[SpongeG]

VANCOUVER–Not to burst Toronto's fragile bubble on the heels of last week's The Incredible Hulk blockbuster announcement, but what if the location decision came down to Vancouver just being too busy?

"You hate to turn it away," said Don Cott with a chuckle last week. As Canadian vice-president of the American-based Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, Cott sees a steady and successful film and television industry on the West Coast – so much so that the latest Marvel Comics movie had to go elsewhere.

"There certainly wasn't studio space. Studio space is virtually full and they need a lot of stage space," said Cott. That's despite Vancouver's eight purpose-built studio facilities in the Lower Mainland, including the aptly named 300,000-square-foot Mammoth Studios in suburban Burnaby. Movie-making giant 20th Century Fox has already booked the space – used in the last year to film Night at the Museum and the upcoming sequel to Fantastic Four – until the end of 2007 for a yet-to-be-named blockbuster project.

The Hulk announcement — along with its more than $100 million (U.S.) budget – is bringing glimmers of hope in Toronto to an industry that saw a 23 per cent drop of production revenue in 2006 and an estimated loss of $400 million (Canadian) during the recent six-week ACTRA strike. Meanwhile, confidence, cautious as it may be, is brimming here.

"Frankly, Toronto always looked down on us and all of a sudden, we blew right past them," says Don Ramsden, a Vancouver-based business agent for a B.C. film crew workers.

B.C. Film Commissioner Susan Croome cautions that "we're optimistic about 2007, but we really don't know how the year is going to turn out until producers make the decisions" about where to film.

Other industry insiders, however, expect 2007 to be as good as 2006 for the 30,000 people affected. Last year's figures, out later this month, are expected to be near those of 2005 – and that year in B.C., the industry generated more than $1.2 billion in revenue, mostly from foreign features and TV series shooting around the Lower Mainland. Among North American production areas, Vancouver runs only behind Los Angeles and New York.

With labour uncertainty south of the border as the writers and actors bargain separately with the producers over similar issues that caused the ACTRA strike, B.C.'s copacetic working environment could set the stage for a rewarding year.

"The track record has been if you head into the bargaining down there, they try to build up a library of stuff that's already been shot," said Cott.

Tax incentives, expanding infrastructure, climate and proximity to L.A. are all factors in B.C.'s success, but stability is the boring buzzword.

In a province notorious for its labour squabbles, producers and unions are at peace. The contract between Cott's group and the Union of B.C. Performers – it has a separate deal from the rest of ACTRA – concludes this month, but Cott said the groundwork for an agreement is there. (The union says it's fighting for wage parity with performers from the rest of the country.)

The B.C. Council of Film Unions, a joint labour council representing 8,000 members from camera operators to Teamsters, has an agreement until 2009. Ramsden, who represents one of the unions within the council, said this stability has been brewing for more than a decade as unions developed long-term contracts with Hollywood producers instead of "one-off deals" by their counterparts in Toronto.

"We got very sophisticated very early about that process," said Ramsden. This labour stability has brought confidence and lucrative capital to B.C.

"We see post-production facilities migrating from Los Angeles up to Vancouver," said Peter Leitch, chair of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of B.C. and president of North Shore Studios, which operates Mammoth. "If you think that the industry is only going to be here for a few years, you're not going to be building those studios and post-production facilities, but we see that happening."

Leitch said the association is keeping tabs on Toronto and Montreal to make sure B.C. doesn't make the same mistakes as those two cities.

"If your business goes down to certain level for a long period of time, you're going to lose your labour force and infrastructure and it's very hard to build it back up," he added. "It's much easier to maintain it once you've got it."

Leitch also keeps an eye on Toronto's Filmport, the new studio slated to open this year. It could attract big-projects but Leitch said the B.C. industry will be drawing more domestic production, which gravitates around Toronto.

Marian Wihak, a Toronto-based production designer with 25 years of experience across the country, said she's seen a lot of business that's usually slated for her hometown go elsewhere in the country – she's now working on a Canadian movie-of-the-week in Vancouver. Working with crews here, Wihak said she's getting a strong sense that people know Vancouver is moving ahead of Toronto right now, which wasn't the case years ago.

"Vancouver and Toronto, in ways, compete for the same business," said Cott. "It's just a matter of stage space availability and labour relations."

http://www.thestar.com/artsentertainment/article/187938

[TOBoy]

Another Hulk movie? Honestly I pray they never find space anywhere as the first movie was by far the worst movie ever made in the history of film making.

[SpongeG]

yeah it has no connection with the previous movie - a different studio etc.

[Mike K.]

Could this mean more business for the Island? Victoria's film industry has enjoyed a healthy growth rate due to Vancouver's industry overflowing to neighbouring districts.

[Xelebes]

I hear there is lots of space in Saskatchewan they can use.

