Local film industry headed for another record-breaking year
Posted August 4, 2016 10:09 pm.
Last Updated August 4, 2016 10:55 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Just a little over half way through the year, and already people in the local film industry predict this will be a record-breaking one.
Some are saying business is up by 20 per cent from last year – a year which also broke records.
Pete Mitchell, who is president of Vancouver Film Studios, says every aspect of the business is operating at full capacity.
“We’re at a point right now where we have a shortage of equipment, facilities and people. Locations are being stressed because there is such high demand to get into neighbourhoods that get a lot of repeat filming.”
He points out the industry not only employs production-types but technicians, carpenters, electricians, wardrobe experts and even sculptors.
He says anyone who may have dropped out of the business a few years ago when things were tough are back at it, and production companies are recruiting to keep up with demand.
The overall health of the sector is being enhanced by the sheer number of Netflix and Amazon TV series being shot here, like A Series of Unfortunate Events, Man in a High Castle and Bates Motel as well as others such as The Flash and Arrow.
“TV series are able to commit to multi-year productions. It allows people to invest to expand their facilities and the equipment they have. It’s what is really driving the industry,” says Mitchell.
And why is business so good? Mitchell says it’s not only the low dollar, but the quality of production-making for the right price.
Vancouver, incidentally, is number one in Canada when it comes to the place production companies come to make pilot TV episodes.
