CBC plans to create a TV movie about Sam Steele, a member of the North-West Mounted Police and distinguished military veteran who rode out against the Red River Rebellion and fought in the Boer War.CBC is working with the Alberta Film Development Program and Knight Enterprises to recreate the life of one of the country's most famous Mounties.Steele, who lived from 1849 to 1919, was born into an Ontario military family and joined the North-West Mounted Police, precursors to the RCMP, in 1873.He negotiated with the First Nations chief Sitting Bull, fought against Big Bear and solved a famous murder, before leading a force to the Klondike Gold Rush. He also led a private cavalry unit in the Boer War in South Africa and lived to serve in the First World War."From the Red River Expedition to the Boer War, Sir Sam Steele has been at the forefront of several monumental events around the world," Kirstine Stewart, general manager of CBC Television English Services, said Thursday in announcing the movie deal.In 2008, the Sir Samuel Benfield Steele Collection, which includes his letters, artifacts and papers, was repatriated to Canada from his descendants in Britain. It is now housed at the ...

According to reports, Telefilm and CBC have entered into an arrangement that will allow four, new Telefilm-funded movies a year to air during primetime.CBC will contribute to the development/production of the films, to go into commercial release in cinemas before being aired on TV.Both CBC and Telefilm agree to collaborate with indie producers on the creation/promotion of their films.CBC said it would air the films Sunday evenings...

ineplex Galaxy Income Fund posted higher revenue and profits based on heightened demand for movies in the third quarter.Revenue totalled $257.5 million, up 7.7 per cent or $18.4 million from $239.1 million in the same period last year.Attendance at movies in Canada hit 18.8 million, up four per cent from 18 million last year.Cineplex said its box office sales for the quarter, reported at $155.9 million, was the highest-ever box office revenue for any given quarter."From a box office perspective, [the recession] has been fantastic," Cineplex Entertainment CEO Ellis Jacob said.The Toronto-based income trust also reported higher net income of $20.4 million for the third quarter, up from year-ago profit of $18.4 million.Revenue met a consensus estimate of four analysts compiled by Thomson Reuters.That a screener of movies would fare well during a recession even as other businesses dependent on discretionary income have suffered is not necessarily surprising, economists note. Three-month stock chart for Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund on the TSX.Three-month stock chart for Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund on the TSX. (CBC)"People still spend money during recessions; they just spend it on different things," TD Economist Derek Burleton said."The entertainment sector has done well in general, and for people who are ...

The story of Hana's Suitcase has been the subject of a children's book, a TV documentary and a play, but filmmaker Larry Weinstein believes it's worth telling yet again.His feature film, Inside Hana's Suitcase, which has its commercial release Friday, is a docudrama that combines a re-creation of Hana's life with the modern story of how her experience continues to speak to children around the world.Weinstein, a Toronto documentary maker who has made music-themed films such as Overtures: The Story of a Community Orchestra and Solidarity Song: The Hanns Eisler Story, says the book moved him the first time he read it. Suitcase from Auschwitz showed up in JapanThe real Hana's suitcase, an empty suitcase with her name and the word "orphan" in white paint, was retrieved from Auschwitz, where 13-year-old Hana Brady was gassed in 1944.George Brady, older brother of the late Hana Brady, tours and speaks publicly about his sister, who died in Auschwitz in 1944 at the age of 13 and whose suitcase turned up in Japan 57 years later."I didn't want to make a Holocaust film," Weinstein told CBC's Q cultural affairs show. "I found the subject very dark and to be a potentially traumatizing thing, but ...

Medium Shots / Medium Close UpsMedium Shots (Medium Close Ups) are also relative in what they mean. Essentially they refer to being closer to the subject than a wide shot, but they don’t go too close. They tend to cover from around the middle of the thigh upwards. Not focusing on the entire subject.They’re also sometimes referred to as 2 T’s (two tits, as in from the chest up)Close UpsClose ups are like the term suggests, close up. They tend to be of the main part of the subject; typically the head and can vary as to how much they cover. If the close up focuses only on one area and becomes very “close” up, it’s referred to as an “extreme close up.”

Film Making Tips 101: Scenes and the shots that compose themEvery filmmaker is different. Well, that’s a lie actually. Filmmakers that wish to carry out their own style and vision differ from others; some are just out to copy other’s styles. The point is that there are many different ways to shoot your scene and many different rules.Some filmmakers prefer shooting entire scenes in wide angles; they hate cutting and jumping from one angle to another. Some prefer the opposite, they hate relying on one establishing shot and remaining with it. The secret for a good shoot in my opinion is to cover all bases unless you have a clear vision from start to finish of how you want a scene to flow.

Wide Shots / Establishing ShotsThese tend to be always grabbed as they encapsulate the entire situation. They take in the background, the subjects etc. That’s the point, get all you can and show the audience what they need to see – what’s going on and where. Some directors wish to remain with just a wide shot and simply allow the action to take place within it. That’s a creative choice; there are no rules with this.A wide shot does not necessarily mean though that it takes up a huge amount of space, it essentially means the subject is captured in their entirety. It can take in the background too, or if it’s an establishing shot, it can be understood as solely the background – the background being established so that we know the particular location.

Your Environment / Landscape / BackgroundIn every shot you have an environment, a background. A scene is part subject, part surroundings and so it’s important that the subject is placed appropriately against the background.Something which you should always be aware of are lines. If placed wrongly, a subject can appear to have objects such as lamp posts, door frames etc. growing out of them. Be sure to place your subject accordingly so that the images work.Busy backgrounds can also draw your attention away. This can be handled by focusing well and/or balancing the colours they mix with.Often there will be elements in the background of your frame which move. This can range from wind making trees rustle to far beyond that. The way to best deal with these issues is to move either the subject or the camera. It’s easy enough to work around these problems, but essential to be aware of them.Another easy way of tackling this problem is to reduce the background, by changing your angle or moving closer to your subject. Or, thinking practically – could you place your subject in front of the distracting background? Maybe you could place an object in front?Always keep a ...

Film making Tips 101: Leveled ShotsWhen we walk around, though our bodies can sway from side to side and different surfaces beneath us can put us at an angle, by and large we’re balanced. It’s extremely unsettling and annoying to be seated watching a film and the camera shakes like crazy. At that point you realize that someone was holding a camera, and the world you’d stepped into for fun has now just dissolved.Having the camera steady is extremely important (unless it’s intentionally not – “earthquakes” etc.). Even if you’re not using the most expensive industry used equipment, you can still create or purchase a simple tripod, or create a dolly. Even just place the camera on a flat, level surface. This is very important.

Film Making Tips 101: Camera Angles / FramingWhen filming a person or an object, it is possible just to tackle it head on. But, in doing so, you lack adding the depth that a slight or significant angle can provide. Seeing more than one side of a subject is a lot more interesting than just viewing it flat and simply.Camera Level / HeightPlacing the camera at an equal level, above, or below the subject can subconsciously create different understandings of what’s being seen. If the camera is facing the subject head on, it’s generally understood that what we’re seeing is of “equal” value to whatever else is going on.If the camera is placed above the subject, looking down. Firstly we can get given the indication that another person, or subject is larger than it and secondly we can get the message that the subject being seen from above is less significant or inferior.But, placed below a subject looking up, we’re presented with the notion that the subject is more important or larger, or more significant. It can also be seen as the subject being in more of a position of power.These all vary within certain degrees, but by and ...