Interviews

Remember Teletoon’s beloved TWILIGHT-esque TV movie, MY BABYSITTER’S A VAMPIRE? It told the story of Ethan Morgan (Matthew Knight), a geeky freshman who almost dies of embarrassment when his parents make him and his little sister have a babysitter look after them. Ethan quickly learns that his babysitter, Sarah (Vanessa Morgan) is actually half vampire, and now he and his geeky friend Benny (Atticus Dean Mitchell) have been dragged into a world of supernatural battles.

The Mag got the chance to sit down with the cast of MY BABYSITTER’S A VAMPIRE, Vanessa, Atticus, and Matthew. Here’s what they had to say about the series, their clothes, monsters, and more…

How excited were you guys when you learned you get to reprise your characters from MY BABYSITTER’S A VAMPIRE?

Matthew: Pretty excited, I mean the movie was a lot of fun so coming back to the series was pretty exciting to come back to kill more things, so yeah!

Vanessa: And there was so much more adventures in the series, too that I know that I’m really excited about.

How do your characters start to develop a bit more within the series?

Matthew: Throughout the series, Ethan gets a little more, well less nerdy, or a little nerdier, depending on the situation. He gets stronger and he gets more into liking Vanessa’s character

Is there ever a budding romance between the two of you, or is it strictly a one-sided crush?

How are you guys at all like your characters?

Vanessa: I think I’m pretty similar to my character. Of all the characters I’ve played I think I’m most like this character. She’s really just a normal teenage girl, she just has this dilemma of being a vampire. But I guess that can kind of relate to any problem that any teenage girl, like me, has in life, and she’s dealing with that complex so yeah. And our personality is pretty similar too.
Matthew: I’d say I’m a lot less nerdy than Ethan, but I have that sort of gangly, “try to figure this out” kind of thing.
Atticus: Benny is almost the polar opposite of me completely. All of his likes are none of my likes. He likes STAR WARS, I couldn’t care less. He’s a big wimp, I am so brave all of the time, every day! I’m kidding, but he’s just…
Matthew: He’s weird.

So how do you get into that “weird” mentality?

What have been your favourite moments/episodes to film so far?

What other crazy stuff has happened on set?

The movie within the show, ‘Dusk’, it pokes a lot of fun at the TWILIGHT series, what do you guys personally think of TWILIGHT?

Atticus: It’s a guilty pleasure of mine! I mean, they’re terrible, but once you show me a picture of Robert Pattinson, he stole my heart. I just have the biggest crush on Robert. That’s all I have to say.

Vanessa: I personally like TWILIGHT, I just really like it.

Matthew: I don’t, so I was really happy when they were making fun of it!

Vanessa: I like how we make fun of their sparkling vampires.

If you had any supernatural powers in real life, what would they be?

Vanessa, you’re working on an album right now, is there anything else you can tell me about that?

Vanessa: Yeah, my first single will be out soon [you can hear it on her website, vanessamorgan.ca]… I would say it’s like pop/R&B. I’m really excited! We’re working on the radio release and I’m shooting a music video in LA in a couple weeks.

What about you guys, Matthew and Atticus, are there any other projects you’re working on besides the series?

Atticus: There’s this magical thing in the world that I’m just finishing now called school. But other than graduating, I’ve got nothing going on. I’m really boring.

Matthew:strong> I’m not really sure what I’m going to do [after the series], I’m thinking of doing volunteer work on some organic farms, it’s called ‘wwoofing’ [WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms]. My brother’s doing that right now so I might join him where he’s working.

Thank you, Atticus, Matthew and Vanessa! Don’t miss the premier of MY BABYSITTER’S A VAMPIRE tonight at 8pm on Teletoon!

With Season 1 about to begin of Teletoon’s new hit series My Babysitter’s a Vampire, the cast sits down and talks advice, characters and—of course—boots.

My Babysitter’s a Vampire is about a high schooler whose parents, despite his protests, hire a babysitter for him and his younger sister. Little did they know...they hired a vampire!?! Ethan, along with his friends Rory, Benny and—don’t forget the babysitter Sarah—take on the world of supernatural all the while battling the halls of high school.

Throughout life everyone gets and gives advice that sticks with them, and Matthew Knight (Ethan), Vanessa Morgan (Sarah) and Atticus Dean Mitchell (Benny) are no different.

“Stay true to yourself and just be honest with anything that comes in front of you ‘cause there’s a lot of people out there who tell you what you want to hear. Just hit everything with an iron fist of truth,” offers Matthew.

Of course, getting to play a vampire, spell-caster or a teen with visions of the future is a ton of fun for these guys; but, like all great actors who are up to trying something new, these actors would love to audition for different supernatural roles. “I would properly have to go with my biggest fear, a Kraken [giant sea monster; seen in the movie Clash of the Titans]. The thing scares the bejesus out of me,” jokes Atticus.

