N.S. consolidates its success

Rob Riselli is pretty impressed.

As a supplier of lighting, grips, cameras and vehicles, Production Services Atlantic has expanded as the film industry in Nova Scotia has grown. In May, Riselli was sent from Production Services in Toronto to manage the Atlantic branch and assess the state of the industry. In his opinion, it’s healthy.

Since opening in Halifax eight years ago, P.S. Atlantic has expanded 20%-30% each year. ‘We were supplying redhead kits and stands at first. Now we’re asked for generator trucks and hmis. We’ve gone from catering to the needs of occasional commercial shoots to supplying for feature film sets,’ says Riselli.

And while the success of the industry in Nova Scotia means growth and expansion for P.S. Atlantic, it also brings something else – competition. William F. White recently set up shop in Halifax as well.

The rest of Atlantic Canada is also watching Nova Scotia closely. Hoping to build and expand their own industries in the name of economic diversification, the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation is the model other provinces are looking to. As Nova Scotia tabulates the figures from a record-breaking year, the production industry is looking more and more attractive to the rest of Atlantic Canada.

10-year plan

By 2005, the nsfdc has a mandate to see the film industry spend $110 million a year in Nova Scotia. Although last year broke records, the goal is more than three times what was spent in 1994/95 – $28.8 million from location shooting and $5.8 million from indigenous productions. ‘It’ll be a challenge,’ says nsfdc president Roman Bittman, ‘but we have a plan to meet it.’

According to Bittman, the corporation’s $1.3 million investment program will have to be expanded in order to attain the goal of $110 million in expenditures.

‘There are two ways of doing this. First, we have to secure more financing from the government. Secondly, we have to begin investing in projects that produce a return.’

Labor tax credit

Bittman also isolates the new labor tax credit as an important tool in the drive to meet the 10-year goal. On April 1, Nova Scotia replaced its labor rebate program with a tax credit program. Without any meaningful cap, the labor tax credit initiative represents a better deal for producers: 15% of the total budget is eligible, including both above- and below-line costs.

‘We think the change will lead to an increase in the number of coproductions working with Nova Scotian partners,’ says Bittman. ‘It’s a better deal for everyone.’

‘Culture as an economic strength’

In June of this year, the premier announced plans to establish an arts council in Nova Scotia and to open up economic renewal agency programs to the cultural industries. Bittman sees this as evidence of a growing commitment from government. ‘The announcement was made in the presence of the ministers of economic renewal and education. I think it just underscores the fact that government is starting to see culture development as an economic strength.’

Beyond Halifax

Riding the crest of an unprecedented year for location shooting within the province, the nsfdc is excited about the impact this activity has had on rural areas. 1994/95 saw almost $30 million come into the province from outside productions, and much of that, says program administrator John Wesley Chisholm, was spent beyond the Halifax/ Dartmouth area. ‘Even if we could stabilize at this year’s rates, we’d be more than happy.’

Chisholm says location shooting has been an ideal means of infusing much-needed dollars into rural economies. ‘It’s labor intensive and has low environmental impact. It capitalizes on what the local residents are most proud of – the beauty and culture of their own communities.’

Electropolis

Electropolis, hailed to be the facility around which the Nova Scotia production infrastructure will be built, is bound to be a hot topic at this year’s Atlantic Film Festival, says Chisholm. ‘Everyone’s going to want to know about costs and availability right away.’

Chisholm says the soundstage, to be housed in a moth-balled power station, will expand production possibilities and allow the province to draw a wider range of projects. ‘We’ll have the ability here to tell stories beyond what our natural landscape will allow. We can create any setting, any place and time.’

Salter Street Films, Citadel Communications and Cochran Entertainment, joint owners of the soundstage to be built on the Halifax waterfront, are currently anticipating the final go-ahead from the provincial government confirming their participation in the project. The Nova Scotia Power Corporation and the City of Halifax have also thrown in their support.

The facility, budgeted at $3 million, is scheduled for completion in October. Electropolis will house a 95-foot-high stage for film and a smaller stage for television and commercial production.

Turning to technology

While drawing in outside productions with beautiful locations is a pretty low-tech venture, the nsfdc wants to encourage indigenous multimedia, special effects and software development by awarding more special-project grants in high-tech areas.

Internally, the corporation hopes to utilize the World Wide Web to set up a Virtual Office Building. ‘The Internet could be invaluable to those involved in the industry here,’ says Chisholm. ‘We want to offset the feeling of isolation that independents feel if they’re outside a major center.’

The ‘virtual office,’ besides being a tool to disseminate information from the nsfdc, would include links to producers and production facilities, government agencies, funders and festivals.

New Brunswick alliance

New Brunswick has been tracking the successes in Nova Scotia closely. Film/Video New Brunswick, in an alliance with professional filmmakers of the Acadian Association of Professional Artists of New Brunswick, submitted a major proposal to Premier McKenna in June and requested a meeting. The major recommendation of the paper, entitled Towards a Policy for Film and Video Industry in New Brunswick, is the formation of a film development corporation.

‘We’re currently without a film commission or even a provincial enterprise group like in p