Foreign location shooting in B.C. bounced back last year as the province enjoyed a 30% increase in total movie production spending versus 2007. According to recent data from the B.C. Film Commission, production spending, which includes film and television, rose to $1.2 billion in 2008, with the bulk of the gain in foreign feature film activity. The sector generated $442 million – an increase of 146% over 2007.

Notable feature shoots in B.C. last year include Warner Bros.’s Watchmen, the sci-fi remake The Day the Earth Stood Still, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Night at the Museum 2 and Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Overall foreign production spending in the province – which included 40 feature films, 34 television series or projects, and 12 animated series or projects – totaled $841 million, up from $535 million the previous year.

On the flip side, domestic spending dropped 10% to $366 million, due to a slight drop in drama spending compared to lower-budget lifestyle and documentary series, according to the commission

Meanwhile, domestic animation spending enjoyed a 79% growth to $96 million, for projects such as Escape from Planet Earth and The Nutty Professor.

The B.C. government, in a push to grow its production industry, raised tax credits in the province in 2008, while its 2009 budget eliminated expiry dates and expanded eligibility criteria for domestic credits.