These three amazing actors are down to earth just like the rest of us: as the conversation turns to—of all things—boots, it’s revealed that the boys love this particular fashion accessory, even more than Morgan!

Morgan couldn’t help but sum up the whole conversation, “Boys and their shoes.”

The first season of My Babysitter’s A Vampire airs every Thursday at 8pm on Teletoon. Check it out!

Hey girls,

TWIST chatted with Matthew Knight (Ethan), Vanessa Morgan (Sarah) and Atticus Dean Mitchell (Benny) from My Babysitter's a Vampire! They dished about the show and their characters. Check out our interview below!

TWIST: Could you tell us a little bit about My Babysitter's A Vampire?

Matthew: It's a mix between horror, comedy and family drama, and follows the story of Ethan, Benny and Sarah, the trials of high school and the obstacles they have to face with the supernatural elements that arrive in White Chapel.

Atticus: It's essentially a high school comedy with supernatural things kind of as the cherry on top. It's a rather large cherry, but a cherry nonetheless! We deal with crushes, different relationships between different characters and then on top of all that, 'Oh look! There's a pack of zombies walking in!' or 'Oh look! There's a werewolf hidden there!'

TWIST: Can tell us about your characters?

Vanessa: My character Sarah wants to be a normal girl and enjoy high school and be able to grow old. Her dreams come crashing down when her ex-boyfriend, who turns out to be a vampire, bites her against her will. She doesn't know what to do, because everything she hoped for in life can't happen any more because she's going to stay seventeen forever. She's dealing with that and trying to find a cure and battling the vampires and supernatural beings with her two best friends: Ethan and Benny.

Matthew: Ethan's very strong willed and very kindhearted, always trying to find the best solution for everybody involved, do the right thing and be the bigger person. He tries to stay away from anything that might get him in too much trouble, but when the supernatural elements come around you just got step up to what is facing you. He's kind of the grounding, centripetal force for the whole group. He keeps everyone on board and on task.

Atticus: Benny is Ethan's best friend. He's, for better or worse, the comedic relief along with Cameron Kennedy, who plays Rory. He's kind of a third wheel when it comes to the trio. Benny knows that Ethan has a crush on Sarah, so he's always trying to help with that. He's always looking out for Ethan, even if it means he loses some of his own smarts and sanity along the way. He's the cause of most problems, but many times he's also the cause of the solution.

TWIST: In one sentence, why should TWIST readers tune into your show?

Atticus: Twilight but funnier!

Matthew: Twilight with geeks, other supernatural stuff, girls in high school, freaks, and lots of funny looks at different situations.

Vanessa: No parents. No rules. No Pulse.

TWIST: What's it like on set?

Atticus: It's a lot of fun. Everyone's easy going. We joke around a lot with one another. Of course, when it gets late, the giggles start to set in, but luckily everyone keeps enough composure to get through the day. The crew and all the writers and producers are all very supportive and everyone gets along famously. TWIST: What's next for you?

Atticus: Diving right into auditions and whatever I can possibly do to keep this job going, but first I'm going to buy a good old fashioned video game, sit down and have some time to myself.

Vanessa: I'm going to head back home to Ottawa and relax with my family, head back to school and hang out with my friends. After that I'll get back on the auditioning wagon and start doing some things I have lined up.

Matthew: I've got a Chinese animated film called Bunny Fu that they're dubbing in English. It's pretty endearing so I thought I'd try it out. I've never done dubbing before so we'll see how it goes.

School would be much more interesting if your classmates were supernatural beings! While that can’t happen in real life, at least we have MY BABYSITTER’S A VAMPIRE! We got to chat with the show’s star, Vanessa Morgan about acting, music and what's in store for this season.

What inspired you to start acting?

I started off with singing. I was performing and an agent saw me singing and was like, “You should try acting!” I’ve always been a singer, but I tried it and it quickly became another interest and passion of mine.

How did you become interested in music?

My family noticed at a young age that I had a talent, so I performed all around California and then I moved to Canada and I just kept with it.

Is there a particular scene or episode that you’re really excited for fans to see?

The Egyptian episode where a mummy, who I have a thing for, comes to life.

Is there anything new coming up with your music career or are you focusing on acting right now?

I’m trying to get started on my music again. Hopefully, I can create a demo and go from there.

What’s the most intimidating part of working in the entertainment industry?

The pressure can get to you… You can be a little bit self-conscious and hold yourself back. Sometimes, there are some things that you want to do and be better at and then when you’re in front of people, you get self-conscious and hold back from what you know could be funnier or better. That can get to me sometimes, but I try not to let it.

Your character has to deal with some intense things at school. Was high school a scary experience for you?

I didn’t like the first two years of high school. In grade 11, friendships became stronger. I was always off filming, so it was hard to actually have friends. I didn’t have too many until grade 11. I went to a new high school and didn’t know anyone which really sucked, but I was always gone, so it didn’t really matter. I guess it can be scary, but school was easy for me… I had a couple close friends and that’s all I really needed.

