Friday. October 2, 1998 — North Shore News - 15

NORTH SHORE NEWS ENTERTAINMENT & STYLE GUIDE

INSIDE — MARIA VERDICCHIO TALKS T0
THREE DIRECTORS SCREENING WORKS: 17

Comet
lands top
cinematic

projects

YOU won't hear Fred Thorsen: and Patti
Henderson curse the success of their five-year-old
company, Comet Post Production.

The North Shore couple have steadily built a reputation in
the film industry for providing state-of-the-art editing for
low-budget independent Canadian nlms such as Hard Core
Lane, Kichen Party and Rupert's
Land.

Their dedication has attracted a col
lective of dynamic, voung tilm-makers
to their Yaletown feility known os
“the Village.” Their expertise has
secured the contract te edit the live
action 22-episode television series
Niabr Man, And their low-key work
environment has attracted the likes of 4
Hollywood heavyweight Frank Yablans Wf: 4
asa tenant. In July, the former ; LavNE CHRISTENSEN
Paramount Pictures and MIGM presi- —
dent moved his new film entertain-
ment company Northwood
Entertainment Corp. into the Village.

Comet’s six editing suites are now booked virtually round
the clock — and not just by low-budget productions but by
films like Yablans’ Al Dag of Fauders, shot in Belgium and
starring Jon Voight. with abudger of SEA million U.S.

Burt with each new project they land, there is ess time for
Thorsen, 3h. and Henderson, 33, te spent en their own ere:
ALIVE Projects,

It’s.a frusating paradox, av the voung entreprencurs.

“We are film-makers inst.” says Henderson at the end ofa
Jong day that will grow longer sal] when she and Thorsen
return date thar evening to clock several more hears in the
editing suite.

“We would love to have all che machines working on our
awn projec,” she says. En reality, che demand to service their
clients means “our projects are relegated to evenings and
weekends,” adds Thorsen, whose 40-minute film Dusty aud
Gomorrah! hasbeen three vears in the making, He's now
hoping to have ready for newt year’s Vancouver Internation
Film Festival this action satire about two outlaw brathers who
are blackmailed by the Secret intelligence Service of Canada
into participating in an unusual sting operation,

Henderen hopes to take her short film to Cannes next
vear, Calied Cp tbe Hadi, its acomedy about a neighbour se
noisy she drives the paintings up the wall.

Phorsen. a UBC film school grad whose first shart film,
Nike Lauda, picked up several awards on the testuaal circuit in
G2 save he gets frustrated when business comes ta the wavy

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NEWS photo Paul McGrath

THINGS are happening at the Village, a Yaletown collective of young independent film-makers established by Patti
Henderson and Fred Thorsen of Comet Post Production, whose hectic work schedules take them round the clock.

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