Size does count – and quality, too – especially for American producers looking for studio space north of the 49th.

Escalating budgets are a fact of life in American film and television, making shooting in Canada an increasingly attractive cost-saving measure. Canada’s weak dollar and tax breaks have long lured u.s. producers, but landing high-end Hollywood projects also means being able to provide big, high-quality soundstages. And when it comes to Canada’s major production centres, all is not equal.

B.C. has had the edge, with $664 million in foreign production spent in 1999, compared to $443 million in Ontario and $213 in Quebec. Montreal continues to snag prime Hollywood films, however, such as the Eddie Murphy sci-fi comedy Pluto Nash.

Situated half the distance from l.a. as the Eastern cities and in the same time zone, Vancouver has the geographical edge. Additionally, through sheer space and facilities, b.c. can better accommodate effects-heavy flicks, which require extravagant sets and gear.

Several b.c. studios can offer soundstages with 20,000 square feet of space or more, including Burnaby’s Acklands Ltd. and W.C. Studios, North Vancouver’s Lions Gate Studios (where the Schwarzenegger sci-fi epic On the Sixth Day was filmed) and North Delta’s Meier Studios. Vancouver studios are scrambling to keep up with the demand from Hollywood south: Vancouver Film Studios has four new stages on the horizon and Lions Gate Studios has recently completed its Stage 7, which features 21,000 square feet of space and 40-foot ceilings.

Few Toronto soundstages can boast these dimensions, and foreign filmmakers further gripe that many Toronto studios are inadequately equipped compared with what they’re used to.

These issues were cited in a February study by the ofdc and the Toronto Film and Television Office, which suggests that opening high-end soundstages is vital in keeping the city competitive.

One company quick to respond has been Handmade Sets, which announced the $10 million development of StudioWorks, a studio complex that will provide a 20,000-square-foot soundstage and two additional studios.

Roger Metivier, marketing director for StudioWorks, says the space will be aimed principally at the commercial industry, but will have a long-form application as well. Unlike many Toronto studios which are converted warehouses, StudioWorks will be a custom-built facility.

Montreal winning big

Montreal has been a popular destination for high-end work ever since Brian De Palma’s $85 million Snake Eyes shoot in 1997.

‘That was the first mega-project,’ says Marjolaine Lalonde, director of marketing and development for the Montreal Film and Television commission. ‘I think word of mouth did the rest. Since then, we’ve had at least one a year worth $40- to $60 million.’

One of the most recent blockbusters to opt for La Belle Province is the us$85 million Rollerball. A remake of Norman Jewison’s 1975 cult film directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard), the film is being shot in the new studio facility at Cine Cite Montreal, which has six stages offering a total of 70,000 sq. ft.

Nick Mirkopoulos, president of Toronto’s Cinespace Studios, says Toronto could learn from Montreal’s example. ‘Toronto got greedy. The political side of Toronto doesn’t help. In Montreal they are helping the industry, co-operating with investors and giving grants. When you’re starting from the infrastructure of the studio, nobody [in Toronto] wants to invest money to build.’ *