Alberta pros share how working in film and television has changed how they watch

'The Last of Us' was shot in about 180 locations across Alberta, including Calgary, Edmonton and Waterton, over the span of more than a year.

Inevitably, if you work in the film and television industry, it will warp how you watch other productions “just for fun.”

At the panel “How to get into the motion picture industry in Alberta” on the Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo’s final day Sunday, laughs were had as five professionals considered how working in film and television has impacted how they watch film and television.

The short answer is, “Greatly.”

On the panel were Ivona Reis, second assistant camera, with ICG 669; Mohammad Qazzaz, locations manager, with DGC AB; Pardeep Sooch, actor, with ACTRA AB; James Reckseidler, independent director and producer, and representing the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers; and Chase Cardinal, makeup artist, with IATSE Local 212.

“People are making choices, and you don’t know what the choices were, but it goes to, ‘What happened at the start of the day on set?’” Reckseidle said.

“What happened in the wardrobe trailer? What happened with the camera? What happened with the blocking that you would never see?

“It’s all choice-making and you hope that it looks seamless and that it’s magical for the audience. ... But that’s all we’re watching. As a director, I’m just like, ‘That’s an interesting choice.’”

Qazzaz said everyone will zone in on something specific and what that is for you will usually depend on what department you’re coming from.

“Actors look at actors, directors look at directing,” he said.

“I look at a scene in Times Square in New York and I cringe. ... What did they have to do to get that location?”

Reis agreed, saying she has to remind herself not to look at productions from a technical standpoint.

“A lot of times, I can kind of guess how they did it but if I can’t, I really like to go down a rabbit hole and watch how they did it and what-not,” she said.

“Something my wife and I do, because we both went through the background phase, is look at background and extras in the background,” Sooch said.

“It is hilarious.

“On set, everyone is silent but they fill it in, so you see people miming weird things and there’s fake talking and it’s so comical.”

Cardinal’s takeaway? Film is not so glamorous.

“I liken it to camping, basically, except for me, it’sI’m going camping, I bring my chair, my gear and everything but then I also have to powder people’s faces,” he said.

“It’s fun and it’s awesome, but anytime I watch a movie and I see them in a super hot desert or I see them on a mountain in the snow ... I cringe because I know how miserable everybody probably was out there, waiting for them to get those shots.”

Reis has worked on Ghostbusters: Afterlife and multiple seasons of Fargo, among other productions.

Qazzaz has worked on the last season of Fargo,the first season of The Last of Us and more.

Sooch’s credits include The Last of Us and Heartland.

Reckseidler’s latest film, The Ties That Bind, is about to open.

Reckseidler’s work with the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers involves helping others on a similar path to his get a leg up in the industry.

Cardinal has recently worked on The Last of Us and the fifth season of Fargo.