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Emily 'Talk' with Dutch Thompson
by Julie V. Watson

Kindred Spirits of PEI ~ Summer 1998

A captivating story of a free-spirited orphan with a vivid imagination and passion to write which puts her in conflict with her new and strict adoptive family has provided Dutch Thompson with an opportunity to indulge his own passions. The Prince Edward Islander is absolutely passionate about his home province, its history, and its people. He literally bubbles with enthusiasm - so much that, given the opportunity, he will regale the listener with what he calls 'Emily Talk.'

The subject of our conversation with Dutch is Emily of New Moon, a new one-hour family television senes based on the Emily novels written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Although not as famous as Anne, Maud's diaries reveal that her Emily character was the closest to her own true story, and the books among her favourites.

The senes is set in 1890's Prince Edward Island. Its creators focussed on Emily facing the concerns and challenges confronting today's preteens while coping with the constraints of her times. Emily handles problems with poise beyond her years and an uncanny ability to wonderfully complicate the lives of everyone around her.

What makes the series unique, and very special for viewers, is that it is shot entirely on location against the beauty of the sweeping coastline and rolling fields of P.E.I. with well preserved buildings and artifacts bringing reality. The production crew take great pride in that authenticity.

That's where Dutch Thompson comes in. As the location scout for the program he is charged with finding locale, even the right people for each scene. It is his passions that make him so good at his job.

Knowledge revealed through his radio show, By Gone Days on P. E.I., and work done for local television resulted in a call saying Salter Street Films was interested in hiring him. He replied, Yes! Send over the production designer!

I met the designer, took her around and showed her what I thought they could use. She said, my God we can shoot at least 50% right here, recalls Dutch.

That 50% represented the outdoor or exterior shots. The outsides of buildings, farms, wharves, woods, fields, beaches and general scenery. Cabot Park was chosen as the main location. Maud had based her stories in the area, not far from her beloved Silver Bush. Visitors encounter a l9th century home, a barn and vegetable garden, as well as an old country general store and even a graveyard in the woods - all part of thc film set.

The park is open to the public during filming; however they know the blaring of a bull horn means to quickly clear the beach. Within a short time the paraphernalia of another age will replace 1990's toys and umbrellas and shooting of another scene will begin. They also know they must stay quiet and away while filming is taking place. Campers and day trippers don't seem to mind, in fact tours of the sets, and chances to see the live action of movie making is an attraction many find appealing.

The problem of where to film the interiors or the inside of buildings was almost as easily solved. An empty airplane hanger from the former Canadian Forces Base in Summerside was the perfect place to build the sound stage.

New Moon, Emily's new home, is the focal point for the show. On the set rooms have to be bigger, ceilings higher, he explained. This allows the film crew to work around the actors. They were thrilled he found the airbase. As well as the rooms of the house, the barn with all the cattle and horses is inside.

It is the exterior locations that provide the most challenge and the most fun for Dutch. He loves to tell the story of a village that burned early in the series.

When they said they needed a village to burn, I found a location near Springbrook. The owner was going to burn some old buildings so we arranged to use them. They build fake fronts where needed then burned everything three times. In the actual filming fire would roar then the director would say cut and the fire would go out when the propane was turned off. For the final filming, the whole 'village' actually burned.

Dutch enthralls it was very exciting, and very dramatic. To cover yourself you have to have the fire department standing by!

His favourite story involves a character that producers wanted for scenes filmed in the general store.

Early on, I interviewed Maisie Adams, the first female lighthouse keeper in Canada, taking over when her husband died in the 1940's. She's 85 now, lives in Summerside and is smart as a whip. They wanted a real character, someone in their 80's who would watch the goings on in the store.

Maisie was offered the job of sitting in a rocking chair, knitting, and watching what was going on. Her reaction was that they should get her sister because she is a much better knitter and besides, Maisie is awfully busy.

Being an extra is actually long boring work, we feed people, but they have to get to and from work themselves. I asked them to break the rules and pick-up and drop off Maisie. They said yes, proving how taken they were with her, as Dutch says, Rules are very rigid..

Maisie quickly had everyone enamoured.

The light guys were getting her cups of coffee; the prop people were talking to her. Everyone loved her and kept looking at her. She stole the show; they kept putting the camera on her.

They even wrote Maisie a speaking part. She had one line, 'cheer up dear - you 'II soon be dead.'

That one line raised Maisie's status on set even higher. She's now classified as an actor. Her pay goes up - a substantial raise. Her character is Maisie - she even managed to keep her own name, he chuckles.

His tales go on and on. There were the extraordinary lengths he went to finding someone who could train an actress to cut fish the old way. It didn't work; they had to substitute a fish plant workers hands in the scene. Then there are the efforts he had to go to find a building that could portray an asylum and then persuade the owners to let them use it as such on television. Or the time they filmed in a farmer's barley field, with four actors on one side of the rail lines that the camera dolly rides on, and 100 crew on the other.

When we arrive at a location its like the circus coming to town.

He credits Islander determination to maintain and look after buildings and the landscape with providing the rough pallet the television series needs to maintain its authenticity.

We may not use a particular building, like a cheese factory, but we need to be able to see one.

One thing that is certain. If there is something they need, Dutch Thompson is the man to find it. His passions, and instincts, tend to lead him in the right direction. Oh, and his love of storytelling. he gets lots of opportunity to indulge it speaking to various groups about his passions and experiences on Emily.

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