Note: if you haven’t already, please read the beginning of my post “The Canadian Tourism Commission Chronicles: Saskatchewan“, to get the background on my involvement on this project.
My final leg of this epic summer job was heading back to Québec, and into the beautiful Eastern Townships. As I mentioned in my previous post on Québec, I went to Bishop’s University, which is in the heart of the Townships. I have fond memories of the area, and made lifelong friends while living and studying there, so it was a real treat to profile the beautiful countryside that surrounded the University area.
First up was a trip to the city of Sherbrooke, where we joined-up with the Traces et Souvenances theatrical production tour.
I think my favorite clip that I shot that’s used in this story is at 0:04 – a nice portrait of actor Lysanne Gallant.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtMvjb7_m6w
A quick drive brought us over to Arbre Sutton, an exhilarating high ropes course.
Favorite clip: 0:12 – I really like the movement of the woman coming into this shot, and the fading-in of the title treatment.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BoThvCpPbI
Next up is a profile on the small farming community of Compton.
Favorite clip: 0:50 – I loved this old apple sorting machine.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Mc7asQCqk
Did you know that wine is grown in Québec? It’s true, and you can find it exploding along the Brome-Missisquoi wine route.
Favorite clip: 0:06 – I really liked using my new Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L lens, and here’s another great example of a little rack focus at a really low aperture setting.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ielYqRb7fQ
The Eastern Townships also boasts one of the most prolific Duck Festivals in Lac-Brome.
Favorite clip: 0:14 – I like the series of clips here showing this adventurous cook whipping up a Duck crêpe.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6pioKPQYc8
One of the most exhilarating stories we did was profiling The Orford Express, which is a tourist train that sweeps through the countryside between Sherbrooke, Magog and Eastman.
Favorite clip: 0:01 – that’s me, at the front of the train, wind in my hair, “I’m the king of the worrrld!”.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5XiDVrcc6A
The last story we did on this epic journey was profiling the Montreal Botanical Garden.
Favorite clip: 1:13 – the Mark II’s ability really flexes in this little clip.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IfBDPCQGmI
And that’s a wrap!
Other stories we completed included:
The Cherry River Marsh in Ville de Magog, Historic Village of Knowlton, La Tournée des 20 in the Eastern Townships, The Missisquoi Museum in Stanbridge East, Spa Experience: Revitalize and Relax in Eastman, Mont Mégantic National Park, Abbaye St. Benoit Du Lac, Au Diable Vert in Glen Sutton, and Astrolab in Notre-Dame-des-Bois.
Shoot stats:
Total kilometers driven – 750 km
Total hours in Dodge Caravan - 10.5 hours
Total number of stories shot – 16
Total number of shoot days – 7
It was an anticlimactic finish to the job, but the relief was huge, for sure. I met hundreds of great Canadians, and got a real lesson on how big and proud Canada really is. Although the videos may not be flashy or overly exciting, they do show a lot of what Canada has to offer, and it was such a great exercise to get acquainted and comfortable shooting video with the Canon Mark II. I’m looking forward to translating that new knowledge into bigger projects in 2010.
Total CTC Project Shoot Stats:
Total kilometers driven – 4952 km
Total hours in Dodge Caravan – 60.5 hours
Total number of stories shot – 99
Total number of shoot days – 39
[...] you scan through more of the Tourism videos- you can see exactly what Finn is talking about in terms of framing and composition. After seeing [...]