Soviet Threat: Behind the Scenes

To keep the lights on and fresh content coming here at BIGDoer.com, we take on outside jobs. There’s many hats worn here and we’ll even grab a broom if it’ll advance the cause. Running a website of this scope would drive most into bankruptcy, or minimally inspire friends and family to do an intervention to get your head examined. We resist the urge to display ads and while we ask for donations of support, we take a very soft approach. So that leaves us having to hire ourselves out.

We’ll do research, writing or editing jobs and the like. Anything really. We’ve done a bit of work in the film industry too, location scouting and consulting here and there, using what ever skills we can offer up to help pay the society’s bills. One gig that helped fund this site for many months, a job we’re proud of, was being part of the production crew on a documentary film made by our dear friend Rueben Tschetter of Cache Productions.

We’re talking about Soviet Threat, created with the support of TELUS Storyhive. It’s a look at Canada’s response to the Cold War, that chilling stare down between the US and the USSR with this county literally caught in the middle. War was imminent and the world was scared ****less. Scroll down and find the link to view the film. Then right below connect with the creator behind it all.

Anyway, enough chatter. For your enjoyment, it’s some fun behind the scenes photos from that production. These should have been posted some time ago, but with the pandemic came a huge loss of funding and so we had to step back for a while to work on other things (that book for example).

At the Cold Lake Museum.

Cold Lake Museum: It’s housed in a former Northern Defence Radar Station installation (look for the “you are here” captioned photo). Originally connected to the Cold Lake Air Base and later part of a larger network of radar domes “watching the skies” for enemy (so Soviet) aircraft, since the late 1990s it’s housed artifacts of all types. On display here are a good number of Cold War era relics (among other things). And with that, it’s a perfect setting for the film.

Ahead, an interview with those in the know. Then there’s B-Roll to capture, supplemental footage to help tie the story together. A pan shot of a map, a still shot of a photo showing the very building we’re in, but long ago and a low angle shot of that giant antenna. Then there’s a rolling trolley shot (or dolly shot) made using a Steadicam type set up. The camera moves through the scene and on viewing gives the appearance you are there in person.

There’s so much to do, hours and hours of shooting, this to set up, that to take down. Make no doubt, this is a small production, but even then many people are kept busy making it happen, including our director/producer/editor, a lighting guy and from Team BIGDoer a “production coordinator” (aka flunky, said while smiling). There were other crew members too with the size and scope of each segment dictating who works on what, some in the field, some in the office and for some it’s both.

Next time we’re in Cold Lake we’ll be sure to pay the museum a revisit. There was no time to take a look-see this pass, but it appears quite interesting.

Cold Lake Air Base: Not far away a setting for another Soviet Threat interview, Cold War relics on display a fine backdrop. There’s another BIG antenna plus historic planes, stuffed and mounted, scattered all about and we might have to come back to take a look at them sometime. The gear’s set up, and even for budget-minded productions there’s a lot, then it’s a sound and focus check on finding the proper composition. Only then can filming begin.

Base security comes to check on us and satisfied there’s no funny business happening, move along. Getting site permissions is an important aspect of film making.

During takes complete silence is needed and to capture more BTS photos, we’re forced to tip-toe around, discretely too so as to not distract the person speaking. Imagine a big six-three dude trying to be stealthy like a cat. Yeah, that would be funny. Time and again, we’re interrupted by passing fighter jets. You want to talk about a noise that’s deafening?

By the way, this filmmaker and the Team worked together on another documentary. Scroll down to know more about Forgotten Prairie. That time it was us in front of the camera (and looking totally uncomfortable). Your author reprised that same speaker’s role for the Soviet Threat too, but to a lesser degree.

Green Screen: For times when you can’t bring the people to the location, you bring the location to them (in post production). This setup allows one to easily insert a suitable background of their choosing. First there’s a couple sisters whose father was deeply involved in the Civil Defence organization, the group responsible for Cold War preparedness in Canada.

