excerpt
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/natio...1-eed3971a7e87
Cdn movie industry a slave to the loonie
Global National
Saturday, April 15, 2006
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- The movie and TV production business is flourishing in Vancouver. 37 productions are slated for the west coast this spring, busier than it's been in 15 years.
But that work isn't a sure thing, you see it depends more on economics than on creativity.
In a suburban Vancouver sound stage crews begin taping the 200th episode of Stargate SG1.
Now in its tenth season it's seen in over 100 countries -- its the longest running science fiction series ever made, in that time, stargate has brought $500 million U.S. in production dollars to BC.
The shows creator Brad Wright is happy with the shows longevity.
"My analogy is that we're like the slowly burning candle, we're just going to continue for a long time."
The series has spawned dvd and book sales, theme park rides and action figures.
Stargate is now MGM studio's second most prosperous franchise after James Bond.
All this content from 400 cast and crew that are overwhelmingly Canadian.
Despite the success, its producer Robert Cooper says the Canadian film and TV industry still can't survive without financial help from taxpayers.
"I don' t know if the Canadian Industry is at that point right now that it can sustain itself without that help."
Canadian studios are still attracting big American productions because of experienced crews and flexible labour unions, but the problem is the rising dollar.
Long gone are the days of the 64 cent loonie.
Currently filming in Canada saves American studios about 10 percent compared to filiming in L.A., but with the dollar predicted to hit 90 cents by the end of the year -- those saving are slowly eroding.
Peter Leitch of Lions Gate Studios they have lost their advantage of filming north of the border.
"One of the difficulties we had was the dollar, the Canadian dollar strengthened so much against the U.S. dollar so fast we lost our advantage because we didn't have time to react."
The competition is getting tougher as well. l
Last year, the BC government was forced to match an 18 percent tax break offered to producers by Ontario and Quebec.
Other provinces have now followed, as well as 45 U.S. states.
Nevertheless, Stargate producer Robert Cooper says the show will stay in Vancouver.
"We're really at that stage where the infrastructure is here so moving it would be difficult. But if the tax credit went away it would be gone."
And that's not the hollywood ending the Canadian industry wants.
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/natio...1-eed3971a7e87
Cdn movie industry a slave to the loonie
Global National
Saturday, April 15, 2006
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- The movie and TV production business is flourishing in Vancouver. 37 productions are slated for the west coast this spring, busier than it's been in 15 years.
But that work isn't a sure thing, you see it depends more on economics than on creativity.
In a suburban Vancouver sound stage crews begin taping the 200th episode of Stargate SG1.
Now in its tenth season it's seen in over 100 countries -- its the longest running science fiction series ever made, in that time, stargate has brought $500 million U.S. in production dollars to BC.
The shows creator Brad Wright is happy with the shows longevity.
"My analogy is that we're like the slowly burning candle, we're just going to continue for a long time."
The series has spawned dvd and book sales, theme park rides and action figures.
Stargate is now MGM studio's second most prosperous franchise after James Bond.
All this content from 400 cast and crew that are overwhelmingly Canadian.
Despite the success, its producer Robert Cooper says the Canadian film and TV industry still can't survive without financial help from taxpayers.
"I don' t know if the Canadian Industry is at that point right now that it can sustain itself without that help."
Canadian studios are still attracting big American productions because of experienced crews and flexible labour unions, but the problem is the rising dollar.
Long gone are the days of the 64 cent loonie.
Currently filming in Canada saves American studios about 10 percent compared to filiming in L.A., but with the dollar predicted to hit 90 cents by the end of the year -- those saving are slowly eroding.
Peter Leitch of Lions Gate Studios they have lost their advantage of filming north of the border.
"One of the difficulties we had was the dollar, the Canadian dollar strengthened so much against the U.S. dollar so fast we lost our advantage because we didn't have time to react."
The competition is getting tougher as well. l
Last year, the BC government was forced to match an 18 percent tax break offered to producers by Ontario and Quebec.
Other provinces have now followed, as well as 45 U.S. states.
Nevertheless, Stargate producer Robert Cooper says the show will stay in Vancouver.
"We're really at that stage where the infrastructure is here so moving it would be difficult. But if the tax credit went away it would be gone."
And that's not the hollywood ending the Canadian industry wants.
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