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TOUCH & GO
SYNOPSIS
"Touch & Go" tells the story of Darcy (JEFF DOUGLAS), a 28-year-old, good-looking
charmer with the life aspirations of a 15-year-old. He's happiest when he's with his best
friends Lynn (PATRICIA ZENTILLI) and Peter (STEPHEN SHARKEY) and, when he
needs a bit of guidance, turns to his 13-year-old sage/skateboard buddy Trish (ELLEN
PAGE). He's perfectly comfortable spending his days working as a guide for his
grandfather's second-rate tour business, and his nights as a crafty Lothario when he's not
drunkenly reminiscing about the "good old days" with Lynn and Peter.
But he discovers that his carefree life is coming to an end. Lynn has accepted a "real" job
on the other side of the world (Minneapolis), and is dragging boyfriend Peter along with
her. Darcy's roommate Steve (GLEN MICHAEL GRANT) can't make the rent and is
moving back to the frat house, and his grandfather Donald (JOSEPH RUTTEN) is
closing up the tour business, forcing Darcy out of a job.
Suddenly, Darcy finds himself facing the prospect of losing his two closest friends, his
roommate, his job and, worst of all, his perpetual adolescence. As he tries desperately to
fight the onset of adulthood or take the risks he needs to grow up, he realizes that his
feelings for Lynn are more than platonic. He also discovers something about Peter that
could destroy his friends' relationship and ensure the status quo of his comfortable life.
Darcy is ultimately forced to take a chance for once in his life and, in doing so,
inadvertently hurts those he holds most dear - but he finally confronts the truth about life
and himself.
TOUCH & GO
PRODUCTION NOTES
"Touch & Go" began with a story by Scott Simpson, who then brought it to Graerne
Gunn and Michael Melski to flesh out for a full-length screenplay. While Melski wrote
the script, Gunn spent the time (over two years) trying to drum up development money
and, eventually, actual production financing. While Chronicle Pictures had a number of
other projects in development at the time, the partners decided that "Touch & Go" was
the logical choice to get off the ground first. It seemed like it would be the easiest project
to do as a first feature, and could certainly be done with the least amount of money
(considering that one of the other projects in development was a multi-million dollar
adaptation of an Honore de Balzac novel). It also explored themes and characters that the
filmmakers were all familiar with, and felt would resonate with audiences.
"Touch & Go" stars up-and-coming actor Jeff Douglas as Darcy McManus. Finding the
right actor to play Darcy was crucial to the future of the film, so casting was held in
Halifax, Toronto and Los Angeles over the course of many months. But the final decision
came down to an actor who the filmmakers had seen in a wildly popular Molson
Canadian beer commercial. When they found out Douglas was a native of Truro, Nova
Scotia (an hour outside of Halifax) and knew the setting of the film well, the choice was
easy.
Darcy McManus is a guy everyone knows-the guy who spent eight years in university
because he liked the social aspect and, since leaving school, has spent every waking hour
trying to hold on to the lifestyle. He's a carefree charmer in his late-twenties who wants
nothing more than to avoid the hazards of true love and real life. He enjoys working for
his grandfather (a cantankerous old bastard with so much shrapnel in his head that he's
lost his sense of smell) running a tour bus-an amusingly superficial world of brief
encounters and casual deceit. Because the flow of money and romance has always been
easy for him, he's never needed to put himself on the line to go after what he really wants.
Right now he simply wants to maintain the status quo, which means spending as much
carefree time with his closest friends, Lynn and Peter.
Lynn Tingley is played by Halifax actor Patricia Zentilli, a familiar face in the Canadian
film and television industry. Since Lynn's relationship with Darcy is central to the story,
it was a bonus that Patricia and Jeff have been friends since they first met as 19-year-old
dinner theatre actors on Prince Edward Island. Lynn is the kind of girl who always put up
her hand to answer the teacher's questions, but she's so loveable she always got away
with it. She has a piercing insight and an acute sense of what she wants. In other words,
Darcy's exact opposite. Though she won't admit it, she's also a recovering romantic
embittered by love so many times that she now never loses control of her affairs.
TOUCH & GO
PRODUCTION NOTES (continued)
Possessed of an ambition to change the world, she never expected to find herself in
Halifax, playing tour guide for smiling visitors, after she finished her studies. But she
feels safe and comfortable with Peter, and knows he will respect her, won't question her
ideals and will never leave her.
