Vancouver: Producer Harold Tichenor says he was a signature away from an Alliance okay to begin shooting in September the feature Marine Life when the merger with Atlantis was announced July 20. Now the deal making has been slowed in the wake of the corporate shakedown, he says, making him question when the project will go ahead as planned.

For its part, Alliance says the deal is still being discussed and that, in fact, no business has been stalled by the merger. Likewise, Atlantis’ Seaton McLean, incoming president of production for the newly merged corporation, says it’s too soon to predict which shows, if any, will be affected by the consolidation.

‘I don’t anticipate any changes,’ says McLean, adding that there are only a few merger lunches planned by Alliance and Atlantis production representatives between now and the first week of September when shareholders are expected to approve the deal.

McLean says that Alliance and Atlantis are currently involved in seven series in Vancouver: DaVinci’s Inquest, Outer Limits, Cold Squad, Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy, The Crow, Night Man and Betaville. ‘It’s quite a lot [for b.c.], but it’s not the limit,’ says Seaton. The companies’ combined investment makes the proposed Alliance Atlantis Communications (aac) the second-largest customer in b.c., behind mgm.

Concerned

Still, the magnitude of the merger has many producers in the west concerned. Tichenor and his colleagues at Vancouver’s Crescent Entertainment are currently producing The Crow and Night Man. ‘We have good relations with both Alliance and Atlantis,’ says Tichenor, making note of the distinct corporate cultures at Alliance and Atlantis. ‘We expect that to continue.’

Like other producers on the West Coast, Tichenor sees aac as a mixed blessing. He’s worried about the concentration of power and money in one large corporation, yet he sees the benefit of having an international player within Canadian borders.

Like others, he wants Telefilm to flex its regulatory muscles to ensure that the federal funds don’t become a grazing plain for aac. Another major West Coast concern is the funneling effect caused by the merged aac distribution operations that will handle the large majority of Canadian film and television product.

B.C. Film Commissioner Pete Mitchell says, the merger is a good development for b.c. in that aac allows for a more coordinated strategy to place productions on the West Coast. ‘The merger is emulating the u.s. model [of studio operations],’ says Mitchell, ‘in that there are huge companies and then small boutique companies. There are no middle-sized companies, and I think both Alliance and Atlantis fell into that middle-sized category.’

Tony Cianciotta, president at new Vancouver distributor Red Sky Entertainment and a former Alliance executive, says he was unaware of the merger when he was at Alliance one year ago. He says Red Sky’s presence as an alternative outlet for producers becomes more important in light of the merger, but that as a new company, Red Sky isn’t able to take on anymore business in the short term.

Mainframe Entertainment ceo Chris Brough says aac is a good development for Canadian production business. (Alliance owns 6% of Mainframe.)

‘For b.c., [the merger] creates a challenge for us to think globally and to create more partnerships with Toronto,’ says Brough.