Fit for a blog!

Is winter finally going to end? (doesn't look like it with this week's forecast). Time to work off the winter pounds, I've been spending a lot of time at the gym in Burnaby.

Yup, they're clouds all right. It's been so long since I took some of these pics, I can't remember what it's all about. (must off fascinated my little  a.d.d. mind at the time, though!)

It seems like it doesn't matter what direction you head into Vancouver from , you seem to get a great city view. (I think this is over by Clark and East 6th)

Can still get pretty cold this time of year, as attested by my frozen water bottle and iced windshield.

One of my favourite views is across the water from Granville Island

towards the Burrard Street bridge

I think this is funny, being from the Okanagan. This is the only shot of snow I have on my car all winter!

A random couple of days. I ended up helping on the filming of a commercial for Auto Trader downtown Vancouver. Russ and I had to bring the police cars from 911 Film Cars to set, and be around in case they needed us for anything.

When your standing around, you start to notice little things, like this music poster on a dumpster!

It was an early start the next morning downtown to finish the commercial.

This was my ride. It's kinda of funny watching people drive on their best behaviour when you are cruising down the freeway with this "ex" police car.

and it was very foggy that morning.

The scene was kind of funny. One guy robs a bank, and jumps into his buddy's SUV and are soon being chased by the police. The gag is the SUV has a for sale sign on it in big letters, and the driver is happy for the exposure with Auto Trader.

It was time for the inside the SUV dialogue. This was great for me, because I drove behind in the Dodge minivan, which had a video monitor and speakers inside, so the director and production could listen to the actors. The range was short, so I had to stay close to the SUV as we drove up and down the streets of Vancouver.

Ready to go, you can see the camers sticking out of the rear window

They did a scene with the actors in the SUV. The vehicle did not move, the car was put on blocks, and was shaken to simulate driving down the road.

The sitting around part was hard. I got so bored, I ended up taking goofy pictures, like this one of the granite floor inside of the office building that was being used as a bank for the commercial.

and the chase begins- again! (This was about the 20th take)

Looking outside from the office building, just thankful to be inside on this cold day

So to simulate the police helicopter chasing the SUV, they had a camera on top of the office building, It doesn't look like it was up very high, but believe me..........

it was!

Finally the day ends and I have to leave my ride at the lot, but not before I played with the lights one more time!

A rare work day, this time driving the production crew of the T.V. show Supernatural around to scout out their next filming locations. This show just won a People's Choice award for best Sci-fi?Fantasy show. This is another ominous Vancouver alley.

The Murray hotel, downtown Vancouver. (Construction started in 1914)

Waiting outside the Murray Hotel on Hornby in Vancouver.

Then it was off to Fraser Shipyards on the Fraser River in Richmond

This place has certainly seen better days.

Not much going on beside an upholstery shop upstairs. Through the door you can see across to New Westminster.

Everything was derelict

I'm sure something used to be moored to this dock long ago.

A lot of it looks like one good wind storm would bring it all down.

back to the Supernatural production offices

On the way back to the bus yard in New Westminster, I got stuck in traffic, which gave me time to snap a pic of the skytrain crosing the fraser river from Surrey to New Westminster. The Patullo bridge is just beyond.

random shots from last fall. One of the film sets for the show Motive was on the other side of the skytrain in Burnaby, in an office at Metrotown.

This homeless person shopping cart was actually one of the props for the show

I'm losing track, I think this is a shot from the office building.

Yes, that was the office building, and this is the wrong stairwell I took to go back to my truck, ended up lost in the parkade, had to ask security to direct out back out to the real world.

Another show I worked on was Falling Skies (a Steven Spielberg production). This shot is from the crew parking lot in North Vancouver looking west towards downtown Vancouver

Iron Workers Bridge.

parked for good?

Looking east across the water towards a Coast Guard vessel being worked on at Allied Shipyards

Night falls on Falling Skies, the set was a lot scarier when they weren't filming.

Happy New Year!

Wow, am I falling behind. January is almost behind us, and I am still dwelling on pictures from last fall! This was the beginning of construction on a new film stage at Vancouver Film Studios It has since been finished, and it possibly could not be at a worse time. The loss of tax incentives for the B.C. Film Industry means we are losing productions to other provinces like Ontario and Quebec. There is a petition going around to send to the B.C. government. You can sign online here

As I continue to work in the film industry, my travels have taken me back to Steveston, for a location survey for the T.V. show Fringe (Once Upon a Time also uses Steveston as a home base.)

It's a goreous spot if you ever get a chance to come out and see it.

Another spot the film production companies like to use is the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve in North Vancouver

This is in Lynn Canyon Park

Still fall in picture land.

this is Cates Park in North Vancouver looking west back towards Vancouver

Later that night I ended up working for the T.V. show Falling Skies. They were doing a night shoot at the GVRD ( Vancouver watershed), way up above North Vancouver. A cold fall night, with temperatures dropping below freezing.

The next day, my daughter and I headed back to Lynn Canyon Park to scope it out.

The view from the suspension bridge. (no cost for this one)

Is that a sasquatch, or just a grumpy old man?

O Canada

This park is really something to see, we barely saw a fraction of all it had to offer.

A shot of the suspension bridge, it is safe, but you can still get it rocking enough to upset the people you are with!

good advice

Now we are in 2013. I went for coffee with a buddy in Coquitlam, on the way home I stopped by the Barnet Marine Park between Burnaby and Port Moody. It is very close to my place.

It was a little chilly that day, but I will be back to check this place out more in the spring.

Looking out over the north end of Burrard Inlet

tracks crossing at the enterance to the park,



North Burnaby is a bit higher up and there has been quite a few foggy days,

cruising down Willingdon Ave as the sun tries to break through

As January come to an end, I have started to go to more auditions for student film projects, today I had one at the         Vancouver Film School . (to be continued!)