Wayward Pines: prep week 2

My second week on Wayward Pines. We are still prepping, and have a long way to go until they start filming season 2 next Tuesday. Last year, the main street of Agassiz in the Fraser Valley was the main street of Wayward Pines, Idaho. This year it will be recreated at a studio lot in Burnaby.

I stole this from the web, an aerial view of Wayward Pines.

A rare sunny day this time of year as I head to downtown Vancouver to pick up the director and the writer of the show.

I was a little early, so I went for a walk around Canada Place and the Convention Center.

Rain, rain , stay away!

back in Burnaby, I took the producers and director over to the studio lot to check on the progress of the main street of Wayward Pines. (Fox has very strict rules on what you can and can't take pictures of, so I am very limited to what I can show on this blog.)

Across town, junior is working hard as a grip on a t.v. pilot for ABC called Imaginary Mary. (starring  Jenna Elfman of Dharma and Greg fame)

One of the duties of prep is to pick up the trucks you will need for the filming season. Today it was off to Vancouver Mobile Dressing Rooms in Delta to pick up the "honey wagon". (includes washrooms, assistant director and changing rooms. )

Behind the trucks was the Fraser river. As I took a look, a beaver made it's way towards......

and away from me, very cool !

After one more trip, this time to Harold's Custom Equipment in Langley to pick-up the camera truck, it was down the highway back to the studio in South Burnaby.

Lots going on at the studio this week. These "picture vehicles" are being dropped off for use in the first episode.

back down town for an actor pick-up. My new go to route is on Waterfront St. into this tunnel, which takes you under the Vancouver Convention and brings you back up to Burrard Street, where I need to be.

You know when you get bored, you can always open the back hatch of the Ford flex and look at the sky on the back up camera screen on the dash!

Back in the office, the cast list is nearing completion for episode one of season two.

The little bit I can show. Construction is in full swing at the studio. In preparation for the start of filming, there is approximately 150 carpenters alone working on the various sets. Next week filming begins on Tuesday, ready or not.

Welcome to Wayward Pines

Welcome to Wayward Pines, where paradise is home??? (I think not!) (Click on the show title to learn more)

A new week, a new job. Monday started at Enterprise Rent a Car in Burnaby. This branch is exclusive to the film industry, renting cars, trucks and vans for the many productions filming in Vancouver. For the next 4 months I will be working on the second season of the Fox t.v. series, Wayward Pines.

The starting odometer. Let's see how many kilometres I rack up over the course of the show.

My home away from home is now the driver's seat of this black Ford flex.

At the production office, the cast list is evolving. Last season Matt Dillon was the lead, but for reasons unknown , he will not be back. Jason Patric is the new lead.

the Set decorating department is busy accumulating items in their "lock-up".

The production office and studio is located in South Burnaby, a stone's throw away from the Fraser River.

In season one, the main street of Wayward Pines was filmed in the town of Agassiz. This season, they have moved the main street of Wayward Pines, Idaho to the old "Watchmen" set just off of Byrne road in South Burnaby. Here the construction crew is working hard building the fictional town.

It is so busy, productions are having trouble finding studio space. Wayward pines have taken over a group of buildings that was once home to Golden Boy Foods.

Friday was a scout day. In this sprinter, I drove the execs, director, locations department heads, and producers around the lower mainland as they looked for filming locations. This building is familiar ground, the North Lawn Building at Riverview in Coquitlam.

and back to the Crease clinic at Riverview, I cannot remember how many productions that I have been involved with that have filmed here

New territory (at least for me), scouting around Glen Drive in Coquitlam.

We will be filming in one of the newer suburbs in Coquitlam. I was blown away how many new streets and homes are at the top of Burke Mountain. Single detached homes for only a million!

I worked on the re-shoots of parts of season one in 2014. I actually remember this night in Agassiz, when the town of Wayward Pines went into panic mode. Apparently the power went out just long enough for the "Abbies" (in the foreground)  to escape from their enclosures.

Not the best print ad from the Wayward Pines tourism department.

My week-end was spent with 25 others at a Teamsters 155 shop steward course.

Lots to learn. Stimulating the brain is very important. I find I also learn a bit about myself as well when I participate in these seminars.

iZombie, episode 217.

Episode 217, (episode 17 of the 2nd season) finds the iZombie gang taking over the  University of British Columbia (UBC) on another rainy winter day in Vancouver.

5.a.m. comes awfully early. Hanging out with the other production's cast drivers at the Sutton Place Hotel, waiting to pick up the director.

Seems like it was only two days ago I was enjoying Denver upsetting Carolina in Superbowl 50 at the Hop and Vine pub in Burnaby.

and only one day ago I was hiking the Jug Island Beach hike in Belcarra Regional Park with my friend Ron and my son.

Just outside of Port Moody, what a beautiful and lush hike.

It is about a 5.5 km round trip, and has enough ups and downs to make it a pretty good work-out.

The end brings you to Jug Island.

Looking right, a lot of people here today, probably because it's the family day holiday.

Looking left.

A cell phone does not capture the beauty.

at one point, long ago, there were buildings down by the water. (not sure of the history)

Now that is a well recycled tree.

junior cruising by an impressive rock face.

Then it was back to reality. (Okay, the film world is far from reality, but it's my reality, including these ridiculous catered meals. ( Ha ha , I actually put this plate together, trying for the presentation points!)

day turns into night once again as we film at the North Shore Studios in North Vancouver. (average filming is 12 to 13 hours on an 8 day episode, not including the pre and after work that needs to be done)

There's my cast vehicle at the head of our "circus". Our base camp took up a good portion of East Mall Blvd at UBC.

Now we are taking over the old student union building at UBC. It is close to the bus loop and I could not believe how many students streamed by our location. (apparently there is over 50,000 students enrolled at the university.)

on the wall, competition is fierce for the student body president . Except it is for the fictional Pacific Western University in Seattle (not UBC), and the posters are two of the actors on this episode.

our crews completely took over the building with their gear.

another early start, time to grab a quick coffee across from the Convention Center downtown Vancouver.

One of the actors is late, and I can only wait. (She's up there somewhere)

another Fraturday, but it wont be too bad, we have a curfew in this neighbourhood on west 29th ave in Vancouver, we have to be out by 1 a.m.

This show is loosely based on a DC comic book of the same name.

Uhmmmnnn, I think the t.v. show is a better bet.