TV series Shogun wraps filming in Ucluelet
Just a month after serving as a setting for the Netflix thriller Lou, the west coast community of Ucluelet, B.C., is in front of the lens again, this time standing in for Japan for the miniseries Shogun.
”They searched the world to do this show,” says producer Erin Smith. “It had several starts and stops at several places and the timing was right for us and they brought it here.”
Portions of the 10-episode series, which will air on the FX Network, were shot near the Tofino airport as well as Wya Point over two days last week. The filming was done at the start of the production’s schedule.
“We wanted to open the show with the beautiful scenery of the Wya Point Beach in Ucluelet,” Smith says. “It’s a very beautiful place. We have a lot of cast and crew from Japan that were quite fascinated and blown away by the resemblance of that spot to Japan.”
The miniseries is based on a novel by James Clavell, which was published in 1975 and sold more than 30 million copies. It was then made into a miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain, which ran on NBC in 1980.
Smith says 10-15 cast members and 10 crew members are from Japan and are part of the 340 members that were in town for the filming. Smith says the cast numbers were scaled back due to the challenges of filming during the pandemic.
“You have to bring double the amount of trucks and trailers,” Smith says. “Capacity is 50 per cent in all the hair and makeup trailers. Every single actor and background performer has to be in a special wig, of the hairstyle of the time. Just the mass amount of people that it takes to get that ready in the morning and undone at the end of the day.”
She says accommodations were booked months ago and crewmembers filled hotels in Ucluelet and Tofino but also as far away as Port Alberni and Parksville because of how busy the area is with other visitors. She says the September dates were chosen because they were more flexible for hotels.
Economic Windfall
Ucluelet Mayor Mayco Noel says he appreciates the timing of the production and sees it as a windfall for accommodation providers.
“I’m glad to see this one’s come on more of the shoulder season,” he says. “The last one [Lou] that came to town was right in the middle of August. It seemed like the town was very respectful and kudos to that production company, both of them actually, they really try to make it easy for everyone.”
While there were no requirements for locals to be extras in the production, Smith says there were local crew employed for security, transportation and production support.
One of those who missed the opportunity to work on the production but did get hired on to Lou is Christie Ball, who works in first-aid and craft services.
“We’re starting to see more and more productions come out to the area,” Ball says. “I think the word is out that the locations are outstanding obviously. I think the area has the accommodation and food service capacity as well for the large film crews.”
North Island Film commissioner Joan Miller says Shogun and Lou both boosted local employment.
“Ucluelet has been a bit of a hotspot for us this summer,” Miller says. “They were using local production but they were also hiring our trained people so we have really expanded our local crew database.”
While the production went smoothly, Smith says there were some complications in getting all of the film vehicles to the area.
“It was a big challenge getting all these trucks here,” she says. “There was a lot of road closures we had to battle with, the timing of it all, the ferries, the ferry reservations, there was a lot of logistics involved.”
Smith says the production has moved into the sound stages and backlots of Vancouver where the rest of the filming will occur, but crews may return to the west coast of the island towards the end of the production schedule.
The productions are expected to take to television screens in late 2022 or early 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Some customers steaming after McDonald's ends free hot drink sticker program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.