British Columbia, the home of blockbuster movie shoots such as sa国际传媒淒eadpool 2sa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒淪tar Trek Beyond,sa国际传媒� has surpassed Ontario as Canadasa国际传媒檚 top locale for film and television production for the first time.
A new report by the Canadian Media Producers Association says the 2016-2017 fiscal year was strong for Canada overall, with production volume in the country reaching an all-time high of $8.38 billion.
B.C. has always been in the top three provinces for film and TV shoots, but the report says last year its production volume hit $2.991 billion, just ahead of Ontario with $2.977 billion. Quebec, with its thriving French-language industry, placed third with $1.754 billion.
Robert Wong, vice president of Creative BC, the provincial agency that supports the artistic sector, said increased global demand for content and the recognition that B.C. is a world-class production centre are driving the growth.
He said streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, are the single biggest driver. Netflixsa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒淎 Series of Unfortunate Eventssa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒淎ltered Carbon,sa国际传媒� premiering Friday, were shot in the province.
sa国际传媒淏lockbuster movies, we do get our fair share of them in British Columbia, thatsa国际传媒檚 for sure, but really what we are known for is television production,sa国际传媒� Wong said.
sa国际传媒淭he amount of television production is really where the growth is and that includes the streaming service-type productions.sa国际传媒�
The report says the film and television industries generated 24,120 direct full-time jobs in B.C. sa国际传媒� only 40 more than Ontario sa国际传媒� while it created 14,540 such jobs in Quebec.
sa国际传媒淪tar Trek Beyondsa国际传媒� alone employed more than 3,900 British Columbians and contributed $69 million to the provincial economy during 78 days of shooting, the report adds.
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Film and television productions in B.C. receive a 28 per cent tax credit for labour costs. The credit was reduced five points from 33 per cent by the previous provincial Liberal government in 2016.
Wong said a stable and reliable tax policy is key to the success of the industry, but itsa国际传媒檚 also coupled with an abundance of talent, crews and variety of locations in B.C.
sa国际传媒淭he one thing that you cansa国际传媒檛 legislate is basically proximity to Los Angeles,sa国际传媒� he added. sa国际传媒淏eing in the same time zone and two and a half hours away by flight does make a big difference.sa国际传媒�
The report does sound a note of caution about the surge in demand for content and the abundance of foreign productions in Canada. Though the country has policies to support local content, capturing more than three per cent of domestic box office for Canadian films remains elusive, it says.
sa国际传媒淲ith record growth across much of Canadasa国际传媒檚 production sector, there is much to celebrate this year, including the creation of jobs and a significant contribution to the countrysa国际传媒檚 economy,sa国际传媒� said Reynolds Mastin, president and CEO of the association in a statement.
sa国际传媒淏ut, among these big numbers are some emerging trends that require attention. As our industry continues to adapt to evolving technologies and changing consumer behaviours, we must ensure that growth benefits our entire sector, including productions that showcase Canadian stories for audiences at home and around the world.sa国际传媒�
Laura Kane, The Canadian Press
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