Vancouver: The British Columbia government has struck a new committee to help the BC Film Commission improve the province’s production-sector competitiveness.

‘We’ll be discussing competitiveness issues, getting feedback and building closer linkages with the industry,’ says BC Film Commissioner Susan Croome, who leads the 13-member Industry Advisory Committee.

She says B.C. is not losing its competitive edge, but ‘there is always the opportunity to do better. Global competition is a factor and increasing. The currency is rising. You have to keep your eye on the ball.’

Advisory committee members include production manager Warren Carr, production manager Brent Clackson, AMPTP representative Don Cott, BC Film CEO Rob Egan, production manager Justis Greene, CFTPA representative Neil Haggquist, DGC representative Crawford Hawkins, Vancouver Film Studios GM Peter Mitchell, Entertainment Partners executive Cheryl Nex, Paramount Pictures executive Eleanor O’Connor, IATSE Local 669 business agent Gerry Rutherford, MPPIA-BC chair and Lions Gate Studios GM Peter Leitch and Brightlight Films producer Shawn Williamson.

Croome says the committee, which will meet three times a year starting in September, has more producer representation than the Motion Picture Producers Industry Association of BC, which also serves as a government advisor. (Most of the panel members are MPPIA-BC board members, too.)

News of the committee coincided with the publication of the B.C. government’s latest discussion paper on the state of the province’s film industry. The 12-page Continuing Success in the British Columbia Film Industry is separate from the committee, says Croome, but summarizes the issues that will be covered.

The report sets out a number of action items related to cost-competitiveness, branding, developing a pro-business environment and maintaining a skilled work force.

More specifically among the recommendations, the report proposes to encourage municipal and regional governments to lower production-related costs, streamline access to provincial government-owned locations and to ensure a ‘stable and constructive’ labor-management environment.

The B.C. industry was worth a record-breaking $1.4 billion in direct spending in 2003. However, that value was generated on an 18% reduction in the number of individual productions compared to 2002.