Everything you wanted to know about film production in western Canada but were afraid to ask by Sheri Radford
Big productions mean big bucks: in 2009, more than $1.3 billion was spent in BC on film and TV projects, while over $89 million was spent in Alberta. Thousands of British Columbians and Albertans work the film industry, in roles such as costume designers, grips, location scouts, actors and extras. Thousands more benefit indi- rectly through industry spending on local hotels, restaurants, taxis, caterers and building material suppliers. On film, BC has portrayed everything from a quaint small town to a bustling metropolis, from a tropical jungle to the surface of Mars. Locals have become skilled at identifying their province in films as varied as Watchmen, Elf, Hot Tub Time Machine, Frankie and Alice, Charlie St. Cloud, The Imaginarium of Doctor Par- nassus, the X-Men series and the Twilight series. Several TV shows have been filmed in BC, too: Fringe, Smallville, Stargate, The X-Files, Battlestar Galactica. Occasionally filmmakers don’t even try to disguise BC,
14 | Rocky Mountaineer Magazine 2011 such as in Rumble in the Bronx, which includes background images of Vancou- ver’s distinctive BC Place Stadium and North Shore mountains. Alberta most often fills in for cowboy country, in movies such as Brokeback Mountain, Unforgiven, Shanghai Noon, Open Range, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and River of No Return (starring Marilyn Monroe), as well as miniseries such as Broken Trail. Brad Pitt obviously enjoys Canada’s cowboy country, since he filmed Legends of the Fall in Alberta and later returned to shoot The Assas-
sination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, leading to many sightings of res. All
u Pitt and Angelina Jolie with their brood in tow, visiting local attractions such as Drumheller’s Royal Tyrrell Museum. But the province shouldn’t be pigeonholed: l Pict it has portrayed Mexico, Vietnam and even Afghanistan on film. Non-cowboy movies shot in Alberta include Inception, Superman, Passchendaele, Rat Race, RV ent. All rights reserved
m and The Edge.
ntertain Weather Woes it E iyah Peraiyah © 2010 Universa Unlike Hollywood, BC and Alberta have unpredictable climates. Snow in Alber- ta is ideal for movies such as Cool Runnings, Snow Dogs and Mystery, Alaska, but loud by D t. C t. can prove disastrous for those set in sunnier climes. In BC the scourge is rain — though the province gets nowhere near the “400 inches of rain a day” claimed rench © 2010 Summ harlie S
ey F by X-Files star David Duchovny. Sometimes the weather even cooperates. In l
ber February and March 2007, m i Juno filmed in Vancouver se by K p eserved. #3 & #4 C on a tight 30-day schedule. cli The city delivered an array ights R aga: E of weather — everything Filmed in western Canada (from top): Paul
nc. All R from rain to sunshine to a
wilight S Gross directs Passchendaele. Caroline Dhav- s I he T lm freak snowstorm — mak- ernas and Paul Gross in Passchendaele. Burr i ing it easy for the film- Steers directs Charlie St. Cloud. Zac Efron in iance F makers to portray all four Charlie St. Cloud. Chris Weitz directs Ashley seasons referenced in the Greene, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in eserved. #6 & 7 T script. The original plan The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in The ights R had been to import fake Twilight Saga: Eclipse. David Slade directs hris Large © 2008 All (i.e., expensive) snow for Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ent. All R by C m the winter scenes.
ntertain How to Find a Film Shoot it E Visit bcfilmcommission.com and albertafilm.ca, both of which post lists of all movies and TV shows currently in production in the province. ) #1 & # 2 Passchendaele p Check Twitter and listen to local radio stations for up-to-the-minute infor- m to mation on where filming has been spotted around town. rench © 2009 Summ y F
l On local streets, look for signs with neon arrows and (to thwart autograph age, fro
ber seekers) strange codes that keep each movie’s title a secret. In Vancouver, m i
M. (this p production signs for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse read TSE, while signs for The CO . Twilght Saga: New Moon went one step further with the subterfuge, reading HOTO
ew Moon by K USM, short for Untitled Sports Movie. Follow the signs until you spot a parking lot filled with big white aga: N trucks. Other indications of filming in progress: lots of bright lights and
wilight S frazzled-looking people dressed in black, wearing headsets and carrying
he T duct tape. Look for the huddle of polite Canadian looky-loos staying out of the way osite) © adventtr, istockP pp and not saying a word but surreptitiously snapping dozens of photos on their phones and updating their Facebook status: “I can’t believe I just saw Photos: (o rights reserved. #5 T Reese Witherspoon!”
