The Saint John contingent of Hemmings House Pictures (HHP) recently moved into new digs in the spectacular building at the corner of Princess and Prince William Streets in Saint John, with stunning views of the harbour and city. These could prove to be a distraction, but it’s more likely they’ll provide inspiration to this young crew of producers, filmmakers, photographers, editors and entrepreneurs.
HHP, now boasting a team of eight - four in Saint John and four in Halifax, grew out of Saint Johner Greg Hemmings’ previous company, Hit! Media, where he was a partner with Andrew Tidby and Glenn Ingersoll, as well as from experience from various projects Hemmings collaborated on over the past 10 years since he graduated in 1999 from the Television and Film Production program at Niagara College.
Greg, who founded HHP in 2007, splits his time between Saint John and Halifax these days, but established his reputation via experience right here in New Brunswick. When asked about which of his film jobs most shaped his early career, Greg explains “There are many, actually. The first was REVOLVE, a documentary about the Evolve Music Festival that I shot back in 2001. That opened the doors to funding for a film I produced called A Head’s Tale, following Deadhead culture at music festivals from Nashville to Nova Scotia. That opened the doors to my film Rubarbicon, which was the mockumentary about Grand Theft Bus for the Independent Film Channel.” Rubarbicon garnered Hemmings an ECMA nomination, which set him up for more work in the music business, including concert films for Matt Andersen, Ross Neilsen, Jessica Rhaye, and most recently the Jimmy Swift Band.
“Because of my live music film experience,” adds Hemmings, “the doors were opened for me to produce a series about professional wrestlers on the road (very similar to rock ‘n’ roll lifestyles) called Wrestling Reality (on TFN: The Fight Network), which opened the door to a whole other show about wrestling for a whole other network (RUSH HD, a satellite specialty channel).” This latest HHP show, a 6 X 30 minute episode “DocuSoap” called Kardinal Sinners, is currently in post-production at HHP.
Another feather in Hemmings’ cap was the opportunity to produce a documentary about global warming in the arctic with Italian partners, called Melting Lands, which led him to international TV events in Cannes, France, Washington DC and Banff. There are other irons in the fire, too.
“Doors open all the time,” says Hemmings, “and I love walking through them blindly.”
You can read detailed bios and blogs on the HHP team, and watch much of their film work, at their website (hemmingshousepictures.com). Key players include Andrew MacCormack, Lauchlan Ough, Stephen Foster, Jon Williams, Matt Webber, and, most recently, HHP welcomed Greg Hemmings’ older brother Mark.
MacCormack, a UPEI Sociology grad, filmed his first feature length documentary, Searching for Simplicity in South America in 2006. He’s played key roles at HHP, including assistant director and head editor on Wrestling Reality, assistant editor and post-production supervisor for the CBC broadcast mini-series Grave Concerns. Ough worked with Greg Hemmings at HIT! Media and on Rubarbicon, and was assistant editor on the series Planet Luxury, produced by Tidby Pictures. Since joining Hemmings House Pictures, Lauchlan has worked on every production in some capacity, often behind the camera.
Foster joined HHP in 2007 as a producer after graduating from UNB. He’s a natural entrepreneur, having managed two companies WHILE in university, but picked up camera experience on Wrestling Reality. He’s produced most of Hemmings House Pictures’ corporate projects and manages the Saint John branch.
Williams joined HHP in 2008 as sound engineer, having worked previously with Foster at their music production company, while Webber, a grad of the Atlantic Media Institute specializing in TV Production, joined HHP’s Halifax branch in 2008 as a producer.
This is a VERY young team, ranging from 21 to 34, with most under 30. They also employ others with freelance work, such as Jessica Rhaye, a local graphic artist and musician, or as co-op students, so there’s a healthy economic spin-off from this locally owned business.
The recent addition of brother Mark as director of photography adds a new dimension to HHP. Mark Hemmings Photography’s reputation spreads internationally, including Japan and Australia. He travels regularly to Japan and Mexico with photography students, and is a guest teacher each year at a film workshop in Hungary. You can see examples of his work at markhemmings.com, and also watch his short film Geist, which created waves on the international film fest circuit.
“I fear I annoy him a lot because I am taller and sometimes people think that I’m the older brother,” Greg laughs, “He hates that, but in the end he has had a huge impact on who I am. I am honoured to work with him. . .he is truly a world-class photographer.” Mark’s main role is photography, but he has become increasingly involved in film, owing to his experience using camera lenses with digital film equipment.
“What I bring to the table,” explains Mark, “is the ability to allow digital to look more like film. The world of still images and moving images is coming together. Digital video images can seem artificial, almost like plastic, whereas the use of high quality 35 mm Nikon and Canon camera lenses gives a more earthy, natural look, with more depth of field options.”
This is akin to how audiophiles claim that vinyl records have more feel, more ‘soul’, than CDs and other digital music forms. This technique has been used on several HHP projects, and will be used more in future.
What else is in the future for HHP?
“Short term plans are to deliver our latest TV series to RUSH HD for April,” answers Greg, “Long term plans? Become Atlantic Canada’s creative commercial production house, and produce at least three TV series per year.” Although they’re aiming high for the future, the bulk of their film work is done in New Brunswick.
“N.B. is our major market right now,” says Greg, “Our N.S. office is brand new with a lot of potential. We’re players in the Atlantic market space for corporate and commercial work.
We’re players in the international market space when it comes to TV production, and Mark’s photography. The real opportunity is the international TV and photography. That’s where we are now and where we want to grow stronger. Our success for the future is outside the region. Local business is great and solid, but can only go so far.”
Part of their strategy involves advertising, too.
“We’re just now looking into pushing the traditional 30 -second TV commercial,” offers Greg, “We’re pushing the Halifax office to become a heavy player in the Atlantic advertising scene. That said, TV shows, documentaries and live music video production are our core competencies and we love producing them.” HHP has aggressive goals, but, based on the prior accomplishments of this dynamic young team, they’re framed for success.
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