Winnipeg actor makes movie debut in latest installment of 'Bring It On' franchise
A Winnipeg actor who scared up a lead role in a new horror flick is getting set to screen her movie debut.
Madison MacIsaac landed the role of Sydney in “Bring It On: Cheer or Die”, the latest installment in the beloved cheerleading franchise now taking a turn into the bloody fun of the slasher genre.
The television movie tells the story of a cheer squad practicing at an abandoned school over Halloween weekend, when an unknown killer starts to take them down one by one.
MacIsaac, 20, was cast in the Winnipeg-shot film last fall after a trying first audition. She attempted to read lines for the casting director over Zoom while on a family vacation in Riding Mountain National Park. Wonky WiFi and lagging video signals rendered her audition totally mute.
Winnipegger Madison MacIsaac packed up her car and was on route to Vancouver to try her hand at acting on the west coast when she got word she had been cast in the latest instalment of the "Bring It On" franchise.
She sent in a taped audition instead, but even that presented its own technological challenges.
“I was standing on top of benches and stuff, putting my phone up trying to get that transfer to send, to get that tape through,” MacIsaac recalled in an interview with CTV News Winnipeg.
Weeks went by without a word, and MacIsaac had all but written the opportunity off. So much so, she packed her things in her car and was en route to Vancouver to try her hand at acting on the west coast.
“I got a call when I was in Medicine Hat that I had booked it,” she said. “So I just threw all my stuff in Vancouver and flew back home two days later.”
The project started with an intensive three-week cheer camp before filming began.
MacIsaac said she was initially intimidated by the cast of experienced film actors, but soon felt right at home.
“Everyone had this extensive background in dance or cheer. I was the only person in the cast that actually didn't have any experience with that,” she said. “But everyone was so welcoming and so supportive and so kind, and I never for a second felt like I wasn't supposed to be there.”
A year later, MacIsaac has finished filming another movie in a similar vein – the supernatural horror film “Elevator Game”, also shot in Manitoba.
Meanwhile, “Bring It On: Cheer or Die” debuted on video on demand services and DVD last week, and is set to premiere on the SYFY channel on Saturday.
MacIsaac’s parents are hosting a viewing party.
“They'll have everyone come over, the whole family. We'll all watch it together. It's very sweet,” she said. “I can’t wait to watch it.”
MANITOBA FILM INDUSTRY COMING OFF BEST YEAR EVER
The Winnipeg-shot film joins a long list of productions that rolled in Manitoba last year.
Cali Ramsey, executive director of On Screen Manitoba said 2021 marked the best year on record, with a production volume of $364.5 million, which amounted to about $1 million per day.
“Just to put that into context, in the year leading into the pandemic, we were at $269 million. So that’s almost a jump of $100 million coming out of the pandemic, so that’s a huge, huge jump,” she said.
Ramsey attributes the spike to pent-up demand after many productions were delayed during the pandemic. Still, she hopes the industry will be able to match, and perhaps exceed that figure in 2022. She notes there are about six new productions currently filming in Manitoba.
Ramsey said the boom comes with a number of opportunities for Manitobans, both in front of the camera and behind it.
“We need transport drivers, we need construction people, people working in the hair and makeup department. There are so many other roles that people can fit into in the industry, and we’re always looking for new faces to join in all of those departments,” she said.
Ramsey recommends anyone looking to break into the industry to visit Get On Set Manitoba, a workforce development website to help folks navigate their way into the industry.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
4th Indian national arrested, charged with murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
'Renaissance of cartooning': Lifelong comic lover sets up Newfoundland dedicated publisher
A Newfoundlander's lifelong love of cartooning has helped forge Heavy Sweater Comics, the province's newest dedicated comic book publisher.
Biden calls Trump 'unhinged,' says 'something snapped' in former president after he lost 2020 U.S. election
U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday called Donald Trump “clearly unhinged” and claimed that “something snapped” in the former president after he lost the 2020 election.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.