Website photos

We at HHP have to give a huge thank you to Kâté LeBlanc for her amazing photography for our website. She recently took photos of the HHP crew hard at work during the Jessica Rhaye EPK shoot.

Drawn in Blood

They're used to working behind the scenes, producing cartoons for the small screen, but workers at FatKat Animation Studios may soon find themselves in front of the camera, stars themselves of a reality show.
Two moviemakers from a Saint John film company were in Miramichi Friday armed with cameras and a plan to film a show that focuses on the animators plying their trade at the studio.
"Everyone loves cartoons, so why not a show about making cartoons?" said producer Stephen Foster of Hemmings House Pictures. "I bet 95 per cent of people have no idea what goes into making cartoons."
Foster cited the popularity of such programs as motorcycle show Orange County Choppers, as well as other shows featuring tattoo artists at work, cooks, or people buying and selling houses, as examples of the potential of reality-based shows.
"There's blood sweat and tears that goes into any kind of art ... whether it's animation, or houses or cuisine," director Andrew MacCormack added.
News of FatKat's success had long since reached the filmmakers, they said, and they did not consider any other Maritime studios for the show.
MacCormack said he wasn't sure how much of the show would feature the city itself, noting it was difficult to predict how a reality TV episode would unfold while being shot.
"You can kind of write out a script and a treatment for what you think is going to happen. Then, once you start shooting, the unexpected happens all the time," he said. "So ... if we have to follow someone in town to do something that's part of the storyline, we'll do it."
Through the course of the day, the team tailed studio president Gene Fowler as he went about his business, including conducting a tour of the studio by a visiting Teletoon executive.
They also took the time to prowl the building, shooting footage of animators and other studio employees working at different stages of production.
One interviewee, senior producer Robbie Anderson, said he was more than happy to talk about the more grueling side of animation.
"We only see the end product, and the glamorous side of things, and the success stories," he said.
"But to get there ... any production that involves creating a story, there's a very drawn-out, painful, arduous process to figure out what is funny, what is sad, what is scary."
Anderson added it seemed to him a reality show would do a better job of depicting that process than a behind-the-scenes "extra features" segment on a DVD.
"[In a predigested segment] they're not really showing you everything that goes on; they're only showing you what they want to show you," he said. "And I think with a show like this, it might be kind of fun to show what really happens, the good and the bad."
The filmmakers cautioned that just because they're shooting the footage, there's no guarantee at this stage of a show, explaining they were in town only for the day to gather sufficient footage for a 60-second pitch pilot. If their marketing efforts are successful, they will then return to the city to shoot a pilot episode and, potentially, a full show.
The final format of the show would depend on where it would air. While the filmmakers mentioned YTV and Teletoon as potential stations, they also said they might also consider Internet-based webisodes if they come to the conclusion they can reach a wider audience that way.
"I know a lot of people that don't own TVs anymore," MacCormack said. "People watch stuff on the web."
He added the studio's employees from abroad could draw an audience outside Canada as well.
"If you have people from Japan and Iran and the United States, England — they have people from all over working here — it's got that worldwide appeal already, just because people will be able to relate."

Written by Daniel Martins of the Miramichi Leader

July 2008

Hemmings House Pictures is very proud to announce the launch of our official website this month. Visit often and enjoy the exciting new layout and content, paired with the company’s new re-branding (with the help of designer Jessica Rhaye).
.Greg Hemmings has been working with Ocean Entertainment, shooting three episodes for Vision TV’s ‘Do You Believe In’ series. Greg and the crew are criss-crossing North America and bits of Europe to investigate perspectives on the Antichrist, Shock Magic, and the existence of life on other planets.
Hemmings House Pictures is also proud to start pre-production this month on a music video for Chris Cummings’ ‘Welcome Home’.


June 2008

Greg Hemmings has been exploring Alaska this month; shooting glaciers for the company’s growing stock footage library.
Hemmings House Pictures would also like to welcome the services of a new intern: Stephen Belyea. He has just graduated from Seneca College in Toronto, ON, and is helping out at the Saint John office.


May 2008

Hemmings House Pictures continues to expand nationally. Greg Hemmings is opening a new office to base the company in Halifax, NS; along with the already-established Saint John, NB.
Hemmings House Pictures’ corporate video market is at a national level now, also. Filming for clients in Trail, BC (Kootney Savings & Loans), Vancouver, BC (Full Spectrum Coaching and Vancouver Aquarium) and Victoria, BC (Royal Roads University) wrapped this month; meaning Hemmings House now successfully spans from Atlantic Canada to the Pacific.


April 2008

Greg Hemmings was in Turino, Italy this month editing the ‘Melting Lands’ documentary. He also took Hemmings House Pictures to MIPTV in Cannes, France.


March 2008

Hemmings House Pictures has been very busy this month. The exciting project this month has been the filming of The Jimmy Swift Band for an ambitious multi-cam concert DVD at the Marquee in Halifax. Three episodes of the Grave Concerns mini-series were produced this month with the help of Brent Mason. Watch for the series, debuting soon on CBC..Greg Hemmings ventured to Nunavik to finish the documentary “Melting Lands” for RAI Television out of Italy. The production is in cooperation with SGI Italy. Greg was also one of five producers across the country selected to attend the National Screen Institute’s ‘Global Marketing Program’, taking place in Winnipeg, MB and Cannes, France.


February 2008

Big news this month for the Hemmings House family. First of all: congratulations go out to Greg and Jessica; they were married February second in the beautiful Cayman Islands.
Next, Hemmings House Pictures would like to welcome a new member to the team. Jon Williams is an audio expert and has worked principally with Stephen Foster in the past. Take a moment to check out his bio.
Finally, Greg Hemmings was nominated for Industry Professional at the ECMAs this month. Being officially recognized in the music industry is great news for the company. Hemmings House also filmed the ECMAs in Fredericton; with multi-cam setups for some of the more notable performances

Chris Cummings Video Press Confrence