I've got a great post for you today, so click on over to check it out!
Well, production is totally in full swing now. This week at the Heartland Ranch set, director John Fawcett, along with 1st Assistant Director Pierre Tremblay and 2nd Assistant Director Brad Moerke, is steering the cast and crew through the first two episodes, "Finding Freedom" (#501) and "Something in the Night" (#502). Including today there are seven days of filming left on these two episodes. Read on...
Meanwhile, Grant Harvey is back in the production office, preparing to direct the following two episodes, beginning one week from this Monday. Between deciding how they are going to film the great scripts by Leila Basen (#503) and Ken Craw (#504), going on technical surveys of the areas where filming is going to happen, and in general getting ready to make the best episodes possible, Grant - who directed four episodes of Season 4 last year - and the ADs have their hands full and are champing at the bit (to use an equine metaphor) to get on set and begin filming.
Speaking of the Assistant Directors (ADs), this year Martin Pedersen is back as the 2nd AD, and everyone welcomes Andy Price as the 1st AD for the alternating blocks of episodes. Long before a lot of the cast and crew had been hired, Andy was the 1st AD on the pilot episode of Heartland - over 5 years ago (!) and is now back full time in Season 5. Welcome aboard, Andy! I bet when the pilot was being filmed if you told him he would be working on Heartland in 5 years he would have laughed his head off in disbelief (as he had you removed from set - the 1st AD has that sort of power!)
In a way everyone involved in the series is amazed that, here they are, in production on a 5th season that at its conclusion will have a total of 85 episodes and a 2-hour Christmas movie amassed. Who knew?
Next up: if you follow Heartland on Facebook (and if you don't, why not?!) you probably caught the news yesterday that the show is casting a very special role... Yes, Heartland is looking for identical twin (or triplet) girls to play the role of Lou and Peter's new baby. They must be between 18 and 30 weeks old, and (obviously) live in the Calgary area. So spread the word! Do YOU know anyone who fits the bill? I think it would be totally cool if the role was filled because of the Heartland online fan base, don't you? Anyhow, for more information, check out the Calgary Herald article here:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Wanted+twin+girls+role+Heartland/4760458/story.html
And here's the CBC News story that ran the other day:
Now I'm going to repeat a few things that will certainly find their way into the upcoming FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section of the site -
1) No date has been set for the DVD release of Season 4. Season 3 only came out in March, so you know it's going to be some time yet before it's available, but when I know, you'll know!
2) "A Heartland Christmas" - the aforementioned 2-hour Christmas movie - will have a separate DVD release, but again no date's been set. And also again - when I know you'll know, as long as you faithfully follow the blog!
3) No one can predict if there will be further seasons of Heartland beyond Season 5. In this crazy business known as television, you are as good as what you have just done, so if Season 5 gets the awesome audience numbers that Season 4 did, you can be sure that the CBC and the producers will be looking to extend the series further. But that decision will not be made until Season 5 is well into its broadcast season.
4) Speaking of, the Season 5 Premiere will be Sunday, 7:00pm (7:30 in Newfoundland) - as always - in September. Which Sunday is still being decided upon, and when it is time for the broadcast date to be revealed, I'm hoping you're going to find out in an interesting way. So make sure you keep reading the blog, 'cause you never know what'll be galloping down the road for you to see. (Hey! 2 equine metaphors in one post... crazy!)
Getting back to everyone starting on the job, photographer Andrew Bako began his work Tuesday and shot the photo you see at the top of this week's blog post. As you can see, Amber (Amy) and Storm (Spartan) were out being filmed at the ranch set, with no clouds in the sky on a beautiful Alberta spring day.
Throughout the production season I'll be getting production photos from Andrew and will be giving you sneak peeks about what to expect in the upcoming season of Heartland.
Oh, and I managed to get some more episode titles to whet your appetite... #503 is going to be called... wait for it... "What's in a Name?" (I wonder what that could be about?) and I just learned that #504 is titled "Beyond Hell's Half Mile." That sounds just a tad interesting, dontcha think? I've just created four new entries in the "Episodes" category of the Heartland forum on the off chance that you want to speculate about these!
