On Screen Manitoba's Blog | Deep Focus - OSM's deeper focus into Film, Video, Media, People, Technology, Strategies and Forms of Medium.

Quid pro quo: I’ve been on sets before. Be it the small, independent short films where the director’s mother is the caterer, to the larger feature films where assistants have assistants.

And because of the long hours and close working conditions, a film set can at times feel like a surrogate family.

Earlier this week I got to visit the Less Than Kind set where they are busy filming episodes for the third season. Less Than Kind follows the quirky, unpredictable trials and tribulations of a dysfunctional Jewish family trying to get by in Winnipeg’s fading North End, and recently the show won three Gemini Awards.

The more than kind Phyllis Laing, of Buffalo Gal Pictures that co-produces the series, welcomed OSM Executive Director Nicole Matiation; Hugh Eliasson (Deputy Minister of Competitiveness and Training), Richard Groen and Kristine Seier (escorts to the Deputy Minister); Ginny Collins, Louise O’Brien Moran and Kiley Dyck (Manitoba Film & Music); and myself to the Weston studio where the HBO Canada show is filmed. Currently in the middle of shooting episodes 10 and 11, the cast and crew were very hospitable to these outside visitors.

We immediately got a tour of the Blecher family home, and I was very impressed by the attention to detail within the house.  More than one person remarked “Hey, I used to have friends with that exact same living room” or “ This looks so familiar” or “Trevor, who let you in here?” It was like being back at home!

From the confines of the Blecher garage we got to watch on monitors a scene being filmed. I can’t tell you what was happening in the scene because I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but lets just say it takes place in the kitchen. Director Gary Yates was at the helm of these episodes and stopped in and said hi.

The cast also visited in-between scenes and everyone was very impressed by them all. Jesse Camacho (who plays Sheldon Blecher), Nancy Sorel (who plays Clara Fine), Benjamin Arthur (who plays Josh Blecher) and Wendel Meldrum (who plays Anne Blecher) all stopped by to say hello. Wendel, ever the gracious host, even offered us some food or drink! I love set visits.

Next, I was able to chat with co-creator Chris Sheasgreen who was sporting a full, bushy hockey playoff beard (for those unaware, a playoff beard is a superstition where players, normally of the hockey variety, grow beards for the time that there team is in the hunt – I’ve been trying to grow my own playoff beard for the past 20 years and might have finally achieved 5 o’clock shadow). We talked about how the series has developed over the years and breaking into the U.S. market. He also told me that in the second season he cast himself as a clown and was wearing heavy clown makeup and only one person in his family recognized him!

Then it was onto a tour of the art and props department, the dressing rooms, and the nerve centre of Less Than Kind, the production office. Everyone was hard at work but took the time to say hi.

Our last stop was the writer’s room that was being led by its leader, Mark McKinney of the mighty Kids In The Hall. Mark and the other writers were hard at work finishing up writing episode 12, which was due to start shooting the following week! The writer’s were very nice and Mark even offered us toast, which I declined, damn you Atkins!

It might sound corny, but the visit to the set of the Blecher family’s home felt all warm and tingly – kind of like family. There was a really good feeling on set and it genuinely felt like everybody enjoyed each other and their work and they all knew that they were part of something special. Kind of like a family.

Be Sociable, Share!

•