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Family Band

2008 7 min
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In this short documentary about The Tragically Hip, director David Battistella uses a split-screen and acid-etched colours to distil the iconic Canadian band’s essence. After decades together, through hotels, highways, gigs and recording sessions, The Hip’s members have forged a powerful brotherhood. "These guys are my life partners, musically" says bass guitarist Gord Sinclair. The Hip's brand of straight-ahead rock and roll has catapulted the band to international stardom, and ensured them a place in Canadian musical history, but at heart, they remain a bunch of guys from Kingston, Ontario, making music together just for fun. This film was produced …

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Family Band

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In this short documentary about The Tragically Hip, director David Battistella uses a split-screen and acid-etched colours to distil the iconic Canadian band’s essence. After decades together, through hotels, highways, gigs and recording sessions, The Hip’s members have forged a powerful brotherhood. "These guys are my life partners, musically" says bass guitarist Gord Sinclair. The Hip's brand of straight-ahead rock and roll has catapulted the band to international stardom, and ensured them a place in Canadian musical history, but at heart, they remain a bunch of guys from Kingston, Ontario, making music together just for fun.



This film was produced for the 2008 Governor General's Performing Arts Award.

Music Arts All subjects
Fascinating People Spotlight on Canadian Musicians All channels
  • recipient
    The Tragically Hip
  • writer
    David Battistella
  • director
    David Battistella
  • producer
    Gerry Flahive
  • cinematographer
    Monica Guddat
  • editor
    David Battistella
  • sound recordist
    Igal Petel
  • production manager
    Amanda Coles
  • production coordinator
    Sarah Arruda
  • lighting
    Edwin Lau
  • grip assistant
    Edwin Lau
  • production assistant
    Ashley Shields-Muir
  • production supervisor
    Mark Wilson
  • technical coordinator
    Branden Bratuhin
  • online editor
    David Battistella
  • colorist
    David Battistella
  • sound editor
    Steve Payne
  • re-recording mixer
    Dustin Harris
  • research
    Katherine Kasirer
  • consultant
    David Bastedo
    Laurie Brown
  • centre administrator
    Brigitte Sachse
  • budget officer
    Joanne Forrest
  • production secretary
    Renée Lottridge
  • executive producer
    Silva Basmajian

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Education

Ages 12 to 17
School subjects
Arts Education - Music Civics/Citizenship - Ideologies Diversity - Identity Media Education - Film and Video Production
Make a list of movies about rock bands; view some if possible. How does the Tragically Hip compare with other bands? Bring in examples of other Canadian music with similar messages about honesty and integrity; how do such songs connect to the message of the film (e.g. “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne, “Saltwater Cowboys” by Simani)? Investigate the filmmaking techniques used and how they influenced the overall impression of the band.

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