March 27th 2013 ¢ Over the Edge

FINAL CUT

FOR YEARS, B.C.’S REPUTATION AS HOLLYWOOD NORTH HAS G

JULIAN LEGERE
CAPILANO COURIER (CAPILANO UNIVERSITY)
NORTH VANCOUVER (CUP) — If

there’s one group that you can be sure has
passion, it’s artists. That’s likely the reason
why a rally two months ago at North Shore
Studios drew over 2,000 people, some
reports had attendance as high as 4,500 —
who all gathered to hear industry experts
and lobbyists speak about recent efforts
made to demand action from the B.C.
government to save the film industry.

The New Hollywood North

Save B.C. Film, the lobby group that
organized January’s rally, has been
advocating on behalf of an estimated
25,000 industry professionals whose
livelihoods they claim are being threatened
by increased government support for the
film industry in Ontario and Quebec.
The first concern is the loss of foreign,
namely American, film productions, the
presence of which in the past earned
Metro Vancouver the moniker “Hollywood
North.” Currently, the B.C. Production
Services Tax Credit offers a credit of 33
per cent of BC labour expenditures only,
whereas Ontario and Quebec offer a 25 per
cent credit on all production expenditures
within each respective province. In 2011,
B.C. fell to the fourth-ranked production
centre in North America, behind Ontario.
Industry advocates, including those
present at the rally in January, are calling
for policy changes in order to keep B.C.
competitive. Peter Leitch, president of
North Shore Studios, advocated at last
month’s rally for an “All Spend Policy”
that would give foreign productions tax
breaks on all production spending within
B.C., the same policy currently in place
in Ontario and Quebec, rather than solely
labour spending. Premier Christy Clark
defends the current policies, describing
B.C.’s current $285 million tax credit
as “generous.” She goes on to call the
increased tax credits in Ontario and
Quebec as a “race to the bottom,” and
makes it clear that she has no intention
of allowing B.C. to engage in that race, a
view reflected in her government’s recently
released budget. Industry members contest
the idea that increasing B.C.’s investment
in the industry would create that kind of
bottomless climate because according
to Brian Hamilton, a vice-president at
Omnifilm, American productions prefer
B.C. due to its better infrastructure and
talent pool. Leitch says that American
clients who have worked with North Shore
Studios have told him the same things:
“We don’t need to match Ontario and
Quebec, we just need to be competitive,”
he explained to the rally crowd.

Home-grown films

The second concern is the loss of domestic
film production. Currently, B.C. gives
tax credits to domestic productions, to
the tune of 35 per cent. In 2009, Quebec
and Ontario both raised their incentives
to match that 35 per cent. According to
Jackson Davies, vice- president of the

Union of B.C. Performers

and an instructor at Capilano University,
B.C. saw about $500 to $600 million worth
of domestic film production annually prior
to 2009, but since Ontario and Quebec
increased their domestic productions tax
credits, that number has fallen to about
$200 million. Davies also worries about the
long term implications of the $300 to $400
million loss triggered in 2009, because the
lack of productions causes a loss of film
industry infrastructure, including facilities
like studios and editing suites.

“Once all the infrastructure is gone from
the community, they have to shut down
or move to Ontario,” he says. Once that
infrastructure is gone, and the talent moves
to the East, there’s even less incentive
for revenue and job generating American
productions to come to B.C.

Aaron Stewart, an acting student at Capilano
University, says that he sees the decline of
the film industry in B.C. as an enormous
obstacle to his future career.

“T fear that my three to four years of intense
schooling won’t be put to good use when
there are so few jobs. And on top of that, I
fear that I may have to pack up and move
to a new city, hell, even a new country, to
get work.”

Cultural economy

The film industry as a whole is a hugely
important component of the B.C. economy,
employing an estimated 25,000 people
and bringing around $1.2 billion worth of
revenue into the province annually, but it’s
not just the financial benefits that members
of the film industry are fighting for.
Citing his long-running hit TV show The
Beachcombers, filmed in Gibsons, as an
example, Davies describes the importance
of domestic productions not only for their
direct investment into local economies,
but also for the increased tourism. “All
around the world, they see the beauty of
B.C. We get to tell our stories. That’s not
just a business investment, that’s a cultural
investment.” Stewart agrees that the film

PE #SAVEBCFILM

industry is important both for its economic
and its

cultural benefits, and that the B.C. Liberal
government should be doing everything it
can to encourage the industry’s growth. “It
seems counterproductive to not continue
investing. It creates tourism opportunities
and it allows actors and other artistic people
the chance to actually pursue what it is they
love.”

Misgivings and misperceptions

Some of the Save B.C. Film advocates have
claimed that there is a public misconception
concerning the need for tax breaks for big
budget American films. “Tax credits are not
paying for Brad Pitt’s million dollars to come
here,” Leitch reminds the crowd at January’s
rally. The current tax policies reflect that,
since only monies paid to B.C. residents or
companies are eligible for the tax breaks.
Along the same lines, Davies emphasizes
the nature of the provincial government’s
investment. “It’s not a subsidy,” he explains.
“The B.C. government doesn’t write a
cheque. There has to be money generated
in order for money to be refunded.” This
point is reflected in the comments of the
other advocates at January’s rally. “We are
an industry, not a special interest group,”
someone points out during the question and
answer session, and Paul Klassen, senior
business representative for IATSE, the film
and theatre technicians union, agrees: “This
is about the economy of B.C.” Taking action,
searching for solutions As part of the Save
B.C. Film campaign, a petition circulating
online has gained over 30,000 signatures,
and a poll funded by the Motion Picture
Production Industry Association of B.C.
has reflected fairly strong public support as
well. According to the report, 56 per cent
of British Columbian adults believe the
province should “encourage strong growth”
of the film industry, putting it in second,
behind the tourism industry with 67 per
cent in favour of strong growth. In addition
to more funding for tax incentives, industry
leaders such as Brian Hamilton would like
to see B.C. create some sort of

body to liaise between the government and
the film industry, similar to the Ontario
Media Development Corporation (OMDC).
“Where is our ministry?” he demanded at
January’s rally, to rousing applause from
the crowd. The OMDC is an agency of the
Ontario Ministry of Culture and Tourism,
and their mission statement describes them
as “the central catalyst for Ontario’s cultural
media cluster. It promotes, enhances and
leverages investment, jobs and original
content creation.”

The OMDC oversees distribution of much
of Ontario’s media related arts funding,
including their film tax _ incentives.
According to Hamilton, the creation of a
similar agency in British Columbia would
provide the creative industries with a “one
stop shop to address our needs.”

B.C. NDP leader Adrian Dix has expressed
support for a ministry for the creative
sector, though neither his party nor anyone
from the industry seem to have a viable
plan as to how that would work or how
much it might cost. Meanwhile, Clark has
been promoting the potential benefits of her
government’s attempts to strengthen ties
between B.C. and the Indian film industry.
The government invested $11 million
dollars to secure a deal that will bring the
Times of India Film Awards to Vancouver
in April. The deal also guarantees at least
one Indian film production coming to B.C.,
and Clark hopes that that is going to be
the beginning of a long, profitable trade
relationship between B.C. and India, rooted
in the film industry.

Ultimately, the implications of a declining
industry would be undeniable. “I know
acting is a risky profession to go into,”
Stewart laments, “but this just makes it
even harder to secure a living doing what
I love.”

As the debate continues to rage, and with
a provincial election rapidly approaching,
the future of the B.C. film industry seems
precarious. Many are waiting to know if
they’ll be hearing a call of “action” or “c