Linda Schuyler, a former grade 8 schoolteacher, and Kit Hood, a former video editor and child actor established Playing With Time in Their production name was actually inspired by their first educational documentary called Jimmy-Playing With Time Chatelaine, June Their first documentary was ninety minutes and about a year-old marathon pianist. After making the documentary, Linda and Kit wanted to make films about childhood and adolescence.
Both Schuyler and Hood thought that it would be a perfect opportunity to make a film about an inner city girl who wanted to make a film about cleaning up her neighbourhood. Hood directed the film, and after that project The Kids of Degrassi Street series was born.
By , Playing With Time were able to afford 6 episodes per year, and by , they had produced 26 episodes of Kids of Degrassi Street. They got a small group of 52 young actors who had little or no acting experience and started filming around the area where their company was located.
They filmed around the streets of Degrassi and in a school building one block away from Degrassi. This was the building where the show was mainly filmed, as well as in the homes of the residents who lived on the street. As the kids got older, more kids were hired to play their younger siblings in the show.
When the group entered grade 6, it was assumed that the series was going to be finished, because the older group were not filmed as much, like Noel, and Sophie. The show continued the next year as many of the actors started to work on a sequel-like series by the name of Degrassi Junior High. The show was not a sequel, but merely related by its geographic location. The company hired a larger cast, and seven of the original cast members remained on the next series.
As Degrassi Junior High was not a sequel to Kids of Degrassi Street, there were many familiar faces, but their characters names were different. Degrassi Junior High delivered an average of 15 episodes per season for three seasons.
When Degrassi Junior High first had its auditions, there were young actors and non- actors who applied. Smith performed as himself with his frequent collaborator Jason Mewes in a multi-episode arc in which they shoot their film Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh! This generation of Degrassi expanded with the web series Degrassi Minis — These two-to-three-minute shorts feature characters in unique situations outside the school or in alternate, fantasy realities.
Other additions to Degrassi included a pair of made-for-TV movies directed by Stefan Brogren: Degrassi Goes Hollywood , which features several characters pursuing careers in Hollywood, and The Rest of My Life: Degrassi Takes Manhattan , about the summer after graduation for the departing cast. When the time came to create the 15th season of Degrassi , Schuyler and her husband, executive producer Stephen Stohn, took stock of Degrassi.
The writers recalibrated the story arcs to accommodate binge-watching and incorporated social media, including naming episodes after hashtags. They also discarded the long-running custom from The Next Generation of using song names for episode titles. Next Class also responded to current affairs by introducing two Syrian refugees , Saad Parham Rownaghi and Rasha Dalia Yegavian , in its third season and including storylines on Islamophobia, terrorism , racism and Black Lives Matter.
No longer bound by traditional TV schedules, the seasons were made available to stream all at once in January season one , July season two , January season three and June season four. The fourth season ended with the principle characters graduating from high school, paving the way for a new class to be introduced in subsequent seasons. Degrassi not only featured taboo material but drew praise for handling it realistically; the kids lived with the consequences of their actions, learning and growing through their experiences in awkward and messy ways.
The attention to multiculturalism and diversity was also foundational to inclusive programming at the CBC and other Canadian broadcasters. However, these American series favoured casts of affluent characters played by older, flashier actors, with low-stakes drama that tended to treat hard-hitting subject matter more sentimentally.
These contemporaries influenced Degrassi: The Next Generation , particularly in its casting of actors who were more professional, attractive and fashionable than their predecessors. American filmmaker Kevin Smith credits Degrassi with inspiring him to present youth culture with a specificity of place and without condescension, simplification or clean endings. Smith initially wanted Stacie Mistysyn to appear in his film Mallrats , but the role eventually went to Beverly Hills star Shannen Doherty, who wore a Degrassi jacket as part of her costume.
Linda Schuyler was named to the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario for her work with the franchise. Gemini Awards. Canadian Screen Awards.
Byers, ed, Growing Up Degrassi Search The Canadian Encyclopedia. Remember me. I forgot my password. Why sign up? American filmmaker Kevin Smith, known for his "Jay and Silent Bob" franchise, appeared as himself on season four episodes 21 and 22 alongside his frequent screen partner Jason Mewes.
According to Entertainment Weekly , Smith was a huge fan of the series growing up, and he originally wanted to write and direct an episode arc during which "Degrassi Junior High"-turned-"Degrassi: The Next Generation" characters Joey and Caitlin would get married. But the show had a strict rule about only hiring Canadian filmmakers, so instead, they offered him a role on the show, and he ended up coming between the longtime on-again, off-again "Degrassi" couple.
It was awesome," he said. These two were heading toward a marriage, and I ruined it. When Adam Torres joined the ever-growing list of "Degrassi" characters on season 10, he became the first transgender teen character to be a regular on a scripted TV show. The episode won the series a Peabody Award in Adam quickly became a fan favorite, and many viewers were devastated when his arc came to an untimely end on season Additionally, Billy Ray Cyrus played an eccentric limo driver on season three and Alanis Morissette was part of Smith and Mewes' movie on season four.
Not only is Alex Steele the real-life sister of "Degrassi" star Cassie Steele, who played Manny, she was also the first person to play two different characters in the franchise.
She started on the show as Joey Jeremiah's daughter, Angie, on the earlier seasons, and she returned as Tori Santamaria on season In , there was an impromptu "Next Generation" reunion when Drake asked a number of his former costars to appear in his "I'm Upset" music video.
World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Janaki Jitchotvisut. The show tackled important issues, but some of the episodes were originally censored in the US. Drake starred on the show, and most of the cast reunited for his "I'm Upset" video in Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
0コメント