CNA skills shine on screen
Away from the bright lights of Hollywood sits a quiet little cove in Brigus South, Newfoundland and Labrador. This rugged spot stood in for Snook’s Arm, a fictional town in Netflix’s Hit TV show, BELOW.
Filmed entirely in Newfoundland, BELOW has over 17 million views and ranks number one in more than 50 countries according to Netflix.
Xavier Georges, TV & Film Instructor at College of the North Atlantic (CNA), was one of the art directors for the mystery/thriller series and says staff, students and alumni played a starring role.
“We had about 70 students across a wide variety of programs, from TV & film, to Carpentry to Architectural Engineering Technology,” he says. “There were so many people from CNA at one point I just stopped counting.”
With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Georges had already worked with the star of the show, Josh Hartnett.
“I got to spend some time with him finalizing a set together, and it was sweet. I got to tell him the last time I worked on a production with him was on Wicker Park and he smirked and said ‘that was 20 years ago’. “We design magic, and stars like him bring it to life! It’s always about the magic,” Georges explains.
As Art Director, its Georges’ job to ensure the story is being told from a visual perspective. For example, in one of the early scenes when Charlie Heaton’s character is preparing a meal, he is not cooking any old meal, he is making the beloved Newfoundland dish called Jiggs Dinner.
“The art department is all about layers. You start with the walls, and if you put a bit of paint and some curtains, that’s another layer. And then you add posters and images, that’s another layer and it tells who the character is,” he says. “The deeper you go into those layers the richer the image is going to be.”
To bring the town of Snook’s Arm to life, they needed actors and cameras as well as skilled workers to build wharfs and operate boats because much of the show takes place on the water. Ray Fennelly, Campus Manager for CNA’s Paul L. Pope Centre for TV & Film, also played a supporting role by connecting Georges with different faculties across CNA, including painters, paramedics, carpenters, and musicians.
“The head carpenter and the construction coordinator were both Red Seal trained, so it was the best experience possible for students,” Fennelly says. “By the end of the project I couldn’t tell the difference between the students and the pros as our students had learned so much and put so much into it.”
When the stars align
Now that the six-episode series has aired and the stars have moved on to other projects, Georges says it’s great to have seen his colleagues and students complete the project together.
“The real success is, yes sure, we can all work really hard and make a beautiful piece, but the actual success was to be able to pull it off,” he says. “Just 15 years ago, we would not be able to do that, we didn’t have the layers of the talents to do that, to welcome such a huge show.”
One of Georges students, Chris King, joined him on set as the art department production assistant. A two-time graduate of CNA, King explains he dived directly from school straight to the set of BELOW.
“I did the TV & Film Post-Production program from 2023-2024, followed by the Production Management program in 2024-2025,” King says. “It was during the Production Management program when my instructor and, eventually, boss Xavier George noticed my skills as a graphic designer, and I have him to thank for getting me the opportunity to work on the show.”
While he admits it took a lot of hard work and long days, the experience is one he holds dearly.
“It was such an eye-opening experience to be involved in a television series on such a massive scale, I felt like I was in this secret club the whole time,” he says. “I feel so lucky that this was my first full-time job in the film industry, because I will carry the skills that I learned from this for the rest of my career.”
Through the jigs and the reels
Just as the visual elements of the show were meticulously planned out, so was the music. True to Newfoundland and Labrador culture, the music played an integral part in telling the story.
Ty Simms, a first year Applied Music student at CNA, says he is still reeling from his first on screen role.
“Overall, the experience was breathtaking, being a part of this amazing production was life changing for me,” he shares. “Having my own music in the show and also being in the show myself is unbelievable and incredible to see.”
Simms, along with Luke Mercer and Alex Mercer, make up the band Salt Beef Junkies. Dedicated to entertaining while preserving this province’s traditional music, the trio were proud to be a part of a show that highlighted their cherished home.
“The cast were all so lovely, getting to meet with them and chat with them, they were all such lovely people,” he says. “My favourite thing was realizing how much work went into this project. Two hours of filming was about two seconds of the show, and it just really opened my eyes to how much work and effort goes into these projects!”
For Georges, the success of BELOW goes beyond its international reach. It reflects how far Newfoundland and Labrador’s film industry has come and shows what can happen when education, passion and talent come together.
To check out more of what CNA has to offer, visit https://www.cna.nl.ca/programs-courses. To check out the adventure filled show BELOW, visit www.netflix.com.
