Saskatchewan producers have sent a preliminary proposal to the provincial government to attach a 5% post-production bonus to the Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit.

The Saskatchewan Film Producers Association and the Saskatchewan Motion Picture Industries Association have collaborated on the first draft proposal which calls for film, video and new media productions eligible under the existing tax credit to receive a bonus of 5% of the total amount spent in Saskatchewan if they undertake three of six post activities in the province (offline editing, online editing, special effects, sound recording and mixing, music composition, and film processing and transfer) and spend at least 50% of the post budget in Saskatchewan.

The province’s tax credit offers a 35% rebate on labor, capped at 50% of the budget.

The proposal has been sent for review to the Municipal Affairs Ministry in the Saskatchewan government. The producers associations are now in the process of collecting data on the potential financial and technological impact of a post production incentive on the local industry, which will be provided to the ministry.

Saskatchewan Producers Association chair Michael Snook says the intent of the bonus is to provide an incentive for productions to keep more of their post-production money in the province. As local companies receive more post work, they will have the financial incentive to invest in upgraded technology and train employees.

For example, Snook operates Java Post, which has been looking at investing in d1 quality uncompressed digital signals. However, without a higher volume of work, the expense is not justified, he says.

Snook says the post-production proposal is still in early draft stage and specifics could change as talks with the provincial government continue. The next budget is expected to come down in February, at which point the producers hope for an announcement of a post-production incentive.

While offline and online editing is available in the province, Saskatchewan currently does not house a film lab or film processing capabilities.

by Cheryl Binning