PERTH COURIER - Community Page
Wednesday, July 9, 1997

That's a wrap for filming of duel
By Maureen Pegg

     It was a long week, but Steve Cole was pleased with the results.
     The student director of A Matter of Honour is back in Toronto catching his breath after a week of whirlwind filming here in Perth.
     Steve, who is entering his third year of media arts at Sheridan College, is doing the film of Perth's last fatal duel as a school project. It is based on local author Susan Code's book of the same name.
     The film is the first major project of Kaleidoscope Productions, a company owned by his father, Rick.
     Steve was in town two weeks ago filming at various locations, including Conlon Farm, Stewart Park and on Gore Street in front of the museum.
     His cast and crew were recruited from local volunteers.
     Most of the crew, many new to film-making, was made up of PDCI students.

Sheridan College student Steve Cole took a break from filming "A Matter of Honour" recently to present Mayor Lana March with a souvenir of the production in recognition of her support for his large-scale school film project. Maureen Pegg photo

     Steve was appreciative of his volunteers. "Most of our days were long and we worked at a hectic pace. They were great. They never let up. Even when I needed them for an extra day, they were there."
     Many of the students did not know what to expect until production began, he said, because they had never seen a film being made before. Offering students this experience was one of the reasons he decided to make the film in Perth.
     "It's something I never had a chance to do in school, so I wanted to involve students and give them that experience."
     The film was developed in Toronto last week where Road to Avonlea is processed.
     Steve is pleased with the results. "Everything looks great. We were worried about the rain scene (the film was made during a week of sunny, sultry weather), but the colourist was able to turn the sky gray and gloomy-looking."
     The audio will be put on the film and his editing (a major task) will begin in the fall. Steve expects the film will be complete and ready for it's first showing here in Perth next spring.
     Then he hopes the film might be picked up for television screening.
     The project, he says, would not have come to life had it not been for the excellent cooperation he received from the town and from the many organizations and individuals here.
     A gun collector loaned his pistols for the duel scene and even allowed them to be shot. The man, Steve said, had only shot the pistols once, when he bought them.
     "The sports exchange had planned to use Stewart Park at the same time we did. We asked them if they could rearrange their schedule and they did.
     "When we were at Conlon Farm, and I called in the microphone for quiet, parents were asking their children to be quiet so we could film.
     "It was a real community thing and I feel I have to thank everybody in Perth for supporting us."
     Buoyed by the experience, Kaleidoscope Productions, with Steve at the helm, hopes to be in pre-production at this time next year with a new project.

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