Month: November 2012

Just a reminder that tonight on CBC at 8pm (8:30pm NFLD) the movie The Phantoms premiers. I hope you will watch it.

Today I am so very honored to have a few of the cast stop by to do a Q & A with me. I want to thank Renee from  PR for arranging all this. Renee I truly appreciate all that you have done. I also want to quickly thank the cast for taking time out of their busy schedules to do this for me.

Tyler Johnston plays the BHS Phantoms basketball player Corey Boucher. Corey was one of the survivors.

Did you get to spend any time with the real person your character was based on before filming?

I did, a little later into production. We were able to chat a bit on the last few days which was nice. Must’ve all been very surreal to him. His parents on the other hand I saw all the time! Great people.

I am from Bathurst (and BHS was my high school) what is the one thing someone should see when visiting Bathurst?

I love being by the water. For me, I enjoyed walking the bridge into town and taking in the beauty of the coast. So I suppose I dont have one thing in particular, I would say get outside and explore a little!

Tyler when I read this I laughed because I don’t know how many times I walked the bridge into town. Its a beautiful site. What surprised you about playing this role?

It kind of surprised me how close to home it began to hit. Some of my greatest friendships were formed by playing recreational sports. Growing up playing hockey and lacrosse, I know how much my teammates mean to me and to lose them would be devastating. The strength the community showed by coming together was inspirational.

How hard was it to play this role?

The production flew us out two weeks early for basketball camp, in the gym where The Phantoms still play today, which started a very natural process. Us boys bonded, while getting to play the game! Sudz and I were on the same page from the start. He’s the man. The emotional scenes sometimes can be quite exhausting but other then the occasional long emotional day, it could not have been any more enjoyable.

What was your experience being in the community and the community reaction to having you there?

We were welcomed with open arms. Whether it was our invite to a party the first weekend or Thanksgiving dinner at Coach Alan’s place, we felt at ease. The recent accident of course was a very sensitive subject but we wanted to honour the Boys in Red to the best of our ability and I think the community felt that. I know if ever I find myself out east I now have friends in Bathurst! 🙂

Tyler you will always have friends from Bathurst. I am not surprised at how welcoming the community is. Thanks so much for taking the time out to do this for me.

Kyle Mac plays the BHS Phantoms basketball team player Luke Thibodeau.

Was there anything that surprised you during the filming this movie?

Honestly every experience in the filming of The Phantoms was a very happy surprise. From working with one of Canada’s top directing talents; Sudz Sutherland, to the unique experience of filming in the real locations as the team we were portraying is so very rare. Feeling the support of the town of Bathurst participating so closely in the film. The amazing surprise of getting to hang out and get to know the real boys whom our characters were based on was completely surreal. Even beyond that, being trained and coached by the “Phantoms” real coaches through the entire experience was unreal, we truly built a bond with them, and all left affectionately calling them “coach”. And probably the most surprising experience would be the completely real bond us actors built through the filming. We became a real team, and all friends for life.

Kyle, you truly have made friends for life. I am so proud of my little communtiy. What was the one thing that you took away from acting in this movie and being in the community of Bathurst?

With the fear of sounding repetitive, the most honest answer is; best friends, with four young men so very different from one another, but with a real bond and respect for one another. Emmanuelle & Jacob live in Toronto as I do, and we all hang out every week, and each one of us keep close contact with Wes & Tyler whom live in Vancouver but have visited us in Toronto multiple times, since filming. A true respect and close bond between actors on a film that you know will carry on beyond the production and through your life is a rare and wonderful thing.

Thanks Kyle for taking the time out to do this for me.

Wally McKinnon plays The Phantoms coach, Marc Babineau.

What was your experience in spending time with Coach Alan of the BHS Phantoms?

Spending time with Alan the Coach of The Phantoms was an incredible experience. He was so open, and willing to talk about anything. The team, his heart attack, his recovery, whatever I wanted to know. Although I have played basketball, I had never Coached, and he was such a book of knowledge about the game. I had so many questions. And he answered them all. It helped me so much in playing the role of the Coach.

When I heard about his heart attack, I literally felt like how much more can this team suffer. They have been through so much. Being a graduate from BHS I was so happy and honored at how this community held it together and was there for each other, did this surpise you?

Growing up in Bathurst and knowing the community, NO, it didn’t not surprise me that the town came together to support this team. During the shooting of the film, you could almost feel how proud Bathurst felt about the team. And it made me proud to be from Bathurst. I know that the cast and crew felt so welcomed by the community. Again, makes a home town boy proud.

