BAYFIELD, ONT. -- If all goes well this week, Bayfield could be seeing a lot more movie sets in the near future.
“Not only is it an action film, it’s meant to be an action film that will be part of a franchise. The hope is there will be at least two more films. Or think of a John Wick-type franchise, where there might be five films. Obviously, there will be common elements, and one of those common elements could be the Town of Bayfield,” says Executive Producer Eric Birnberg.
'Trigger Point' is an action thriller starring Barry Pepper and Colm Feore, which will be shooting scenes in Bayfield until Friday.
The director, Brad Turner, and his wife, Jessica Petelle, a producer on the film, spend their summers in Bayfield. They’re the ones who recommended using their part-time hometown as a backdrop for the movie.
On Monday, cast and crew took over part of Bayfield’s Main Street for day one of 15 days of shooting, all in Ontario. The next four days cameras will be rolling in Bayfield. Among those excited about the movie’s arrival is Bayfield Councillor Bill Whetstone.
“We’ve got every hotel room and cottage rented. There’s at least 100 cast and crew here. The restaurants will be busy this week, so it’s a definite boost at the end of our normal tourist season,” says Whetstone.
But, all those out-of-town visitors during a pandemic mean taking precautions. Birnberg says it’s not a typical set.
“In these times you do have to keep things much more contained. I would say we are keeping to ourselves as much as possible,” he says.
“They’ve all had COVID tests,” says Whetstone. “Any locals who are going to be a part of it, they’ve all had to have COVID tests. Myself, I had to have a test the other day. I get to walk by in one of the scenes, so that’s going to be exciting,” he says.
'Trigger Point' will shoot in Bayfield until Friday, before moving onto Hamilton. The entire movie is being shot in 15 days.
When it’s completed 'Trigger Point' will hit theatres, and air on Crackle. A Canadian distribution deal is still in the works.
Whetstone hopes this is the first of many movie shoots in Bayfield’s future.
“If you look at the Hallmark-type movies, based in small towns, Bayfield is it. Imagine the backdrop in summer or even winter. It’s a good start for us, for sure. I think we should start looking at producing and promoting our area for this more and more."
