Scrappers: Creating a film industry here at home

Alberta’s Capital Region isn’t typically known for its filmmakers, but that’s starting to change. At least, that’s what local St. Albert filmmaker Rob Chaulk thinks, and he would know. He’s one of the people making that change happen.

In June of this year, Rob gathered a cast and crew and filmed a television pilot over the course of a few days. The show is called Scrappers, and it tells the tale of a family-owned scrapyard and the characters who call it home. Once all of the post-production has wrapped up, Rob and his team will start shopping around for a network to pick it up. With any luck, by next year the people of St. Albert will be able to watch a show produced in their own backyards.

The plot of Scrappers begins as a young veteran from the war in Afghanistan returns home with a case of PTSD. Unsure of how to move forward with his life, he begins working in his father’s scrapyard, a business that has been struggling over the last few years. The crew of misfit scrappers soon get a second-wind, however, as the owner’s goddaughter Shelby (pictured above) concocts a scheme to get the yard back on its feet. The story focuses on the healing journey that the characters take, and it promises to be filled with an equal number of laughs and heartfelt moments.

Rob isn’t an artist by trade; he’s a businessman who owns an accounting firm here in St. Albert. But a few years ago he discovered a new passion. “About eight years ago, it was my wife’s birthday, and after 24 years of marriage, I had no idea what I could get her. I wanted her to have an experience that she’d never had. Her favourite TV show at the time was Republic of Doyle, so I contacted the show and actually managed to get us on as extras. That’s when I was bitten by the bug.”

Over the next eight years, Rob has devoted all of his free time to learning about acting and producing. He’s had small roles in a number of TV shows, but eventually it was time to build something of his own. “Being a businessman, I know that the most important thing is to have a great team, so I went out and found a great writer, I found a great director and we sat down and planned this show that would embody everything that we love about TV.”

Rob believes that the Edmonton-area film industry has enormous potential for growth. “I know some filmmakers out in Vancouver, and they’re all saying the same thing these days: Vancouver is full. There is some amazing talent here in Edmonton. We had about 50 volunteers who did an amazing job helping us with the filming. We have the skills here; we just have to start creating jobs for these people in our own city.”

Scrappers is still early-on in the production process, but keep an eye out for it in the coming months. It’s not often that we get to see our own city depicted on TV. But if Rob and his team are successful, he hopes that it will inspire more of our talented filmmakers to give local productions a shot.