So anyway, thats pretty well it for this week. I hope you are following Heartland on Twitter, as there have been a few Tweets every day since filming began and all sorts of interesting things can be learned there and nowhere else. And no, don't ask - I'm still not telling you anything more about Elvis!!!
Watch for another Spot the Differences puzzle on Monday (a super-hard one this time... I hope) and have a great weekend! I intend to go on a long ride in the country on Bloggy, my faithful steed.
Until next week,
The Blog Whisperer
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Giovanna wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 11:14 AM
It seems like the name of episode #503 "What's in a Name?" have an inspiration on Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet, don't you think BW?
And yet, can you tell me how to buy the DVD's of the seasons 1, 2 and 3 on the internet? thank you soo much!
Priya wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 11:28 AM
oooooooo....im getting soo impatient for september...i cnt wait till season 5 starts!!! :)
javabeach wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 12:12 PM
REALLY enjoying the tweets, but they do keep me awake at night on occasion, wondering what is going on in Caleb's trailer, and who is leaving Heartland?!!! It's pathetic, I know, but I'm sure there are many, MANY who understand. Keep up the information flow; we're watching and listening and hoping and...well, you make us feel connected. Thank you, BW.
Melanie wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 1:00 PM
Was I the only one that was shocked that Graham didn't receive a Leo nomination for any of his work in season 4, I personally thought he displayed an amazing range of emotion and his best acting so far !!
Sarah wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 1:43 PM
um........ identical twins!!?????
twhrider wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 1:58 PM
Thank you BW for keeping us in the loop! The wait for new episodes of Heartland is easier with all of these updates!
Leah wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 2:03 PM
I'm really not liking the fact that I live in the states...i have to wait longer :/ as usual, though, I know it will be worth the wait!!
ZoZoZo wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 4:23 PM
Sorry BW, but I haven't been checking the site so often. So, has Lou's baby name been released, or will be released, or will we have to wait until season 5?
Kassidy wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 4:50 PM
OMG I can't wait for Heartland to start back up (well the new season) and BW where are some sores where Heartland dvds are sold ?
Valérie wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 5:08 PM
What's the thing with Elvis? Who is he and what's the link with Heartland?
Abby wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 5:24 PM
I cant wait for the fith season and as always will look forward to howerver many there is in the future maybe shoot for 10
Jordan Hanson wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 6:47 PM
I cant wait for season 5 to start!!!! Hopefully these 4 months will pass by quicker then we expect... Anyways, Keep on acting Amber Marshall and we'll get the best season EVER! :D
DDW wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 7:28 PM
Ditto on the comment about Graham NOT being acknowledged with a LEO nomination this year, somebody missed the boat on that one!
FreeSpirit wrote:
Posted May 12, 2011 9:23 PM
My goodness BW! You sure know how to build the suspense!!! Thanks for the epsisode titles, as you know we are a very creative bunch when it comes to these sorts of things.... he he he!!!!! :D Oh and of course all of the wonderful tibits of information, and the metaphors and the new words and.... OK well just about everything lol!!!
Thaaaaank YOU! :D
The_Heartland_Fan wrote:
Posted May 13, 2011 3:33 AM
TO SHARON.
They need twins, as one baby actress can only work so many hours. It allows the other actress to rest while the other works and vice versa. It is convenient because you can film more hours with a baby that looks the same at all times.
This is done with almost every TV show that has a baby character as one of the leads. : )
Val wrote:
Posted May 13, 2011 11:11 AM
Thank you so much BW and have a great weekend Heartlanders :)
mark mullin wrote:
Posted May 13, 2011 9:45 PM
love the series ,cant get enough!, looking forward to when fourth year is available on dvd , keep up good work!! amy & ty belong together cant wait for 5th season to come out
Horselvr98 wrote:
Posted May 14, 2011 12:08 AM
Hey BW! I have seen pictures of Amy over the off season and her hair was dyed brown, but from the picture it looks blonde. Can you please tell me, will her hair be brown or blonde for season 5?
Kristie wrote:
Posted May 14, 2011 5:12 PM
Can't wait till Season 5! Thanks for all you do, BW!