If you could be either a wizard or a vampire, which would you choose?

A wizard would be awesome, but I’d be a vampire because I like the fact of not aging and the whole mysterious side to them.

Thanks, Vanessa! MY BABYSITTER'S A VAMPIRE is currently in its second season, so be sure to catch it on Disney Channel or Teletoon!

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Matthew Knight - Staff Photo by Mike Barrett

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Matthew Knight enjoys the challenge of stepping into someone else’s shoes.

Sitting on the couch in his family’s Mount Albert home, dressed comfortably in jeans and a T-shirt, he could be slotted in with the typical high school crowd. But the up-and-coming actor has experienced much more than your average 17-year-old student because of the opportunities he has had to slip into the lives of various characters.

“I love the fact that I can be different people and step out of myself,” the Unionville High School arts program student said.

“It gives me a different perspective on life, to experience something I wouldn’t in my own life.”

Taking on different personality traits while on set and seeing how his characters react to specific situations has influenced how he deals with events in his own life. Other times, his own life influences the characters he portrays, he added.

His list of credits continues to grow as he throws himself into the world of film and TV, taking on any role that strikes him. He credits his older brother, Jack, with driving his fascination with acting. Curious about what his older brother was doing while on the set of Showtime’s Street Time, Jack finally relented and allowed him to follow along.

“The first time I came home from the set, I never looked at television shows the same again,” Mr. Knight said.

While the experience ruined some of the magic behind TV shows he regularly watched, it provided him with better insight into the production process.

He soon began to imagine the scenarios taking place behind the scenes instead of following the plot of many of the shows he watched.

“I was hooked and all I could think about was yes, this is what I want to do,” he said.

Every actor must start somewhere and Mr. Knight will never forget his first audition for a TV commercial.

“I was seven and I was terrified,” he said. “I just froze and stood there because I didn’t know what to do. Now, it’s kind of a funny story.”

He was better prepared for the next auditions that landed him spots in commercials for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Hershey. When he felt he was ready to do more, he landed his first movie role in Big Spender, playing the protagonist’s son.

“I knew I had to act professional on set and I got a lot of comments about it,” he laughed. “Really, on the inside, I was jumping up and down with excitement.” His talents have snagged him guest spots in a variety of TV productions, including Flashpoint, Queer as Folk and The Good Witch, as well as in the film Sk*nwalkers. Other credits include All The Good Ones Are Married, Intimate Stranger and Christmas in Wonderland, starring alongside Patrick Swayze and Tim Currie.

Fin on the Fly and Gooby were chosen for the 2009 Sprockets Film Festival in Toronto. Gooby snagged Mr. Knight the young artist award for best lead actor. He doesn’t like the thought of being typecast, so he has sought a range of roles, appearing in comedies, dramas and horrors. Among his more interesting roles was Jake in The Grudge sequels.

“There were times when I was on set that I didn’t have to pretend to be scared,” he said.

Many think it was computer animation that made the scene of the creature crawling down the stairs so chilling, but Mr. Knight stood at the bottom of the stairs and watched the actress dislocate her shoulders to do the scene.

“Imagine watching that when you were young,” he laughed.

“Some moments in that movie were as frightening on set as they were on the screen.”

While he admitted it was exhausting playing his character and he spent the film frightened and stressed, shooting did have its perks.

He and his family were flown to Japan to film and, while on a two-week break in the middle of the shoot, he and his siblings discovered Tokyo culture.

“I would go back to Japan any day,” he said.

“I got to see and experience so much while I was there.”

His latest role is on the lighter side, having just completed the TV series My Babysitter’s a Vampire. The comedy series that spoofs the horror genre, directed by Bruce McDonald, is Teletoon’s first live action show.

“The script came to me right around the time the last Twilight movie came out,” Mr. Knight said.

“I’m not a huge fan and this script made fun of the movie, so I couldn’t say no because it was exactly what I felt.”

The 13-episode show premieres this fall, but you can catch a sneak peek this week by tuning in to Teletoon tonight through Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

Mr. Knight isn’t all work and no play as he can often be found playing hockey, skiing and horseback riding when not on set.

“There is just this rush when you step onto the ice to play hockey,” he said.

“I love it because it’s something different from acting and I like to change things up.”

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Cameron Kennedy _{(Yes, this was the actual pic they used)}

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Last fall, Pulse got a pleasant surprise from a rising Disney Channel star. Cameron Kennedy of “My Babysitter’s A Vampire” fame reached out to us to share how he uses Pulse to get a world view on what’s happening when he’s on location filming. Cameron was able to carve out a bit of time in his busy schedule to sit down with Pulse and share how it fits into his life as a budding actor.

Pulse: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

Cameron: “My Babysitter’s A Vampire” is a show that airs on the Disney Channel so it’s geared towards a younger audience but it’s actually pretty clever and works for adults, too. It has plots for a wide range of people. My character, Rory, is a lot of fun because he provides the comedic relief by being a kind of a goof. We just wrapped up season two this past fall.