I agree, I was never more proud to be a home town girl and graduate of BHS. I am so extremely proud of Bathurst. I understand you are also a graduate of BHS. How did it feel to be back there?

Being back in Bathurst working on this film was surreal. We lived across the street from BHS. I showed all the cast and crew the house. We had a good laugh saying how tough it was to play hookie from school when you live just across the street. And then the day we shot in the hospital, and they took me up to set, it turned out we were shooting on the 3rd floor east. It stopped me in my tracks because that was the floor my mother worked and supervised on for most of her nursing career. I have to say it was very emotional for me. And then to be home and see so many people and close friends that I hadn’t seen in so long was just so exciting.

I always wondered how kids who literally lived across the street from the school could play hookie and not get caught. I was from down shore so I really never had to worry about that. Thanks so much Wally for taking the time out to share you thoughts with us. I am truly honored and touch that you were able to take time out to do this for me.

Just a reminder to watch the movie,  The Phantoms, tomorrow night (Sunday November 18th) on CBC tv at 8pm (8:30pm NFLD)

Coaching consultants Glenn State and Alan Doucet and in the middle is Sudz Sutherland the director. I actually know Alan but not sure if he would remember me because its been many years.

Today I am honored to be able to have this Q&A with the director of the movie The Phantoms on the blog today.

Why did you want to direct The Phantoms movie?

I wanted to direct the Phantoms movie because I was blown away by the grit and determination of the boys that achieved what some thought was impossible. This is a story of overcoming incredible odds, but more than that, it’s a story of the resilience of the human spirit. I like working in the area of raw emotions in the dramas that I direct, especially watching men deal with emotions. This gave me the chance to work with young actors, pushing them to the furthest limits of their ability. Of the 5 young actors who played the leads, only one of them could play basketball. They were hired for their acting abililty. The producers had set aside some resources to run a basketball camp for the actors and the Bathurst area students who would be playing their opponents. The actors took the camp seriously, and the truth is that I bought them all epsom salts at the end of the first week. They all used them! They gave of themselves truly 100 per cent, as did the crew and the rest of the cast. This was not just another movie, it was a tribute and we were shooting it in the community where all of it took place.

How important was it that this movie be filmed in the community?

It was incredibly important that The Phantoms be filmed in Bathurst. There was a lot of controversy about the film and the producers Tim Hogan and Rick LeGuerrier were extremely sensitive about the delicacy of the situation. They understood that there were raw feelings and everyone was sensitive to that. No one wants to know the pain of losing a child and we didn’t want to exploit that. The film isn’t so much about the tragedy, as it is about the community coming together to heal. Andrew Wreggit, the writer of the fabulous script, focused on that and it shows in the finished film. The Phantoms crew and cast lived in Bathurst during the shooting of the movie and we shot scenes in the actual gyms and classrooms where the story took place. That added a level of authenticity and we honestly had a sense of mission every day when we went to work. This wasn’t just an ordinary movie that we were doing. This was special.

What was the community’s reaction to having you and the production team there?

Complex. There were people for it and there were people against it. Understandably so. There were seven mothers affected personally by the tragedy and they were split down the middle, some were for it, some against. I cannot imagine how tough life is for these women. One of the moms was on set, and we were shooting a scene in the gym. I went over and talked to her, introducing myself. I asked her if it was hard for her being in the gym again. She said of course it’s hard. It’s hard every day. She also said that she has other kids though. And they played basketball, so she had to go back to the gym for them. She said that when you have kids, you can’t just stay in bed and be depressed, you have to go on, you have to live for them. And she said that she knows without a doubt that her son would have wanted her to be there, for him.

Director’s note: This was truly one of the best personal experiences that I have ever had in my life, film-related or not. I learned about our human community during this production and I will treasure it. This is a movie that the whole family can enjoy. There is something for everyone, and yes, the basketball is good quality! Two words of advice: Bring Kleenex.

Thanks so very much Sudz for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to sit and do this for me. I have no idea how I am going to handle watching the movie because I am practially in tears doing all these posts. I know it will be an amazing movie and the Boys in Red are looking down on us smiling.

January 12, 2008 is a day I will never forget. I awake to hear the tragic news that not only rocked me but  my home town of Bathurst, New Brunswick and the whole nation.

In the wee hours of January 12, the Bathurst High School Phantoms were returning home from a basketball game against a Moncton high team when tragedy strike. The school van fish-tailed on the slippery high way and collide with a transport.

The morning we lost seven talented and amazing young men and a teacher. There was four survivors. They may be gone but they aren’t forgotten.