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Headline, Industry News
Calgary film studio plan ignites buzz
Monday November 16th 2009Industry insiders hope a new film studio planned for Calgary will unleash a gusher of new projects — including television series and feature films–that will energize the province’s struggling market.
Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett’s announcement Friday that the province inked an agreement in principle with WinSport Canada to purchase land for the state-of-the art facility is generating buzz among industry members.
“The Calgary production community has been waiting a long time for this,” said Tina Alford, Alberta’s branch representative for the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists.
“I think it’s going to help lure productions here. It also benefits local production companies, as well, who can use it –which increases production and increases work for our members. It’s giving the industry a lot of hope, especially coming off a slow year.”
The lack of a film studio has been a major sore spot for Calgary producers for years.
A Calgary studio has been talked about for at least three decades, but negotiations have never panned out before.
Blackett has stressed that negotiations between Win-Sport, Calgary Economic Development and the Alberta government are still ongoing, but says the deal is the closest it’s ever been to fruition.
Early estimates peg the studio’s cost at about $26 million, not including the land.
The facility, which would include a 30,000-square-foot sound stage and a 45,000-square-foot “digital hub” along with office space and green rooms, is to be located on four hectares now owned by WinSport.
According to Blackett, the studio would be run by a nonprofit entity, funded by municipal, provincial and federal governments and managed by a private-sector company.
The arrangement strikes the perfect tone, said film industry patriarch John Scott, who helped rope in big-name pictures such as Legends of the Fall to Alberta.
In the past, the province’s rustic scenery has often played a major role bringing in projects. But with similar landscapes to be found in other parts of North America, Calgary’s lack of a permanent film studio has always been a major drawback, he said.
“It’s a really big deal to have this studio; we just have to build it as fast as we can,” said Scott.
Alford said the new studio puts the province on the right track to keep the 700 Alberta ACTRA members employed. While the CBC television series Heartland has become a mainstay in the province, the proposed facility could also help attract new TV shows that would provide consistent job opportunities, she said.
But while the studio takes Alberta’s film industry to a new level, a great deal of work still lies ahead to bring in hot Hollywood films, cautioned Tom Cox of Calgary’s SEVEN24 Films, the company behind Heartland.
“We still have some work to do . . . to ensure we’re able to attract every conceivable size of production, from the very smallest documentary or lifestyle show to X-Men 4.”
Source: Calgary Herald
Headline, Industry News
Calgary film studio plan ignites buzz
Monday November 16th 2009Industry insiders hope a new film studio planned for Calgary will unleash a gusher of new projects — including television series and feature films–that will energize the province’s struggling market.
Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett’s announcement Friday that the province inked an agreement in principle with WinSport Canada to purchase land for the state-of-the art facility is generating buzz among industry members.
“The Calgary production community has been waiting a long time for this,” said Tina Alford, Alberta’s branch representative for the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists.
“I think it’s going to help lure productions here. It also benefits local production companies, as well, who can use it –which increases production and increases work for our members. It’s giving the industry a lot of hope, especially coming off a slow year.”
The lack of a film studio has been a major sore spot for Calgary producers for years.
A Calgary studio has been talked about for at least three decades, but negotiations have never panned out before.
Blackett has stressed that negotiations between Win-Sport, Calgary Economic Development and the Alberta government are still ongoing, but says the deal is the closest it’s ever been to fruition.
Early estimates peg the studio’s cost at about $26 million, not including the land.
The facility, which would include a 30,000-square-foot sound stage and a 45,000-square-foot “digital hub” along with office space and green rooms, is to be located on four hectares now owned by WinSport.
According to Blackett, the studio would be run by a nonprofit entity, funded by municipal, provincial and federal governments and managed by a private-sector company.
The arrangement strikes the perfect tone, said film industry patriarch John Scott, who helped rope in big-name pictures such as Legends of the Fall to Alberta.
In the past, the province’s rustic scenery has often played a major role bringing in projects. But with similar landscapes to be found in other parts of North America, Calgary’s lack of a permanent film studio has always been a major drawback, he said.
“It’s a really big deal to have this studio; we just have to build it as fast as we can,” said Scott.
Alford said the new studio puts the province on the right track to keep the 700 Alberta ACTRA members employed. While the CBC television series Heartland has become a mainstay in the province, the proposed facility could also help attract new TV shows that would provide consistent job opportunities, she said.
But while the studio takes Alberta’s film industry to a new level, a great deal of work still lies ahead to bring in hot Hollywood films, cautioned Tom Cox of Calgary’s SEVEN24 Films, the company behind Heartland.
“We still have some work to do . . . to ensure we’re able to attract every conceivable size of production, from the very smallest documentary or lifestyle show to X-Men 4.”
Source: Calgary Herald
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Headline, Industry News
Calgary film studio plan ignites buzz
Monday November 16th 2009Industry insiders hope a new film studio planned for Calgary will unleash a gusher of new projects — including television series and feature films–that will energize the province’s struggling market.
Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett’s announcement Friday that the province inked an agreement in principle with WinSport Canada to purchase land for the state-of-the art facility is generating buzz among industry members.
“The Calgary production community has been waiting a long time for this,” said Tina Alford, Alberta’s branch representative for the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists.
“I think it’s going to help lure productions here. It also benefits local production companies, as well, who can use it –which increases production and increases work for our members. It’s giving the industry a lot of hope, especially coming off a slow year.”
The lack of a film studio has been a major sore spot for Calgary producers for years.
A Calgary studio has been talked about for at least three decades, but negotiations have never panned out before.
Blackett has stressed that negotiations between Win-Sport, Calgary Economic Development and the Alberta government are still ongoing, but says the deal is the closest it’s ever been to fruition.
Early estimates peg the studio’s cost at about $26 million, not including the land.
The facility, which would include a 30,000-square-foot sound stage and a 45,000-square-foot “digital hub” along with office space and green rooms, is to be located on four hectares now owned by WinSport.
According to Blackett, the studio would be run by a nonprofit entity, funded by municipal, provincial and federal governments and managed by a private-sector company.
The arrangement strikes the perfect tone, said film industry patriarch John Scott, who helped rope in big-name pictures such as Legends of the Fall to Alberta.
In the past, the province’s rustic scenery has often played a major role bringing in projects. But with similar landscapes to be found in other parts of North America, Calgary’s lack of a permanent film studio has always been a major drawback, he said.
“It’s a really big deal to have this studio; we just have to build it as fast as we can,” said Scott.
Alford said the new studio puts the province on the right track to keep the 700 Alberta ACTRA members employed. While the CBC television series Heartland has become a mainstay in the province, the proposed facility could also help attract new TV shows that would provide consistent job opportunities, she said.
But while the studio takes Alberta’s film industry to a new level, a great deal of work still lies ahead to bring in hot Hollywood films, cautioned Tom Cox of Calgary’s SEVEN24 Films, the company behind Heartland.
“We still have some work to do . . . to ensure we’re able to attract every conceivable size of production, from the very smallest documentary or lifestyle show to X-Men 4.”
Source: Calgary Herald
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