This last week has been a lot of fun with the World Under 17 Hockey Challenge taking place at the Canalta Centre here in Medicine Hat, Alberta. A couple weeks ago I was contacted by a producer at TSN (The Sports Network) to inquire about Editing Luke shooting the Medicine Hat scenics for the national broadcasts of the bronze medal, semi-final, and gold medal hockey games. Working with other outfits like this is always a cool experience. Not only do you get an inside look at how they operate, but it's always pretty flattering when established organizations find your work from across the country and it leads to unique opportunities to collaborate. In addition to the broadcasts, the local scenics I shot provided an excuse to update my b-roll with some picturesque winter scenes - like in Police Point Park, for example. All around it was a fun week.
It's been a week since my documentary Clay, Creativity & the Comeback debuted at Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat, Alberta and subsequently went live online. In that relatively short amount of time the feedback has been incredible, and with it has come a variety of questions. While I'm sure there will be further updates down the road as I began to promote and share this project with a wider audience, in the meantime I wanted to answer some of the questions I've received and provide some context for how all of this unfolded.
How was this documentary financed? Money is always a popular topic, and in this instance I can certainly understand the curiosity because of the scale of what had to happen to produce this. Earlier this year I received a message through the Editing Luke business website from a content producer working at TELUS HQ in Vancouver. I was essentially told that they were looking for Alberta filmmakers, had seen some of my work online, and were motivated to produce something before the end of August 2019. They already had a budget in place and asked if I'd like to pitch them a documentary concept. This resulting project about how the industrial ruins of Medicine Hat's former clay industry were saved was that idea. We signed a contract, and by April I was in pre-production. Was this a TELUS Storyhive project? No. I've been asked this a couple times because I think a few people are familiar with filmmakers campaigning on social media for votes to get their ideas produced. Part of what made this experience so unique is that it was TELUS who reached out to me and initiated this collaboration. I didn't apply for anything, I've never worked with TELUS before, and I've never done a Storyhive project in the past. Not bad, right? lol. All that said, TELUS does a great job of investing in content production in the various markets they serve and I think they contacted me just to see if there was potential. It's cool that this worked out and that now we're both able to benefit from sharing an Alberta story that may not have been told otherwise.
What was the most challenging part of creating this documentary? The time in which all of this had to happen was by far the most challenging aspect of this documentary. We signed a contract and my research began in April. I was in production through May and June, and then edited through July and August. That's not a lot of time to find your story, connect with and schedule all your subjects for interviews, dig through archives, source music, footage, images, shoot b-roll, etc. etc. I wasn't in this completely alone mind you - but I think you'll find that most feature length documentaries have more than 5 months between initial concept and delivery date.
Did you find anything you weren't expecting? Surprisingly, yes. Some of the archival images of the abandoned factories and the vintage footage that was found for this documentary had never been widely released or seen before. Because my material was coming from various archives and often the interview subjects themselves, there was actually a lot that was uncovered, scanned, and digitized specifically for this film that probably won't turn up anywhere else. What was the most memorable part of shooting this documentary? There were a lot of memorable parts to this project, but the moment that sticks out because of how surreal it was has to be filming with James Marshall when he got the call that his friend Jack Forbes had passed away. James and Jack are credited with starting the movement to save the old Medalta factory, so to be interviewing James as he shared stories about Jack and then to receive that call - that was a crazy bit of coincidence to capture on camera.
What was the biggest lesson you learned on this documentary? I think that compelling stories can be hiding right under your nose. I'd been exploring the clay district for years, had grown up in Medicine Hat, and actually had no idea how elaborate the history of the clay district was or how it was saved prior to researching for this documentary. I knew there was a big gap between when the factories had closed and when the Medalta museum had opened, but there was no formalized story written out for me to comprehend what had really happened in that time. From a narrative perspective, it was an amazing story to uncover. Historic sites like this can be found all over North America in various stages of decay OR redevelopment - and in sharing the success of what's happened here, you never know who it might inspire to take a second look.
The introduction for Clay, Creativity & the Comeback can be viewed below, and to watch the complete 75 minute documentary CLICK HERE.
Shooting and editing a feature length documentary in a matter of months is no small task - particularly when the story you're setting out to tell is one that hasn't really been documented before. This entire filmmaking experience was exhilarating, exhausting, eye-opening, and consuming - and the result was Clay, Creativity & the Comeback.
Clay, Creativity & the Comeback tells the story of how the industrial ruins and abandoned factories of Medicine Hat, Alberta's once booming clay industry were saved from demolition and became the inspiration for a renewed cultural landmark and National Historic Site of Canada. Medalta Potteries (one of several pottery factories in the area) was where it all began. The idea behind saving this crumbling structure was a grand vision kickstarted by James Marshall and Jack Forbes in the 1970s. It was a dream fraught with obstacles that would take decades, countless volunteers, and an incredible amount of gumption to achieve.