Stephen Sharkey makes his feature film debut as Peter Fox, an insecure aspiring actor.
He's spent the past nine years as Darcy's shadow, while balancing what appears to be a
secure love life with Lynn with his life's ambition to be a "serious actor." But his only
dubious achievement so far has been a "Titanic" dinner theatre opus-an artistic fraud that
somehow plays to full houses of tourists every day. Peter knows all too well that he's
stuck, but doesn't know how to free himself.
About the Production
The actual production of the film certainly lived up its title, and there were several
moments when it looked like it may not happen at all. The story was originally set in the
thick of summer, with the sun shining daily, the Halifax waterfront packed with
thousands of tourists and the patios crowded with patrons drinking many pints of beer. It
was going to show a city that truly comes alive in the summer. In August 2001, the film
was in full pre-production, and with one day to go before the camera started rolling, the
producers were forced to pull the plug and postpone the shoot. The money wasn't there.
The "get-to-meet-you" party for the cast and crew was quickly changed to a "thanks-for
coming-out-we'll-be-in-touch" bash, many beers were consumed, a few tears were shed,
and the next morning the filmmakers packed up the production office and set off to get all
the financial paperwork in place.
When everything was put in order and pre-production of "Season Two" began, it was late
October so the script had to be re-worked to take place at the end of summer. Fortunately
this worked in the film's favour, as it gave the film a more desolate feeling and look of
"moving on" which corresponded nicely with Darcy's story of needing to leave the past
behind and move forward with his life. Unfortunately, Novembers in Halifax can be
extremely unpredictable, so the crew was forced to tough it out through snowstorms,
torrential downpours, summer-like temperatures and sunshine, and everything else in
between over the 18 shooting days.
TOUCH & GO
PRODUCTION NOTES (continued)
Working on such a tight budget and schedule meant that many shooting days had
multiple location moves, the incredibly resourceful crew members found themselves
wearing multiple hats and "creativity" was the key word heard on set. If the production
couldn't afford a certain piece of equipment, something was always jury-rigged from
available materials on the spot. If a location couldn't be found, the production office was
dressed and used as a substitute for pricier options.
About the Locations
The setting for "Touch & Go" is Halifax, Nova Scotia - a small, yet beautiful, port city on
the east coast of Canada. It's the "smart city" of seven universities, where thousands of
students arrive to find out how little they know. It has a nightlife bursting with the energy
of aspiring artists of all kinds, waiting for the chance to jump to the big city. It's a haven
for tourists from all over the globe, drawn to its culture, history and its many, many bars.
Yet at its heart, it's a way-station, where the comings and goings of loved ones is a
constant rule of existence.
It was important for the filmmakers to set the film in Halifax because they wanted to give
the city exposure that it doesn't usually receive on film. While the film industry in
Halifax has been growing steadily over the past decade, many productions use the city as
an unnamed North American city (the proverbial "Anytown, U.S.A.") or as a stand-in for
actual American and European cities. And when Nova Scotia is portrayed on film, it is
usually seen as a province of quaint fishing villages, populated by quirky old fisherman
who spend their nights playing the fiddle while their hardy wives step-dance at the
neighbourhood kitchen party. While this may be true in some of the smaller towns,
Halifax has been developing into a more diverse cultural centre with an increasingly
cosmopolitan feel. In setting the film in Halifax, the filmmakers wanted to showcase this
side of the city-the side they live in and experience every day. At the same time, they
wanted to have some fun with the "fishing village" identity which they watch too often
being lapped up by the hordes of tourists that arrive each summer in a mass of RVs hence the decision to give the three lead characters jobs in the tourism industry.
TOUCH & GO
PRODUCTION NOTES (continued)
About the Music
Original music in the film was composed and performed by Jason MacIsaac and Andrew
Watt, of the Halifax pop band The Heavy Blinkers, who also appear as a party band in
one of the film's scenes. The filmmakers wanted to have the band score the film because
its music conveys a sense of the "never-ending summer" - something that Darcy has lived
his life for, and wants desperately to hang on to as he's forced to grow up.
For the individual songs in the film, the filmmakers knew from the start that they wanted
to use as much local music as possible. Since they were trying to showcase Halifax's
locations through the look of the film, they felt it only made sense to take advantage of
the film's sound to showcase the city's music as well. And luckily, Halifax is known as
much for its great musicians as it is for its scenery.
