While local studio owners in Toronto argue over if and when a huge soundstage should get the green light, building and plans for further expansion push ahead in a buoyant B.C. market, with already crowded studios expecting 10% to 15% growth in the coming years.

Sacha McLean, senior vice-president at Vancouver Film Studios, whose family controls the major ‘studio row’ complex – situated in the city but opposite The Bridge Studios in Burnaby – has just opened soundstages eight and nine July 1, and says construction will start on stages 10 and 11 in August.

McLean adds that 2002 looks promising for several reasons. The issue of withholding tax for foreign actors has been resolved; although the same issue needs to be sorted out for crew personnel, it’s not looking as if it will cause any disruptions in production. The strike threats are past, the tax credits are running smoothly and the new Liberal government in B.C. is not threatening to change anything on the provincial level.

Meanwhile, at Lions Gate Studios in North Van, VP and GM Peter Leitch says his complex will also begin work on an eighth stage this month, a 20,500-square-foot facility with a 40-foot clear span. The new stage will go up after LGS removes the space now occupied by William F. White, which is moving off the lot to bigger premises.

All the studio owners contacted by Playback say business is strong and now, with potential strikes by American actors and writers averted, the way is clear to at least a year or two of stability in the local production business. If the year 2000 is any indication, says Leitch, 2001/02 will be strong, noting that recent figures from Vancouver payroll company Televector Disc indicate that more than 13,000 people were employed on jobs at LGS during 2000. Such jobs ‘generated payroll in excess of $120 million.’

That’s not to say there hasn’t been a slight slowdown of late, but it’s mainly attributable to foreign producers, fearful of a WGA and/or SAG strike, scurrying to shoot in the early months of 2001. But now, owners report a slight increase in commercial production and expect that with preproduction rebounding, TV and feature bookings will bounce back shortly.

Julie Bernard, manager of production location services at the B.C. Film Commission, says 18 series are shooting or prepping in and around Vancouver, with three features in or starting soon, including I Spy at VFS, Baby Geniuses II at a converted warehouse and Air Bud IV at another warehouse facility.

‘We’re doing it right,’ says Bernard of Vancouver’s approach to studios, adding that new facilities are impressing Americans with big-budget features and that the existing, government-owned The Bridge Studios is also at 90% to 95% capacity.

But neither the commission nor the owners are willing to sit still for the status quo. Bernard says commission director Mark DesRochers traveled to Munich last month for a coproduction forum and reported German producers are very interested in coprods and shooting in Canada. Leitch, representing the B.C. film industry the week before, was keynote speaker at a Canada-Germany business luncheon in Munich sponsored by the Canadian consulate. ‘We love American business coming up here, it’s fantastic,’ he says. ‘But if there are opportunities with other countries, we’d like to take advantage of that.’

Seeking business in other countries is also on the mind of The Crossing Studios president Dian Cross, who has a background in production and production management and wants to begin offering roadhouse service to the commercial industry. ‘It happens on a regular basis that productions are coming to town and can’t find a PM.’ She says her search for production service jobs will focus, not on the U.S., but on Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

This is the second of two new initiatives Crossing is announcing, the other being the expansion of its equipment line to reflect the increasing demand for special effects gear. In addition to offering rentals of lighting equipment for visual effects, blue screen and green screen, Crossing is also promoting its mini-motion control platforms, known as the Mini Mover. The motion control platforms allow movement of the product or camera, and do repeatable, programmable moves for the products.

Although business is strong and prospects look good as long as the dollar is low and the crew quality is high, Cross notes – as do her colleagues McLean and Leitch – that pursuing future opportunities is critical. ‘Studios are a high-risk business with low margins and high maintenance costs,’ she cautions. By way of illustration to those who aren’t familiar with the multipurpose soundstage/office/equipment environment of studios, she adds: ‘You could almost keep someone occupied full-time just looking after the toilets, changing light bulbs and handling climate control.’

VFS’ McLean says that L.A. has been busy and little white noise has surfaced ‘for months’ about runaway production. *

-www.vancouverfilmstudios.com

-www.lionsgatefilms.com

-www.crossingfx.com