Re:Brian Downey and Paul Donovan begin shooting a new project.
[url]http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2005/01/12/fEntertainment208.raw.html[/url]
ENTERING THE VAST expanse of the Electropolis Studios soundstage in Halifax these days is like stepping into a time machine.
At least four elaborate sets have been erected to evoke Rome in 1458 for the purpose of shooting The Conclave.
Cameras started rolling Monday on the ambitious 90-minute television project about the notorious Borgia family.
The 21st century intrudes haphazardly, such as when a visitor comes upon a sign stating “NO FOOD OR COFFEE ON SET” or is directed to the Grotto, the designated room for smokers.
The dozens of crew members and actors populating the bustling complex also tilt the calendar back to the present.
But The Conclave, a Canadian-German co-production, centers around Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI.
Thus the waterfront soundstage has been transformed into several lavish rooms in the Vatican to tell a story of electing a controversial Pope.
“It is fiction, but it’s pretty historically accurate,” said producer Bill Niven.
The project, which has been in the works for about five years, is drawing on the complete range of entertainment crafts.
Over a hundred costumes are being assembled, many with large hand-stitched components.
Complicated insignias and accessories have been fashioned from linens and velvet.
Seemingly insignificant props such as a ladder have been assembled from solid ash.
All this effort is being put into a story involving a historical clan often characterized by an unquenchable thirst for power, greed and accusations of murder.
“They were wheeler-dealers,” Niven said. “At the same time, they basically allowed the Renaissance to happen.”
Bruno Robotti, a veteran scenic artist in the film industry, has ensured that the walls of the large Sala Regia set are adorned with suitably elaborate frescoes.
“All of the artists we have working on this, whether traditional or digital, are just amazing,” Niven said.
Production designer Emanuel Jannasch said that The Conclave represents a high mark for him.
“First of all, it’s a bit mind-blowing for us, too. It’s very rare that you build a set that big and that rich,” Jannasch said.
“We’ve built sets that big before. The sets for Shattered City were probably bigger in dimension but the depth of the finishes and the details and the painting and the gilding and all that kind of stuff is at another level.”
None of this could have been accomplished without a lot of research. Jannasch has a workspace at Electropolis dominated by a large bookcase filled with thick art volumes.
“I went to Rome in February (2004). Then in June I was at the Metropolitan Museum looking at armor. Officially, I started in October. It was in segments,” he said.
Robotti, who often works on blockbusters such as the remake of The Manchurian Candidate, said that The Conclave holds a special appeal for him.
“For me, I’ve been waiting for this one for years,” he said during a short break from working on a set.
“I’m interested in that period. When I paint, I paint in that style.”
Robotti also came up with an innovative technique to simulate old marble floors in the Vatican. The effect was achieved by silk-screening paint onto the reverse side of rolls of linoleum.
“It’s a good surface to work on,” he said. “It’s problem solving, that’s all.”
Producers say the cast is split about evenly between Nova Scotians and Europeans, but most of the lead roles have gone overseas.
Locals in the production include Brian Downey, John Dunsworth and Stacy Smith.
If the cast seems worried about being overwhelmed by the visual splendour, they have a good way of hiding it.
Downey could be seen in the Electropolis halls Tuesday showing off his breezy period haircut.
“I’m saving a lot on shampoo and conditioner, as well as time,” he said. “It’s like sending my hair out for drycleaning.”
Niven said that the five-week shoot has about a $3-million budget.
The project has been a particular passion of Halifax filmmaker Paul Donovan, a co-founder of Salter Street Films with his higher-profile brother Michael. Paul Donovan, who wrote the script for The Conclave, declined to be interviewed.
The Conclave is being directed by Christoph Schrewe. He also helmed six episodes of Lexx: The Dark Zone, the old Salter Street sci-fi series.
The Conclave should be ready for showing by the fall. Niven said the potentially lush look of the project may even grace the big screen.
“We’re also planning on doing a theatrical release, as well. We don’t have a distributor yet for Canada. We have to start looking,” he said.
“We’re shooting it in high definition with this amazing camera. What we did was we took the high definition and we sent it to Toronto to the lab and they transferred it on to film and we rented the Oxford (Theatre) for an hour and showed the four-minute clip and it looked fantastic.”
And this may only be the beginning of the story. The production team has hopes that The Conclave could ultimately be expanded to a series of seven television films.
Currently, sales to Chum City in Canada and ARD in Germany have solidified financing for the first installment, which is also designed to stand on its own.
[url]http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2005/01/12/fEntertainment208.raw.html[/url]