Vancouver: B.C.’s animators warn that the industry’s current good health is in jeopardy without the cooperation of educational institutions and government.
According to a survey released Oct. 30 by the Association of British Columbia Animation Producers, B.C.’s animation industry is projected to grow to $668 million in 2003 from $286 million in 1998 – a 235% increase.
But ABCAP says B.C. is lagging other provinces in business-driving incentives.
‘Animation production companies in Ontario and Quebec enjoy a 20% animation production tax credit,’ says Mark Freedman, ABCAP’s president. ‘This creates an unfair advantage and gives eastern Canada a significant competitive edge over B.C.’

Montreal: The STCVQ film technicians union is asking a government administrative tribunal to overrule sections of a newly signed three-year collective agreement between producers in the APFTQ and video technicians in Association des Professionnels/Professionnelles de la Video du Quebec (APVQ).
The agreement, effective Oct. 15, covers all video-originated production, including film-style dramatic and TV series shoots originated in digital formats, many of which are majority crewed by STCVQ members. The STCVQ is contesting the Oct. 15 collective agreement as it affects its members (up to 16 positions) on non-film-originated productions and has asked for a ruling from Commission de reconnaissance des associations d’artistes et des associations de producteurs, a Quebec government administrative tribunal.

The Canadian television landscape is riddled with reasons why service production activity may or may not be slumping. It’s like a good whodunit: so many unusual suspects, so few conclusions, and only time will tell which culprits are accountable for what.

CRTC rejects Vision licence renewal

Asked, should foreign ownership restrictions as they relate to Canadian media companies be softened to facilitate a more globally competitive Canadian industry, an overwhelming 84.96% of respondents voted yes and 15.04 % voted no.

In the Oct. 29 Atlantic Scene, Tim Southam and David Adams Richards cowrote the screenplay for The Bay of Love and Sorrows.

* Telefilm Canada has named Michel Pradier interim director, operations – Quebec. Pradier takes over from Joelle Levie, recently named head of the film and TV unit at Quebec funding agency SODEC.

Glenn O’Farrell has been appointed the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ new president and CEO, effective Jan. 7, 2002.

Alliance Atlantis Communications’ Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows was second only to The West Wing in total wins at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards.

Montreal’s: Productions Tele-Action’s The Last Chapter is set in the violent and double-dealing world of outlaw biker gangs and is an original six-hour double-shoot, with broadcast set for March on both Radio-Canada and CBC. It is filming over 75 days on location in Montreal and Toronto from July 30 to Nov. 19
Screenwriter Luc Dionne’s (Omerta) tale chronicles the expansion of The Triple Sixers biker gang. The gang’s domain stretches from Halifax to Vancouver, with one important omission – no chapters in the lucrative Ontario market.
Leading players include Michael Ironside and Roy Dupuis as gang leaders and longtime friends, Marina Orsini, Celine Bonnier, Dan Bigras, veteran actor Michel Forget as a detective specialized in criminal gangs, and Dom Fiore as the mob godfather.

The newest feature film offering from writer/director Deepa Mehta (Earth) is currently in production in Toronto. Bollywood/Hollywood sees Mehta at the helm of what producer David Hamilton calls the director’s take on a romantic comedy. It is about an NRI (non-resident Indian) family living in Toronto and the influences Bollywood films continue to have on their lives in Canada.
‘Bollywood is a huge industry and people that are from India follow it,’ says Hamilton. ‘A lot of what happens in Bollywood films influences how people live their lives here.’
Hamilton is producing with Bob Wertheimer under the banner Bollywood/Hollywood Productions. Mehernaz Lentin is line producer on the six-week shoot that wraps Nov. 12.

Film and television training is not limited to high school grads. Like a pack of Rodney Dangerfields, seasoned members of the Canadian biz, from crew members to corporate honchos, are heading back to school to help polish their skills and keep fresh in an ever-changing industry.

Jay Switzer, president, Chum Television, Toronto

To varying degrees, film schools in Canada provide students with the fundamentals of film theory and a solid base in the practical side: writing, shooting and editing. But few secondary institutions afford students firsthand experience in the essentials of getting a film financed – the biggest ongoing challenge within the Canadian film industry.

Howard Rosen is CEO/executive producer of Roadhouse Productions in Toronto, where he oversees the development, production, financing and servicing of feature/cable films, television series, multi-camera live events, commercials and broadband interactive projects.