2016 set to be another incredible year for film production in BC

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – 2015 was a banner year for the local film industry. Hollywood blockbusters like Deadpool and the latest installment of the Star Trek franchise were shot here. The Golden Globes honoured The Revenant with the award for best drama of the year at last night’s ceremony. Parts of the movie were filmed in British Columbia.

Creative BC CEO Prem Gill says The Revenant’s Golden Globes award proves BC has the talent and infrastructure to create blockbusters.

“We have a lot of credibility and people who know their craft and are delivering on what’s promised when we’re working with those big studios from Los Angeles.”

She says there is no sign of the industry slowing down in 2016 and adds incentives like the province’s film tax credit are helping production companies choose BC for shooting locations. New content platforms like Netflix are also helping create jobs.

“Having Amazon and Netflix producing shows here now is interesting. They are obviously new players in that market.”

North Shore Studios President Peter Leitch is crediting the low Canadian dollar and a drop in oil prices for increased interest in Vancouver.

“We run conversely to the oil price. With the low Canadian dollar, that’s certainly good for our business. We built up the infrastructure over the last 25 years here, with fantastic crews and cast members and we’ve got the top visual effects companies in the world here.”

Leitch anticipates facilitating at least 1,000 jobs through his studio this year.

Both Leitch and Gill call TV series the bread and butter of the local film economy. Many crew members prefer to work on series, as it provides steady work if a show is renewed for another season. Some of the shows currently shooting here include Arrow, Supernatural, Bates Motel, and DC Legends of Tomorrow.

Industry insiders are keeping quiet on some of the rumoured movies that will shoot in Metro Vancouver in 2016, but confirmed productions include The Maze Runner: Death Cure and the new Power Rangers movie, both due to be released by 2017.

There were 287 domestic and international productions shot in BC for the fiscal 2014/2015 year. The productions are estimated to have contributed $2 billion dollars to the provincial economy in production spending, an increase of 40% from the previous fiscal year.

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