SUNDRE — The cast and crew of Pipe Nation recently wrapped up shooting the bulk of the independently-produced pilot episode.
“The production was amazing — the footage that we shot was phenomenal. We have about 80 per cent of production shots done,” said Edmonton-based filmmaker Raoul Bhatt.
“So now, it’s just a couple of gaps we need to fill in,” the show’s director said on Tuesday, Aug. 25 after the final day of shooting in and around Sundre. He added the remaining footage was largely going to be filmed later that week in downtown Edmonton for a scene involving an energy sector company head office skyrise.
“We’re not going to do it in Calgary,” said Bhatt, adding that for logistical reasons, “It’s going to be easier in Edmonton, at the EPCOR tower. It’s a really cool boardroom that we got.”
One of the last scenes to shoot also involved simulating an air ambulance rescue near the fictional town of Hardwell, represented by Sundre, which again for logistical reasons will be shot closer to Edmonton in Leduc with a STARS helicopter, he said.
Bhatt expressed pride for the small crew’s ability to efficiently execute a tightly packed production schedule that involved some long days, including an essentially non-stop stretch on the final Saturday.
“We were doing two to three scenes a day. Our actors would run in eight-hour shifts. But our crew, we put in a 24-hour day,” Bhatt said, later adding he at one point “passed out” in the back of his pickup.
“For what we pulled off in nine days, takes a usual production about month.”
Acknowledging that’s “a very bold claim on my behalf” and that some directors have been known to pull off shooting feature films in 14 days, Bhatt said productions typically shoot one scene per day with anywhere from 100-200 people involved.
Although COVID-19 protocols meant additional planning, the process was overall facilitated by having a modest team, he said.
“We were able to keep it smaller and more nimble. So, our scene setups were faster and our breakups were faster.”
He figures production could have been completed in seven days under ideal circumstances, but also recognized the reality of production during a pandemic.
All things considered, Bhatt seemed enthusiastic about their success. Reviewing footage every night “to make sure nothing was missed,” he said the quality of their work “was on par, if not better than what comes out of Vancouver and what I’m seeing in L.A.”
Set in a fictional small Alberta town called Hardwell — which is portrayed by Sundre’s idyllic atmosphere and scenery — Pipe Nation explores, from the perspective of a single mother saddled by debt, the trials and tribulations faced by oilpatch workers, their friends and families, as they struggle to adapt to a transitioning economy.
Local businesses contribute
The local shoot involved the support of several businesses such as Burger Baron, Fountain Tire, Capital Pressure, Sundre Contracting, Chinook Country Inn and Twisted Pantry, he said.
“They were huge supports in the production.”
One mountain setting, vehicle dialogue scene near Ya Ha Tinda required the use of a trailer modified by Todd Dalke from Fountain Tire that facilitated a shoot that enabled the actors to concentrate on their lines while their vehicle was hauled along the gravel road on the flatbed, he said.
“We were shooting inside the truck. It (the shot) fools the viewer that the driver’s actually driving, but they’re not — they were focused on the dialogue, so she’s not driving at that point,” he said.
“It was really technically challenging, but we delivered.”
Modestly downplaying his contribution, Dalke said, “I didn’t really do all that much, to be honest.”
The trailer required some work that needed doing anyway, and Dalke also managed to rig a corded connection using a long HDMI cable and a 27-inch monitor when Bhatt’s wireless transmitter for a camera stopped working.
“We ran it from the truck all the way across the trailer, into the backseat of the pickup so he could see his shot and hear everything that’s going on. But that’s all I did,” Dalke said.
“A lot of guys stepped up and helped him with a lot of stuff, I did very little.”
He welcomed the opportunity to host the production in Sundre with open arms.
“It’s pretty darn cool, just period. I really hope they hit it off,” he said, optimistic about the potential financial spinoff — including visitors curious to see where the show was filmed — that could sprinkle into the local economy throughout the year.
“By no means do I want to be Banff, but anything more of a diverse economy than we had before is a plus.”
Extra has fun
There were also numerous background actors as well, many of them locals like 14-year-old Hannah Turnbull.
The Olds student who will be starting Grade 9 this year said, “I’ve kind of been wanting to be an actor for a little while now.”
With an opportunity coming so close to home, she wasn’t about to miss it.
While this was her first experience on a set, Turnbull’s passion for the performing arts goes back years.
“I’ve done some theatre at school,” said the teenager, who in Grade 4 played the lead role in a stage production of Cinderella, followed a couple of years later in Grade 6 by another starring performance as Belle in a rendition of Beauty and the Beast.
“It was just really fun when I’ve done theatre productions, and I’ve wanted to do something a bit more serious, like film,” she said, adding she enjoyed not only the chance to be an extra, but also the opportunity to get a behind the scenes glimpse of the process involved in shooting a show.
That can mean hours of work for what might translate to seconds or minutes on screen, she said.
“It took like two and half hours of me having to swing on the swing for the first scene that I was in, and you might not even be able to see me!”
Another scene of a bush party in a barn required a late-night shoot, she said, adding the experience provided a chance to temporarily disconnect from reality.
“It was really fun, everyone just danced and had a good time while also being filmed, but it was also kind of real,” she said.
“I just really liked being able to be something different, and kind of just be able to pretend you’re someone else for a little while.”
The teenager also praised the crew.
“They were all just really nice people, I really liked meeting them and spending some time with them — it was really great.”
Aspiring to pursue a path in acting, Turnbull said she has an agent that will hopefully help her find other opportunities.
“This has been helpful to put on a resume.”
Overall, Bhatt said the production went off largely without a hitch.
“A few hiccups here and there, but nothing huge — everyone’s healthy, happy, well fed,” he said, adding there had not yet been any cases of COVID-19 identified, but that it would take about two weeks to know for sure.
“We did everything we possibly could,” he said, citing temperature checks, paperwork, masks, face shields as well as physical distancing when possible.
“If nothing happens, then the production’s a true success.”
Once the remaining scenes are shot, Bhatt said post-production would be getting underway. He hopes to arrange a red carpet event for a private screening in Sundre, but details are still being planned.
Meanwhile, Bhatt said he already misses the community.
“The warmth and support we got, I can’t thank you guys enough. We hope the town saw a lot of value in what we did.”
