'Finding Easter eggs': Vancouver history teacher compiling local film history on YouTube
Like many people, Chris Banks taught himself a new skill when things were locked down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, he's applying that skill – video editing – to a project he's had on his mind for years: a visual history of Vancouver on film.
"Nobody had done it before," he said. "I thought it would be something that people would enjoy."
Banks, a high school history and social studies teacher, has been cutting together compilations of scenes from movies shot in Vancouver and posting them on his YouTube channel.
The videos are set to music and intersperse facts about the locations shown in the films with the captured images of bygone eras.
"The idea is kind of like you're learning about the chronology of Vancouver film, but also a little bit about the history of the city as a whole," Banks said.
He said there were "a lot of different factors" that led him to the project, including his interest in movies and local history.
"As a kid, I didn't really realize which films were filmed in Vancouver, so I was rewatching some of them as an adult and noticing all these locations," he said. "I just thought that was cool. Our city's kind of been hidden from us in movies, because it almost always is portrayed as some other city."
Banks also cited the 2003 documentary Los Angeles Plays Itself and Tony Zhou's 2015 video essay Vancouver Never Plays Itself – which touches on that same theme of Vancouver being hidden from the audience on film – as inspirations.
The compilations Banks posts are less about answering the question of why Vancouver is so often disguised from audiences, and more about compiling and showcasing occasions when it shines through.
"The whole project is basically finding Easter eggs," Banks said, adding that it's difficult to pick a favourite discovery he's made since embarking on the project.
The find most personally relevant to him is easier to pick out. During his research, Banks discovered that the 1980 film Out of the Blue, directed by Dennis Hopper, featured multiple scenes at the Ridge Theatre and bowling alley, which has since been demolished.
"I just found that awesome, because that place that was really close to my heart as a kid – I saw my first movie there – that was captured on film," Banks said.
He said he hopes other long-time Vancouverites see landmarks from their pasts in his videos.
"I hope that people other than lifelong Vancouverites get a kick out of it, but I think primarily the audience is people who maybe grew up here who would remember some of these things that maybe don't exist anymore," Banks said.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Lisa Steacy
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Ukraine's army chief reports tactical retreat in the east, and warns of front-line pressure
Ukraine's troops have been forced to make a tactical retreat from three villages in the embattled east, the country's army chief said Sunday, warning of a worsening battlefield situation as Ukrainian forces wait for much-needed arms from a huge U.S. aid package to reach combat zones.
Zendaya tennis movie ‘Challengers’ scores at weekend box office
Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino's original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Dozens in Italy give a fascist salute on the anniversary of Mussolini's execution
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.
Have you heard the one about Trump? Biden tries humour on the campaign trail
U.S. President Joe Biden is out to win votes by scoring some laughs at the expense of Donald Trump, unleashing mockery with the goal of getting under the former president's thin skin and reminding the country of his blunders.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Laurentian University to spend millions on recommendations in second budget post insolvency, but nothing new to reopen pool
Laurentian University's board of governors approved a budget of just over $201.7 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.