Canada Vignettes
Encyclopedia
Canada Vignettes are a series of vignettes by the National Film Board of Canada
(NFB), some of which aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC) and other Canadian broadcasters as interstitial programs. The vignettes became popular because of their cultural depiction of Canada, and because they represented its changing state. Indeed, the vignette Faces was made to represent the increasing cultural and ethnic diversity of Canada.
department at the CBC approached the NFB about producing short films, five minutes in length or less, to use as interstitial programming. When the Secretary of State for Canada
announced in the fall of 1977 that $13 million would be given to federal cultural agencies to help promote national unity, the NFB was allocated $2 million to produce films for broadcast on the CBC, similar to Bicentennial Minutes
in the United States
, the previous year. The French-language service of the CBC
also agreed to broadcast the series.
vignettes offering amusing portrayals of Canadian history, while others were produced from excerpts from NFB documentaries. The NFB decided that no film credits would be included, only a title.
s. Canada Vignettes were shown on both in prime time
and during children’s programming slots. The most popular film in the series to air on Canadian television was Canada Vignettes: Faces, an animated short that depicted the faces of Canada, including that of then Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Other Canadian television networks to broadcast the films included the CTV Television Network
, Global Television, TV Ontario, and TVA network in Quebec. The series was also sold to international foreign broadcasters in such countries as Turkey
, Italy
, Algeria
, Norway
and the United Kingdom
.
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
(NFB), some of which aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(CBC) and other Canadian broadcasters as interstitial programs. The vignettes became popular because of their cultural depiction of Canada, and because they represented its changing state. Indeed, the vignette Faces was made to represent the increasing cultural and ethnic diversity of Canada.
Conception
The idea for Canada Vignettes began in early 1977, when CBC's children’s programmingChildren's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
department at the CBC approached the NFB about producing short films, five minutes in length or less, to use as interstitial programming. When the Secretary of State for Canada
Secretary of State for Canada
The position of Secretary of State for Canada was a Canadian Cabinet position with a corresponding department. It was established in 1867 as the official channel of communication between the Dominion of Canada and the Imperial government in London...
announced in the fall of 1977 that $13 million would be given to federal cultural agencies to help promote national unity, the NFB was allocated $2 million to produce films for broadcast on the CBC, similar to Bicentennial Minutes
Bicentennial Minutes
Bicentennial Minutes was the name of a series of short educational American television segments commemorating the bicentennial of the American Revolution. The segments were produced by the CBS Television Network and broadcast nightly from July 4, 1974, until December 31, 1976...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the previous year. The French-language service of the CBC
Télévision de Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
also agreed to broadcast the series.
Production
80 filmmakers from across the country worked on the project over a three-year period. Many of the films were animationAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
vignettes offering amusing portrayals of Canadian history, while others were produced from excerpts from NFB documentaries. The NFB decided that no film credits would be included, only a title.
Broadcast
The CBC’s children’s department subsequently informed the NFB that it could not show films longer than two minutes as their needs had changed in the time that it took to produce the series. A quarter of the vignettes were more than two minutes long. As a solution, the CBC main network agreed to make the longer and shorter films available to their network affiliateNetwork affiliate
In the broadcasting industry , a network affiliate is a local broadcaster which carries some or all of the television program or radio program line-up of a television or radio network, but is owned by a company other than the owner of the network...
s. Canada Vignettes were shown on both in prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
and during children’s programming slots. The most popular film in the series to air on Canadian television was Canada Vignettes: Faces, an animated short that depicted the faces of Canada, including that of then Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Other Canadian television networks to broadcast the films included the CTV Television Network
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
, Global Television, TV Ontario, and TVA network in Quebec. The series was also sold to international foreign broadcasters in such countries as Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
List of Vignettes
- 1. Acadian Quadrille (1978)
- 2. Bill MinerBill MinerEzra Allen Miner , more popularly known as Bill Miner, was a noted American criminal, originally from Bowling Green, Kentucky, who served several prison terms for stagecoach robbery. Known for his unusual politeness while committing robberies, he was widely nicknamed The Gentleman Robber or The...
(1978) - 3. Captain Cook (1978)
- 4. Crossing Guards (1978)
- 5. Easter Eggs
- 6. FacesFacesFaces may refer to:* faces, the front areas of human heads* Face in any of several plural usages* Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale, which uses pictures of faces to help children express levels of pain.- Music :...
(1978, Paul Bochner) - 7. Home of the Beaver (1978)
- 8. Lady Frances Simpson (1978)
- 9. Land of the Maple Leaf (1978)
- 10. News Canada (1978, Yossi Abolafia)
- 11. Onions and Garlic: A Hebrew Folk Tale (1978)
- 12. The Performer (1978)
- 13. The Photographers (1978)
- 14. The Seigneury (1978)
- 15. Spence's Republic (1978)
- 16. The Vetern (1978)
- 17. Trading PostTrading postA trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
(1978) - 18. The Log Driver's WaltzThe Log Driver's Waltz"The Log Driver's Waltz" is a Canadian folk song, written by Wade Hemsworth.The Log Driver's Waltz is also a Canadian animated film from the National Film Board, released in 1979 as part of its Canada Vignettes series.-Song information:...
(1979, John WeldonJohn Weldon (animator)John Weldon , is a Canadian actor, composer, animator and movie director, known for his National Film Board of Canada animated shorts...
) - 19. Inuit Pipe (1979)
- 20. Instant French (1979, André Leduc)
- 21. The Wool Spinner (1979)
- 22. Wooly Mammoth (1979, Bill Maylone)
- 23. Wop MayWop MayCaptain Wilfrid Reid "Wop" May, OBE, DFC , was a First World War flying ace and a pioneering aviator who created the role of the bush pilot while working the Canadian west....
(1979) - 22. Agnes Campbell MacPhail (1980)
- 24. Canada's Snowbirds (1980, Joan Henson)
- 25. Woodside HouseWoodside HouseWoodside National Historic Site is the birthplace home of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. The house is located in the city of Kitchener, Ontario, formerly Berlin, Ontario. Built in 1853, the house has been restored to reflect the Victorian 1890s period when King lived...
(1980)
External links
- Canada Vignettes, Big Cartoon DatabaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....
- Episode Guide