P: Great! Should we be expecting more projects from you?

C: At the moment, I’m taking a break to explore other projects. I’ve been accepted to university and I’m interested in media communications, business, and web development so I may pursue that. If I can develop something nearly as cool as Pulse, I’d be thrilled.

P: You can definitely develop projects like Pulse! Take a look at our engineering blog.

C: Awesome! I’ll take a look at that. I love what you guys have done with the app so far. It’s so user friendly that anyone can set it up. I was able to customize my sources so my favorite news sites were available. When I was on location filming in Hamilton, Canada, wi-fi wasn’t always reliable so I used the star feature to save the sources for later reading.

And the fact that there’s a web-browser built into Pulse is great! I can just tap the the title to go to into the web view and not leave Pulse.

P: We love that you’re using the features we’ve built in! You mentioned in passing that you used Pulse with your grandfather?

A: When I was filming, I was staying with my grandparents and I introduced my grandpa to Pulse and he loved it! My grandpa is a little bit of a tech guy and he liked how easy Pulse is to use. I didn’t have to coach him at all; he was able to figure it out himself.

P: What are you reading on Pulse?

C: I have three pages set up. The first page is news and it has sources like Time and CBC. The second page is my tech fix so it has —- and finally, the third page has fun stuff like comics and other random sources.

P: And we like to ask all our users this, what do you want to see in future versions?

C: Well, I love that I can share interesting reads I find on Pulse to my Twitter followers and Facebook friends. The integration there is great! It’d be cool to see how Pulse can become more social with news.

More social with the news? Pulse has something brewing so sit tight. If you want to hear more from Cameron, follow him on Twitter or check out his webpage, which he developed himself.

TORONTO — Blood-sucking vampires and demons just can’t seem to resist the heightened emotional turmoil of teenagers in high school.

How else to explain the seemingly endless parade of undead that’s invading — and often enrolling in — post-secondary institutions on film and TV?

Debuting in Canada this week is Teletoon’s My Babysitter’s a Vampire, a younger-skewing take on the monsters-meets-hormones genre also seen in the Twilight film franchise, the campy Space comedy Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, and CTV Two’s The Vampire Diaries.

Toronto-bred star Matthew Knight, who plays earnest 14-year-old Ethan, says he hopes young viewers can learn a lesson or two as his show draws over-the-top parallels between the eternal battle of good and evil and the seemingly insurmountable trials of growing up.

“I kind of feel like it makes kids . . . feel like their (problems) are not the end of the world and they can get through it,” 17-year-old Knight says of the show’s weekly supernatural calamities.

The series’ over-the-top hijinks — which include resurrecting dead family pets and navigating a suspicious school blood drive — are all in service of putting common teen anxieties into perspective, adds co-star Atticus Mitchell, who plays Ethan’s trouble-making best friend Benny.

“You don’t know what the end of the world is until you hit that bad point in your life when you’re trying to get with your crush and it’s like, ‘Oh, I love you.’ And all of a sudden — ‘What? There are vampires! Zombies!”’ says 18-year-old Mitchell, from Toronto.

“That’s the end of the world, OK?”

The new series is based on the TV movie of the same name, which centred on the awkward Ethan, his precocious little sister Jane and his mischievous pal Benny.

In that 2010 comedy, billed as Teletoon’s first-ever original live action feature, Ethan’s hopes of shedding his geek status are thwarted when his mom decides he’s not mature enough to watch Jane and hires a babysitter from his school.

Ethan is mortified when it turns out to be his longtime crush Sarah, played by Vanessa Morgan, who just happens to be a newly formed vampire.

Morgan says Sarah is still just a “fledgling” vampire as the series kicks off — stuck between the human and supernatural worlds — and her character is determined to reclaim her life despite the ongoing temptation to join the undead.

“She’s dealing with . . . the drama of high school, then realizing she’s going to be 17 forever, not going to get to grow old, get married, have kids like a normal person would,” says Ottawa-born Morgan, 19.

“And then dealing with having to battle all these supernatural creatures with her other classmates.”

Ethan is also going through a transformation as he grapples with disturbing visions that seem to predict future events. And Benny, who learned from his Grandma that he’s actually a young wizard, is struggling to cast magical spells without causing more harm than good.

Despite all the hocus pocus, Knight says the comedy is broader and the subject matter less scary than in the movie version.

“It’s definitely a little bit lighter in the way that it’s shot and the way the characters deal with it and just more family friendly,” he says.

The supernatural series has already won a fanbase south of the border, where the Disney Channel aired season 1 over the summer.

The young cast members say they’re hoping for an equally enthusiastic Canuck following, noting they’ve already shot season 2.

“We haven’t really felt it here because it hasn’t come out in Canada but clearly it’s doing well in the States,” Mitchell says of the first batch of episodes.

“I have a lot of American relatives who say it’s all their kids’ favourite show.”