The soundtrack runs the gamut from pop (The Heavy Blinkers, The Local Rabbits, Nuke
O'Neill, The Flashing Lights, Sloan) to ska (King Konqueror) and country-tinged rock
(The Guthries, The Joel Plaskett Emergency). And, on a trivial note, local singer Ruth
Minnikin just happens to appear on four songs with three different bands (The Heavy
Blinkers, The Guthries and The Joel Plaskett Emergency).
TOUCH & GO
ABOUT THE CAST
Jeff Douglas (Darcy)
Born and raised in Truro, Nova Scotia, Jeff began acting on the stage an hour away in
Halifax where he also earned a degree in Psychology at Dalhousie University before
studying Theatre Performance at Concordia University in Montreal. For three seasons,
Jeff portrayed the recurring role of "Cubby" in the Disney/Alliance-Atlantis series “The
Famous Jett Jackson”, and later returned to the character to film a Jett Jackson MOW. He
has also appeared in the new Disney series “In A Heartbeat”, the CBC's “P.R., Big Wolf
on Campus”, the Showtime feature “Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story” and,
most recently, “John Q” with Denzel Washington. But he is perhaps still best known as
"Joe Canadian" from the immensely popular Molson Canadian TV ads.
Patricia Zentilli (Lynn)
Patricia Zentilli grew up in Halifax where she graduated from the Dalhousie University
Acting Program. Although she's now based in Toronto, she works in Nova Scotia as often
as possible. She has appeared in eight productions at Neptune Theatre, as well as roles in
the feature “New Waterford Girl”, the series “Made In Canada”, “Rideau Hall”,
“Liocracy”, and a popular recurring role on “LEXX”. Other credits include “The Chris
Isaak Show”, A&E's “Nero Wolfe”, “Earth: Final Conflict” and “When Andrew Comes
Home”. Also an accomplished singer, she has appeared in many musical productions as
well as performing at Halifax's “Economy Shoe Shop”.
Stephen Sharkey (Peter)
A relative newcomer to acting, Stephen Sharkey makes his feature film debut with
“Touch & Go”. While he's spent all but the first year of his life living in Dartmouth,
Nova Scotia, he managed to cross over to the Halifax side of the harbour to earn a degree
in Visual Communication from the renowned Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
(NSCAD). He now runs his own graphic design company and teaches a Continuing
Education course at NSCAD when he's not acting or performing with a local improv
troupe. As the caterers of “Touch & Go” are well-aware, Sharkey is allergic to honey and
is lactose intolerant.
TOUCH & GO
ABOUT THE CAST (continued)
Cassie MacDonald (Laurel)
Cassie MacDonald first appeared on movie screens in “New Waterford Girl”, acting
opposite her older sister Krista, and the two will also be seen together in the digital
feature “Dragonwheel”. Cassie has also been making her mark on television with roles in
“Made In Canada”, “Liography”, the CBS movie “A Town Without Christmas” with
Patricia Heaton and Peter Falk, and the CBC mini-series “Trudeau”. She's been closely
involved with “Touch & Go” since early in the script stage, having auditioned for, and
workshopped, the role of Trish more than a year before production started.
Ellen Page (Trish)
When she's not in front of the camera, Ellen is just another snowboarding, soccer-playing
15-year-old. But since landing the role of Maggie McLean in the TV movie “Pit Pony”
and the spin-off series, she's had less free time on her hands. During the series' run, Ellen
picked up a Gemini Award nomination for "Best Performance in a Children's or Youth
Program or Series" and a Young Artists Awards nomination in Los Angeles for "Best
Performance in a TV Drama Series." Other credits include the series “Trailer Park Boys
“and the upcoming feature “Ghost.com”.
Glen Michael Grant (Steve)
Glen's a musician who discovered acting about 12 years ago with a "Stay-in-School”
production but found his love in front of the camera. Since then he has accumulated
numerous credits to his name, including such features, MOWs and series as “Glimpse of
Hell”, “Phase IV”, “Blue Moon”, “Recipe For Revenge”, “The Event”, “Black Harbour”
and “LEXX”. He's also been getting his hands dirty with stunt work, most recently on the
feature “Bluehill Avenue”. When he's not in front of the camera, he can be found playing
his sax at various venues throughout Halifax.
TOUCH & GO
ABOUT THE CAST (continued)
Karen Beverly (Jackie)
Karen Beverly has worked in Montreal, Toronto and Halifax, playing everything from a
sea], to a stripper, to a mom. While Karen has done a variety of work on stage and screen,
she can be seen most recently in “Russian Roulette”, “LEXX”, “Rusty” and “Past
Perfect”. Prior to starting work on “Touch & Go”, she premiered her own
writing/directing/ producing debut, “Coffee Please”, in the shorts Program at the 2001
Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax.
