Water Street launches Edgemont Road (Nov. 1, 1999)

November 1, 1999
Film and Television Production
B.C. Scene

by Ian Edwards page 13

Vancouver: Following in the footsteps of Madison and Northwood, new West Coast teen soap Edgemont Road (Water Street Productions) went into production Oct. 18. The 13-episode series for cbc explores the varied lives of kids aged 14 to 18.

"The show is a soap in structure, but in tone, it is not," says creator/producer Ian Weir. "It's more of a three-dimensional, character-driven drama, liberally laced with humor."

Its point of differentiation from its predecessors is that in Edgemont Road there are no adults in the roster of performers. The stories are told solely from the kids' perspective.

The cast ranges from first-time actors like Kristin Kruek to relative veterans such as Sarah Lind (Mentors). Other cast include Vanessa King and Myles Ferguson. Toronto actor Dominic Zamprogna is the only non-b.c. talent.

In all, 650 were auditioned for the 17 acting jobs.

The production crams the 13 half-hour episodes into six weeks of production, a feat only achievable by block shooting - putting more than one episode in front of the cameras at the same time. The production is housed entirely in a CBC Vancouver soundstage, which also speeds up the production.

Another departure from the soap formula is the single-camera format in a four-wall set instead of the multi-camera format in a three-wall set. Weir says the tired look of a three-camera setup would only alienate his teen audience who demand more inventive visuals.

Michael Chechik, who produced the successful Odyssey series for kids a few years ago, executive produces with Weir.

Christian Bruyere, who is also overseeing the cbc mow Scorn, directed by Sturla Gunnarsson, takes the producer credit.

The show wraps Nov. 30.

Source: playbackmag.com