If we were to describe our production industry's summer social event in cinematic terms, it would sound like a variation on a Robin Williams comedy. Call it Hollywood on the Hudson.
With brilliant sunshine illuminating local actors, writers, producers and various craftspeople on the rooftop of the Hudson, many wearing sunglasses and photographing each other, it had a Los Angeles vibe.
"I've actually been to parties like this in L.A.," laughed Arwen Hunter, director of the new adventure show Sky's The Limit, as she snapped pictures for the Vancouver Island South Film and Media Commission.
The mixer hosted by film commissioner Kathleen Gilbert attracted a who's who of industry players, including producers Don Enright (Perfect Romance), Paul Rayman (Second Sight), May Street Productions's Erin Skillen and a familiar dynamic duo - Langham Court Theatre artistic director/filmmaker Keith Digby and screenwriter Brian Paisley.
Paisley, the Edmonton Fringe Festival founder was in shock after learning a neighbourhood was being named in his honour.
"My first thought was, 'Hey, I'm not dead yet,' " Paisley said with a laugh after hearing a neighbourhood proposed for Edmonton's Heritage Valley would bear his name. "Now when I walk by, my friends can say, 'There goes the neighbourhood!' "
Producer David Springbett noted Paisley also wrote and is hosting Apocalypse -When?, a fivepart series his Asterisk Productions produced for Vision TV that deconstructs the mass media's fascination with a potential apocalypse.
"Given all the hype about the end of the world, we go back and say, 'Where does this come from?' " Springbett said.
Despite winds that threatened hairdos and prompted Windy City jokes, the mood was upbeat.
"This a great opportunity to come and see what the roof of the Hudson actually looks like," said award-winning visual artist April Caverhill, there with Terry Lewis, the set decorator whose credits include the sci-fi series Impact and Cedar Cove.
Before leaving the windswept rooftop, Ida Chong, sa国际传媒's minister for Community, Sport and Cultural Development, couldn't resist a quip: "I'm blown away."
Kara Flanagan was also there to express her gratitude to the industry for the opportunities it offers local trainees.
"A lot of actors tend to leave to get training, but this is Victoria and Vancouver Island's new training facility," she said, referring to new Victoria Academy of the Dramatic Arts she administrates. "They can stay local and connect with local agencies."
John (JR) Riddle, Victoria council representative for the Association of Canadian Film Craftspeople, said local crews are a tightly knit group that has remained loyal to the region's industry despite economic hardships.
"There's no better place to live and work," he said. "Regardless of the film climate, they're unwilling to let go of the prospects and possibilities."
Penny Rogers, a writerphotographer who divides her time between Gladstone, Man., and Arizona, took the opportunity to reconnect during a visit and reminisce about her years as a production coordinator.
"I miss the people, I miss the money but I don't miss the hours," she said. "It's the camaraderie I miss most."
