2016.02.20 - Steveston, BC, Canada
I'm a resident of Steveston, BC, known to many as Storybrooke in the ABC series Once Upon A Time. I became a fan after I moved here after watching them film and, in particular, having a great experience meeting Robert Carlyle on set.
Since then I've watched the complete series with minimal attention to detail. It's not really my thing. I've also visited lots of sets, mostly here in Steveston. In general I find this set to push fans away, hide them in alleys and keep them away from seeing a lot of things. Not saying that I'm not grateful for what I have seen, there have been times when the crew has let the fans get close enough even to hear dialogue. Other times, not so much. I'm fortunate that when, for seemingly no reason at all they stow the fans somewhere unreasonable, I just go home. I understand the need for fans to not be in the way on angles and shots. I've been on enough sets to understand how this works. But this is something else it seems.
There's also the actors. Not that there's ever an expectation to come and meet fans. For this show it seems I have a combination of bad luck and inaccessible actors on these sets working against me. When I stay, no one comes out. When I leave, sometimes they do. Other cast members never meet fans it seems.
When I saw the invites floating around town I sent out word that people should come down. I have attended two red carpet events in the past. Once in Toronto for a 'Walk of Fame' ceremony and also in Vancouver for the Junos (Canadian Grammys). Both times the fans were lined up along the carpet guardrails and those walking had the opportunity to stop and chat/sign/take photos or to go through without if they wanted to. I saw some celebrities at these events head down for their professional obligations and then come back to the fans once they had done that. Others didn't stop and that's fine. Their choice. As this cast has proven to be a tough one for me, I was excited to finally get some autographs. Almost a year ago I purchased a wooden, 'Entering Storybrooke' sign from a local store thinking it would be nice to get it autographed by some of the cast. I have not had a single cast member sign when I have been there since. Not one. This seemed easy.
The day of the event I went down to the village with a friend (who was in town on business during the week and was supposed to leave Friday but changed his flights when he heard about this) for brunch around 11:30. There were workers there setting things up, the velvet ropes and cover for the red carpet area were being set up as well as the press line with the logo of the show and "ABC" logos for photo ops. I couldn't help but notice that at the bottom of the hill, mostly lined along the grass, another fence was being constructed. Well away from the actual red carpet and press line. It ran parallel to the press line on the grass and all the way along, meeting the fence that started the red carpet fence on the sidewalk by the cul de sac where they would obviously be dropping people off. The fence continued from there down the sidewalk away from the red carpet. Looking at the length and width of the sidewalk, where it all lined up, it appeared that there was about 25 feet of fence line where the actors may walk to the fans before going up the red carpet but anyone on the grass wasn't going to get to meet anyone and that's where the majority of fans were going to have to be. The grass was kind of mushy because it's Vancouver and it frequently rains here. There was no way that the actors in their nice suits and shiny shoes and actresses in heels and dresses were going to trample across the grass to meet fans. It just wasn't going to happen.
Immediately I felt terrible. I had sent a tweet with the details to people and encouraged them to come. There was no way that any more than about 25 people were going to have even the slightest chance to meet anyone. I quickly took a photo of the set up and tweeted it again discouraging people from coming down. Why invite fans (to a show that gets hundreds coming down to watch them film regularly) if they're not going to get close to anything? It seemed like the message was that they DIDN'T want people there. There wasn't going to be good chances to get photos since the majority of the fence was set up well back of the press line. With the cameras and reporters in there, there wasn't going to be anything to see.My friend and I went home and killed a few hours and then headed back around 4:00. We grabbed a spot near the corner of the start of the red carpet and where they'd be dropped off and waited. We felt at least this might give us a good chance to grab some autographs as long as the cast wasn't late and needing to get to their press obligations.
As the hours passed there were a couple of hundred fans that showed up and lined the fences, waiting. The times that were posted was 6:45 - 8:00 for the cast to show up and just before that a transport showed up and dropped off what had to have been some executives with ABC. The regular security with the filming production was hanging around but dressed in suits this time. They started milling around down by the fans.
To my surprise, the very next car, just before 6:45, dropped off Jennifer Morrison (Emma Swan). The waiting crowd got super excited and many young fans started screaming very excitedly. Security went up and met her and ushered her up the red carpet immediately. No stopping, no meeting, no fan interaction. She went right up to the photo area and worked the press line. I was taken so by surprise that I hardly even got any photos of her. I had my Canon T3i there with the stock short lens ready to snap photos of her with the fans and signing. The press line was so far away. Realizing quickly that this evening was probably not going to go any way that I thought it was, I changed to my better lens for photos at a distance.