This original documentary - Clay, Creativity & the Comeback - was made possible by the financial support of TELUS, by the amazing individuals who shared their first hand experiences, and through the cooperation of the Friends of Medalta Society and Medalta in the Historic Clay District (and their incredible team who rallied behind this idea). Written, Produced, and Directed by Luke Fandrich. An Editing Luke Production. Copyright 2019. More about the behind the scenes production of this documentary here.
Last night was a surreal experience. Thank you to everyone who came out to see the premiere of my documentary Clay, Creativity & the Comeback at Medalta. We seriously underestimated just how many people would show up - which was a great problem to have.
To be in this old factory, surrounded by many of the people who stepped up to save it, while watching a film I'd worked on for months inside what is now a National Historic Site of Canada - it was an experience I won't soon forget. I've been truly humbled by the reactions and messages regarding the documentary and am so grateful to everyone who made it possible. Thank you for the incredible night! Clay, Creativity & the Comeback will be released on the Editing Luke website tomorrow, September 20 for those who missed it.
My latest documentary - Clay, Creativity & the Comeback received some attention in the Medicine Hat News today in anticipation of the debut screening taking place at Medalta Potteries this week. The documentary explores the efforts that were made to save the buildings of Medicine Hat's clay district from demolition (including Medalta) beginning in the 1970s - a journey that lead the site to becoming a National Historic Site of Canada.
See the full article on the Medicine Hat News website here. The debut screening of Clay, Creativity & the Comeback takes place Wednesday, September 18 at 6pm at Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat, Alberta. All are welcome. Admission is free.
As this latest documentary nears completion, here's a little teaser trailer for Clay, Creativity & the Comeback - due for release this fall. You can read more about this project here.
Every project comes with its own unique challenges, but to produce a feature length documentary in just a few months has been a wild adventure in filmmaking. From initial concept to research to production to editing, the last four months have been unlike any I've ever experienced in my career simply because of how much had to get done in such a brief time frame. On Friday the fine cut of my documentary was completed for a first preview - which means the project is now in the final stages of post-production. It will all be wrapped up by the end of August. I've left a few breadcrumbs online while production was ongoing, but otherwise I've been pretty secretive about what my new documentary is actually about ... until now!
My documentary is titled Clay, Creativity & the Comeback. It's a story about abandoned industry, creative ingenuity, and the preservation of a community's heritage. Specifically, it's the story of how the industrial ruins and abandoned factories of Medicine Hat, Alberta's once booming clay industry were saved from demolition (beginning in the 1970's) to eventually become part of a vast, vibrant, and emerging cultural district that is now recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada.
The clay district in my hometown of Medicine Hat has captured my attention for years. I've shot thousands of images here, filmed various projects here, I've even had one of my designs showcased on vintage Hycroft China here. But mainly, I wanted to tell this story because I knew it hadn't really been documented in a significant way before - and frankly, the time to capture some of these oral histories was running out. How were these old factories saved, who was involved, why did they do it, why did it take decades to achieve? The story was way bigger than I initially realized. Featuring newly uncovered archival materials and exclusive interviews from many of the key people who were involved over the decades, Clay, Creativity & the Comeback is a fascinating look at reinvention, artistic passion, and the drive to make things happen when the odds are stacked against you. Stay tuned to Editing Luke for more details and where you can watch the finished project when it's released in the very near future. This original Editing Luke documentary was made possible by outside funding in Vancouver - more on that to be revealed soon too. I can't wait to share this new project with you!
Between 2015 and 2017 I was on a bit of a concert photography kick. With media passes for several venues (as Editing Luke) I photographed a number of prominent Canadian musicians as they came through Medicine Hat, Alberta. I was recently archiving some of this old work and thought it would be fun to reshare some of the stills I captured at these shows. Featured Canadian musicians in this series include: The Tragically Hip, Barenaked Ladies, Francesco Yates, Yukon Blonde, Paul Brandt, Hawksley Workman, City and Colour, Carly Rae Jepsen, Our Lady Peace, Tim Hicks, Dean Brody, The Trews, Chantal Kreviazuk, Joel Plaskett, and Tom Cochrane.Explore more photo sets here.
Working with other outfits like this is always a cool experience. Not only do you get an inside look at how they operate, but it's always pretty flattering when established organizations find your work from across the country and it leads to unique opportunities to collaborate. In addition to the broadcasts, the local scenics I shot provided an excuse to update my b-roll with some picturesque winter scenes - like in Police Point Park, for example. All around it was a fun week.
Featuring newly uncovered archival materials and exclusive interviews from many of the key people who were involved over the decades, Clay, Creativity & the Comeback is a fascinating look at reinvention, artistic passion, and the drive to make things happen when the odds are stacked against you.
Featured Canadian musicians in this series include: The Tragically Hip, Barenaked Ladies, Francesco Yates, Yukon Blonde, Paul Brandt, Hawksley Workman, City and Colour, Carly Rae Jepsen, Our Lady Peace, Tim Hicks, Dean Brody, The Trews, Chantal Kreviazuk, Joel Plaskett, and Tom Cochrane. Explore more photo sets here.