Rocky Mountaineer Magazine 2011 | 15 Mediocre Movies Western Canada used to be known for low-budget sequels and direct-to-DVD direct-to-DVD and low-budget for sequels known to be used Canada Western Final Final Destination sequels, three its and Movie Scary stinkers. and its five sequels were all filmed in BC. More embarrassing BC. More in filmed all were sequels five its and Bud Air and quels, (razzies.com) were shot in Vancouver: Catwoman Vancouver: (razzies.com) shotin were A Razzie 2004 the at picture for worst nominated films five of the ly, three fare: fare: 2 Brokeback Mountain Brokeback and Juno as such winners Oscar however, with years, recent in improved has ity Canada isn’t just a cheap location to shoot unmemorable movies. The West The movies. unmemorable to shoot location acheap just isn’t Canada White Chicks White and Filmed Filmed in western (fromCanada top): Halle Where the Stars Are The X-Files: I Want to Be IWant to X-Files: The in Anderson Gillian Alice and Frankie in Berry I I as N at boxes private with along bet, asafe always are spas and hotels expensive and rooms, private with those especially restaurants, Top-drawer gregate. con hot celebs the where about of knowledge awealth have concierges Hotel lieve stumble upon. upon. stumble might you shoot or film celeb which know A and BC in peeled eyes your keep So at Brix. supped have Diesel Vin and Wesley Snipes and at West, cuisine West Coast the Cuba G Cuba Ferrell and Ed Asner in Elf in Asner Ed and Ferrell Trinity Blade: in Reynolds Ryan and Snipes Snakes on aPlane on Snakes in talian restaurant Osteria De Medici has hosted the likes of A likes the hosted has Medici De Osteria restaurant talian Freddy vs. Jason vs. Freddy in Kirzinger Prominent Passengers rode the R the rode ette T and television actors have ridden the R the have ridden actors television and A and BC through HL games. Shops such as The Vancouver Cigar Company attract stars such such stars attract Company Cigar Vancouver The as such Shops games. HL Good Luck Chuck Luck Good O and I and Witt Katarina hit T hit TV reality the of season fifth he ce Cube and the original “Shaft,” Richard Roundtree himself. I himself. Roundtree Richard “Shaft,” original the and Cube ce › . Ashley Judd in Helen in Judd . Ashley › › › › › › ther VI ther A Carlo R Carlo R F Morgan A ( Stewart Patrick Molly Sugden ( Sugden Molly featured A featured nna F nna eba Mc eba lan Thicke ( Thicke lan ooding Jr. and Tom Selleck. I Jr. Tom and ooding Selleck. P guests include Microsoft founder B founder Microsoft include P guests ocky Mountaineer for one entire episode episode entire one for Mountaineer ocky aris ( aris ota ( ota E reeman ( reeman (country music star, (countrymusic Reba ntire lberta’s lovelorn Jillian H Jillian lovelorn lberta’s . A T 24 . Robert Englund and Englund Ken . Robert he H he G lberta had a similar reputation, churning out forgettable out forgettable churning reputation, asimilar had lberta lberta scenery. W scenery. lberta Intern Academy , Intern , L rowing Pains A . David Duchovny and Chaim H Chaim President sraeli ittle Mosque on the Prairie the on Mosque ittle re Y re S , as Hollywood executives have realized that western western that realized have executives Hollywood , as ouse Bunny ouse . Samuel L. Jackson Jackson .L. Samuel . Jessica Biel, Wesley Wesley Biel, . Jessica tar T Million D Million ou Being S Being ou rek: T rek: ) ollar Baby ollar he N he , L ost in T in ost erved? ell-known film film ell-known Exit Wounds , Exit ext G ext . Will n Vancouver, Pierce Brosnan has enjoyed enjoyed has Brosnan n Vancouver, Pierce - he Bachelor ocky Mountaineer rails: rails: Mountaineer ocky arris. S arris. , T ) ranslation eneration hawshank R Shawshank he ) ) erzog he he ill Gates ill SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses Geniuses Baby , SuperBabies: - plane ride from Hollywood. Hollywood. from ride plane quick a are both difference; A and California, as zone time same the in is BC a bonus, incentives. tax generous and workers talented boasts York. only California and and California only N in centre film third-largest the become has region This Excess Baggage , Excess ) , X-Men lberta is just a one-hour aone-hour just is lberta . lberta — you never —younever lberta orth A orth , champion ) edemption and its two se two its and merica, trailing trailing merica, nthony Hopkins, Hopkins, nthony skater . Qual n Calgary, n Calgary, ) N ew ew
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Photos (from top): Frankie and Alice © 2011 Alliance Films Inc. All Rights Reserved. The X-Files: I Want to Believe by Diyah Pera © 2008 20th Century Fox. Helen © 2009 Alliance Films Inc. All Rights Reserved. Blade: Trinity by Diyah Pera © 2004 New Line Productions. Elf © 2003 New Line Cinemas. Snakes on a Plane by James Dittiger © 2005 New Line Productions. Freddy vs. Jason by James Dittiger © 2003 New Line Productions. star on sidewalk © Icholakov, Dreamstime.com