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Burn Up (miniseries)
Encyclopedia
Burn Up is a 2008
BBC
/Global Television Drama
dealing with the issues of climate change
and peak oil
.
and flees with some valuable data. Tom McConnell replaces his father-in-law Sir Mark Foxbay as Chairman of Arrow Oil. At the celebration party, Inuit
activist Mika Namuvai enters uninvited and serves Tom a writ from her people. The writ decries global warming and its causes, such as Arrow's production facility on the Athabasca tar sands. The shock of Mika's subsequent ejection causes Tom's daughter to have an asthma attack, but she is saved by Holly Dernay, head of renewable energy at Arrow.
In testimony before the US Senate in Washington, Sir Richard Langham, Tom's former geology professor, testifies on the dangers of global warming, but he is discredited by a pro-oil senator using muck racked up by devious oil lobbyist James "Mack" Mackintosh. Tom confronts Mack, his longtime friend, about the tactics. Mack denies that he spread the story, but he is clearly committed to serving his employers. Back in London
, Tom wins his court case but then sees Mika set fire to herself on the court steps.
Tom and Holly attend Mika’s funeral in Alberta
, where Sir Richard sends them into the wilderness to see the truth for themselves. Holly pokes a hole in the ice covering a swamp and is able to ignite the methane gas waiting to be released. Later, while overnighting in an isolated shack on the tundra, Tom and Holly become intimate.
Meanwhile, British Prime-Ministerial Aide Philip Crowley offers unofficial government assistance to the Green Congress as they prepare for the World Forum on Climate Change (WFCC), a United Nations
conference about global warming in Calgary
, Canada
.
Masud returns to London and makes contact with Sir Mark, who has spoken with Masud before and agrees to meet to accept some confidential geology data. Sir Mark is clearly conflicted over what to do with the data.
Tom and Holly discuss pulling out of Athabasca, which has the most polluting oil of Arrow's many interests, and investing that money in renewables. Phillip confronts Holly with his knowledge that the desert massacre was done by mercenaries for the oil industry and not terrorists. But before she can talk to Tom, Tom finds Mack at her overturned apartment, where Mack reveals that Holly orchestrated Mika's protest at the party. Phillip stops Holly from returning to her apartment, instructing her to lie low. Tom wanders off to visit Sir Mark. Sir Mark hears a noise and goes outside, only to be struck dead in a hit-and-run. Tom and Masud, approaching from different directions, are witnesses. Tom runs to help, and Masud flees.
Brent Schlaes. Under pressure from Schlaes the US delegate softens his stance at the conference. Mack feeling under threat from his boss tries to scare off Dernay who has finally convinced McConnell to meet with Masud. At the meeting Masud hands over the data from the survey Foxbay commissioned that proves that the Saudi oil reserves have run out.
At a meeting in the Calgary Tower
Mack warns McConnell of the chaos that will be unleashed if Masud’s data is published. The hard-line Robert Cooper is appointed as the new US delegate and goes back on the agreements of his predecessor. The Chinese delegate makes approaches to McConnell and the Green Congress so Crowley brokers a deal with them to sign Kyoto II. Dernay tries to bluff Mack and he warns her off but he is too late and she is killed. Mack confronts his boss who threatens to go after McConnell next to get the data. Cooper agrees a sideline treaty with the Chinese and walks out without signing Kyoto II. Mack confronts McConnell on the roof and after getting the data from him, he smuggles it past his boss’s men and hands it over to Crowley for publication.
commissioned the film for transmission on BBC Two
.
The film was produced by Kudos Film and Television in co-production with Canadian production company SEVEN24 Films
.
Shot in Calgary
, Alberta
and London
, England
, the film is unusual for actually being set in Calgary, prompting Eric Volmers to write in the Calgary Herald
that, while filming in the city is hardly unique, it's rare for a high-profile project to feature Calgary as Calgary.
states that, the opening scene is a suitably violent and tense intro that manages to conjure up both a sinister and international tone to the four-hour Canadian-U.K. co-production, and goes on to say that, Burn Up asks decidedly unsettling questions about big oil and political expediency, the environmental impact of the Athabasca oil sands
and even American foreign policy, which he claims, was perhaps a surprising project to find life amid the "oil-is-good" sentiment of Alberta.
Sam Wollaston writing in The Guardian
complements the character development and interaction that is, going on all over the place, and credits Whitford and Warren as the stars of Burn Up, before going on to say Penry-Jones is, lively in the lead. He claims the film is an improvement on recent docudramas in that, it has a proper script and that while, the across-the-green-line romance is a little embarrassing, the whole thing skips along, and, at times it thrills, which is no bad thing in a thriller, but it, is issue-led, rather than story-led, and overall it feels, a bit crude, as opposed to refined. Gareth McLean writing in the same publication said that, despite the occasional flashy moment, high-octane drama this is not, criticising the film for, copious amounts of tiresome expositional dialogue and a leaden plot, before concluding, why not treat yourself and rent Syriana
instead?