[viperred88]

I hear there is lots of space in Saskatchewan they can use.

Nah Winnipeg is the next growing market. "The Horsemen", is being filmed in winnipeg in its entirety(sp?) starring Dennis Quaid and Ziyi Zhang

[Nutterbug]

Why doesn't Seattle, or Washington State in general, pitch some competitive bids and attractive offers, and give us competition for these movie productions? They have similar sort of scenery and terrain, and it's not like the Can-US $ disparity is that great now.

[Mike K.]

^20% savings for a multi-million dollar production is a lot of cash.

[Nutterbug]

^20% savings for a multi-million dollar production is a lot of cash.

More like 15%.

I wonder if it's enough to compensate for all the various cross-border difficulties and expenses though. I figure the US has more lax (and unenforced, eg. illegal Mexicans) labour laws to make up for the difference.

[CCF]

Nah Winnipeg is the next growing market. "The Horsemen", is being filmed in winnipeg in its entirety(sp?) starring Dennis Quaid and Ziyi Zhang

Err, Regina has quite a healthy film industry. I'm actually not familiar with anything from WInnipeg.

Regina was/is home to shows such as Corner Gas, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Renegade Press, and Incredible Story Studios.

Also, it has been the location for films such as Just Friends, Ferris Wheel (currently in filming with Charlize Theron and Woody Harrelson), Tideland, The Messengers, etc.

[LordMandeep]

wow the way the local media puts here in toronto the film industry is gone...

[SpongeG]

Well Vancouver has the crews, the studios in place

Seattle doesn't have that

it would take them years to catch up to Vancouver

[smasher000]

Seattle must die! They rip everything off of what we've got going. They already stole a chunk of our cruise ship passengers!

[mr.x]

Seattle must die! They rip everything off of what we've got going. They already stole a chunk of our cruise ship passengers!

omg!!! yea!!!! i sooo agree with you!!!! and it would be horrible if we lost our port business to them as well....it's the only thing we still have that's bigger than what they've got.

[ReginaGuy]

Err, Regina has quite a healthy film industry. I'm actually not familiar with anything from WInnipeg.

Regina was/is home to shows such as Corner Gas, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Renegade Press, and Incredible Story Studios.

Also, it has been the location for films such as Just Friends, Ferris Wheel (currently in filming with Charlize Theron and Woody Harrelson), Tideland, The Messengers, etc.

Tideland is one fucked up movie, Terry Gilliam is crazy but I love him. And I didn't even realise 'The Messengers' was filmed here until I saw it about a week ago, I recognized the Qu'appelle valley right away.

And yes, Regina is enjoying a very healthy growth in the film industry. obviously no where near Vancouver or Toronto, but pretty amazing for our size.

And people said the new sound stage would be a waste of money :rolleyes:

[SpongeG]

thats what people moaned about 10 years ago or so

obviously it worked to BC's benefit

good for Regina

[WHISTLERINMUSKOKA]

Another Hulk movie? Honestly I pray they never find space anywhere as the first movie was by far the worst movie ever made in the history of film making.


What kind of a comment is that? Who cares what the movie is and if you like it? Many of my friends will be working on this. For fucks sake I work on a kids t.v show that makes me want to vomit but I'm still glad for the production.

http://www.channelcanada.com/tvzone/images/speshows/backyardigans.jpg:yuck:

[Xelebes]

More like 15%.

I wonder if it's enough to compensate for all the various cross-border difficulties and expenses though. I figure the US has more lax (and unenforced, eg. illegal Mexicans) labour laws to make up for the difference.

You need trained stage personnel and technicians to put on a successful movie.

[smasher000]

What kind of a comment is that? Who cares what the movie is and if you like it? Many of my friends will be working on this. For fucks sake I work on a kids t.v show that makes me want to vomit but I'm still glad for the production.

http://www.channelcanada.com/tvzone/images/speshows/backyardigans.jpg:yuck:

ohh.. where do u work?

[Taller Better]

They "turned it away"? Like it was offered to them? What a condescending and smug article.

[ScottFromCalgary]

Only a matter of time now before the regional pissing contest starts

[Nutterbug]

You need trained stage personnel and technicians to put on a successful movie.

The US has a bigger pool of them, and they demand US $'s, no?

[LeftCoaster]

Only a matter of time now before the regional pissing contest starts

Yea really, Im surprised its taken this long... :rolleyes:

[Xelebes]

The US has a bigger pool of them, and they demand US $'s, no?

Yeah, but Canada has a good number of such personnel too, thanks to the product of many of the universities and colleges in Canada. So why wouldn't Hollywood take advantage of that labour pool?

[IntotheWest]

I agree that this article is just waiting for the pissing contest...it is quite smug. I would think Toronto will have its fair share. Other Canadian locations are also doing quite well, but there are several US states that are working hard to attract business. And since most of these B movies made in Vancouver will quickly move elsewhere if the money is right.