SnowBunny wrote:
Posted May 14, 2011 7:46 PM
I have bought some songs from the Heartland Sound-track (Seasons 1-4). However, I could NOT find the following songs on iTunes:
- “ Hold Me Tonight” (Yingst/Peterson)(Season 1);
- “ Back to his Girl“(Monica Driscoll)(Season 1); and
- “Cowboy Dreams”(George Canyon)(Season 2).
I have also tried to find them by looking for the artist – nothing.Any ideas where I can find those songs ??
PLEASE HELP ME FIND THESE SONGS !! Thank you in Advance !
Chelsea Glover wrote:
Posted May 14, 2011 9:55 PM
I can't wait to see these episodes. There titles make them seem so dark and interesting. I am soooooooo excited to see them on air. CAN"T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Suzie wrote:
Posted May 15, 2011 1:10 AM
Just wanted to say that those of us in the U.S. are as addicted to this show as the fans in Canada. Accessing episodes is just a bit more difficult... My family has just finished season 4. We can't wait to see season five! Hopefully by then we won't have to look the episodes up on youtube.
Eva wrote:
Posted May 15, 2011 8:09 AM
I LOVE HEARTLAND !!!!!
I LOVE YOUR SITE !!!
I AM FRENCH !!!
EXCUSE FOR MY ENGLISH IS BAD !!!
J'ATTENDS with impatient THE SEASON 4 OF HEARTLAND DVD IN FRENCH !!!
Jenny Johnstone wrote:
Posted May 15, 2011 7:17 PM
hey heartland cast and crew
i love your show and you guys so much i wish Michelle Morgan and her husband the best of luck with the baby.
P.s I can't wait for season 5.
From your biggest fan ever,
Jenny Johnstone
Amy Baker wrote:
Posted May 16, 2011 8:45 PM
I love your show I have a couple of questions
1. do the remedies really work
2. you guys should invite some of your fans to like a cast party or something
[Blog Whisperer: That's a good question, Amy. Heartland's writers do a ton of research for every episode to may sure things are accurate, including the various remedies depicted. That being said, you have to be careful in this area. Some alternative therapies have their place (and are really effective), and many people swear by TTouch, for example (which is non-invasive in any case). But Heartland has always approached such things as a complement to professional veterinary medicine (notice how often Scott is called in.) If your horse is ill or starts acting strangely, the first thing that you should always do is call your vet. And don't start administering herbs willy-nilly either - "natural" most certainly does not automatically mean "safe" - in fact, it can be quite the opposite. There is a great category called "Horses" in the Heartland Community forums here on the site. Why don't you head over there and ask some of the other Horse-owning fans what they think? I'm sure it would be a great discussion! ]
Macca wrote:
Posted May 17, 2011 1:37 AM
Hi BW.
I'm just wondering if you know when season 4 will begin playing in Australia?
I tried contacting ABC2 who has played the previous seasons but apparently you have to wait 4 weeks for a response, and they can only respond about programming 4 weeks in advance anyway.
I'd hate to miss it when i commences playing so it would be great if you could let us know when you know! =)
carolann wrote:
Posted May 17, 2011 1:28 PM
Iam so glad that the weather is sunny for you filming Heartland. It has been very wet in Ontario. Can't wait for the Season 5 to start in Sept. It sounds like they are going to be great episodes like always. I have been watching the new about the wildfire around Slave Lake, hope everyone is O.K. Forever Heartland.....
Savy wrote:
Posted May 19, 2011 10:56 AM
Omg I cant wait till season 5
Wish September can just get here
The black horse in the pic above is soo pretty
Lori Ates wrote:
Posted May 23, 2011 3:51 PM
I am very much addicted to the Heartland Ranch. I just started watching a couple of months ago. I live in Ebensburg Pa. and am curious how to catch up to with all of the episodes. I caught the last few episodes of the season where Tim got shot by the rustlers and watch every week. hoping that it is the show from the beginning I thought I could go online and catch up but I can not watch online in the USA. This show is amazing and so true to life..I grew up on a farm and had horses myself. But after getting married I no Longer have that and this show brings back wonderful memories of my childhood.. Thanks for such a great production.