Family Channel’s next step: ‘Empire for tweens’
Viewers get a sneak peek at Lost & Found on Friday
What’s the next step after The Next Step? For a group of Toronto producers in the tricky business of reaching TV’s toughest audience — “tweens” — it’s Lost & Found.
Family Channel and Temple Street Productions had an instant hit on their hands when The Next Step premiered to a hefty — in specialty terms — 574,000 viewers in 2013. The series was a cross between Fame and So You Think You Can Dance, and made stars out of young Canadian performers such as Brittany Raymond and Trevor Tordjman. The series is set to launch a fourth season.
Lost & Found takes its cue from The Next Step in that it’s shot in a kind of mockumentary style. Instead of the world of competitive dance, however, Lost & Found-focuses on the music business, with young artists under the tutelage of a musician-turned-producer.
“This is Empire for tweens,” says director/executive producer Frank van Keeken, who has no hesitation in calling it a “faux soap opera.” While there are 10 writers cranking out an initial order for 26 scripts, many scenes seem ad-libbed or improvised. Others play more like music videos. Then there are all the original songs, more than 80 in all, written especially for the series under the supervision of Marco DiFelice and performed by the young cast members. A visit to the converted factory set in Toronto finds young people cheerfully rehearsing songs on the run, over lunch breaks and even during costume changes.
The songs are a mix of rock, folk, country and several other genres.
“Marco has an ear for all genres so he’s the perfect guy to have on a show where it’s anything goes,” says music engineer Aidan Vickery.
Hundreds were auditioned for the cast, says van Keeken. Among those landing roles was Shane Harte from Brampton. He plays Luke, the lead singer in the band Lost & Found. An aspiring singer/songwriter/musician, he’s essentially playing a version of himself.
Harte says he used to watch shows such as American Idol back when he was younger and “it was a bigger thing.” While his Brampton high school had a performing arts pro- gram, he never considered entering any TV talent hunt.
“I wanted to work my way up instead of being an instant thing. It’s already a giant competition; you don’t need to add more stress to it.”
Alex Zaichkowski also stars as John. Another cast member is 14year-old Ella Jonas Farlinger, who just entered high school this year at Etobicoke’s School of the Arts. Poised and mature for her age, she plays Eva, a shy student with really strict parents. She is handed a red electric guitar “and explores the world of rock ’n’ roll,” says Farlinger.
“We’re all so alike,” she says of the cast. “Take a bunch of people who work the same way, and love to sing and write songs and just put them in a room and everyone gets along so well.”
If producing a hit TV show was this easy, however, there wouldn’t be so many flops.
Van Keeken feels lessons learned on The Next Step have helped establish a formula for success.
“The kids coming to this show are firstly musicians,” he says. “I need great singers and kids with big personalities.”
The acting part comes second, he says. The director feels it’s his job to help these kids hit their marks and be in the scene. “They’re keen; they haven’t learned any bad habits yet. We cut out the bad bits and it looks good!”
Still, the part where fans turn a young wannabe into the next teen idol? Van Keeken admits that’s not an exact science. “You never know,” he says. “I’ve done three, four television shows now and I’m always surprised who the audience gravitates to and who figures out how to have that magical spark.”
Fans can get a special sneak peek at the series on Friday on Family Channel following the Season 3 finale of The Next Step. The series will begin its regular run on Fridays in January.