SUNDRE – Parts of Sundre and the surrounding area are featured in an upcoming exclusive OUTtv original series that will premiere on Halloween.
Producer Griffin Cork with Numera Films told the Albertan during an interview on Aug. 7 that his team had for a couple of years been pitching the series, called Eyes in the Woods, before finally getting the green light.
Making the project possible was a broadcast commission from OUTtv, which is the world’s first and Canada’s only queer broadcaster which also has a streaming service called OUTtv GO.
Without wanting to spoil the story, Griffin said, “The best way I can describe it simply is like a queer female Hardy Boys.
“It’s two sisters and one of the sisters’ partner solving mysteries in the woods,” he said, adding there are eerie and unnatural happenings in the woods, among them being a glowing pair of eyes.
Starting off with an initial run of eight, approximately 15-minute episodes, Cork is optimistic about coming back next year to shoot a second season provided the stars align.
Asked why Sundre was selected and how prominently the area is featured in the show, he said, “It was a majority site for sure. We filmed like 35 per cent of the series there, if I had to put a number to it.”
The location was determined primarily for commercial reasons since the series largely takes place in the woods.
“We needed a site that could host a 40-plus person cast and crew that was close to large swaths of forest,” he said.
But having previously shot other productions in and around town – including Abracadavers and Project: Six-Shooter – he added the team has developed an affinity for Sundre.
“Personally, we love coming back to Sundre, we love the community,” he said.
“We’re always well received and well supported. So from the company side, it was kind of a no brainer.”
Some scenes for Eyes in the Woods were filmed at the Sundre and District Museum, he said.
“The lovely staff at the museum kind of let us get in there early and bring in some of our own stuff and move some stuff around; the museum staff is just amazing,” he said, adding some filming was also done along the Red Deer River near the Greenwood Campground.
“And then the rest of our time was spent out at a Schott’s Lake,” he said, adding the shoot lasted approximately 20 days.
Asked whether he might already have his eyes set on any upcoming projects that could bring his team back to Sundre, Cork said work on the next season of Eyes in the Woods is underway.
“We are already in the midst of writing scripts for season two of the show. And I mean, for continuity’s sake we’ll have to come back.”
As for Project: Six-Shooter, he said work remains underway to get it dubbed.
“The Six-Shooter project has been delivered and is ready to go. Before its global release, it’s being dubbed in multiple languages to have its full global appeal,” he said.
“So it’s a bit slow going, but when it breaks, it’s going to be big – I hope.”