However, it's no secret that Vancouver has built up the industry very well.

[canucklehead2]

It's too bad Alberta remains a relative wasteland of film, except for the few American flicks that shoot in Cgy every year.. Even Saskatchewan and Manitoba are kicking our asses, lol...

[mr.x]

It's too bad Alberta remains a relative wasteland of film, except for the few American flicks that shoot in Cgy every year.. Even Saskatchewan and Manitoba are kicking our asses, lol...

well you can't have everything......Alberta has its oil.

[Nutterbug]

^ And gay cowboys. :D

[Xelebes]

^ And gay cowboys. :D

Arbeiter will feel at home here!

[DVD]

They "turned it away"? Like it was offered to them? What a condescending and smug article.

It was an article from The Star which I believe is a Toronto newspaper.

[Taller Better]

I agree that this article is just waiting for the pissing contest...it is quite smug. I would think Toronto will have its fair share. Other Canadian locations are also doing quite well, but there are several US states that are working hard to attract business. And since most of these B movies made in Vancouver will quickly move elsewhere if the money is right.

However, it's no secret that Vancouver has built up the industry very well.


Absolutely! There is enough work for everyone without the smug regionalism that is quoted by industry people in this article. Don't they realize how unprofessional and parochial it makes them sound? I'm afraid I quickly lose respect for any "professionals" who try to build themselves up by clawing down and bad-mouthing their colleagues in another Canadian city. Why should they act like enemies? Internationally it makes the Canadian film industry look like a squabbling bush league one. Wouldn't it make more sense to pull together in a more unified way? Small Penis Syndrome if you ask me, and it happens in more industries than just film.
This industry is extremely cyclical, so smugness can quickly be wiped off people's faces. ;)

[IntotheWest]

...I'm afraid I quickly lose respect for any "professionals" who try to build themselves up by clawing down and bad-mouthing their colleagues in another Canadian city.

That's exactly how I see it too...though, I'm sure there is some spin by the media (it would be boring to read otherwise, right?). On average over the years, I don't think Toronto has lagged behind Vancouver by much in terms of money spent on movie-making - I believe they've both been close to/or over $1 billion...so if TO had a "bad" year, that's no reason to kick'em.

MB, Sask, and Alberta have had their fair share of movies (including some Oscar award-winning movies) filmed over the years. Not sure about the industry out east.

But despite having a large industry, I don't see any real "quality" movies being filmed in Van that couldn't have been filmed elsewhere...and by that, I don't necessarily mean big American stars = "quality". If I've perhaps forgotten quality movies filmed in BC (excluding "Rambo" ;-), I'd be curious to know which ones.

[Taller Better]

The real litmus test of the strength of a film community are the films made by locals, not the American imports. The American imports are great to pump money into the industries of our cities, but in themselves this is a pretty shallow service industry. The key is to use that investment from American films to build a solid local industry with great local independent film making. Canadians should be sticking together instead of snarking away at each other behind their backs. I wonder if that type of public behavior goes on in other countries like Britain or Australia? Distasteful and divisive, and probably has the American studios losing respect for the local industry.
I've seen similar articles with snarking about the restaurant scenes in other Canadian cities, and frankly it turned me right off.

[muzhav84]

how can people say this is Vancouver being smug? It was written by a reporter from Toronto! And I think it is even more pathetic for the forumers on here to try and deter from Vancouver's success by saying the movies made here aren't award-quality films. No one claimed they were! As for only B-movies being shot here, I guess 'Night at the Museum' only making over 500 million is pretty bad, huh? ...

[Taller Better]

how can people say this is Vancouver being smug? It was written by a reporter from Toronto! And I think it is even more pathetic for the forumers on here to try and deter from Vancouver's success by saying the movies made here aren't award-quality films. No one claimed they were! As for only B-movies being shot here, I guess 'Night at the Museum' only making over 500 million is pretty bad, huh? ...

Sigh. I guess it is pointless arguing against petty regionalism and squabbling. It is just so
incredibly pervasive in this country.

By the way, Muzhav, the article was written by Tim Lai. He is a 24 year old sports journalist from British Columbia,
who is currently living in Toronto and writing for the Star.

[IntotheWest]

"Night at the Museum" won awards? For What? I guess it did so well at the box office with some pretty tough competition too, eh?

Regardless - I agree with Taller that the focus should be on local-focused movies, and not Canada just filling in for a cheaper America. It's pretty sad that a good chunk of our Canadian actors actually will take "American accent" classes :-)

[Xelebes]

They need to learn to emulate all the accents - Indian, South African, Kiwi....