My Babysitter’s a Vampire debuts Thursday on Teletoon.

My babysitter's a vampire! showrunner Tim Burns describes the show this way: "The comedic tone is twisted, quirky, weird and stupid, and true to the worldview of a 12-year-old self-confessed geek."

This combination has proved winning for the show, helping it take a bite out of the crowded youth demonic film and TV market dominated by the likes of the Twilight movie franchise and The Vampire Dairies. It's undead youth programming, set in there world of geeks and nerds.

Babysitter charted new territory in more ways than one-developed by Fresh TV and Freemantle Media for Teletoon, it marked both the animation production company and the TV channel's first foray into the live-action genre.

The idea drew first blood as the TV movie was written by Burns-it follows three sci-fi loving high-school geeks and a hot vampire babysitter who defends their town from supernatural phenomena. They wisecrack and bumble their way through run-ins with zombies, werewolves and vampires, while also battling the halls of the high school where they deal with other horrors, such as detentions, girls and bullies.

Then it took on a life of its own. Before the movie even aired in 2010, Teletoon orded a 13 half-hour-episode season. Disney Channel picked up the first season after shooting wrapped, and the fast-tracked it into their American prime time lineup where it was the No. 1 cable show among kids 2-11 in its time period. Babysitter launched in Canada in January of 2011, and a second season wrapped shooting this past November. The distribution deal with Disney Channel means the series is also airing around the world.

"We knew we were pushing the envelope while writing season one, so when it showed on up Disney, it stuck out and got noticed because it isn't the usual type of show that goes though their development process," says Burns. "It was a strange fit for them but it touched a nerve with their audience which is great."

Zeroing In on Audience

From the outset Burns stuck to the vision of making a show about nerd boys for nerd boys, and didn't stray from that.

"We knew who we were writing the show for and, if anything has been proven, it's that this approach can pay dividends because you aren't watering down the tone of your show," says Mike Kiss, executive story editor on season one and consulting producer on season two. "If you make a show that knows what it is and is fun to watch I think an audience will find it. If you go after your core audience, you are going to get a lot of spillover."

With its bizarre character beats, and really goofy, geeky scenes, Babysitter doesn't try to cast its net as wide as possible. "We resister going softer, more mainstream and less nerd boy," says Kiss. "We didn't second guess every joke, dumb everything down or claw everything back. We just thought about things a nerd would love to see and if it was funny."

Kiss adds that there is a tendency in youth programming to try to appeal to everyone and equally represent every single character type. "But then who is the show about?," asks Kiss. "It's about a cross-section of kids that don't really exist. If you do that, then the show is "Kind of" for everyone, but not really for anyone. If you try to set the table for everybody, to me, it's like pandering. A show can only ever be one thing."

The Horror-Comedy Mix

Getting the horror-comedy genre right was also a critical key to success-there are many examples where this can go wrong. like in season 2 lol

"The cardinal rule is you have to take the horror seriously-you don't make fun of the things that are scary; you treat the dramatic moments in the script with respect," says Burns. "Then the humour comes from how scared you get, like you trip going down the stairs because you didn't tie your shoes right," he explains. "So the comedy comes out of the fact that the characters believe this is real."

Burns like to use "juxtaposition humor" -comedy that comes from combining things that shouldn't go co-exist. "For example, you are fighting a demonically possessed immortal entity that's trying to kill you," explains Burns. "But at the same time, you really have to pee and the demon is the cutest girl you've ever stood close to. And you can't decide if a lightsaber would be more effective if it was dipped in garlic first."

The humour also comes from playing off the super serious and the mundane: the three nerds may die trying to fight off a demon but at the same time, they fail their math test and can't tell their teacher the reason is because they were up all night saving the world.

"If there's too much horror, we lose the funny," Burns adds. "If characters are too stupid, they become unlikeable because they don't take anything seriously It's all about managing and balancing the little moments page by page."

Taking It to the Room

Burns admits this is a challenging show to write, and there was a learning curve before writers got the series tone down.

"It has to hit a lot of sweet spots just right," he explains. "Be funny but don't be glib; be scary but don't be hardcore; be real but don't be dramatic; be supernatural but grounded in enough reality that characters feel like people you know and like, instead of cut and paste joke dispensing machines."

When breaking stories in the writers room, Burns starts with a short springboard-a vague notion like "lets go a show about goblins."

"The kernel of a story was occasionally a monster and what type of high school theme lent itself to using that monster," says Kiss. "But most often we'd start thinking about what genre staples we wanted to goof on and how it related to high school."

Then Burns took to his whiteboard for a brainstorming session. And the room had good brains to feed on: season one writers included Alice Prodanou- whose script "ReVamped" just won the 2012 WGC Screenwriting Award-Craig Martin and script coordinator Graham Seater, and season two writers included Laurie Elliott, Miles Smith, and Jeff Biederman.

