The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

15 · Friday, January 15, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com ROAD CLOSURE On Reeves Gate at Upper Middle Road (Regional Road 38), Town of Oakville MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER ACTION: The home at 1312 Lakeshore Rd. E. will be featured in Dream House, a film expected to be released by Universal Pictures in 2011. Craig's dream home in Oakville By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When a home situated in Gairloch Gardens bursts into flames at some point in March, neighbours need not be concerned as, more than likely, it is all just part of the show. The Town of Oakville's Community Services Committee signed off on a filming request, Tuesday, which, if approved by council, will allow Dublin Productions to film portions of the major motion picture Dream House here in town. The film is a physiological thriller starring Daniel Craig and will be shot in Oakville in March. The plot revolves around Craig's character, who moves his family to an idyllic small town, only to discover his house is haunted by its murdered former inhabitants. While portions of the movie will be shot at locations across the GTA, a significant amount of filming will take place in and around 1312 Lakeshore Rd. E. as well as in Gairloch Gardens. For special effects sequences, the company also wants to build a shell of the Lakeshore Road East home in Gairloch Gardens. It will be subject to a controlled burn for the movie's fiery climax. Filming requests are usually handled by Town staff, however, in this case the film was brought to the attention of the Community Services Committee because of requests to use special effects such as pyrotechnics, night filming and the company's proposed presence in a Town park for up to two and a half months. During the committee meeting, Chris Mark, director of parks and open spaces, noted the film company went to the homes adjacent to the proposed filming sites, informed the residents of its plans and was able to collect a significant number of signatures indicating resident approval. Mark also noted the company has offered to put adjacent residents up in hotels during the filming if the noise and lights, particularly at night, become too disruptive for them. While the film crew expects to be present in Gairloch Gardens from January until late March, restrictions on park use will be minimal. "There is no intention to stop the public from using the park except when the actual filming is going on," said Mark. Ward 3 Councillor Mary Chapin voiced concerns about the proposed controlled burn noting the smoke might cause problems for a nearby resident with respiratory issues. Dublin Productions Special Effects Supervisor Neil Trifunovich said the fires will not be burning long enough to cause problems and will not produce real smoke. "The building itself will contain a piping system that will have propane move through the building and up to the windows. Everything will be on safety valves. In fact, how it works is several buttons are held down at all times when flames are coming out of the building. The minute you let go, the fire is automatically out. "Normally what we do when filming is once the cameras and actors and everyone is ready, the cameras start up, we light the fire and it burns for about a minute and a half, maybe two minutes at the maximum and then we shut it off. If they want to do changes, then we go again, possibly several more times during the evening, but it's not a constant burn and it is completely controlled at all times." Trifunovich noted the smoke will be movie smoke, artificially created, without particulate and so, safe to breathe. The house shell itself will be coated with fireproofing materials, so it will not actually burn and members of the Oakville Fire Department will be present to ensure nothing goes wrong. "As an American producer who comes here often to Canada, it's very important this is a good experience for Oakville and that we're very proactive in making sure if concerns are raised, we get right into getting people confident and feeling good about the experience," said Mike Drake, executive producer. "Something like Gairloch Gardens is a valuable resource to the film community." The film company is expected to spend a considerable amount of money in Oakville with payment required for various permits, including a building permit to construct the shell of 1312 Lakeshore Rd. E. in Gairloch Gardens. The company must also pay for the Oakville Fire Department's presence during filming and security personnel to watch over the shell house. The crew is also looking into leasing a building on Cornwall Road for equipment storage and a home opposite the park to serve as a base of operations and parking area for several trailers. Restaurants and other Oakville businesses may also benefit from the stay of the movie crew. Dream House is scheduled for theatrical release by Universal Pictures at some point in 2011. REEVES GATE PO ST MA STER LE UPPER MIDD RD (REG. RD . 38) DR ROAD CLOSED HER ITAGE WAY DETOUR ROUTE On Reeves Gate at Upper Middle Road Driven to quit challenge: gear up to quit in 2010 www.halton.ca Halton Regional Meeting Schedule Jan 20, 9:30 a.m. www.halton.ca 140110 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 THIRD LINE