Fans near me were shocked to say the very least. There was also a lot of reasonable people saying what I was thinking. It makes sense, they probably all have specific times for their press commitments. She was supposed to be at a convention in the morning, maybe she's just running through and getting this done and taking off. Maybe she'll come back down and meet people. Maybe she's tired. Maybe she just doesn't want to. Maybe the others will stop. At least someone. With this many fans here at an event where people were invited to come, something had to happen, didn't it? I mean, what's a TV show without the fans? What better way to thank your viewers than to invite them down to see you and then take 5 minutes and sign a couple autographs, shake a few hands, take a few photos. Right? They can't have just invited us to cheer, can they? Just to boost the egos and look good on camera for ET or whatever press was there, right? RIGHT?
Morrison did the press and seemed to get pretty much through it before anything else happened. It was long enough for people to joke that maybe she was the only one coming. Her in the large Cannery all alone dancing. Finally another vehicle arrived and it was carrying Jared Gilmore (Henry). I've never been terribly interested in him as he's just a kid. I actually walked right by him once as I was heading down to set and he was finished filming for the day. I didn't stop him. Seems weird to me. But there were lots of people there that would have loved to meet him. Same thing here, though. He was ushered up the red carpet with not a single interaction with any fans. He ran the press line and kept going.
Around this time I noticed something else. There was a table set up at the top of the hill, behind the fans off the stairs by the parking lot. People were starting to arrive there and be let in that way as well. I thought that it made sense that photographers for the event and other types of event staff could be coming in that way. After all, they're not people that have worked on the show in any capacity. They didn't need to walk the red carpet as they were likely just here to cover the event. I kept an eye on it, though.
Next to get dropped off was Josh Dallas. I figured this one would finally break the pattern. He's tough to meet but also apparently pretty friendly. There were a couple of people right at the corner that I know have had quite a few interactions with him. He'd stop for them for sure. But no. He headed right up the carpet as well. He paused and waved but that was it.
Then it hit me. We really were invited here just to look good for the cameras. Not only had these people given their time and likely money to this show (via DVD/Blu Ray sales, conventions, merch) but now they were being used yet again just for the impression that this is a shiny, happy, fan gathering. There wasn't going to be any cast talking to anyone. The illusion of happy, involved fans for the camera that were really being snubbed and basically ignored. What a joke. What a crappy way to treat people that have gotten you this far. Let me be clear here, I'm not talking about myself. Sure, I would have been happy to grab a couple of autographs or photos for sure. But there were people here that had spent their entire day down here. Traveled for this. Had been fans from the beginning. I talked to a family from overseas that were there (they came to Vancouver partly to see OUAT film). The town of Steveston had been turned upside down by this production for years. Residents being detoured away from the main street who were just trying to get stuff done. Stores agreeing to allow their signage changed (granted they're making money from it too but..) and all of these factors lead a show to 100 episodes and the cast can't even stop to meet a single fan. Really? How does that make people that live here feel that were 'invited' to see this event? Or people that have spent time and money to come for this. Something is not right here.
Colin O'Donoghue was next to arrive. He worked his way up the red carpet and waved at fans from the top. The next SUV that pulled in carried Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, creators. The jumped out of their vehicle and did what I had expected the others to. Started at the corner and worked their way down the line along the sidewalk. They met fans, signed and took photos. I didn't grab them because I'm just not that big of a fan of the show. I knew who they were but I didn't want to take their time when there were much bigger and more deserving fans here that warrant their time. They stayed around for quite a while before moving up and doing their obligations with the press.
Between cars, a couple that were obviously invited to the party walked up toward the red carpet. The security standing there directed them around the back side where the table that I thought was only for press was. My attention was drawn there and then it hit me. Another startling realization. The red carpet was only for the biggest of big wigs and the stars of the show. Like the full credit stars. Everyone else had to use the side door entrance. Not good enough to walk the red carpet. Because the people that work in the production office, the cameramen, the truck drivers, the CGI people, the custodian that cleans the stages, apparently they're not as important as everyone else. According to whoever put this together. Wow. How's that for a slap in the face?