Breaking It Down

Burns starts with "big picture stuff" such as how much do the characters know at the outset and what's the main compilation that's going to happen at the act break? He asks questions like: Whose story is it? What are we going to learn? What's the theme of the episode?

Honing in on the smaller beats, they asked questions like what would the characters do next? How do others react? What are the personal stakes and the supernatural stakes?

"Asking these types of questions about logic, character motivation and, most importantly, what would be fun, got us to the skeleton of the episode," says Burns.

Once they answered these questions, then they jammed on all the potential jokes for the episode.

Each scene had only one beat. "We are doing a comedy show so one relevant story point leaves us a lot of room to find a fun way for the action to happen," says Kiss. "It also allows us to bring our B story or a runner into that scene without cluttering things. For a two-act episode we'd start with five beats per act. If we needed more of a journey, we were probably taking too long."

Scenes in Babysitter typically start with a hard comedy open off the top. "Somethings to pull viewers in and get them laughing," explains Kiss. "When you do that you have bought yourself half a page. Then as the story beat of the scene starts, they are already praying attention. Jokes buy you focus which is hard to get at the top of a scene just filled with drama."

"We always tried to start a scene from two points-story and comedy," says Kiss. "Ethan would drive our story and a supporting character would drive the joke. By the end of the scene, we'd try to have them in the same place, so that the joke was playing a role in the story."

When rewriting and polishing a script, Kiss prefers to start by making sure the story is working, then moves on to trim for length, before punching up the jokes. "If we trimmed the fat first, we often found that we had more room for jokes than we first thought," he says. "And I like to keep an eye on length as well. It helps me pitch one lines rather than a three-line run. The best approach was to find a way to make a line into a joke and a story point at the same time."

Burns admits to being obsessive about jokes. Writers would roll their eyes at him because he held out for 'the perfect joke.' "There are jokes that are funny, there are jokes that advance the plot, and there are jokes that reveal character," says Burns. "I want the joke that does all three at once. I want it to hit all the bells. And if I've heard it on every teen sitcom since Room 222, then I will stare at it as long as it takes for us to come up with something better. I want 'the' joke."

"There is a different tone to comedy these days," adds Kiss, "and audiences are willing to forgive how wacky something is, or overlook how little sense it makes, if it's funny."

"Fun trumps everything," says Kiss. "I constantly ask myself 'is this scene fun.' I don't write for kids. I write for people who haven't been alive as long as I have. So if you keep references current and write a story that has some relevance to the life they are living-not the life you remember living-you are probably in good space. And as long as they are having fun-that's most important."

Bruce McDonald is one of the most renowned directors in Canada. But rather than relish in his many notable film accomplishments, he’s put his expertise into directing select episodes from the new live action Teletoon series, MY BABYSITTERS A VAMPIRE, after directing the TV movie back in 2010. But it’s not his first time directing a Canadian teen series, as his resume also includes directing episodes of READY OR NOT, FLASH FORWARD, DEGRASSI, and INSTANT STAR.

The Mag got the chance to chat with Bruce about his work on the show, Canadian teen sitcoms, supernatural beings, and much more:

You have done quite a lot of work on Canadian teen sitcoms. What do you particularly like about working on MY BABYSITTER’S A VAMPIRE?

Well, I’ve always liked horror and creatures and all that sort of stuff when I was growing up. And I liked the cheekiness and the smartness of the script as well. It reminded me a little bit of MAD Magazine, poking fun at pop culture and things like TWILIGHT; that sort of thing. That really appealed to me.

What are some of the challenges with directing a supernatural show for young kids?

I guess…being careful not to turn kids onto Satan, you know? When you have any supernatural things—in television, especially—there are fast days doing all the special effects, being out at nighttime and animals and different things…it’s a lot of juggling. It’s a full house, so to speak, a big, full house to keep it all up and rolling through the whole thing. It makes for a busy show—not just people talking in the hallways, having interesting conversations, running about…it’s like an extra level of production and complication when it comes to executing these kinds of magical elements.

You mentioned before that you were a fan of supernatural stuff growing up; where there any in particular that you were a big fan of?

Oh yeah, stuff like the TV show, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, which is kind of supernatural. There’s PLANET OF THE APES, also a very powerful message to me. COUNT DRACULA, THE WOLF MAN, FRANKENSTEIN, I loved all those guys. You know, I love sci-fi and horror…all that stuff.

When directing tween/teen shows, do you ever feel pressured to establish issues like bullying or is it something that you naturally want to convey in the episodes?

No, I’m always a big fan of the issue being slipped in there and trying to let it first tell a good story. I think, with kids’ television, it’s overdone in a way; sort of like we’ve got to teach the kids something. They’re getting something educational out of this and I’ve always felt good about making it the more inferior project among projects and making sure we’re concerned with the story and the character first, and those things will or can be addressed as the second tier issue…I don’t know.

