B.C. film and TV industry strives ahead in spite of challenges

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      While 2008 was a rocky one for the local film and TV industry, the still-unresolved Screen Actors Guild negotiations and the troubled economic climate have been hold-overs into 2009.

      The sinking Canadian dollar has brought some signs of hope. So has the U.S. Senate’s removal of $246 million in film tax breaks from an economic stimulus bill on February 4. The breaks, designed to halt runaway productions, would have gouged Canada’s service production sector of the film industry.

      In addition, $200 million was allocated to the Canadian Television Fund (to be distributed over two years) when the federal budget was announced on January 27.

      The provincial budget announced on February 19 included some cuts to funding for the BC Film Commission. The restated operating expense estimate for 2008/2009 is $1.56 million, followed by $1.397 for 2009/2010. The budget plan for 2010/2011 is $1.396 and $1.344 million for 2011/2012.

      In a telephone interview with the Straight, BC Film Commissioner Susan Croome didn't sound overly concerned about the reduced budget.

      "We're feeling fairly fortunate because we did print quite a bit our normal promotional materials in this fiscal [year], and they generally last us for a couple of years," she said. "And we spend the bulk of our budget on delivering service to clients, and I think that we will continue to have great budget for giving excellent service to our clients. As far as our priorities are in this office, client service is number one—that's what has built relationships over the years, that's what gives clients the confidence in British Columbia as a production centre. So I think if we do a little less promotional work in the coming year, I think that our reputation and status and awareness with clients is very high already."

      She pointed out that in comparison to newer jurisdictions, B.C. is already "a well-known entity in the motion picture industry" and therefore wouldn't need the same level of promotion as some of the competition.

      One sign  of that fact is the recent decision to move J.J. Abrams' TV production Fringe (which stars Vancouver-born actor Joshua Jackson) from New York City to Vancouver also brings signs of hope. New York state's tax incentive program was so successful that more TV programs than were expected used up the funds prematurely. The program is set to expire and its future left uncertain.

      In fact, B.C.'s popularity for foreign location and service productions was the main reason Canada's FLS production levels increased in 2007/2008 as stated in the Canadian Film and Television Production Association report Profile 2009.

      FLS productions in B.C. grew from $861 million to about $1.2 billion, the second-highest level recorded in B.C. The number of FLS films in B.C., including Battle in Seattle, Juno, and The Incredible Hulk, leapt from 27 to 47 (an increase of $291 million).

      Meanwhile, FLS television series in B.C., including Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis, The L Word, and Smallville, also jumped from 25 to 44.

      These increases helped to counterbalance the decreases the province experienced with domestic production.

      The number of Canadian TV productions in B.C. dropped from 446 to 318. That number, however, remains higher than any other year since 1998 (ranging from a low of 212 in 2001/2002 to a high of 307 in 1999/2000).

      The decrease can be attributed to the cancellation of a number of B.C.–shot Canadian TV series. Over the past year, the TV shows Intelligence, jPod, Robson Arms, and Whistler were all cancelled.

      Incidentally, Robson Arms was reported as being one notch ahead of The Border at number eight in the top ten Anglophone Canadian TV series with a 639,000 viewer per minute average.

      Canadian theatrical production in B.C. was also down from 30 to 26, which continues a decrease from 2005/2006 when there were 62 domestic productions filmed in this province. B.C. producers generated 13 percent less of domestic theatrical production ($26 million) than the year before.

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