2007-10-25
Four-hour, two-part mini series titled The Summit will air on CBC in 2008
Deerhurst Resort became Hollywood North for five days last week, playing host to Shaftesbury Films, a Canadian film and television production company based in Toronto.
The film crew had cameras rolling on Deerhurst’s golf course – working around several unexpectedly heavy downpours to get shots with Peninsula Lake in the background – outside the main entrance and inside in the lobby area.
Earlier, a call had gone out for extras to play alongside movie greats such as Christopher Plummer, Bruce Greenwood, Wendy Crewson and Britain’s Nigel Bennett, resulting in many familiar faces possibly showing up when The Summit, a four-hour, two-part miniseries airs on CBC next fall.
Muskoka actors Gregg Evans and Britt Stevens were snapped in their dark suits relaxing between takes. Evans was playing an aide to the French prime minister (Pierre Alcide) and Stevens a secret service agent for the US president (Plummer) and the US chief of staff (Crewson).
While there was a considerable amount of time spent waiting around between takes, being part of the production was a lot of fun, said Evans.
“It’s much easier than being on stage.”
The previous day, local extras had played members of the media, taking part in a scrum (when a large number of reporters surround a public figure and bombard them with questions) being filmed outside the resort’s main entrance.
“It was fun, and Deerhurst provided a great lunch,” said Marnie Hill, who played one of the reporters.
The Summit, a drama/thriller written by Albertan playwright John Krizanc (This is Wonderland) and directed by Nick Copus (Painkiller Jane), is about corrupt government, a deadly secret and a race against time.
Set on the eve of the next G8 Summit, the fast-paced action thriller follows a mother’s desperate struggle to bring justice to her murdered son, fallen victim to a massive corrupt pharmaceutical company.
Approaching the G8 armed with a vial of infected blood, the woman is determined to get the attention of the world’s most powerful leaders with a biological weapon that threatens the entire future of the western world.
Meanwhile, young activists clamour at the gates, demonstrating for a new kind of society. Lines are drawn, barricades erected and police and activists are armed.
Filming began on Oct. 1 and concludes on Nov. 21. Shooting takes place around Haliburton, Hamilton, Parry Sound, Sudbury, Toronto, London, UK, and Ecuador, which will play for Colombia.
Another call has gone out for film extras for a protest scene to be filmed in Parry Sound on Nov. 3 and 4. Anyone interested should contact Maureen Evans at maureenb2b@yahoo.com, or at 1-416-406-6600.
The Summit is a Shaftesbury Films/Media Headquarters co-production, in association with CBC Television, Global Television and Powercorp International.