You want to make sure that the issue isn’t beaten into them…

Yeah! I mean, there are a lot of very elemental issues for young people, internet, for example. I remember the first day of doing the new Degrassi and the first episode was about a girl who meets somebody on the internet. She’s thirteen, he’s thirty, he’s obviously being…weird. And these issues can obviously be the foundation of a great story. But for younger kids, somehow I feel that, handled badly, kids can smell that they’re being taught something and will run from it rather than run to it. Striking a balance is key.

Would you say that some of the characters on the show were like you growing up, like are any of them a young portrayal of you?

I kind of identify with those guys, but, you know, they’re starting their first year of high school…I wasn’t a sports guy or a cool guy or…whatever the other things are. I’m just this intellect making superhero and zombie movies, my little cache in a bizarre sort of way. Yeah, I was one of the kind of nerdy, intense kids that loved MONTY PYTHON and like surrealist, bizarro things. I think I secretly yearned to be part of the cool people but never got quite—well, not even remotely close. [Laughs]

In the episode “Friday Night Freights,” it had the character, Coach Ed (Clé Bennett) going “jocks and nerds” a lot…

It was great! Did you like that guy, Cle Bennett, who played the Coach?

He was fantastic! Was there any specific person who you drew his character from?

Gosh, I’m trying to remember…I know Cle, the actor, mentioned something early on when he came in about his name that he was channeling specifically and I just can’t seem to recall it right now. Cle is just a really fine and great actor, so I was like, “Wow, we got Cle Bennett! This is awesome!” And he just did this super job.

Were there any other particular fun characters that you loved in the series?

Well, I was quite fond of Ari Cohen, who played the dad. [The parents] are not in it that much, but…uh, the grandma. She’s pretty funny, cookin’ up her potions and things. It was just fun, and I wish I could have done all of them. There are a lot of fun guest stars and people were enjoying coming onto the show because the scripts were quite smart and clever and the main cast were very generous and hard-working, terrific actors. So, there was a good vibe going on.

After working on shows in the mid '90s like READY OR NOT and FLASH FORWARD—how have you noticed Canadian teen sitcoms changing over time?

That’s a good question. Um…I don’t really know! … I think I just saw some of that new teen sitcom, LA COMPLEX, about the actors living in a kind of DEGRASSI house just trying to make it. Maybe the writing’s getting better?…I guess people like to think that things are getting more edgy and tackling more complicated issues, but you look back at say, the early DEGRASSI and you’ve got kids flying off the roof on acid. We might be surprised to know that things are getting much more conservative and much more locked down. I don’t know if I’m really in a position to see the overview and go, “Oh, that’s true.”

What is your favourite Canadian kids’ show of all time—either one that you’ve worked on or one that you watch?

I tend to do more of making them and don’t really have time for the “watching” part…I would say DEGRASSI is up there in the pantheon. I’ve worked on a bunch of those and they’re always full of surprises, drama and strange hilarity. But kids’ shows, uh….growing up, it was like…THE FOREST RANGERS.

Is there anything else that you’re working on, show- or movie-wise right now?

Right now? Let’s see…well, we’ve kind of got the big cauldron going, so we’re looking in for forward permission. So we’ll receive those instructions, I think, in the next few weeks. But now, we’ve got a scary movie, we’ve got a musical movie, and a few other things. So we’ll see what the film gods will allow us to work with.

Thank you, Bruce McDonald! Catch MY BABYSITTER’S A VAMPIRE Thursdays at 8pm on Teletoon.

Leading up to the Writers Guild of Canada awards on April 23, TV, eh? is posting a series of interviews with some of nominees. Ken Cuperus earned one of three nominations for My Babysitter's a Vampire in the Children and Youth category, for the "Blood Drive" episode.

Can you describe the episode, and how it fit into the My Babysitter’s a Vampire season?

“Blood Drive” takes place early in the season as Sarah struggles to keep herself from drinking blood, which would turn her from a fledgling into a full vampire. But temptation comes knocking in the form of a school blood drive, and Erica is piling on the peer pressure to get Sarah to drink. Everything gets more complicated when it is revealed that the two nurses who are running the blood drive are, in fact, vampires themselves… and the blood drive is a long-running scam to stock up on fresh blood. Rory and Erica try to steal the blood from the blood truck, but get captured by the vamp nurses — and Ethan, Benny and Sarah are forced to give chase, to rescue their pals. That’s where the title comes from. It’s a blood drive … but also they are driving in a blood truck. Forget the script, the title alone is award worthy, right? (crickets)

What about this episode are you particularly proud of?

Did I mention how clever the title is? I mean, it’s a blood drive, right? But also … there’s the driving of a truck that contains actual blood. Rarely is an episode as aptly titled as this one. Also, I managed to cram in a “Sarlacc Pit” reference, which will be mildly interesting to Star Wars fans and nobody else.

What does this recognition mean to you?

