It seems like there’s been a lot of filming going on in Victoria in 2014! We kicked off the year with Gracepoint, a Fox re-make of BBC’s Broadchurch. The original BBC series starred David Tennant, best known for his role as the 10th Doctor on BBC’s Doctor Who. David Tennant also starred in the Fox re-make alongside Anna Gunn, more recently known as Skylar White in AMC’s Breaking Bad. Fox opted to shoot their re-make in Victoria (namely Sidney and Oak Bay, along with Island View Beach) and our capital city doubled as a sunny seaside town in California. Gracepoint wrapped up in May, but the city still has quite a bit of filming happening here!
Descendants is a new Disney TV movie airing in 2015. It tells the story of the teenaged offspring of classic Disney characters, where Ben (son of Belle and the Beast) is about to take the throne and opts to give the children of the villains a second chance. They enroll in school alongside the children of Disney royalty such as Rapunzel, Mulan, Aurora and Cinderella, where they struggle to follow in their villainous parents’ footsteps or switch to the side of good and save the kingdom.
Nearly anyone who’s ever met me through Premiere knows of my love for all things Disney, so it was no surprise when I snuck over to watch the filming at the BC Legislature buildings. I managed to get some really great shots showing the turnout to watch the shoot as well as the characters in action; amusingly enough one of the photos has already been making the rounds on Instagram and has been added to the Disney wikia! The best of my photos are below and they feature Ben and Mal (the daughter of Maleficent) as well as Belle (Played by Keegan Connor Tracy who is well known as the Blue Fairy on Once Upon a Time) and the Beast.
-Crystal Maxwell
Guest Services Manager