Will Edmonton break into the cinema scene?

[ue]

We've had more movies and tv shows filmed here over recently, but we're usually X us city. Not that it's necessarily bad, but will it get bigger and will we get some more serious Hollywood films made here, or partially?

Winnipeg often does midwestern towns or winter stuff, Vancouver is obvious, and Toronto is home to a lot of Canadian talent. What about Edmonton? What are your thoughts?

[bicycles]

does anyone know what movies have been filmed here recently? I know some scenes from the Assassination of Jesse James was filmed in Fort Edmonton Mark, and that one Christmas movie filmed in WEM... any others? as for your question, I'm not really sure, I think it will continue to be a kind of specialty place as it is now. Every now and then we'll get something but I don't think we'll become a hot spot or anything.

[Coldrsx]

again we are sorta lost in the bunch... we have some great shooting locations but unfortunately calgary has a more diverse range within 1hr.

[ue]

Interesting perspectives. And I agree about Calgary, they can play all sorts of things. That Edmonton mall movie was terrible. And that retarded accent they gave us. .

We need some more good movies and TV shows with settings here - not just filming.

[oiler-dude]

Originally Posted by edmontonenthusiast

Interesting perspectives. And I agree about Calgary, they can play all sorts of things. That Edmonton mall movie was terrible. And that retarded accent they gave us. .

We need some more good movies and TV shows with settings here - not just filming.

It won't happen. Not for a good while, anyways.

One of my teachers at NAIT (he's the Video teacher, so he's in the business) was talking to us about the industry in Edmonton and how it's pretty weak. Everything from the union to a lot of reputation isn't that great, a lot of Edmonton students even go into the Calgary union just to get work.

I wish I remembered more of what he said, but since I'm not in the video program, I didn't really pay much attention, and just caught some key parts. Sorry guys.

[Xelebes]

Anyone remember Snow Day? Bueller? Bueller?

[ue]

^^well at least our theatre selection in many cases is quite world class.

[ChillN]

..Fubar 2 is being filmed here

[IKAN104]

I found this list of movies filmed in Alberta. Not sure how complete it is.

Almost America (CL Ranch, Calgary, Drumheller)*
Anthrax (2001) (Bearspaw, Calgary)
Assassination of Jesse James (Calgary, Edmonton)*
Back to God's Country (1919) (Lesser Slave Lake)
Betrayed (Bragg Creek, Calgary, Fort McLeod)
Brokeback Mountain (Calgary, Fort Macleod)
Bye Bye Blues (Edmonton, Rowley)
Conceit (Banff National Park)
Cool Runnings (Calgary)
Dances With Wolves (throughout Alberta)
Dead Bang (Calgary, Drumheller)
Death Hunt (Canmore, Drumheller)
Doctor Zhivago (stock railroad footage)
Edge, The (Canmore, Edmonton)*
Excess Baggage (Waterton Lakes National Park)*
Exit Wounds (Calgary, Edmonton)*
For All Time (CL Ranch, Calgary)
Grizzly Falls (Kananaskis Country, Morley)*
High Country, The (Banff National Park, Canmore)*
High Noon (CL Ranch, Calgary)
His Destiny (Brooks, Calgary, Lake Louise)
I'll Be Home for Christmas (Canmore)*
John Q (Canmore, Cochrane)*
Johnson County War (CL Ranch, Calgary, Longview)
Journey of Natty Gann (Crows Nest Pass)*
Last of the Dogmen (Banff National Park, Canmore)
Legends of the Fall (Calgary, Morley)*
Loyalties (1986) (Lac La Biche)
Monte Walsh (2003) (CL Ranch Calgary, Longview, Redwater)
Mystery, Alaska (Banff National Park, Canmore)
Naked Flame (Banff National Park, Calgary, Canmore)
Open Range (Calgary, Longview, Morley)
Papa's Angels (Banff National Park, CL Ranch, Heritage Park - Calgary, Springbank)
Rad (Calgary, Cochrane)
Rat Race (Calgary, Drumheller)
River of No Return, The (Jasper National Park, Banff National Park)
Rose Marie (near Banff)
R.V. (Lethbridge, Rainier, Milk River)*
Santa Clause II (Calgary)*
Saskatchewan (Banff National Park)
Shanghai Noon (CL Ranch, Calgary, Drumheller, Morley)
Showdown at Williams Creek (Waterton National Park)
Silver Streak (Calgary, Canadian Pacific Railway, Drumheller)*
Snow Day (Calgary, Edmonton)*
Snow Dogs (Calgary, Canmore)*
Superman (1978) (Calgary, High River)
Tail Lights Fade (Calgary)*
Texas Rangers (Brooks, Claresholm, Drumheller, Springbank, Indus)
Unfinished Life, An (Burdett, Medicine Hat)*
Unforgiven (Brooks, Calgary, Drumheller, High River, Longview)
Valley of the Silent Men (Banff)
Vanishing Act (Banff)
The Virginian (Drumheller, Longview)
Waydowntown (Calgary)
Wild America (Bragg Creek, Calgary, Canmore, Drumheller)

[IKAN104]

There was also a horror TV series filmed here. Not sure if that's still happening. I saw one episode about a vampire that was filmed at Fort Edmonton. Can't remember what that show was called.