Next, it’s a view from the other side, comes an account of how it was back then, late in the Cold War era, in the former Soviet Union. The piece is called the Soviet Threat but over there, the roles were reversed with the US seen as the aggressor. In reality it was game of politics played similarly by both factions, neither the angel they might profess to be and each equally culpable. Rarely is it one sided, but it is all about perspective.

The Bunker: Here’s a commercial fallout shelter not for the use of people but rather things. You needed something to survive the upcoming nuclear apocalypse, records, art, whatever, it was these guys you wanted to talk to. The project was hyped up at the time but never finished (and the whole thing questionable) and today is a curious hole punched into the side of a mountain. Know more here: Cold War Bunker Revisited.

It’s a bit of a hike in, with lots of wide open spaces, so a drone shot was in the cards. I won’t tell you about how it got stuck high in a tree, with recovery looking near impossible. Nor will I tell you about the Hail Mary spear shot that dislodged it and the successful one chance leap-catch before it hit the ground, that saw it unharmed. There’s clearly some divine providence in play.

It’s this segment where your author was the interviewee. Hate being in front of the camera, but you what do what you have to do. Here the filming was more casual style, with minimal gear and just two of us. And that scenic setting!

Post: In the end hours and hours worth of footage was shot. The Storyhive requirement asks for a sub-forty minute cut and with that comes some tough choices. As such not every interview nor scene shown here makes into the final product. It’s a lamentable decision, as there was so much good content, but alas those are the rules. There’s no envying Rueben’s job as editor, cutting apart your baby and all.

Behind the scenes at the Soviet Threat.

A production coordinator is sort of a catch all position meaning you do what ever job needs to be done. In this case here it was research, history stuff, arranging locations, finding people to interview and more, even before the first frame is shot, Then out in the field there’s unloading gear, running cables, moving lighting rigs, being a stand-in for sound and focus checks…anything and everything. Finally, if a coffee run was needed…you get the point. And added to the mix we volunteered to shoot this series…for fun…and thought you would find it interesting.

Just some random thoughts about the filming process: There’s times where things move at a furious pace and others where there’s expended periods where nothing happens. It’s a hurry up and wait kind of thing, moments of frenzied excitement mixed in with utter boredom. The day is made up of long drives, tight schedules, sitting around, jumping around, complete mayhem, Candy Crush marathons cut short and that it all falls into place as good as it does is a sweet little miracle.

Thanks for taking the time to browse this article and we’d love to hear what you think! Be sure to watch the film (links below) and Forgotten Prairie too.

Here’s some suggested Google search terms if you wish to know more about this frightening time in history: “Cold War Canada”, “Canadian Civil Defence Museum”.

The Filmmaker…
The Cache Project
The Cache Project Youtube Channel.

The Film…
The Soviet Threat.

And that other one…
Forgotten Prairie.
Forgotten Prairie: Fusilier.
Forgotten Prairie: Esther Alberta.
Forgotten Prairie: Loverna.
Forgotten Prairie: Hoosier Saskatchewan.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date of Adventure: 2019.
Location: Cold Lake, Calgary & Kananaskis AB.
Article references and thanks: Rueben Tschetter, Cold Lake Museum, Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake and all the people interviewed.

Filmmaker Rueben Tschetter.

You are here.

An interview in progress.

The subject is the Cold War in Canada.

Shooting B Roll.

This segment took a crew of three.

Even a short film requires shooting a lot of footage.

A “trolley” shot.

Deep inside the Cold Lake Air Base.

These interrupted filming many times.

Once used to scan the skies.

Amazing stories shared – more fighters top right.

The noise was deafening.

Buzzed again (top left).

Sneaking around quietly.

The business end of things.

We worked together on Forgotten Prairie too.

A green screen when a location shoot is impossible.

Their father was with the Civil Defence Organization.

And a view from the other side.

Headed to the bunker.

And the work’s just begun.

Quite the scenic setting.

Working on a creative drone shot.

A steady hand needed.