platform to access domestic and global markets through the expertise of guest speakers plus an opportunity for delegates to meet and foster working relationships with their peers.

A reception was hosted for attendees, September 29.

Telefilm's Wayne Clarkson

Sarah Polley director of "Away From Her"

Sci Fi Renews "Eureka"

The Sci Fi Channel will renew a second season of their original scripted, Vancouver-filmed TV series "Eureka". The show has averaged 2.76 million total viewers for the 11 weeks beginning with a two-hour premiere July 18.

Sci Fi has also scored well in the ratings with their other Vancouver-filmed TV series including "Battlestar Galactica", "Stargate Atlantis" and the final season of "Stargate: SG-1".

Bonnie Hammer, president of Sci Fi said her intention is to schedule two nights of scripted original series on the network in the next year or so, including the upcoming 22-episode, comic book-to-film series "Painkiller Jane", due to start lensing in November, via Kirk Shaw's Insight Films.

Other BC-based series doing well for the network include "Psych", "The 4400" and "The Dead Zone".

Starring Colin Ferguson and Salli Richardson-Whitfield, "Eureka" is produced by Andrew Cosby, Jaime Paglia and Karl Schaefer, for NBC Universal TV Studios.

Click here for more Sci Fi

Vancouver's Sam Sullivan ...

Vancouver Mayor Greenlights Task Force

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan has announced the formation of a new task force to review the city's film and television industry.

According to Sullivan, although the film industry has pumped in $1.2 billion each year, guidelines are out-of-date and many issues need to be resolved.

"We want to make sure we have good education for the citizens to know the importance of this industry. And we want to make sure that we have guidelines that help regulate the effects of the industry on residents."

Sullivan named Brightlight chief executive officer Shawn Williamson chair of the new working group.

Stay tuned to SNEAK PEEK for more

"Smallville" : Chloe

Screaming Chicken

Screaming Chicken Doing Wood's "Orgy"

The Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society is a not for profit theater/burlesque company specializing in pushing the boundaries of modern theater.

Based out of Vancouver BC, Screaming Chicken actively tours western Canada and the US North West.

Their shows take inspiration from traditional Burlesque, Gran Guignol, Vaudeville, B-movies and pop culture, featuring elaborate costuming, props and make-up.

Screaming Chicken's Board of Directors are Norm Elmore, President, Rebecca Franklin, Vice President, Sedge Lewis, Treasurer, Kristi Luvroc, Secretary and Dan Hill, Board Member.

Currently on Stage are performers Melody Mangler, Evil Bastard, Candy Curves, Bernie Bombay, Camero Luvroc, Lil Luvroc, Connie Lingus, Darla Devine, Mya Mayhem, Dentor, Jazmina Bizarre, Otto Von Kraut, Violet Femme, Whisky Rose, Tart 'n Tiny and Ruby Ruse.

Click here for more "SCREAMING CHICKEN"