Paranormal is the new norm

This week I was fortunate enough (I think?) to spend time on two CW network shows. I started the week on iZombie, then finished on Supernatural, this show is in it's 11th season!

At the start of the week, heading down town to pick up cast members on iZombie, I had a chance to stop and admire the view of North Vancouver and the North Shore Mountains.

Monday night shooting across the street from North Shore Studios, the main filming location for iZombie.

Tuesday morning was a little on the damp side at North Shore Studios, was really quite content to stay inside the cast vehicle.

Eventually, I had to get out, how can I resist another fine lunch from the t.v. show caterers, Showthyme.

this was part of our evening set, at Toby's pub in North Vancouver, except this time, it is the pub's real kitchen, not the fine work of our set decorating department.

My last duties on episode 215 of iZombie, one more trip to Vancouver International airport to pick up one of the guest stars.

Yah, my face tells the whole story, my Wednesday started with a little trauma at my dentist office!

Yes, who doesn't want to see a bunch of drills ready for action.

and there is my new, pricey as gold,  teeth, scattered around like chiclets!

On Thursday, I worked for the t.v. show Supernatural. No cushy cast driving gig here, I was thrown in to many trucks, and actually had to get my hands dirty, oh my! This truck also subs as a picture vehicle on the show, but today I was delivering lighting to the electrics department. This is at the New Westminster cemetery, overlooking the mighty Fraser River.

Today also included going out to Clairmont Camera in North Vancouver. I was picking up camera gear for the 2nd unit filming on Friday.

outside of the main sets at the Supernatural studios in South Burnaby.

some very talented crews in Vancouver, these sets are spectacular.

Our second unit day started at Queen's Park in New Westminster. This is a display for Rogers Hometown Hockey, which is a national celebration of hockey that will be at the Queen's Park arena on February 13th & 14th.

It has been raining so hard this week, and the scenes today were exteriors, so it was a bit of a miracle when the sun came out for the last couple of hours of daylight. This was in the parking lot of Queen's Park.

Stop, my job would be in jeopardy if I went any closer to where they were filming in the next block.

 After 2nd unit, I move over to the main unit. When I took this pic, it looked like I had a good frame of the late night filming out at a farm house in Langley. I must have been really tired, after all it was approaching 4 a.m. on a cold Saturday morning. Now that is what they call a true "Fraturday"!

I'm turning into a zombie on iZombie!

My first full week on iZombie, once again back to the long "zombie like" hours.

The week started at one of the show's stages, which just happened to be beside the old "Watchmen set" in South Burnaby, which was used for New York streets. Now it is being rebuilt and will be used for another t.v. series that starts filming in March, Wayward Pines

Two days in and I'm already being entrusted with the days film drives.

A familiar cruise down Boundary road, there is so much more snow on the North Shore mountains than all of last year.

Cast driving duties include getting the car cleaned at the car wash...

rinse cycle!

Impressive attention to detail at the morgue set for iZombie, (I suppose that is where the zombies get their fix of brains).

Outside one of the stages at the Bridge studios, I guess you need to keep a helicopter or two on the lot, you never know when it may be needed.

Another familiar location, the old Nokia building in South Burnaby. I was with two productions there last year, a WWE film, "Lockdown". and the t.v. series "Motive". A lot of other productions use this for their office scenes.

Later in the week found us filming inside the Union Jack pub in New Westminster

Now I could not resist this treat from the "crafty" (snack) truck. One thing I did notice was it was a lot smaller than I remember as a kid.

This was on the side of the Bean Buggy coffee truck that stops by a lot of the productions in the city. It took a couple of times reading it, but I get it now.

Vancouver is so versatile, it plays as many cities. iZombie is set in Seattle. Last week it was Portland on Bates Motel, next week, ?????

Friday found ourselves at the community hall of the Squamish first nation in North Vancouver. There were many examples of native art, including this totem pole.

and the doors to their "long house".

on the way to set, there's a good omen right there!

a quiet cul-de-sac in North Vancouver and a non-descript house is what production has decided is the perfect setting for the villain's hide out.

a short walk brought me to a little oasis so close to metropolis.

A heavy rain had the Capilano river raging on it's way to Burrard Inlet.

and the oasis evaporates, as I spy not one but three huge apartment towers in a security patrolled gated community!

but for a brief time and short distance, I'm alone on the planet (wow, that's pretty deep for me!)

and once again I bump into my old background performer friend, the Ed Rocker! I see him on so many shows! I always look forward to seeing his adventures on his blog. (click here)

here's a familiar scene, the filming ebbs from day to night, another late Friday night in make-believe land. I wonder how the neighbours enjoy having their street lit up like a roman candle?

The good news was we had a 1 a.m. curfew, so filming was not going to go on too much longer. (although it ran later than expected, and we could not move any of the trucks out of the neighbourhood until Saturday. Oh ya, F.Y.I., the zombie is in the red!

late Sunday night edition, a pic on set that Ed Rocker took of me protesting his taking a picture of me after I took a picture of him, phew! (I got the pic off of his blog, haha)

Didn't win the powerball..............

Well, like millions of others, I did not win this weeks U.S. $1.5 billion dollar powerball lottery, so I had to go back to work.

For at least the next two weeks I will be driving cast on the second season of the CW hit series, izombie.

an early start on day 2 of a typical 8 filming days for one episode.

I've got to learn about zombies and eating brains and such, although I did work on the zombie video game movie last year, "dead rising", which does not make me an expert.

Random, if you ever go to Brown's Social House, be sure to try the "Biltmore" prawn pizza, very good, shot

There it is, my powerball ticket. I had zero plans for the jackpot, but I'm sure I would of thought of something.

more randomness, here is a prescription from a herbalist for a friend of mine's wife for an unknown, still a mystery, skin condition.

apparently you can make a drink out of these ingrediants, which includes cockroaches, uhhhhh, no thanks!

The week started in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, including this less than stellar "Hindenberg" pub on West Cordova. Very seedy area, the smell of urine and the drug needles were everywhere.

Awwww jeez, missed the fetish ball by two days! Next year!

The main studio for izombie is at North Shore studios in North Vancouver.

Inside the studio looking at the outside of some of the sets.

Well, didn't spend too long in the funeral home set, a little too creepy for me.

I guess this is a spare

Being part of the transport department, you get called upon to do all sorts or weird and wonderful errands. This time it was going to the super-market to pick-up veggie burgers for the caterers on the show.

One of the perks of cast driving, you get the use of very nice vehicles. This time it is a new Ford Flex, this car is deluxe. I shall call it "black beauty". (I do feel very appreciative for the work). Tomorrow, week two of my zombiefication?