[IKAN104]

This info here is from edmonton.com.
http://www.edmonton.com/for-visitors...ilm-facts.aspx

Here are some facts about movies made in Edmonton:

•Several different projects have been filmed in West Edmonton Mall, including Christmas in Wonderland, Mentors, 100 Days in the Jungle, Selling Innocence, and The Christmas Blessing.
•The return on investment on the film industry in Alberta is: for every $1 invested, $8 goes back into the local economy.
•Several scenes for The Assassination of Jesse James, starring Brad Pitt, were filmed in Fort Edmonton Park.
•Approximately $8,000 was spent on antique carpet for the train carriage that was used in The Assassination of Jesse James. Then dirt was poured on the carpet to make it look old.
•After filming was complete, producers from The Assassination of Jesse James donated the original movie train carriage to Fort Edmonton Park.
•Scenes for the period piece Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee were filmed in the Wedgewood Room at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.
•The War Bride, a must-see feature film, was shot at Fort Edmonton Park and is available to rent at most video rental stores.
•Snow Day, starring Chevy Chase, Chris Elliott, and Sissy Spacek’s daughter Skyler, was filmed primarily in Glenora, Government Hill Toboggan Park, and several parks around Edmonton.
•Edmonton is home to Film Alberta Studios, a 15,000 square-foot sound stage built exclusively for film, television, and video production.
•Studio Post is Edmonton’s state-of-the-art production facility, with a comprehensive post production centre, a film processing lab, HD facilities, animation, visual, and special effects.
•Edmonton has professional, talented crews who take projects from pre to post production on time and on budget.
•Edmonton’s film industry has done it all, including commercials, music videos, episodic television, reality television, made-for-TV movies, and feature films.
•From 2005 – 2007, production budgets in Edmonton totaled approximately $45 million.
•100 Days in the Jungle was based on the true story of eight oil pipeline workers (one American and seven Edmonton area men) who were kidnapped in Ecuador in 1999, held for ransom by guerrillas, and marched through the jungle for 100 days.
•The West Edmonton Mall penguins starred alongside Dane Cook and Jessica Alba in scenes from the movie Good Luck Chuck.
•The penguin dive tank and playground in the movie Good Luck Chuck was built in Edmonton’s Film Alberta Studios.
Famous Faces Seen Here
Here are some of the celebrities who have filmed in Edmonton over the years:

•Aiden Quinn
•Alex Baldwin
•Brad Pitt
•Carmen Electra
•Casey Affleck
•Chevy Chase
•Chris Kattan
•Dane Cook
•Farrah Fawcett
•Jessica Alba
•Patrick Dempsey
•Patrick Swayze
•Preston Lacy
•Rob Lowe
•Ryan O’Neal
•Sam Shepard
•Sarah Jessica Parker
•Sir Anthony Hopkins
•Tim Curry
•Tom Green

[ue]

Other than Assn J. J. we don't seem to have had many big Hollywood movies recently.

[Jaws]

The two big reasons that Alberta is losing out at being a filming destination are lack of "tax credits" and the strength of the dollar. Forget about lack of talent, union issues, etc. being the big reason. The movie industry (Hollywood) suckles at the tit of whomever feeds it.

[Daveography]

No one has yet mentioned Ginger Snaps, nor the sequel. How disappointing. =P

[240glt]

Alberta is barely a blip on the scene. My sis worked in the biz before moving over to TV. It's next to impossible to break into the industry here becuase it is so small. Edmonton & Calgary will continue to get crumbs but Vancouver is where it's at. Always has been, and always will be.

[Jasper and one o nin]

Almost America was set in Edmonton and it was actually not that bad. It is impossible to find

[bulliver]

No one has yet mentioned Ginger Snaps

Wikipedia says it was filmed in Etobicoke, Brampton, and Scarborough. Do you have a source that says otherwise?

[Daveography]

^ Oh, whoops, my bad. Apparently it's just the two sequels (yeah, apparently there's two) that were filmed here, but not the original. For some reason I was under the impression the first one was filed here as well.

[canucklehead2]

The TV series in question was called Fear Itself, which ran for 13 episodes on NBC last summer. The funny thing is that the city subsidized it heavily as well as an unnamed second series that was never produced. This is probably ripe for an expose story by the Journal since it cost us a pretty penny...

Overall the ratings for Fear Itself were supposed to be pretty good but production on a second season was rumored to move to Vancouver, so were probably back at square one again...

I did write an article on the subject a few years ago for a magazine writing class and the consensus from the experts in the industry is that Edmonton will probably never become a major movie-making hub because A-Vancouver is a major established hub where most of our best film makers fled to after the Klein cuts in the early '90s and B-And even at a provincial scale, we'll always play second fiddle to Calgary because they have studio space and better more marketable scenery...

Personally I don't agree with that but I don't think we'll ever be able to lure away productions from other cities so we should concentrate on building a thriving local film and television industry. As an aspiring filmmaker myself, I know I want to set and produce my projects right here as sort of an F-you to those who don't think E-town can do it...

[IKAN104]

Well, it would be cool if we were a big movie hub but I agree that it's not going to happen. That's o.k. though we've got other industries where we shine. We can't have it all.