Vancouver: Last year was a bust for B.C.’s film and television industry, according to figures released this month by the British Columbia Film Commission. Film and television production spending fell 43% to $801 million in 2004, down from a record high of $1.4 billion in ’03. Domestic spending, however, was up by some 15%.

B.C. film commissioner Susan Croome blames the drop on a lack of foreign shoots, which last year brought a mere $191.6 million to the province, down from $821.6 million in ’03.

‘There was a significant drop in foreign productions,’ she says, but adds that ‘2003 was an anomaly, skewed upwards by a large number of big-budget films,’ including Catwoman, The Chronicles of Riddick, Blade Trinity, Paycheck and I, Robot. Far fewer features – such as Fantastic Four, Elektra and Herbie Fully Loaded – came last year. Foreign TV spending was also down.

The $801 million spent in ’04 is closer to the $993 million of 2002. Spending in B.C. has been in gradual decline since 2000.

‘The rest of the world figured out how great a business this is,’ explains Croome. ‘We faced aggressive competition from the U.S. and other countries that are offering attractive incentives. Louisiana and New York really came on strong. So did Mexico and Eastern Europe. The rising and fluctuating Canadian dollar made it hard, especially for TV productions, to budget.’

B.C. is, however, hosting a greater number of foreign shoots, with the number of productions rising to 194 last year compared to 169 in ’03. Shooting included 46 feature films; 36 series, including Battlestar Galactica, Life As We Know It, Smallville and the Stargate franchise; 24 MOWs; 17 pilots; seven miniseries; 16 animated projects; and 48 docs, shorts, etc.

Another bright spot was the domestic scene, where the number of feature films grew to 30 from 22 and spending rose 19% to $49.7 million. Although studios saw fewer TV series, 15 as opposed to 22 in ’03, spending rose 12% to $100.3 million. Animation also leapt 77% to $14.9 million.

‘Last year was a wakeup call,’ says Peter Leitch, president of Lions Gate Studios in Vancouver and chair of B.C.’s Motion Picture Production Industry Association. The industry can’t base its future solely on the dollar and foreign/U.S. productions. The key to a sustainable future is to give best value for production dollar and expand our focus to our own indigenous film industry.’

This year looks to be a different story. January to April, film and TV activity is up 30% over last year, which Croome credits to B.C.’s improved tax credits.

‘When we raised our tax incentives in January to 18% [for foreign shoots], it definitely helped, as does the currently stable Canadian dollar. 2005 looks like a robust year,’ she says.

-www.bcfilmcommission.com