Tim Teeman writing in The Times
calls the film, a consciousness-raising thriller, that, is trying desperately to do that BBC thing of being sexy and responsible. He states that, the arguments about oil production and the environment felt clunky and little more than speechifying, that the film was, in danger of forgetting that drama should be drama, not a lecture, and that characters should be characters, not ciphers, but, despite the didactic politicking, the pace is unrelenting and the baddies at least are colourful and engaging. He complimented Whitford who, villainously devoured every scene, for his, needling chemistry with the, brilliant, Warren, and concluded that, Whitford and Campbell together, him snarling, her looking all impish and button-nosed, had me almost pathetically excited: The West Wing and Party of Five
united on screen is pretty near Teeman TV Heaven. David Chater writing in the same publication describes the film as, highly watchable, thanks to, a fast-paced, intelligent script and some fine acting, although the, characters tend to come with labels, and the elements of thriller are there for excitement rather than credibility, he concludes, it is still an exciting ride in an eco-friendly racer, and, it’s like Doctor Who
for grown-ups.
2008 in television
The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2008. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...
BBC
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
/Global Television Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
dealing with the issues of climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
and peak oil
Peak oil
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
.
Episode one
Oil surveyor Masud Khamil narrowly escapes an attack on his camp in the deserts of Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and flees with some valuable data. Tom McConnell replaces his father-in-law Sir Mark Foxbay as Chairman of Arrow Oil. At the celebration party, Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
activist Mika Namuvai enters uninvited and serves Tom a writ from her people. The writ decries global warming and its causes, such as Arrow's production facility on the Athabasca tar sands. The shock of Mika's subsequent ejection causes Tom's daughter to have an asthma attack, but she is saved by Holly Dernay, head of renewable energy at Arrow.
In testimony before the US Senate in Washington, Sir Richard Langham, Tom's former geology professor, testifies on the dangers of global warming, but he is discredited by a pro-oil senator using muck racked up by devious oil lobbyist James "Mack" Mackintosh. Tom confronts Mack, his longtime friend, about the tactics. Mack denies that he spread the story, but he is clearly committed to serving his employers. Back in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Tom wins his court case but then sees Mika set fire to herself on the court steps.
Tom and Holly attend Mika’s funeral in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, where Sir Richard sends them into the wilderness to see the truth for themselves. Holly pokes a hole in the ice covering a swamp and is able to ignite the methane gas waiting to be released. Later, while overnighting in an isolated shack on the tundra, Tom and Holly become intimate.
Meanwhile, British Prime-Ministerial Aide Philip Crowley offers unofficial government assistance to the Green Congress as they prepare for the World Forum on Climate Change (WFCC), a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
conference about global warming in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Masud returns to London and makes contact with Sir Mark, who has spoken with Masud before and agrees to meet to accept some confidential geology data. Sir Mark is clearly conflicted over what to do with the data.
Tom and Holly discuss pulling out of Athabasca, which has the most polluting oil of Arrow's many interests, and investing that money in renewables. Phillip confronts Holly with his knowledge that the desert massacre was done by mercenaries for the oil industry and not terrorists. But before she can talk to Tom, Tom finds Mack at her overturned apartment, where Mack reveals that Holly orchestrated Mika's protest at the party. Phillip stops Holly from returning to her apartment, instructing her to lie low. Tom wanders off to visit Sir Mark. Sir Mark hears a noise and goes outside, only to be struck dead in a hit-and-run. Tom and Masud, approaching from different directions, are witnesses. Tom runs to help, and Masud flees.
Episode two
Crowley sends Dernay to the World Forum on Climate Change in Calgary to look for Masud. Mack leads the Open Business Coalition and their friendly countries in moves to scupper Kyoto II. Dernay contacts Masud and tries to go to McConnell but he dismisses her. Crowley gets support within the Open Business Coalition from McConnell and the insurance companies and they win over the United States Treasury SecretaryUnited States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
Brent Schlaes. Under pressure from Schlaes the US delegate softens his stance at the conference. Mack feeling under threat from his boss tries to scare off Dernay who has finally convinced McConnell to meet with Masud. At the meeting Masud hands over the data from the survey Foxbay commissioned that proves that the Saudi oil reserves have run out.
At a meeting in the Calgary Tower
Calgary Tower
The Calgary Tower is a 191 metre free standing observation tower in Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally called the Husky Tower, it was conceived as a joint venture between Marathon Realty Company Limited and Husky Oil as part of an urban renewal plan and to celebrate Canada's centennial...
Mack warns McConnell of the chaos that will be unleashed if Masud’s data is published. The hard-line Robert Cooper is appointed as the new US delegate and goes back on the agreements of his predecessor. The Chinese delegate makes approaches to McConnell and the Green Congress so Crowley brokers a deal with them to sign Kyoto II. Dernay tries to bluff Mack and he warns her off but he is too late and she is killed. Mack confronts his boss who threatens to go after McConnell next to get the data. Cooper agrees a sideline treaty with the Chinese and walks out without signing Kyoto II. Mack confronts McConnell on the roof and after getting the data from him, he smuggles it past his boss’s men and hands it over to Crowley for publication.
