aka MURDER SCENE


Murder Seen is a suspense thriller about a psychic co-ed tormented by the chilling details of a
mysterious kidnapping on her college campus. Zoey Drayden, an intelligent and beautiful
university student, receives a life-altering phone call from a distressed woman pleading for help.
The eerie call evokes haunting dreams of the woman's abduction. Driven to investigate, she
discovers the disturbing reality behind her visions and decides to go to the police. There, Zoey
meets Detectives Keegan and Stepnoski, and reveals details of the missing student's case that
only the police and the killer would know. To her disbelief, Zoey becomes their prime suspect
and is arrested for masterminding the kidnapping. Determined to save the woman and free
herself from the horrifying images, Zoey helps to capture a vicious serial killer, and in doing so,
almost pays the price with her own life.
Nicole Eggert (Anything for Love, Baywatch) stars as the brainy and beautiful botany student
Zoey Drayden, with Callum Keith Rennie (eXistenZ, Hard Core Logo) as the intrepid Detective
Keegan. Timothy Bottoms (The Man in the Iron Mask, Absolute Force) plays the role of gruff
Detective Stepnoski and Kent Allen (Big Bear, Painted Doves) appears in a leading role as
kidnapper and madman Ivan Stark.

Courtesy of: Minds Eye Pictures

‘Lights, camera, action on campus!’

For three days this month, May 9-11, U of S campus was the
scene of detectives and a psychic student tracking a vicious
serial killer – all in front of cameras rolling for a joint production
of Regina’s Minds Eye Pictures and Saskatoon’s Thomega
Entertainment. Co-producer Tony Towstego says the movie,
Murder Seen, is part of an initiative to boost local movie talent
and crews. He says it’s set on a campus in Minneapolis, which
required flying the American flag on the Thorvaldson Building
flagpole one afternoon. Towstego says besides the U of S, local
shooting is at Broadway Ave., Saskatchewan Cres., and the
Avenue Building. Shooting ends May 28, and worldwide release
is set for late 2000. It will also be shown on The Movie
Network, Canada’s in-home pay-TV movie channel. Facilities
Management worked for months with producers on campus
shooting arrangements. The producers were responsible for any
related expenses, provided their own insurance, and paid a
nominal site fee. Drama Dept. students were also able to
observe filming, which took place in Thorvaldson, the Bowl, the
Mitchell Bldg., the Law Library, and Geology. The film stars
Timothy Bottoms, Callum Keith Rennie, Nicole Eggert, and
local actor Kent Allen. Above, from left, Bottoms (with tie),
Rennie and director Rob King prepare to shoot a scene in the
Drama theatre. Below, a film crew unpacks equipment at the
west end of the Bowl, between Thorvaldson and the Library.

Courtesy of Campus News , University of Saskatchewan

U of S Hits The Silver Screen Movie Filming
Takes Place on Campus
By Farrah Mateen
Sheaf Staff Writer

The uncharacteristic trailers parked near the Thorvaldson building last week were due to the
on-location filming for an upcoming movie. Murder Seen is a "suspense thriller" about a
"brainy and beautiful botany student, Zoey Drayden, who receives a life-altering phone call
from a distressed woman pleading for help,"according to Minds Eye Pictures,
Saskatchewan's largest film and television production company. Nicole Eggert (Anything
for Love, Baywatch) stars as the botany student. Drayden is taunted by haunting dreams of
the woman's abduction and consults Detective Keegan, played by Callum Keith Rennie
(eXistenZ, Hard Core Logo). Timothy Bottoms (The Man in the Iron Mask, Absolute Force)
plays the role of Detective Stepnoski while Kent Allen appears in the other leading role as
the madman and kidnapper Ivan Stark. Principal photography of the movie began on May 9
and will likely continue in several venues around the city throughout the month. While filming
at the U of S last week, the most noticeable change on campus was the flying of a
American flag from the top of Thorvaldson in order to create the feel of a U.S college
campus. The film is set in and around a college campus in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The
Office of Communications noted that the on-location filming was "excellent for the
university" and allowed several U of S drama students to gain the opportunity to act in a
production that will be seen on a number of T.V. networks. Tony Towstego is Co-Producer
for the Saskatoon-based company Thomega Entertainment Inc., which is working on the
project in association with Minds Eye Pictures (located in Regina). The idea was to capture
the majestic beauty of the campus." he said. "In my opinion, "it is one of the most beautiful
campuses in North America." He went on to add that the U of S campus is "underutilised"
and has "incredible production value, which is important for low-budget productions."
Thomega and Minds Eye Pictures extended an offer to U of S undergraduate students and
recent graduates to play a role in the film's production. Dwayne Brenna, head of the
University of Saskatchewan Drama Department, said that U of S drama students will
comprise 20 of the movie's extras as well as work in some of the technical areas of
production. In addition, ten students will be observers on the set to witness the crew and
actors at work. "I think it's a great step up and reveals opportunities [to students for] when
they graduate," said Brenna. "We welcome any chance to be involved." Students involved in
acting will have a credit added to their ACTRA Performers Guild membership, which boosts
their career potential. Brenna also noted that all drama students essentially graduate as
ACTRA apprentices. Students participating in the acting side will be seen across the country
on The Movie Network and Super Ecran, a North American French-language network, and
as well the movie will enjoy a limited theatrical release. The movie is set to be released in
October or November of 2000 and will go straight to video. Murder Seen is the second of
eight action thrillers that will be part of what is called the "Saskatoon Initiative" of Minds Eye
Pictures. The primary goal is to meet the need of a growing motion picture sector industry in
Saskatoon by building a trained and skilled local labour base. All eight movies will be filmed
in Saskatoon over the next two years. The first one,Without Malice, was shot mostly in
Waskesiu and is set to be released in August or September 2000. 27 Saskatoon residents are
working behing the scenes on the total 45 person crew. As well, the filiming of Murder Seen
employed six cast members and more than 50 extras from Saskatoon. The University of
Saskatchewan campus is not the only Saskatoon spot to hit the silver screen. Filming of the
upcoming movie will also take place in the Broadway area and the warehouse district in
Saskatoon. With a growing local motion picture industry and the unique architecture of the U
of S campus, it looks as though there might be more lights, cameras, and this type of action.
"We hope to use the campus again in the future", Towstego said. The opportunities for
student benefit are also being taken into account. "There is a long standing history of
involvement from this department [drama]" said Brenna.