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Contact: Cheryl Minns, Art Editor
Marts@theotherpress.ca

(¥ Clock and dagger on the Paddlewheeler
(¥ Comic Corner: Blending light and dark
(Y New ‘Maze’ movie blazes own trail

And more!

Vancouver 1s a city by any other
name 1n Hollywood

» North America’s third biggest film city hardly gets its name in movies

Aaron Guillen
Contributor

ke to most film crews

as Hollywood North,
Vancouver has had its fair share
of production crews from across
the border arrive in herds to film
their blockbuster hits. The city
has portrayed India, Moscow, and
Seattle in Mission Impossible:
Ghost Protocol, and been the
backdrop for multiple TV shows
such as Arrow, The 100, Once
Upon a Time, and The Flash.
Vancouver makes up 60 per cent
of all TV and media productions
in Canada and injects almost

$2 billion into the BC economy
every year. With an abundance
of mountains, urban areas, and
forests, our city, undeniably

one of the best places on Earth,
provides versatility for any
director. Despite this, Vancouver

: has rarely been given the chance
: to be the star of any major hit.

Perhaps the reason why is

: because our city is hopelessly

: ubiquitous. The sheer similarity

: of our architecture makes Seattle
: our easiest disguise. Without a

: notable signature that proclaims
: Vancouver as an individual,

: editors and set decorators can

: build upon what is missing.

: Placing American flags, USA

: Today stands, and new signs in

: front of buildings is the simplest
: way to trick the audience into

: thinking they are in another city.

Earlier this year, Fifty

: Shades of Grey was filmed in

: Vancouver but was alternately

: set in Vancouver, Washington—
: notably one of the most ironic

: film productions our side of

: the border has seen. Obviously,
: Vancouver is still waiting to

: receive the recognition it deserves !

: inthe film and TV industry.

This topic of concern

: was brought to light by Tony

: Zhou, the co-writer of the

: viral “Vancouver Never Plays

: Itself” YouTube video. As a

: self-proclaimed filmmaker and

: freelance editor in San Francisco,
: he shares his analysis of :
: Vancouver's potential. He finishes :
: his video essay by saying: “I think :
: it’s time we madeareal pushto  :
: create new images of ourselves.
: Because honestly, it’s our city.

: Who else is gonna do it?”

Now the obvious question

: comes into play: what can wedo :
: to make our city valued on the big :
: screen?

Recently, I stumbled

: upon a website, “Re-Imagine

: Downtown Vancouver,” at

: ReimagineDowntown.com. The
: website encourages contributors

to freely share their opinions of

: how they want Vancouver to look,
: taste, and feel 25 years from now.
: Clearly, in order for any change to
: happen, the voices of the people

: have to be heard.

: To leave this discussion ona

: thought-provoking note, Bing

: Thom, a Canadian architect

 

: and urban designer, describes

: Vancouver as an adolescent that
: doesn’t realize it’s growing up

: nor what it wants to be when it

: gets there. But it’s growing up

: fast, according to Thom, and if

: we don't decide how it grows up,
: other people will.

This issue:

Image via www.straight.com

 

Clock and dagger on the Paddlewheeler

» Steampunk Murder Mystery on New Westminster Paddlewheeler

Ed Appleby

ge (ustrator

BV illustrator
@theotherpress.ca

 

I: a murder mystery with a
steampunk twist! Times Past
Entertainment is bringing their
much loved Steampunk Murder
Mystery to New Westminster for
the first time on September 27,
hosting it onboard the Vancouver
Paddlewheeler docked in
Westminster Quay.

The event includes an
original murder mystery play
based around a ragtag group
of mechanically inclined
adventurers who enact the
crime in which one of them is
unceremoniously done in. But
pay attention, as it is up to the
guests to help solve the case.
One lucky witness who correctly
guesses who the murderer is will
go home with a prize package.

The concept was developed
by Christina Carr and her
husband Martin Hunger, an
actor and a prop designer who

started Times Past Entertainment :
: mobile robotic dog, the props
: built for these shows are unique

in order to showcase their
talents. They assembled a

: cast of likeminded actors to

: play reoccurring characters,

: performing their shows at

: various venues around the Lower
: Mainland and selling-out shows
: at the last two Emerald City

: Comic Cons,

When asked why they take

: on such a unique venture, Carr

: said: “We're actors who have

: gotten together to create our

: own employment. We’re all

: unique, and it’s a little harder

: to get mainstream employment

: when youre unique. We like

: steampunk, and wanted

: something to do with the

: characters, and no one had done
: it yet.” :
: But why go with a steampunk :
: theme rather than the traditional :
: turn-of-the-century period that :
: most murder mystery plays take
: place in, like Agatha Christie’s

: The Mousetrap?

“It’s gadget-y. You can build

: and create and express. It has so
: many layers that it keeps things
: interesting,” she said.

And build, they do. From

weapons and props made from

everyday materials to a fully

: ie

: and fascinating.

Carr writes the script from

“You want it to be fresh

and new. It keeps it interesting
: and appealing, and a lot harder

 

: to pinpoint who did it. Each
: character has an established
: scratch for each show a few weeks :
: ahead of time, workshoppingit  :
: with her actors only a few times.

personality, and that’s a challenge

: that keeps it interesting for me,”
: she said.

The evening Steampunk

Murder Mystery cruise
: takes place on September

: ah

: 27 at §:30 p.m. Tickets are

: $35 and available online at

: VancouverPaddlewheeler.com.
: For more information about

: Times Past Entertainment,

: check out the group’s website at
: TimesPastEnt.com

Photo by Larry Scherban, Camera One Photography