If all goes as hoped, Williams Lake’s Pioneer Log Homes could be featured in a series of documentaries for television.
Los Angeles producer Adam Wilkenfeld of Documentary Makers, along with a crew from Paperny Entertainment of Vancouver, are in Williams Lake over the next five days filming some short film segments to entice a yet-to-be named network.
Wilkenfeld was here in November and created a seven-minute film, what they call a sizzle in the film industry, and is now back to flesh out the story further.
“We have an idea for a docu-reality television program that will be telling the story about Pioneer Log Homes. The people that work there, the challenges that they encounter. The projects of massive scale that they create for people of huge fame and fortune all over the world for whom this a dream come true that these people are making into reality, ” Wilkenfeld said.
It’s an honour to tell the story with the company and its clients, he added.
“I think the whole world wants to see it and we have a broadcaster who thinks so too. So they asked me to come back and shoot a little bit more.”
Filming will continue until Tuesday and then by the middle of the month Wilkenfeld will be able to show the network a little bit more.
“Hopefully they love it and they say ‘go get em’ and we’ll come back again in the summer and shoot a few episodes up here and travel to see the project through its delivery across the miles and see the project that you create.”
The project isn’t assured yet, but as soon as it is Wilkenfeld promised everyone would be alerted and warned the project will go from zero to 60 really fast.
“TV production is like that. There’s lots of prep time, but when everything happens we’ll need everything yesterday. We’ll have to bring in crews and equipment, have catering lined up, places to stay, rentals and equipment. It’s important that we make friends around the community so that we are on the last day as welcome as we are on the first day so that when season two comes around the doors are still open.”
Looking around the room during a reception held at the Tourism Discovery Centre, which incidentally was built by Pioneer Log Homes, Wilkenfeld was grinning from ear to ear.
“There’s nothing like Pioneer Log Homes anywhere in the world — that’s why we’re here. Wish us luck this weekend,” he said.
Mayor Kerry Cook welcomed the crew on behalf the city and said it’s exciting for the community and company, and she wished him the best of luck.
“Anything we can do on behalf of the city, let us know,” she added.
Chuckling coun. Surinderpal Rathor piped in that there are big city trucks with city logos on them.
One of the company owners, Andre Chevigny, said if people could see the seven-minute sizzle made in three to four days of filming they’d be impressed.
“It’s really first class and pretty exciting and we’re thankful for having the crew here,” Chevigny said.
“You guys are good TV. It’s so fascinating,” Wikenfeld responded.
Bryan Reid Sr., also an owner or Pioneer Log Homes, said the project is an “accidental happening by chance.”
“Adam was making a series of documentaries called Saw Dogs about chain saw carvers and happened to meet one who was creating a piece for one of our customers,” Reid explained.
