| By Lauren Graham
So there I was at Vancouver
film studios. Already extremely pleased about making
snacks for a cast read through when, out of the blue,
I fall into the greatest job ever. They needed someone
to handle the camera side of the electronic press
kit for their new film they were shooting, Bloodsuckers.
I know how to use a camera. It worked out perfectly
and I remember thinking onthe Sky Train home, man,
you better read that script.
When I began to
read Bloodsuckers, the newest release from Vancouver
producer Gilles Laplante (Snakehead Terror 2004)
(mental note to watch that one), I was pleased to
find out that director Matthew Hastings (Outer Limits,
Higher Ground) was also the writer and creator of
the project. Perfect. In all senses of the word,
the project was going to be passionate. I could only
hope to properly describe the boundless enthusiasm
of this shoot and the people that were brought together
to make the story come to life. Mainly
shot in Squamish, it was the perfect setting for
the intergalactic vampire film to begin.
The film is being shot
for Universal Television’s the Sci-Fi Channel,
as a movie of the week. I hadn’t even finished
the second page of the script and blood and gore
was already the main focus. I was in heaven. Basically
humans in the year 2205 have exhausted all of the
planet’s natural resources. (Yeah, 2205. Not
that far away. Maybe you should recycle more.) And
because we are all out of these vital essences, we
steal them from other planets across the cosmos.
The only problem is that the cosmos is infested with
vampires. And not your typical cloaked, floating-down-stairwells
vampires, but leather jacket-wearing, ass kicking,
SOBs (also known as Vorhees) that stalk the universe
for blood in humans that are left to roam the decrepit
earth. You think we’d
be doomed, but thank gosh for the VSAN crew.
It was only a matter
of time before the world was completely ruled by
corporations and in the year 2205, we are lucky enough
to be owned by Americorp, who just so happens to
provide us with the lovely services of The Vampire
Sanitation Unit (VSAN Crew). Such a team would consist
of Captain Churchill, (Joe Lando from Dr. Quinn Medicine
Woman and Higher Ground), Damian Underwood (Dominic
Zamprogna from Battlestar Galactica and Star Gate
Atlantis) Rosa Wong (Leanne Adachi of DaVinci’s
Inquest) and Roman Kuchinsky (Aaron Pearl from Wrongfully
Accused).
The crew was perfectly
cast: just the right type of rugged individuals who
enjoy the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants lifestyle
that is vampire hunting. Quintana
Lachna (Natassia Malthe who was in Elektra and A
Guy Thing) a half human, half vampire has allied
herself with the VSAN crew in hopes of avenging her
parents’ murder and her own vampirizatiion
(yes, it is a word). She guides the crew while keeping
them out of vampire harm. AJ
Cook (The Virgin Suicides, Higher Ground, Out Cold)
plays Fiona, a young scientist who struggles with
the meaning of right and wrong between humans and
vampires. Fiona also finds herself along for the
ride with the crew.
The mixture of character
type and species leaves promise for a lot of great
conflict, humour and even a little romance, because
as cheesy as it sounds, everybody needs somebody
sometime. Another nice bonus is the appearances of
Michael Ironside (The Perfect Storm, The Machinist),
who plays the vindictive leader of the Vorhees, and
Michael DeLuise. DeLuise works alongside Fiona to
help in the battle of good verses evil in a world
full of confused humans and hungry vampires. Plus
the guy is Dom Deluise’s son. Hilarious. I
can’t wait for this film to come out. I love
horror, and now have had the opportunity to fully
experience sci-fi. Even a couple of times during
the shoot, this young horror fan could be heard saying
out loud, "now, that’s just
The camera work and composition was beautifully led by director
of photography Eric Goldstein, who was second unit director of
photography on The Usual Suspects. And the
second unit for this show had Dave Pelletier as director of photography,
who taught me two things: stay away from craft services and, composition
wise, "to centre is to die."
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