On Thursday, Oct. 1, Joe Brown Park doubled as the Enchanted Forest when the TV fantasy-drama Once Upon a Time was in town filming. The Surrey park served as the backdrop for several scenes throughout the day.
Setup began early in the morning when the actors were picked up from their Vancouver hotel at 4:30 a.m. and transported to set for hair, makeup and wardrobe at 5:30. The rest of the crew arrived at 7 and filming began at 8.
Once Upon a Time, currently in its fifth season, was shooting scenes for the ninth episode of the season, titled “The Bear King,” incorporating characters from Pixar’s Brave.
Trailers were set up in the parking lot and actors were shuttled to various spots along hiking trails for filming. Five scenes were shot throughout the day, each taking roughly two hours. One of those scenes was a battle between Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Merida (Amy Manson). Stunt doubles and horses were also on set.
During filming, the park was still open to the public. Fans of the show appeared throughout the day, taking photos and watching filming. According to one production assistant, fans were asked to duck down because they were getting in the shot.
Other filming locations for the week include Widgeon Park in Coquitlam and Steveston, which doubles as the fictional town of Storybrooke on the show.
The episode is set to air later this year as the second-to-last episode of the first half of the season. The second half of the season will start in early 2016, beginning with the 100th episode.