[feepa]

This is turning into a VS thread rather quickly.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images_pb/statusicon/thread_lock.gifhttp://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images_pb/statusicon/thread_lock.gifhttp://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images_pb/statusicon/thread_lock.gifhttp://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images_pb/statusicon/thread_lock.gifhttp://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images_pb/statusicon/thread_lock.gifhttp://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images_pb/statusicon/thread_lock.gifhttp://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images_pb/statusicon/thread_lock.gifhttp://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images_pb/statusicon/thread_lock.gifhttp://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images_pb/statusicon/thread_lock.gif

[twoNeurons]

If I've perhaps forgotten quality movies filmed in BC (excluding "Rambo" ;-), I'd be curious to know which ones.
Haha... I used to live in Hope. It's a big thing that Rambo was filmed in Hope. I think it's on the official tourism list of things that are famous about Hope.

That and the Hope slide.

[Rusty Gull]

Well, I'll be the first to admit that "First Blood" (some of you call it Rambo) is an incredibly riveting cinematic experience, and for those of you who haven't watched it since 1985, I suggest you do so immediately. It holds up very, very, very well. And yes, the scenery in Hope, BC is simultaneously scary and drop-dead-gorgeous.

[Nutterbug]

Well, I'll be the first to admit that "First Blood" (some of you call it Rambo) is an incredibly riveting cinematic experience, and for those of you who haven't watched it since 1985, I suggest you do so immediately. It holds up very, very, very well. And yes, the scenery in Hope, BC is simultaneously scary and drop-dead-gorgeous.

It's the sequels that gave it the dumbed down reputation.

[jawagord]

how can people say this is Vancouver being smug? It was written by a reporter from Toronto! And I think it is even more pathetic for the forumers on here to try and deter from Vancouver's success by saying the movies made here aren't award-quality films. No one claimed they were! As for only B-movies being shot here, I guess 'Night at the Museum' only making over 500 million is pretty bad, huh? ...

I unfortunately get to see too many of these really crappy HBO/Cinemax/Star Movies made for TV type flicks on the Asian english language movie channels here in Indonesia. And the majority are filmed in BC (instantly recognizable from the Hollywood crap by the wet streets, visible breath of the actors, pine tree scenery, same cadre of actors from the SciFi tv shows). The sad part is at the end of these POS's comes the Government of Canada and Government of BC tax credit logo. Without the tax breaks would there be a much of a movie industry in BC?

[Hourglass]

I unfortunately get to see too many of these really crappy HBO/Cinemax/Star Movies made for TV type flicks on the Asian english language movie channels here in Indonesia. And the majority are filmed in BC (instantly recognizable from the Hollywood crap by the wet streets, visible breath of the actors, pine tree scenery, same cadre of actors from the SciFi tv shows). The sad part is at the end of these POS's comes the Government of Canada and Government of BC tax credit logo. Without the tax breaks would there be a much of a movie industry in BC?

Although I haven't done the research, I would guess that tax credits being offered merely 'level the playing field'. This is a glam and lucrative industry, and a lot of markets are angling for the business.

That said, I believe that, all things being equal, BC does have some key advantages -- cheaper Canadian $ (not as cheap as before but still...), critical mass of talent (production, post-production, animation etc etc are just some that come to mind). Why do you think Washington State hasn't close to the same level of revenues from film and TV? Of course, being in the same time zone and a 3-hour hop from LA doesn't hurt either.

Films shot in BC do have a distinctive quality. The light is just so different from productions shot in SoCal.

[204]

Why doesn't Seattle, or Washington State in general, pitch some competitive bids and attractive offers, and give us competition for these movie productions? They have similar sort of scenery and terrain, and it's not like the Can-US $ disparity is that great now.


They have a lot of catching up to do. Vancouver is behind only LA and NY for production. There are 4 major production companies located in the lower mainland including the largest special effects stages in North America at Bridge Studios.

[twoNeurons]

It's not so much about the dollar any more. It's about the built-up industry that have driven down prices and the fact that there's more co-operation and less litigation in filming here.

Film on someone's property in SoCal and they demand a ransom. Film here on someone's land and they're likely to be fine with some promo posters and a couple of lift tickets to whistler.

[hollywoodnorth]

Film on someone's property in SoCal and they demand a ransom. Film here on someone's land and they're likely to be fine with some promo posters and a couple of lift tickets to whistler.

LOL too funny......but your 100% right

[SpongeG]

when they filmed next door to us at work - they offered us the caterers lunch truck thingy :banana: since they disurupted our parking

[cornholio]

when they filmed next door to us at work - they offered us the caterers lunch truck thingy :banana: since they disurupted our parking

The trick is to start making a crap load of noise and start renovating everything you can renovate once they start shooting. Then you hold out until they offer you the sweetest deal you think your gona get to stop what your doing and put your renovation plans on hold.