Now again, I'm not a pro at red carpets by any stretch. I don't know how this usually works. Really. But one of the other two experiences I had I actually got to walk the red carpet. Me. Just a regular person. Our group was chosen by the company putting on the event to get tickets to the Walk of Fame event in Toronto because they needed seat fillers for the broadcast. At any time, we were told, we could walk the red carpet and go into the event, just like everyone that was being inducted, that was part of the ceremony (Michael Buble and Kiefer Sutherland are two notables who were there and that we met in the red carpet fan area). People that had bought tickets or were given tickets were treated just like the stars. We stayed right to the end and right before the event left our spots in the red carpet fan zone and walked up there and in. It was fun and a weird feeling, but it was cool. If I was working on a show like Once as, for example, a camera person, I would feel pretty unimportant by being made to take the side entrance away from the "important people" while the stars walked the red carpet. These are the people that *make* the show. They are on set before the actors, work the entire shoot in the rain and cold. They don't have nice warm trailers to go back to or heaters to stand in front of between takes, buildings to duck into. Half the time they have to walk to set. I always see the hair and makeup people on this show trekking between circus and set with all their stuff. They make the characters look the way they do on screen. And they're not important enough to feel special? For just one night? Where would a show be without the crew? Man, if that's not a recipe for a fragmented workplace, I don't know what is.
Not to mention some of the bigger actors on the show that are not considered "main cast" came in the back way. Robbie Kay being one of them. I had originally gotten really excited about the idea that Michael Raymond James might be coming for this event. In retrospect I'm glad he didn't. I would have been very sad to see him blow by the fans too.
I kept an eye on the 'back' entrance and saw that quite a few actors in the show were up there and coming in that way. Michael Coleman (Happy) and Jason Burkart (Little John) arrived either together or at the same time. The fans saw them and they both made a beeline straight for the crowd. Coleman, looking casual with his hands in his pockets, stepped over the velvet rope along once side of the red carpet, cut across and stepped right over the other side of it, walking through the grass and dirt in his nice shoes to get to the fans. I stand corrected, maybe they will. :) I've had an experience with him before that showed me what kind of guy he is. Just a nice, down to earth, dude that likes people. Perfect guy to play Happy for sure. He and Burkart (who took a wider way around) took some time to sign and take photos for the people hanging out. The feeling among the fan holding instantly changed. There were quite a few people that were murmuring about how unhappy this made them and quite a few left before this feeling like they'd been misled and that this was a waste of time. These two, however, took some and the fans truly appreciated it. Again, I didn't get close to them as they were on the other side and I also didn't feel like I really was a huge enough fan. Plus, I've met Coleman before. People that haven't yet deserve a chance. They left and the fans were feeling pretty good again.
Lana Parilla arrived with (I think) her family and headed straight up. Next Sean Maguire showed up and as he got out of his car he seemed to pause for a second like he was thinking and then went up the red carpet. He stopped 3/4 of the way up and took a few minutes waving at the fans and interacting from a distance. He pulled out his phone and took some photos before going on to his press obligations.
It was getting close to 8 and I had to take my friend to the airport. After a long space when no one else came and the fans had pretty much cleared out except for a handful of super hopefuls we took off.
Later on I heard that ABC had told the cast not to stop for the fans. I don't know if that's accurate or not but if it is, that's just ridiculous. I can't think of a reason why that would be. Especially if they still were going to make their press obligations. Understandable that they don't want actors holding up the press line. BUT, what if they wanted to come early? What if they were already behind and would have to be standing around anyway? There were times the actors were standing at the top waiting to get to the lineup. Suddenly some things clicked into place.
If the actors were told not to stop on the red carpet, Horowitz and Kitsis aren't actors. They probably wouldn't have gotten that memo.
Burkart and Coleman didn't walk the red carpet. They came to meet the fans. They probably also didn't get that memo.
Sean Maguire is pretty fan friendly. It seemed like when he arrived he was a little bit, almost torn. Like his first reaction was to step toward the fans but then he went up the carpet.
An interesting omission at the red carpet event was Robert Carlyle. I heard that he wasn't going to be there but photos showed that was indeed at the party. I didn't hear anything about him walking the red carpet though. Maybe his other plans changed at the last minute and he came after all. I may be jumping to conclusions here but I do know he has strong feelings about meeting the fans. I've heard him say "Get out there and meet the fans" straight from his mouth at Whistler Film Festival when the guy asking the questions started to query him about fan interactions on the street. Every time I've heard of him on set here in Steveston he's met fans. He was at the event but didn't do the red carpet. I'm not saying this is true, but is it possible that he was making a statement about not being able to stop for the fans? I have no evidence to back that up but it is something to think about. It crossed my mind.
Now, like I said, I've never been to a Hollywood red carpet event but between the crew not getting to even be a part of this screamed at me 'Somethin' ain't right'. It just seems so.... ungrateful.
I did hear from some friends that stayed around the entire time that some of the cast stopped and chatted on the way out which actually lends more credit to the idea that the network had told them not to stop, as the way out they're not on anyone's orders anymore. I don't know. Something's just not .... right.
In any event, here's the photos I managed to get of the cast. Being gargantuanly tall makes it easy to see over everyone. :)
Created with flickr slideshow.
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