Heartie's Speed Round
When Calls The Heart Executive Producer
Brian Bird Responds to 20 Burning Hearties' Questions in 140 Characters (Give or Take)
(In honor of the Hearties’ Record-Breaking Season 3 Finale Twitter-Frenzy)
Renee Chin Hatfield: Brian what three words do you want the show When Calls the Heart to stand for? I am thinking of three but want to see what you share.
@Brbird: Faith, hope and love. 1 Cor. 13:13 says: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Joyce Margaret Keeler: I would like to know what goes into production titles. Producers, executive producers, directors, etc. I see names I know as writers being exec producers and it is confusing.
@Brbird: The writer/producer food-chain on any TV show is like ranks in the army. The longer you serve, the more promotions (and more responsibility) you receive.
Karen Schreiber: When you were casting characters like Jack and Elizabeth, it seems that Erin and Dan have a great chemistry on and off screen. Was this on purpose?
@Brbird: There is no way to predict how people will get along in real life. But you know if you cast nice people, your chances are good for real chemistry, both on and off-screen.
Gail Schamell Kehm: When Dan lay waiting for the water to carry him away, was he wearing invisible nose plugs to keep from choking, coughing, breathing it in (especially since his mouth was closed).... or did he just hold his breath?
@Brbird: Dan had on a dry suit under his wardrobe to keep him warm, but no special nose plugs. He wanted to perform his own stunt, so he held is breath because he is, well… a stud.
Katie Guinn: Did you ever think this series would turn into the phenomenon that it has?
@Brbird: Not in our wildest imaginations, not given how hard it was to actually bring it to fruition. We now realize the show (and the Hearties) were, and are, a total God-thing.
Amy Landry Kaarlela: In all the indoor scenes, there always seems to be a wood-burning stove in the corner that looks like it has a real fire in it. Are the fires real and are they actually used to keep the rooms warm since you film in the winter>
@Brbird: Yes, the fires are real, but they are not hot enough to keep the rooms warm. We use space heaters that turn off and on during filming. The hot lights help, too!
Tatiana Ogliastri: We know a few people get to watch the episodes in advance and they write articles that are published online. My question is how are those people chosen?
@Brbird: One of our ideas to help spread the word about the show is to recruit web bloggers to see the episodes and write reviews. They are chosen based on their readership and influence.
Mary Bright: Is Michael Landon Jr. ever going to direct any more episodes? Brian, do you have a favorite episode so far? And if yes, what makes it your favorite?
@Brbird: MLJ is trying to clear his schedule to direct 1 or 2 episodes in S4. Hard to pin down one favorite episode for me. It feels like to pick my favorite child. I love something about all of them.
Liz Sprague Teasck: How long have Elizabeth and Jack been in a relationship? Halley's comet was April/May 1910. You mentioned the season 3 finale was April 1913. I love artistic license, how long do you think it's been?
@Brbird: It’s not exact, but we roughly try to make each season represent one calendar year. So, I would say they’ve known each other for 3 years, 2 months, 5 days, 7 hours and 28 minutes… give or take. :)
Charmaine Lipa: Does When Calls the Heart ever go up for Emmy Awards? In the Season 3 finale, Erin Krakow did such an exceptional job that she deserves an Emmy.
@Brbird: We agree. That’s why we’ve entered that episode for Emmy consideration. Whether we win or not is different. There is a lot of snobbishness among voters toward family shows. They seem to like zombies better.
Elizabeth Gawthrop: Brian, you have an infinite supply of creative energy. I like that because it reminds me of me of the Kiki emoticon. Pop quiz, what are your wife's three favorite colors?
@Brbird: Not infinite. I have to sleep 5 hours a night. I’ve never been compared to Kiki, but definitely Koo-Koo a few times. I think my wife’s favorite colors are: Lincoln, Hamilton and Jackson… aka Green.
Jessica Egge: I would love to hear about life on the set during filming. I'd love a snapshot from you.
@Brbird: Filming is very hard and tedious work, with a minimum of 12 hours a day. But each member of the cast or crew loves what they do. We all feel like we’ve been given memberships in the Very Blessed Club.
Susan Brown Matsumoto: Odd question, but where do all the characters live? I always feel a home tells a lot about a character. We see where Elizabeth, Jack and Abigail live, but where do Rosemary, Lee, Mayor Gowen, Bill, Dottie, Florence, etc. live?
@Brbird: Some of these abodes have to be left to the imagination because we don’t actually have physical places to film their homes. But generally, we have 40 row houses established, so some of them live there.
Lynnette Barton: I live in the small town of Germantown Hills, IL (so not far from where you are from) and I was wondering if you ever come back and visit Kewanee?
@Brbird: My family moved to California when I was 5, so I have only a few memories of Kewanee, and have only visited once in 50 years. But I still feel like an Illinois boy.
Paula Gidjunis: Being a history geek, I would like to know what year in history Season 3 occurred and when the scripts are written are the writers thinking in terms of a certain year and what is happening in Canada at the time?
@Brbird: Roughly S3 corresponds with 1913, but we honestly are not being slaves to history. We may tie in some actual historical events in the future, but we mostly focus on the history of Hope Valley because that is what most Hearties seem to love.
Lori Meeker: For renewal for Season 5, is Hallmark impressed by record-breaking tweets for airings, or is it more about spreading the word to new viewers? A number of Hearties opened second and third Twitter accounts to help bolster numbers and outsmart Twitter jail, just wondered if you recommend that and does it specifically sway Hallmark?
@Brbird: Before S5 is even a possibility, S4 has to rock in the ratings. And Hallmark loves and is impressed by all aspects of the Hearties movement. Tweets, E-Fangelism, Hearties Parties. Everything matters and counts toward the growth of the audience.
Carla Gallardo: Brian, how has your life changed since the Hearties and are you just as addicted to this Facebook group as the rest of us (haha)?
@Brbird: During my 30 years working Hollywood, the Hearties are the best thing that has ever happened to me or one of the shows I have worked on. It is a game-changer. And, yes… My name is Brian, and I am a Heartie-Holic.
Kim Johnston: I would love to hear a little bit of the backstory to how When Calls the Heart came to be. I know there's a story to tell, and I hope in a book one day... but can you whet our interest there?
@Brbird: It all started as a movie project in 2008 during the world economic crisis and the financing fell apart. The project was resurrected in 2012 and finished, and has now become a 4-season series. I think there’s a book about failure, success and redemption in there somewhere, don’t you?
Robin Pozgar: Have you read the complete series of books that the show is based and will you follow them loosely in the future if we get more Seasons beyond 4?
@Brbird: I have read all of Janette Oke’s Canadian West series, and there are many story ideas and dramatic threads that would be great to use in future episodes. But we would also like to turn those other books into movies, so we may not poach too much on them.
Stacey Blessing Mathews: I think the move to Sunday nights during the winter months was a good idea. Did you have any concerns about the time slot move or do you prefer Sundays?
@Brbird: It was a very risky move because Sunday is the most competitive night on TV. But it also has the most viewers, and it worked. More people watched When Calls the Heart in S3 than ever before. I think we are hear to stay!
