Mark Myers’ new movie at Hot Docs celebrates the 50th anniversary of the CN Tower, Toronto’s most notable landmark. The Tower That Built A City explores how the tourist attraction supported telecommunications and influenced Toronto’s growth.
I chatted with Mark Myers to discuss how he approached storytelling and pacing while editing The Tower That Built A City. As soon as he called it a “coming-of-age story,” it immediately clicked why I loved it. That’s my favourite genre!
The CN Tower naturally has main character energy. Mark said it’s “an engineering marvel, but it also serves a purpose. Part of that function is amplifying culture, so hopefully that is what helped make it emotional.”
Mark interviewed over 30 experts in Canadian business and entertainment, including Kardinal Offishall, Domee Shi, Moses Znaimer and Ron MacLean.
Reminiscing about MuchMusic, George Stroumboulopoulos says, “It was the best… so many of the shows we did in that parking lot, the CN Tower’s in the background and it becomes this beautiful representation of art and culture in Toronto and in the country.”
There are some great perspectives on the “choreography of pouring concrete.” Urban designer Ken Greenberg shared a great quote from Winston Churchill, “We shape our buildings and our buildings shape us.”
That line really cements the arc of the movie, as it shifts from historical context to cultural impact. The film covers how the CN Tower influenced music, movies, TV and sports in Toronto. I asked Mark about fashion too.
Mark Myers has worked at Bell Media, MuchMusic, VICE and Shopify. He created an impressive mix of music videos and marketing content. I had to ask about working with the Arkells and Tegan and Sara! I was curious about filming their music videos in a mall and grocery store. “Both were fun explorations of retail spaces,” he said.
Arkells’ lead singer Max Kerman and manager Ashley Poitevin are executive producers of The Tower That Built A City, as well as Shopify’s CEO Tobi Lütke. The documentary includes some Arkells music and co-executive producer Caitlin Cronenberg talks about shooting Drake’s album cover art for Views. It became a viral moment for the CN Tower.
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The Tower That Built A City premieres at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
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