In the past week alone I received three phone calls from the mainstream press seeking my perspective on the status and consequences of runaway production, or better, the anti-runaway campaign. The first call was par for the course as the overheating issue of runaway production has the ongoing appeal for a hot, sexy news feature, despite its overplay in the consumer media (but hey, who can pass up a story that shows the U.S. threatened by Canada?), and Playback is often called on the subject.

But the catalyst for these particular phone calls was the disappointing fact that Universal Pictures had just pulled the US$170-million Arnold Schwartzenegger feature Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines from Vancouver Film Studios, opting to shoot in studio space that had recently opened up in Los Angeles (See B.C. Scene, p. 16) – studio space in which the first two Terminator films were shot. Each of the three reporters seemed to be hoping that Universal keeping what was to be the biggest-budget feature ever to be shot in B.C. at home was a result of the anti-runaway production lobby. They wanted to know what other productions Canada had lost to the issue. Of course I didn’t have an answer to this question. I wasn’t aware that we had lost any business to the cause and I don’t subscribe to alarmist theories (although I must admit it is a bit strange that Universal is opting for higher production costs and, come to think of it, Arnie is a self-proclaimed politico).

The truth is that aside from our tax credits, low dollar and quality crews that keep foreign production racing through our borders, we are becoming increasingly alluring with the building of new, world-class soundstages specifically designed to attract big-budget features.

With plans for a new $150-million studio facility proposed for the port lands in downtown Toronto, which could end up being the world’s largest custom-built soundstage, and the upcoming 1.5-million-square-foot Bromont Studio in Montreal, one of Canada’s biggest stumbling blocks in attracting $50-million-plus foreign projects is about to be overcome.

New studios in the regions are also working to attract bigger budgets and foreign partners, with the latest news coming out of Saskatchewan. The new $11-million, state-of-the-art soundstage in Regina – temporarily named The Canada Saskatchewan Soundstage – opening at the end of March, was instrumental in sealing a $35-million series coproduction deal between Minds Eye Pictures and Munich-based H5G5 Media (See story, p. 1).

So while the anti-runaway train may be causing a frenzy in the mainstream press, production incentives just keep growing in Canada. And even if U.S. Congress is convinced to pass legislation to entice more producers to shoot in the States, and particularly in California (although I’m not sure the entire state shares the same interests as L.A.), there is no doubt that as sure as Canada has maintained it’s status as the world’s greatest hockey nation, it will persevere as the world’s foremost film production location.