Kevin Curran (Benny)
Kevin Curran got his break playing Joey in “New Waterford Girl: and can be seen
regularly as Corporal Loogie on Global's “Blackfly” and as the geek Texan scientist,
Dougald, on “LEXX”. Other television appearances include “Made in Canada”,
“Liography”, “Streetcents”, and MOW's “The Pilot's Wife” and “A Glimpse of Hell”. In
addition to “Touch & Go”, Kevin can soon be seen in Tricia Fish's directorial debut,
“Dragonwheel”, and in Daniel MacIvor's “Marion Bridge”.
Krista MacDonald (Janine)
Krista MacDonald is fast becoming a familiar face in the Canadian film industry, and
“Touch & Go” marks the third time she's appeared alongside younger Cassie in a feature
film. She first appeared in a featured role in “New Waterford Girl”, and will soon be seen
in the lead role of Gloria Hewitt in the digital feature “Dragonwheel”, She has also been
active in short films in Halifax, including roles in “Finding Peace” and “Trombone
Trouble”, and in 2001 performed onstage in the acclaimed “Vagina Monologues”.
TOUCH & GO
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Scott Simpson - Director/Editor
Scott Simpson entered the Halifax film industry shortly after university, working as
everything from production assistant, to location manager, to assistant director on
numerous local films, commercials, TV series and Hollywood blockbusters. His
directorial debut, the 15-minute short “Terminal Lunch”, won numerous awards
including Best Atlantic Short at the 1997 Atlantic Film Festival, as well as Best
Cinematography at the 1998 Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival. He then co-wrote,
directed and co-produced December, 1917, which received a Gemini Award nomination
for Best Dramatic Short and won a Chris Award at the Columbus International Film &
Video Festival. “Touch & Go” is his first feature as director.
Michael Melski - Writer
Michael Melski first made a name for himself with such stage plays as “Joyride” and
“Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad” before making his feature writing debut with “Mile Zero”.
The dark thriller premiered at the 2001 Montreal Film Festival, was named "the festival
standout" by the Globe and Mail, and was released in Canadian theatres to critical
acclaim in 2002. His extensive television credits include the Gemini Award-winning
series “Straight Up” and “Blue Murder”. Michael's directorial debut, the short
“Serenade”, premiered at the 2000 Atlantic Film Festival, where he won the Best
First-Time Director Award. His second short as writer-director, “Lift Off”, was shot in
Halifax in early 2002.
Graeme Gunn - Producer
Graeme Gunn discovered the real workings of the Canadian film industry while working
as a journalist at a weekly alternative arts newspaper in Halifax (The Coast), where he
shamelessly provided his future partners at Chronicle Pictures with plenty of free press.
He also spent time in the advertising world, as Director of Advertising and Marketing for
The Coast, and at a Toronto agency where he worked on campaigns for such clients as
Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox. He has also freelanced for such publications as
Shift and Chart magazines, and the Bermuda Sun. Graeme's first crack at producing was
the 1999 short Bank Robber #5, which can now be seen on TV networks around the
world (and certain lucky flights out of Canada). “Touch & Go” is his first feature film as
producer.
TOUCH & GO
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS (continued)
Craig Cameron - Producer
After trying out more careers than most people have in a lifetime, Craig Cameron was
eventually drawn to the film industry and arrived back in Halifax with a degree and a
funny accent from Scotland's Stirling University. With his partners at Chronicle Pictures,
he produced both the multiple award-winning short drama Terminal Lunch and the halfhour drama “December, 1917”, and served as Associate Producer on the short satire
“Deadlines”. He has also worked as an assistant director and production manager on
numerous local and Hollywood productions, including the series “This Hour Has 22
Minutes” and “LEXX”, and the features “Simon Birch”, “Titanic”, “Two if By Sea”,
“The Scarlet Letter”, “Dolores Claiborne”, “Scotland PA” and “Marion Bridge”.
However, “Touch & Go” is his first feature as producer.
