I am currently deep in the midst of shooting a new mega series for SyFy Network, called “The Expanse”. Our filming period is late October 2014 till mid March 2015. We are making ten 1-hour episodes. The series is based on the first book in a series of best selling science-fiction  novels. This is perhaps the largest television series ever shot in Toronto.

With three sound stages totalling 70,000 square feet of floor space, we are working in some pretty amazing sets, courtesy production designer Seth Reed. I can’t say much more other that what we are doing is quite cutting edge and we are using the latest in lighting and camera technology, some of which is somewhat proprietary to us.

Here is what SyFy says about the show on their website:

A thriller set two hundred years in the future, The Expanse follows the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship’s captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history. 

This hour-long, ten episode series is based on the popular New York Times bestselling book series collectively known as The Expanse, written by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (under the pen name James S. A. Corey). Abraham and Franck will be show producers.  

Thomas Jane (Hung, The Punisher) will play the lead character of Detective Miller, a native of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Detective Miller works for a corporate security force that operates as the law in the asteroid belt. Ragged and in search of something he can’t identify, Miller finds a new sense of purpose when he’s put in charge of the investigation of a missing heiress.

Shohreh Aghdashloo (The House of Sand and Fog, 24, House of Saddam) will portray Chrisjen Avasarala, a smart and passionate member of a political family legacy who has risen high in the ranks of Earth’s governing body.

Steven Strait (Magic City, City Island, 10,000 B.C.) will play Holden, an officer on the ice-carrying freighter, the Canterbury. Holden is a natural leader who’s not sure he wants responsibility, but will soon have no choice when he is drawn into a dangerous plot. 

Other series regulars include Dominique Tipper (Vampire Academy), Cas Anvar (Olympus), Wes Chatham (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay) and Florence Falvre (Alpha House, The Following). Jonathan Banks (Community, Breaking Bad), Paulo Costanzo (Royal Pains) and Jay Hernandez (Nashville, Gang Related) will appear as guest stars during the first season.

The multi-installment, best-selling book series is published in 17 countries, including China, France, Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. One in the series, Leviathan Wakes, was nominated for a Hugo Award as well as a Locus Award, while “Caliban’s War” was nominated for a Locus Award.

The Expanse is produced by Alcon Television Group, a division of Alcon Entertainment. Academy Award-nominated screenwriting duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men, Iron Man) wrote the pilot; they will continue to serve as writers, as well as executive producers. Alcon’s co-founders and co-CEO’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson will serve as executive producers with Sharon Hall. Alcon Television executive Ben Roberts will serve as co-producer. Ben Cook will serve as producer. Sean Daniel (Graceland, The Mummy) and Jason Brown of the Sean Daniel Company developed the original pitch, with Fergus and Ostby, and will also executive produce.

The show is being produced by Alcon Entertainment.

Here are some links to recent press about the show:

http://www.danielabraham.com/2014/07/15/long-promised-news-on-the-tv-show/

http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/12/syfy-the-expanse/

Expanse Trailer SyFy [1:38]

Photo: John Narvali

I was incredibly honoured to receive a Canadian Society of Cinematography award on March 22nd, 2014 for my work on the dance film “Lost in Motion”. The film represents the latest of many collaborations with director Ben Shirinian.

Thanks are owed to Ben and his wife Leslie for their vision on the project, as well as Crush who did the post VFX work which was so well tied into the world we created in the studio. Walt Biljan my colourist at Redlab and Sim Digital Toronto were also a big part in making this film happen, as well as my long time crew.

Jeremy & Francis at the 57th CSC Awards Gala at the Westin Hotel in Toronto on March 22nd, 2014

Here’s a great link to the making of and the final piece:

Lost In Motion II [4:15]

Making of Lost in Motion II [3:40]

Last night I was honoured to receive a Canadian Screen award for cinematography in a documentary program for my work on the NFB/EOne/APTN docudrama “We Were Children”. The awards took place at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Toronto.

We shot this film a couple of years ago in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is a true story that is based upon the testimony of two survivors of the infamous resident school system that was spread all over Canada for many decades – up until the  1990’s. Below is the synopsis created by the National Film Board:

For over 130 years till 1996, more than 100,000 of Canada’s First Nations children were legally required to attend government-funded schools run by various Christian faiths. There were 80 of these ‘residential schools’ across the country. Most children were sent to faraway schools that separated them from their families and traditional land. These children endured brutality, physical hardship, mental degradation, and the complete erasure of their culture. The schools were part of a wider program of assimilation designed to integrate the native population into ‘Canadian society.’ These schools were established with the express purpose ‘To kill the Indian in the child.’ Told through their own voices, ‘We Were Children’ is the shocking true story of two such children: Glen Anaquod and Lyna Hart.

Jeremy and Dora

Jeremy with John Tory

Below is a gallery of behind the scenes photos I shot while we were making the film. 

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(220 Photos)

We Were Children [2:14]

I shot this dance film with director Ben Shirinian. This is the second dance film we have done together. We shot this using two Red Epics and Cooke S5/i lenses, shooting everything at 240fps. Steadicam and 30′ Technocrane were utilized for our camera moves and positioning.