More with Brian Bird (producer of When Calls the Heart on Hallmark Channel)

       Last year I got the wonderful chance to interview the producer of Hallmark Channel's When Calls the Heart. Brian Bird is not only the producer but he is the co-creator of the show. The show is on its second season and the fans A.KA. #Hearties are pleaing for a third season. 
       This show is about Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow), a young teacher accustomed to her high society life, who receives her first classroom assignment in Coal Valley, a small coal mining town where life is simple, but often fraught with challenges. Elizabeth charms most everyone in Coal Valley, except Constable Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing) who believes Thatcher’s wealthy father has doomed the lawman's career by insisting he be assigned in town to protect the shipping magnate’s daughter. Living in a 19th-century coal town, Elizabeth will have to learn the ways of the frontier if she wishes to thrive in the rural west on her own. Lori Loughlin plays Abigail Stanton, a wife and mother whose husband, the foreman of the mine, along with a dozen other miners, has just been killed in an explosion. The newly widowed women find their faith is tested when they must go to work in the mines to keep a roof over their heads.
       In the second season we see where we left off with the mining investigation and if the mining company will loose also to see if Mr. Gowen will loose. We also see what happens with Elizabeth Thatcher the school teacher and Jack Thornton  the Constible. After the widows will the case over the mining company the town gets a new name called "Hope Valley." When Calls the Heart just ended its second season and hopes for a third season. I myself, is a proud Heartie and want a season 3. 

Here is my interview with Brian Bird to give you the latest details about season 2!

1. How long did it take to change the building up a bit?

When we first found the Jamestown Movie Ranch before Season 1, we realized the location was perfect for us.  It had 200 acres including lakes, ponds, stands of trees.  And the western town was about half-finished at that point.  We decided to fill in some of the spaces and put an end on of the main street where Gowen’s office now exists.   We also converted the existing church building to Ned Yost’s mercantile.  Then in Season 2, we decided to do even more to dress up the town, including brighter paint, signs, new facades.  And of course, the new church.

2. How long did it take to build the school/church?

It took about a month to get it done.  We decided to use one of our 3 row houses as the starting point, so we moved it over to where the church now stands, adjusted the roof line, and recycled the steeple that we had saved from Season 1’s revamping of the mercantile. 

  

3. What was the process like for this season compared to last season?

The process of producing a TV show is always changing, but in a weird way always the same.  Procedures are similar, but when you’re doing brand new stories each week, you have to adjust, find or build new locations, cast guest stars, make props, etc.  It’s an adventure and learning curve each time.   

4. I know that you have said a soundtrack for the season will come out but do you have an idea as to when it will come out?

We’re pretty determined that if we get a Season 3, we will put one out.  It doesn’t sound like an expensive proposition, but it is.  You can’t just repurpose the music cues in the episode.  It all has to be reproduced and edited into longer suites because movie and TV music cues are usually pretty short, less than a minute.

  

5. Last season was more serious than this season, do you think this show could become a dramedy like comedy and drama at the same time?  

It will never be a “dramedy” if I have anything to say about it.  But all good dramas have comedic elements and all good comedies have dramatic elements if they are done well.   Our show is an entertainment show first and foremost, and we want to just tell good stories that inspire and lift people up and give them hope.  If they can laugh along the way, that’s even better.

6. How come hallmark has decided to make some episodes 2 hours and some 1 hour?

Usually these decisions are made by programmers who are looking for ways to make the show “promotable.”  The two-hour episodes were all originally filmed as one-hour episodes, but because the storylines are all connected and continuing, it’s easy to combine two episodes into one.  Most shows have some sort of “event” promotion.  That’s why season premieres and season finales are often set up as special two-hour events.  If you watch “Downton Abbey,” they do the same thing.

  

7. Who came up with the name Hope Valley as the new name of the town?

When we decided the have the court case close down the coal mine and give the widows settlements, we realized that there would be no big industry in the town anymore.  That’s when we decided to introduce Lee Coulter and his dream of a sawmill to replace all those jobs.  But if there’s no coal mine, why would the town continue to be called “Coal Valley.”  We talked about a lot of different alternative names, including “Silver Springs,” which we almost went with.  But that makes no sense either because it’s not a silver mining town.  That’s when we asked the question, “What does this town do better than anything?”  The answer was obvious.  It’s a place of hope.

8. I know the series is not based on bible teachings but when I heard a bible saying I think oh Brian Bird must of wrote that. Are you the one who writes those?

All shows have writing staffs, and rarely does anybody take credit for any one line of dialogue.  It happens sometimes by committee because scripts are rewritten several times before the actors see them or they go into production.  And sometimes the original writer of an episode will lay down a great line, which stick all the way through production.  I have written some of the memorable lines, but many come just organically in the process.

9. When you finish one season and then find out you are coming back for another season what happens with the buildings and props and stuff?

All of the props and wardrobe (that we own) are put into storage at Jamestown in the hopes that we will be coming back for another season, and others that we don’t own are returned to the rental houses.  If and when the show finishes, the props and wardrobe that we’ve accumulated will be auctioned off or sold to rental houses that want them.    

10. How is it to have the #Hearties on set while filming?

Not hard at all.  A complete pleasure.  But the challenge is how to accommodate all the Hearties who want to visit.  We just can’t have them all at once, so it requires some planning and logistics to bring them to set in small groups.  If we get Season 3, I know the demand will even be higher.  We will do our best to accommodate as many as we can, but we probably will have to institute a first-come/first-serve process.

11. Was it easy or hard to find these new characters for season 2?

When you say “characters,” it’s part of the writing process of inventing the show and the fictional characters.  If you mean the actors who play those parts, it’s always a challenge to find good actors to step into those shoes, especially in Vancouver, because there are always dozens of productions, whether TV shows or movies, filming at the same time in Vancouver.  So the competition for the best actors is always fierce.  The good news is that most actors get so fed up shooting action or horror films/shows that they love to get involved in family programming.  They want their own children to be able to watch them, and most programs are too edgy even for their kids.

  

12. I really like Elizabeth's house. How did you go about finding the house?

We have locations department that is in charge of finding the locations we need.  When we knew we were going to feature the Thatcher manor in Hamilton, we had to find a mansion, along with other exterior locations that would “sell” downtown Hamilton.  The last time we featured the Thatcher estate was actually in the original two-hour movie pilot for the show.  We actually filmed those scenes in the Presidential Palace in Bucharest, Romania. 

13. Who does the house belong to?

It’s a turn-of-the-century heritage house and museum in downtown Vancouver called  “Hycroft Manor.”  It now houses the University Women’s Club.  Here’s a link for people that want to visit.  http://www.uwcvancouver.ca

14.  What was the best thing about this season?

The best thing to me about anything I’m involved in is the words and the people, whether they be actors or crew members or fans.  In this case, the Hearties are a big part of how much we enjoy making this show.

I want to thank Brian Bird for giving us #Hearties a look into season 2. 

To read my first interview with Brian Bird about season 1 click here

To find out more about  When Calls the Heart click here!

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