Bill Niven - Executive Producer
Bill Niven began his career by establishing the Atlantic Canada office for the federal
government's film funding agency, Telefilm Canada. He spent the next 11 years with
Telefilm, in postings in Vancouver, Toronto, Paris, London and Los Angeles. In 1995,
Bill produced the Gotham Awards for the Independent Feature Project in New York City,
and taught at the Film School in San Antonio de Los Banos, Cuba. In 1996 he joined
Halifax's Salter Street Films as Vice President, Operations for the company's
international division, and in 1997 became Vice President, Development. He also
produced Salter's successful children's series, “PIRATES!”, for YTV. He has since
launched his own company, Idlewild Films, which shot its first feature co-production,
“Marion Bridge”, in the Spring of 2002.
Evangelo Kioussis - Associate Producer
Evangelo Kioussis has worked in his native Halifax's film industry in a plethora of roles,
including producer, director, editor, writer, actor, photographer, assistant director and
production manager. After co-writing, co-producing and directing his first few short
films, he met up with Scott Simpson to produce two more: Mute and 'Roids. After cofounding Chronicle Pictures, he directed and edited the half-hour satire Deadlines,
produced the award-winning Terminal Lunch, and co-wrote and produced the half-hour
drama December, 1917 for Global Television. He has also directed two productions for
Halifax's Redstar Films: the feature Caesar for Bravo Television and the series pilot
Visionaries for Vision TV. Evangelo is now concentrating on Chronicle's first foray into
both episodic television and science fiction, the Canada/UK co-production Weaver.
TOUCH & GO
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS (continued)
David Greene c.s.c - Director of Photography
Based in Toronto, Canada, David Greene, CSC specializes in dramatic and commercial
cinematography. Educated at York University (BFA 1993), David began his career
shooting music videos (Holy Cole, Jesse Cook, Maxim Vengerov). His work has been
recognized with numerous awards for excellence in cinematography, including 3 CSC
Awards, 4 CSC Award Nominations, 5 Gemini Award Nominations, 1 Genie Award
Nomination and a recent Gemini Award. Some of David's commercial credits include
Molson Canadian, Microsoft, Royal Canadian Mint, Ford, Proctor and Gamble. David
has photographed four feature films, “Cornered”, “Touch & Go”, “Century Hotel” and
the recently wrapped “Rhinoceros Eyes”, produced by Eva Kolodner (“Boys Don't Cry”).
Glen McMinn - Production Designer
Glen McMinn lives two lives as a designer: One as a partner in the Halifax-based firm
Breakhouse Design where he has designed many restaurants and offices in the city; and
the other as a set designer in film. He began in the Toronto film industry working as a
Production Assistant for two years before moving to Halifax to study architecture. Upon
graduation, Glen jumped back into the production-world, working in the art department
on such shows as “Emily of New Moon”, “Mrs. Greenthumbs” and “Made In Canada”.
He has also worked closely with Chronicle Pictures creating preliminary designs for the
company's upcoming television series “Weaver”. This is his first feature film as
Production Designer, however he has since designed “Lift Off”, directed by “Touch &
Go” screenwriter Michael Melski.
The Heavy Blinkers - Original Music
Since 1998, the Halifax/Dartmouth natives of The Heavy Blinkers have been conspiring
to take over the world of orchestral pop. While band members Jason MacIsaac and
Andrew Watt composed the music for "Touch & Go" they, along with other members
Trevor, Ruth and Greg have been steadily building a devoted fan base in Canada, Britain
and Japan, that can't seem to get enough of the band's Beach Boys-esque sounds. Uncut
magazine gave their last album, “Better Weather”, 4.5 stars out of 5, saying the Blinkers
"achieve what Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks failed to do--complete the legendary
Smile." And countless other glowing reviews continue to flow in from around the globe.
TOUCH & GO
THE CAST
JEFF DOUGLAS
PATRICIA ZENTILLI
STEPHEN SHARKEY
CASSIE MACDONALD
ELLEN PAGE
KAREN BEVERLY
GLEN MICHAEL GRANT
KEVIN CURRAN
KRISTA MACDONALD
Darcy McManus
Lynne Tingley
Peter
Laurel
Trish
Jackie
Steve
Benny
Janine
THE CREW
SCOTT SIMPSON
DAVID GREENE, c.s.c.
MICHAEL MELSKI
CRAIG CAMERON
GRAEME GUNN
EVANGELO KIOUSSIS
BILL NIVEN
THE HEAVY BLINKERS
GLEN MCMINN
Director/Editor/Story
Director of Photography
Story & Screenplay
Producer
Producer
Associate Producer
Executive Producer
Original Music
Production Designer