It’s really great to have my work recognized, and I love that I am up against some of my favourite people in the industry. I’ve been working alongside both Ben and Alice since my earliest days as a preschool writer, and I would be thrilled to see either one of them take home the award. I don’t know Evan, but I have no doubt he is equally deserving, and I’m rooting for him as well. Of course, if I do win, I will rub it in all of their faces mercilessly.

And finally (imagine my best Joan Rivers impression): what will you be wearing to the ceremony?

Probably the same outfit I wear to every single event ever. I mean, I own maybe three pairs of pants. And my “good” shirt has holes in the sleeves. I’m not what you’d call a sharp dresser. If it wasn’t for my wife, I’d probably just show up in my pajamas. I have serious issues.

Leading up to the Writers Guild of Canada awards on April 23, TV, eh? will be posting a series of interviews with some of nominees. Ben Joseph nabbed one of three nominations for My Babysitter’s a Vampire in the Children and Youth category, for the “Friday Night Frights” episode. He shares his interesting back story …

“I was hired as a story editor on the show when it first got started. I wrote the first episode that got approved. I wrote a first draft … and then they fired me. Sure I was peeved but things happen — they just wanted to go in a different direction. Or so I thought. They never really gave me a good reason. Then 8 months later when I saw the actual episode, it was pretty much exactly the way I wrote the first draft. So that made me angry. So getting a nomination for a first draft that got me fired is kind of a nice karmic middle finger. That being said I wish the show well because I know most of the writers and they are quality people and all talented.”

Can you describe the episode, and how it fit into the season?

My episode revolves a ghost gym teacher who returns to the school and wants to finally win a trophy. He wants Ethan (the star of the show) to win it in wrestling – or this ghost coach will haunt him forever!

What about this episode are you particularly proud of?

I’m proud that all those years “researching” professional wrestling has finally paid off! R.I.P. Macho Man.

What does this recognition mean to you?

Getting a nomination is fun and all but it’s not like my scripts are curing cancer. Unless they are. Then I should probably get paid more.

And finally (imagine my best Joan Rivers impression): what will you be wearing to the ceremony?

I like to have fun at these events — I’ve gone as “Thriller” Michael Jackson, Belloq from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and last year as The Joker from the animated “Batman” series. This year I have something special cooked up but I don’t want to ruin the surprise (or have someone show up wearing the same outfit!).

Hey gang!

Almost a whole year ago, while the second season of My Babysitter’s a Vampire was in production, I got the chance to sit down with Tim Burns, the screenwriter of the MBV movie and the lead writer and co-producer of the series! We talked about how the story and characters changed during the writing process, what inspirations he draws on in his writing and even some of the rules for magic and monsters in the Whitechapel universe… and then I had to stay quiet about it to avoid spoiling any surprises!

Now that new episodes of MBV are airing on Disney Chanel we’re finally opening the vault doors and letting all of you in on a very special behind the scenes look at the hit show!

Brendan: The fans know a lot about the actors on the show but not nearly as much about the other people who make it happen. In your own words, what do you do?

Tim: What do I do? I ask myself that on a daily basis! I was involved in this project starting shortly after ‘ground zero’. Tom [McGillis] and Jen [Pertsch] had had the original idea for Babysitter; I think they’d come up with that with Brian [Irving] and George [Elliot]. But it was quite different when it first started. They already had this fantastic three page pitch about the fundamentals of what the series is, all the core ideas for the story. I came in about early 2009 when Fresh TV wanted to do the movie. I looked at what they had and I had some ideas of my own that involved adding some characters and changing some characters.

Brendan: How did the characters change from that initial story idea?

Tim: If I think back to the original, original pitch, I think Ethan was a bit more of an average, skateboard-crazy, everyman kid. I’m more of a geek; I ate at the nerd table in the cafeteria and I had my nerdy friends and we were always on the outside so I pitched a version that was a little more about these outsiders. I think the central idea for me was that they could be getting chased by vampires, they could be about to be killed, but if one of those vampires was a good looking girl they’d be just as excited about that as seeing a vampire. I think that’s a tough decision when you’re young! That was where I started, drawing from my own background. I brought that into the movie when I wrote it.

Brendan: What were the biggest changes to the concept itself?

Tim: Ideas like the Benny’s grandmother being a wiccan earth priestess started to spin into it because I mistakenly thought the vampire craze would have played itself out two years from then. I thought that Twilight was so huge that two years from then people would be so sick to death of vampires so I said it shouldn’t be just a vampire show, it should be a world that combines the best of all those mythological creatures so we could do a werewolf episode, so we could do trolls or pixies and vampires are just part of that ‘family’. That’s why I liked the idea of Benny as the spellmaster and Ethan with his seer abilities and expanding the world so every week it wouldn’t just be, “Oh no, you’re a vampire!”

We’ll be bringing you more of my interview with Tim in weeks to come. In the meantime, you can catch another new episode of My Babysitter’s a Vampire tonight at 7:30 PM on Disney Chanel and a marathon of the first four episodes of Season 2 this Saturday, July 28th, from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM!