Location Manager Michael Williams didn't know what he was getting into when he agreed to work on the PAX Television Network series Hope Island in March of 1999. The series was shooting at Britannia Beach near Squamish and he was told that the town was going to benefit from the presence of the series. By the time the year had ended the town had a new ball field. In this diary, Williams looks at how a number of film industry companies and unions worked together to build Britannia Beach's "Field of Dreams".
March 25, 1999 Lions Gate calls to see if I'm available to take over as location manager for the TV Series, Hope Island. They want to shoot 13 episodes entirely at Britannia Beach. Pre-production has already begun and they haven't had a location manager on for the last week. The project sounds interesting. Not the usual shoot-em up/blow-em up/paranormal/TV fodder I'm used to working on. It's a family show. The producers are feeling very positive about the show's setting in Britannia Beach. Not only does it have everything they need from a production standpoint, the dilapidated town is really going to benefit. People will be hired to work on the crew and as extras and the town itself will get a face-lift. I tell them I will sleep on it.
March 26 Even though the job means a major commute each day, I call to let the producers know I'll give it a try. One hour later, I get a frantic call from Tom Crowe at the BC Film Commission wondering who's in charge of the production that's moved in and taken over Britannia Beach and do they have building permits? Somehow he got my name. We arrange for a meeting on site with the producers and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District for April 1.
March 29 I make my first trip up to Britannia Beach. It's a beautiful day and the drive up the Sea to Sky Highway boasts some fabulous vistas. The old mining town of Britannia Beach is about an hour north of Vancouver and 10 minutes south of Squamish. The former copper mine which looms over the small bay has been turned into a museum. In its day, Britannia Mine was the highest producing copper mine in the British Commonwealth. Today, it has the dubious distinction of being the most polluting inactive open-pit mine in North America. The pretty little creek that runs through the centre of town is dead. In fact, each day the creek pours tens of thousands of gallons of contaminated water into Howe Sound. The fishing's not that great here. As you drive through the town you can't help but notice the distinct lack of vegetation. Nearly ten years ago there was a terrible flood here. The creek overran its banks and spread its gnarly residue contaminating most of the soil in the town centre. Since then, little has been able to survive. Most of the old buildings have been abandoned for years. They are in drastic disrepair, their windows all broken by the town's junior rock-throwing team. The community is still sort of a company town and its 300 or so inhabitants pay rent to a company called Copper Beach Estates. When I arrive, pre-production has already been in full swing for a week. The construction crew, about 120 workers, is well into creating the town of Hope Island. New buildings are springing up and the existing buildings (which are part of the BC Museum of Mining) are being retrofitted. It seems like chaos to me. There are people and trucks everywhere. Plumbers, electricians, builders, painters, you name it, are all working frantically to set the town up for a full-time production company.
March 30 There are two community groups in Britannia Beach. The groups do not appear to get along. The Britannia Beach Community Centre is a community works group with strong ties to Copper Beach Estates. The Britannia Beach Community Association was formed to provide an alternative to the former group and act as a watch-dog against the company. Today, I'm meeting with a member of the Community Association. This group controls the small dock across the highway. Hope Island would like to establish the dock as one of the sets, so I am here to strike a deal. When I arrive, both the person I've come to meet and a director of the association are there. After briefly discussing the dock(Hope Island will fix it up and pay a user fee) we switch to the politics of the town. The two make no bones about it. There is a lot of vandalism here. The kids have nothing to do. Right now they're waiting to see what's going to happen with Hope Island. Public Relations is going to count. They tell me that in the past, a number of film companies had promised to help re-build the town's playing field which had been destroyed by the flood, but that nothing has ever come of it.
April 1 The meeting with the Film Commission and the District goes fairly well. The District's Building Inspector had been about to shut us down, but after carefully outlining our plans and explaining the positive economic impact we'll surely have on the region, we're allowed to continue construction, pending applications for building permits. Tom Crowe's chief concern is that the local residents see some benefit from our presence. Over the years there has been a lot of filming at the mining museum. Since the area doesn't really fall under any municipal jurisdiction, film companies have had few restrictions when planning a shoot at Britannia. There have been numerous occasions where helicopters, gunfire and explosions have been heard all night long by the tiny community. Not surprisingly, the community is a little wary of a production company that is setting up to shoot an entire series in their town. The perception is that, while the Mining Museum and Copper Beach Estates rake in filming fees, the community puts up with the inconvenience and never sees a dime. When Hope Island has finished re-building this town, the quaint sets will be attractive to future film companies for years to come. But something has to be done to get the community on-side. Hope Island has already agreed to pay a monthly fee to the Britannia Beach community Centre and to pave an old dirt road that could divert the local traffic around the filming. Numerous locals are part of the construction crew. The location department will do all the usual things to satisfy a community that we film in. (i.e. neighbourhood letters, common courtesy, etc.) The producers seem to know that since this was going to be a long term thing, it is in the production company's best interest to be a good neighbour. Tom seems satisfied with this so we decide to proceed and see what happens.
April 12 We are having a location survey with our first director. He calls the production designer over and asks him what his thoughts are about the big brown dirt playing field directly adjacent to our sets. The production designer replies that we must never see it. The transportation department suggests parking our trucks on it.
April 13 I talk to Terry Johnson from the Mining Museum and Maurice Neill from Copper Beach Estates about the feasibility of putting grass on that field. They both love the idea. Terry, who was a manager at the mine when it was operating, remembers his kids playing on that field. Glad to hear they support the idea, I ask them how they can help.
April 14 I get the first estimate on rebuilding the field. Including topsoil and turf, $30,000.
April 16 Terry calls. The BC Museum of Mining will kick in $5,000 if we restore the field. I call Maurice. He needs more time.
April 19 Maurice calls. Copper Beach and the Community Centre will take care of installing an underground irrigation system. Hmmm... I hadn't even thought of that. Great.
April 20 I write a proposal to the producers, production designer and Lions Gate outlining a plan to re-establish the playing field as a visual and concrete gift to the community. It will be our legacy - a testament to the film industry and a community working together. Not to mention, it'll be good for our production value.
May 3 The first day of principal photography. All goes well.
May 5 I hear back from the producers and Lions Gate. They love the idea. It's just that it's too much money.
May 11 Although I was originally an interim location manager (I was supposed to be starting another Lions Gate series) I decide to stay on Hope Island. The drive is not so bad and it wouldn't feel right to leave something I've started.
May 12 A member of the community comes into my office. She has a letter from some of the Britannia kids. "We the kids of Britannia Beach agree not to vandalize your sets if you build us the half-pipe." There are 15 signatures. Below this reads "this represents all the kids living in Britannia." I'm a little shocked. "What's a half-pipe?" I ask. She explains that its for skateboarding. "We'll give it some thought," I reply. Up to this point I have been careful not to tell anyone in the community about my plans for the field for fear of getting their hopes up and not being able to pull it off. I bite my tongue.
May 14 Our greens department refers me to a company called English Lawns. They're supposed to be one of the best in the biz. I call them.
May 17 English Lawns comes up to give me an estimate. It's only $20,000 but they want me to get the soil tested. They're suspicious that there is not so much as a weed growing on the field. A senior member of our production team is quite resistant to re-building the field, feeling that if we set the precedent of giving something to the community, they'll be back again with their hands out. I explain that I don't think this is about giving in to threats or buying off the community, this is fair compensation and good-will towards this community whose lives we are affecting. We are working in their backyard five days a week from 6am to 9pm. It's a huge impact on a community of people who have chosen to live in a quiet town away from the distractions of the city.
May 19 I get the soil tested by Pacific Soil Research.
June 1 We get the results back. The ground is totally infertile! The pH level is approximately 100 times lower than the minimum required for grass to grow. There are high contents of heavy minerals. The grass will never have a chance. To make this work we would have to re-introduce nutrients into the soil with such things as scented geraniums, composting or treated human waste and it will take at least a year before we can seed it. Also, we're back up in the $30,000 range. "What's a half-pipe, again?" I wonder to myself.
June 16 Pacific Soil calls me back. There may be another way to make this work. Put down a layer of sand 18 inches deep. The sand will act as a bed for the grass to grow in as well as a buffer from the contaminated earth below. Oh, and it has to be river-dredged sand from Delta. That's approximately 150 dump truck loads of sand! We're over $30,000.
June 21 I receive a visit from a member of the Community Association. He has come to tell me that he's overheard some of the local kids talking about Hope Island. Apparently Hope Island doesn't seem to be taking the half-pipe seriously, maybe it's time to send them a message. I explain to him that I'm concerned about some of these tactics. I show him the previous letter and he's horrified. That's black-mail. I confide in him that I've been trying to get the field re-built, but that it's turning out to be a huge deal. We don't have to do this. I don't even know if we can. But I won't continue trying if this half-pipe thing doesn't come to an end. He tells me he doubts there will be any more threats.
June 25 I talk to Pam Tattersfield at the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District about the project. I explain the need for funds. Is there anything the District can do? She explains that this is not the sort of thing they usually get involved in.
July 5 Pam calls. Surprise. The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District is in for $5,000! I call Kevin Beggs, our executive at Lions Gate. He tells me that if I can raise $20,000, he may be able to make up the short-fall. Sounds good to me, but where am I going to get 10,000 more dollars?
July 6 I meet with Maurice and Terry again. There must be a way of making this happen. I ask Terry about the museum's sand quarry nearby. Could we have some of it? Maurice offers to take care of excavating the sand, trucking it in and spreading it.
July 12 Terry calls. The museum has offered to donate the sand.
July 14 I send samples of the sand to Pacific Soil for analysis. A crew member from our greens department approaches me and suggests contacting I.A.T.S.E. 891. They might be willing to help.
July 15 I call Elmar Theissen at I.A.T.S.E. 891. He's excited about the project. He knows of lots of filming that's gone on at Britannia Beach over the years. It's about time the residents get something out of it. I.A.T.S.E.'s in for $2,000!
July 16 I start contacting the other unions.
July 21 The unions are responding well. It looks like the Teamsters are in.
July 23 The results of Terry's sand are back. The sand is too coarse to grow grass in, but would be alright if it was the bottom two- thirds of the layer.
August 4 The DGC and I.A.T.S.E. 669 are in.
August 9 I begin approaching some of the service companies that Hope Island does business with including Televector Disc, Kodak, Sharpe Sound, Rainmaker Entertainment, Townrent, Super 8 Motel Squamish and others.
August 17 Townrent is in.
August 21 Rainmaker and the Super 8 Motel are in.
August 26 I am invited to speak at the Squamish Rotary Luncheon. I have struggled to write the perfect speech. What if I have to wear a special hat. A Rotarian fez? I tell them about the B.C. film industry, Hope Island, and the field of dreams. Nobody offers any cash. So much for the speech. Didn't even get a free hat.
August 30 Kodak is in. So is Sharpe Sound. We're almost there.
September 9 Looking at my budget, we've raised $22,000. Time to pitch Lions Gate again.
September 13 I get an e-mail from Kevin Beggs. Lions Gate, Paramount and Hope Productions are in to make up the difference. The field gets the green light!
September 14 I meet with the producers to outline my plan for installing the field. We're concerned because this whole project has to happen with a film company working alongside it. Dump trucks, bobcats, graders and construction crews can be distracting when you're trying to roll sound. I'm confident they can work together, but it's going to take some flexibility and cooperation from both sides. The producers feel we can make it work.
September 20 Construction of the ball field begins. Apparently this is the best time of year to plant grass!
October 1 Copper Beach Estates brings the first load of sand from the Museum's quarry just south of Britannia. I get a panicked call from my assistant. The Department of Highways is there and they're shutting us down. Apparently you have to have a permit to have quarry activity near a Highway. After explaining to Highways what the project is about, they agree to let us keep going.
October 8-11 The river sand from Delta arrives. Copper Beach Estates spreads the sand. Hope Island continues filming about 30 feet away. No problems so far.
October 15 Capilano Highways offers to grade the field.
October 16 Britannia Beach volunteers begin installing the underground sprinkler system donated by Mountain Building Supply. The volunteers are working hard and the work goes quickly.
October 18 The irrigation system is still being installed. We've had some problems with the sprinkler heads. It seems they're getting clogged and then blowing right out of their sockets. The pace of the volunteers starts to slow. They're getting tired of having to stop work every time Hope Island rolls sound.
October 20 There are only two volunteers left. They are extremely dedicated and I admire them. The system has to be up and running today because the turf has now been cut and is due to arrive tomorrow. At lunch my department gathers as many of the crew together as possible. Everyone picks up a shovel and in one hour we have the job almost completed. By night fall the system is installed, but we're still having the same problem with the heads. We must get some water on the sand to compact it before the turf goes down tomorrow. Of course the weather has been unseasonably beautiful so there is no chance of rain. Maurice, Phil (my assistant) and I work most of the night moving garden sprinklers around trying to wet the sand.
October 21-22 English Lawns lays down the turf.
October 23 Wow. It's so green. It even smells different.
November 30 The Community Centre has agreed to take care of the field's maintenance. Maurice and I go shopping for a second hand rider mower. It's proven to be difficult to find a good one, but it looks like we've found our baby in Chilliwack. I hire a local artist to paint a sign for the field.
December 13 We have our official opening of the Britannia Field . To commemorate the event we invite the entire community plus all of the contributors and the Film Commission to come and screen the Christmas Episode of Hope Island. It's a great turnout. Everyone is hopeful that Hope Island will be back for another season. Some of the kids suggest having their ball team take on the Hope Island crew.
December 16 Last day of shooting. As we're wrapping out our sets and offices we decide not to board up any of the buildings. It would really be an eyesore, especially when they look so good now. Maybe they won't be vandalized.
List of Donors: Directors Guild of Canada, I.A.T.S.E. 891, I.A.T.S.E. 669, Teamsters Local 155, Union of British Columbia Performers, Sharpe Sound, Kodak, Rainmaker Digital Pictures, Northwest Imaging & FX, TVD Televector Enterprises Inc., Townrent, Lions Gate Entertainment, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Hope Island 1999, The Britannia Beach Community Centre, Copper Beach Estates, BC Museum of Mining, The Squamish Lillooet Regional District, The Super 8 Motel, Mountain Building Supply, Capilano Highways, English Lawns.
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