Surrounded by boulevards of mature, leafy green trees, Edmonton's Eric Cormack Centre sits like a four-storey reddish-orange square box planted in the middle of a park-like area.
Now sitting empty much of the time, it was until two years ago a provincially run institutional facility for people with multiple disabilities.
The day is sweltering hot, a few birds fly overhead and bees buzz around bright flowers. From this pastoral setting, no one would guess that inside the centre's basement, a whimpering man lies in a dungeon with a broken neck.
The scene looks so real, a twisted body propped at an odd angle against a dungeon's manufactured gray stone wall, but it's all in a day's work for the cast and crew of Tiny Plastic Men.
Super Channel renewed season three and for the past 20 days writer-actors Chris Craddock, Mark Meer and St. Albert's own Matt Alden have spent 12-hour days filming under the deft hand of director Francis Damberger.
Produced by the Edmonton-based Mosaic Entertainment, the eight-episode comedy series revolves around the weird and wacky antics of three nerdy toy testers with over-the-chart Peter Pan complexes.
More than just a sketch-sitcom format of three man-boys working as prototype testers in a "rec" room style office at Gottfried Brothers Toy and Train Co., the storylines included "departures" from the main plot.
The departures allow viewers to see the innermost workings of the testers' imaginations as they conjure alter ego characters such as Dr. Von Chaos or Ravenstalker the superhero.
"We definitely keep pushing the envelope by bringing in the fantasy world. The driving force is the fantasy and it makes the show so much crazier," said supervising producer Elise Graham.
Special guests
This season a new character is added – Dr. Seamkiss (Kristen Welker), a child-psychologist who works for the company evaluating toys form her perspective.
"In one episode, they (trio of toy testers) make a mind-switch kind of like Freaky Friday and she helps them negotiate it back," Graham said.
The biggest leap of season three is the inclusion of more high profile entertainers with Canadian actor-author Alan Thicke (Growing Pains, Unusually Thicke), and the very talented Kids in the Hall alumnus Kevin McDonald.
"We knew we wanted to increase Mosaic's profile and we needed to attract notable stars on a global scale. I took a trip to L.A. to meet some casting agents," said Mosaic producer Jesse Lipscombe.
After meeting with Michael Hawthorne, Lipscombe was mentored in how to find stars and strike deals. Together they went down a list of eight possible Canadians.
"Some were too expensive. Some were double booked. But I was surprised at how many managers and agents know about us. It's good to know we're known outside the country. "
Thicke's agent was sent the script. He passed it to the star.
"He (Thicke) read the script and liked it. He thought we were a bit crazy, but he supports young successes making things happen."
In an episode titled The Ex-Factor, Crad (Chris Craddock), the crusty gamer battles his ex-wife Gloria (Patricia Zentilli) for custody of their daughter. Thicke plays Judge Andy Jury (pun definitely intended), a combined social worker/judge who tries the case.
In yet another episode, Kevin McDonald plays Billy Blumpie, a Willy Wonka style candy tycoon bent on destroying every last vestige of the Gottfried Toy and Train Co.
The part, with two musical song and dance numbers, was specifically written for McDonald after his performance in Delmer & Marta, a previous Mosaic project.
Filming Edmonton style
Unlike Hollywood's entire studio cities, Edmonton has limited amenities. Mosaic originally tried to book space at Film Alberta Studios on Allard Way where last season's shoot took place. Unfortunately it was already reserved.
After scouting alternative locations, Eric McCormack Centre stood out like a gold nugget among pyrite. With large, multiple rooms on every floor, they could be converted into temporary flexible sets, as well as wardrobe and makeup areas, storage units and administrative offices.
In a couple of rooms designated as sets, baffles are suspended to dampen reverberating echoes. Another large common room is divided into three zones: a green screen area, a set with an animal print sitting room, and the dark Latvian throne room of Dr. Von Chaos.
Detailed in every aspect, the throne room looks like a dark magician's lair with candles, crystal balls, skulls, pickled aliens, and flasks teeming with mysterious elixirs
"Dr. Von Chaos started off as a sketch character and this season we're excited to have as the ruler of Latvia, a make-believe country. This time, the boys need to go to the Latvian embassy to negotiate to the rights to his toys," Graham said.
Another large room is sectioned off as the prototype room filled with every toy imaginable. One of the most interesting devices was last season's introduction of My Buddy Robot.
"But like any good robot he has an existential crisis and tries to kill everybody. In season three, the Latvians have repurposed him and added missile launchers."
Down the hall is another large room that doubles as wardrobe. Fortunately it's large enough for costume designer Jill Concannon and her assistants to keep racks neatly organized for the season's 1,200 outfits.
Some of the costumes are quite snazzy such as Mark Meer's October Goth character that is now entrenched as a time traveller.
"He's a time lord and Mark is such a chameleon. No matter what you put on him, he will look good. For this character, he's dressed from the steam punk period, kind of romantic.
Another costume causes people to erupt into sniggering bathroom jokes. It is Alden's "poo" costume. A brown fun fur piece with bodysuit and pointy hat, it was designed when Alden performs the Happy Ending Enema commercial.
Yes, there's a lightness, a kind of hilarity that flows throughout the building. But underneath the laughter, this shoot is a well-oiled machine that has taken months of planning and has a lock on success.
Season three of Tiny Plastic Men will air in 2015. However, Mosaic is planning to release three teaser episodes online in the fall.
