This reporter takes a tour of the Richmond film set for ABC’s new hit show
By Michelle Hopkins, Richmond News
METRO VANCOUVER — The rain is relentless yet the 120+ crew of ABC’s hit drama series Once Upon a Time appears oblivious.
The assistant director steps into the middle of Moncton Street and shouts out last minute instructions to the cameramen and lighting crew.
All of a sudden, a mini van passes through the blockades on Moncton Street and out jumps actress Jennifer Morrison, who plays Emma Swan.
As she readies for her scene with actor Josh Dallas, who plays David Nolan and Prince Charming, the two chat under an umbrella.
Then, it’s “quiet on the set,” cameras rolling and Morrison and Dallas walk towards a beat up old yellow Volkswagen Bug.
The two have a short conversation before Morrison jumps into the car and starts the engine. Within seconds, the director shouts, “Cut!”
It took all of 10 seconds.
After another two takes, the director is happy and it’s a wrap.
Welcome to the set of Storybrooke, a fictional town where local Steveston storefronts transform for the day.
Once Upon a Time is based on the Grimm fairytales. It follows the life of Emma, a 28-year-old bounty hunter who moves to Storybrooke.
There, she reunites with Henry (played by Jared Gilmore), her 10-year-old son she gave up for adoption 10 years ago.
On the show’s website, it says Henry believes that Storybrooke, the sleepy New England town he calls home, is really part of a curse cast by the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla).
In a rage, she froze the fairytale characters in the modern world with no memory of their former selves. Even more farfetched, Henry believes Emma is the long lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.
Meanwhile, in another scene, which took place in the alley behind Cannery Café, aka Granny’s Place, an actress fell to the muddy ground and Morrison came to her rescue.
The short scene was repeated four times.
So far, 18 episodes have been filmed, many of them in our historic village.
This one makes it 19.
Last Thursday, the News originally had an interview set up with the location manager. However, after waiting for nearly two hours in the pouring rain, the News was told that nobody could be interviewed, unless Disney Media Networks written approval is given.
The News was told that Disney was looking into the possibility of another set visit in which the crew and actors would be available to talk.
As of deadline, the nod of approval had not be given.
However, the News spoke to a couple of the crew members prior to the axe falling, and although names cannot be printed, they did provide a little insight into what it’s like to be part of a successful television series.
First off all the crew, from the lighting professionals to the production assistant to the gofer, hail from B.C.
The production assistant told us it takes roughly eight days to film one episode and about two months before it finally airs.
The days are long, most often filming runs between 15 to 16 hours a day, Monday to Friday.
As glamorous as one might think filming is, it isn’t.
While the News was there, there was a lot of waiting and hanging around between takes. Yet, surprisingly, the mood was jovial.
Maybe it’s because the crew was enjoying piping hot soup and sandwiches while they waited patiently for their cue. Stay tuned. Hopefully, in the near future the News will bring you interviews with the lead actors from the set of Once Upon a Time.
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