Cast
|
Nigel Bennett Nigel Bennett is an English actor/director/writer who has been based in Canada since 1986. He is best known for playing the vampire patriarch Lucien LaCroix in the TV series Forever Knight, for which he won the Canadian Gemini Award for best supporting actor in a dramatic series.-Life and... as Jerry Rosemary Dunsmore Rosemary Dunsmore is a Canadian TV, film and theatre, actress, born in 1953.She has starred in some well known Canadian productions, that include, The Campbells, Anne of Green Gables, Road to Avonlea and Murdoch Mysteries.-External links:... as Margo Camilla Scott Camilla Scott is a Canadian actress and television host.-Biography:Scott's first job was a cashier at the Canadian grocery chain Dominion when she was age 15... as Constance |
Production
BBC Controller of Fiction Jane TranterJane Tranter
Jane Tranter is an English television executive who has been the executive vice-president of programming and production at BBC Worldwide's Los Angeles base since January 2009...
commissioned the film for transmission on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
.
The film was produced by Kudos Film and Television in co-production with Canadian production company SEVEN24 Films
SEVEN24 Films
SEVEN24 Films is a Canadian television production company based in Calgary, Alberta. Founded in 1989, SEVEN24 have produced and co-produced a number of television series, TV movies as well as feature films....
.
Shot in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the film is unusual for actually being set in Calgary, prompting Eric Volmers to write in the Calgary Herald
Calgary Herald
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
that, while filming in the city is hardly unique, it's rare for a high-profile project to feature Calgary as Calgary.
Reviews
Eric Volmers writing in the Calgary HeraldCalgary Herald
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
states that, the opening scene is a suitably violent and tense intro that manages to conjure up both a sinister and international tone to the four-hour Canadian-U.K. co-production, and goes on to say that, Burn Up asks decidedly unsettling questions about big oil and political expediency, the environmental impact of the Athabasca oil sands
Athabasca Oil Sands
The Athabasca oil sands are large deposits of bitumen, or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northeastern Alberta, Canada - roughly centred on the boomtown of Fort McMurray...
and even American foreign policy, which he claims, was perhaps a surprising project to find life amid the "oil-is-good" sentiment of Alberta.
Sam Wollaston writing in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
complements the character development and interaction that is, going on all over the place, and credits Whitford and Warren as the stars of Burn Up, before going on to say Penry-Jones is, lively in the lead. He claims the film is an improvement on recent docudramas in that, it has a proper script and that while, the across-the-green-line romance is a little embarrassing, the whole thing skips along, and, at times it thrills, which is no bad thing in a thriller, but it, is issue-led, rather than story-led, and overall it feels, a bit crude, as opposed to refined. Gareth McLean writing in the same publication said that, despite the occasional flashy moment, high-octane drama this is not, criticising the film for, copious amounts of tiresome expositional dialogue and a leaden plot, before concluding, why not treat yourself and rent Syriana
Syriana
Syriana is a 2005 geopolitical thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, and executive produced by George Clooney, who also stars in the film with an ensemble cast. Gaghan's screenplay is loosely adapted from Robert Baer's memoir See No Evil...
instead?
Tim Teeman writing in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
calls the film, a consciousness-raising thriller, that, is trying desperately to do that BBC thing of being sexy and responsible. He states that, the arguments about oil production and the environment felt clunky and little more than speechifying, that the film was, in danger of forgetting that drama should be drama, not a lecture, and that characters should be characters, not ciphers, but, despite the didactic politicking, the pace is unrelenting and the baddies at least are colourful and engaging. He complimented Whitford who, villainously devoured every scene, for his, needling chemistry with the, brilliant, Warren, and concluded that, Whitford and Campbell together, him snarling, her looking all impish and button-nosed, had me almost pathetically excited: The West Wing and Party of Five
Party of Five
Party of Five is an American teen drama television series that aired on Fox for six seasons, from September 12, 1994, until May 3, 2000.Critically acclaimed, the show suffered from low ratings and after its first season was slated for cancellation...
united on screen is pretty near Teeman TV Heaven. David Chater writing in the same publication describes the film as, highly watchable, thanks to, a fast-paced, intelligent script and some fine acting, although the, characters tend to come with labels, and the elements of thriller are there for excitement rather than credibility, he concludes, it is still an exciting ride in an eco-friendly racer, and, it’s like Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
for grown-ups.
External links
- Making a climate crisis into a drama by Jeremy LeggettJeremy LeggettJeremy Leggett, a geologist by training, began his career as a consultant for the oil industry, while teaching at the Royal School of Mines . His research on earth history was funded by oil companies BP and Shell,among others...
in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format... - Official Press Pack at BBC Press Office