Written by on May 10, 2010. Posted in On Location

BC offers production centre and popular location doubles

British Columbia in western Canada is steadily enhancing its reputation as a media production centre. The region offers landscapes including dense forests, deserts and mountains that are frequently used to double for places such as the Middle East, Mexico, Europe and even the US, despite sharing a border with the country.

The upcoming big-screen adaptation of The A Team used places including Ashcroft, the Kamloops area and Cache Creek to double for Mexico due to their similarity to the Latin American countryside. Kamloops is no more than a four-hour drive from Vancouver, while the lower mainland area of BC is much closer at only a half-hour drive from local towns.

With reference to British Columbia’s studio facilities, Karen Lamare, Manager of Strategic Planning and Stakeholder Relations at the British Columbia Film Commission, said: “British Columbia has the capacity to service the unique needs of 40 productions at any given time. We have over a million square feet of studio space with a network of stages ranging from 1,000 sq ft at their smallest to more than 120,000 sq ft at the top end of the scale, with a wide selection of stage specs in between.”

Comprehensive filming incentives are available to eligible productions, including a Production Services Tax Credit, which is worth up to 33% of labour expenditures. In addition regional location tax credits of 6% can be enhanced with 6% of labour expenditures, while an additional tax credit of up to 17.5% is available for digital animation or visual effects. These incentives, along with free services such as digital location web packages and script breakdowns, have likely played a part in BC hosting 239 different productions throughout 2009.

John Durrant, an Executive Producer with Company Man Production Services, which has a presence in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto, said: “There is usually a significant cost-saving for union productions using British Columbia locations, on talent, labour and location expenses. As well, for non-union productions there is a large talent and labour pool.”

In addition to film and television, commercial productions are big business too and projects tend to gravitate towards British Columbia’s wilderness areas. Mr Durrant said: “The car adverts use our wilderness highways a great deal, including the Sea-to-Sky Highway, Duffy Lake Highway and the Coqhihalla Highway.

While the scenery may be a major appeal for international productions, there is the potential for the planning stages to frown on lower budget projects. Lisa Guillet, an Executive Assistant with Film Group in Vancouver, said: “Obtaining permits in urban areas during high traffic times and permitting in National Parks can be a challenge. The logistics of transporting crew and gear to remote locations can conflict with budgetary confinements.”

Ms Lamare concludes: “Whether it’s sweeping beaches, majestic rainforest or quiet fishing villages, British Columbia’s vast geography gives filmmakers the diversity they need.”