Friday, September 21, 2007

Filming Manitoulin Life

The Manitoulin Living film project took to the beautiful waters of Georgian Bay and the North Shore for its third week of filming the promotional video/DVD for Manitoulin Island.

Cinematographer Harry Makin, known throughout Northern Ontario for his work on the television series Rainbow Country in the late 1960's, with Producer Deb McLachlin, Manitoulin Living Project Coordinator Patrick 

Kiley and Photographer Steph Martin set off for the Benjamin Islands Sept 19 aboard the Sicilia, Captained by Canadian Yacht Charter’s Ken Blodgett, to capture the stunning scenery of the popular destination for the film.

The DVD, slated for distribution next summer, is to promote Manitoulin Island by an enhanced visual presence professionally produced and edited to entice travelers to relocate to the Island.

Lindsay Kelly from the Manitoulin Expositor states in a recent article that “The cultural significance of a First Nations powwow, the calming beauty of a farmer tilling his field or the crystal blue waters of a freshwater lake may be everyday scenes for Islanders but Manitoulin Living is employing them as visual temptations to entice people to relocate here.”

Some of the objectives for the project include:

  • To develop a high quality film/video to market and brand Manitoulin Island as a viable destination to live, visit and do business.
  • To use the medium of film to market Manitoulin Island through multimedia packages, seminars, TV commercials and websites.
  • To educate and inform outside markets of the benefits of living on Manitoulin Island.
  • To promote cooperation and sharing of enhanced marketing strategies with other existing organizations on Manitoulin Island.
  • To create an on-going film archive that can be utilized to further marketing endeavours in the future.

The project is also designed to utilize available existing footage as well as compile new footage over the next four seasons. The film would then be professionally edited by a media outlet or firm down to a 30 minute video for use on the Chi-Cheemaun, in ferry terminals, the Welcome Centre and in participating organizations’ marketing packages.

The film will contain footage of the following:

  • Natural settings and scenes
  • Recreational activities
  • Retail outlets
  • Farming
  • Cultural events
  • Festivals and concerts
  • Seniors and healthcare
  • Telecommunications

Film compiled in this project may also be utilized in other venues. For example, it may be useful in local community cable programming and outside community cable.

For more information Contact Patrick Kiley at 705-859-3768 or email him at mailto:info@manitoulinliving.com