Hundreds of production companies descend on the picturesque ocean-side city of Vancouver every year – and yet they’re usually using the city as a stand-in for somewhere else.
“So many movies and TV shows are so clearly identifiable as being filmed in Vancouver,” says Prem Gill, chief executive of Creative BC, an independent agency responsible for promoting the development of creative industries in British Columbia. “But people are pretty chill about it. If our city can be what you want it to be, to tell your story, then that’s great. And if we are part of the story, that’s even better.”
If you enjoy modern cinema, odds are you’ve seen Vancouver as the backdrop in a film more than once. Be it the city’s bustling downtown core or its scenic mountains atop the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver features the kind of natural surroundings that draw tourists in droves every year.
But while tourists come and go, the film industry is firmly entrenched in the city. Gill estimates that, this summer alone, scenes for more than 50 TV series and feature films will be shot in Vancouver.
By and large, it is the rise of Netflix, Amazon and other online content producers that has led to continued demand to shoot in Vancouver. What producers like Netflix have done is ensured that film crews based in the city can now find work throughout the year, instead of just sporadically. “That’s what’s changing a bit,” Gill says. “It’s more consistent year-round now.”
There are 57 acres of studio across metropolitan Vancouver – and then there’s the readily accessible forests, lakes, urban and small town locations in British Columbia. The province is even home to Canada’s only desert, the Osoyoos, in the semi-arid Okanagan valley.
The amount of studio space and natural environment, coupled with the reliable crews, means that films such as Deadpool, Fifty Shades of Grey, This Means War, Rise of Planet of the Apes, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn parts one and two, and I, Robot were all shot in Vancouver and British Columbia.
Vancouver isn’t the only Canadian destination for big-budget blockbusters, however. Good Will Hunting’s Harvard and MIT scenes were shot at the University of Toronto and nearby Central Technical School. Mean Girls was shot in Toronto schools. And in Catch Me If You Can, many of the scenes meant to be in France were actually shot in Montreal and Quebec City.
Much of Alejandro Iñárritu’s stunning 2015 film The Revenant was shot on location in the mountains of Alberta. The province’s incredible natural backdrop was shown in its rawest form, too: cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki shot the film entirely in natural light.
Alberta, often known for its big cities of Calgary and Edmonton, also provided the backdrop for Brokeback Mountain; nine different locations feature in the film. In fact, Kananaskis Country, a park system in which both films were shot, is less than an hour’s drive from Calgary. It’s that kind of accessibility to unbelievable vistas, so close to the modern amenities of a world-class city, that makes Canada so attractive to film-makers and visitors alike.
It’s not just popular films that you might recognise, however. This year’s most lauded TV series, The Handmaid’s Tale, was shot entirely in and around Toronto. Almost no changes were made to the underground subway system and the dystopian metropolis portrayed is, indeed, downtown Toronto.
Orphan Black was also filmed entirely in the city, using a number of local homes, Suits was set in Toronto’s financial district, and some of American Gods was shot here as well. Take a stroll through Toronto’s streets and you’ll probably recognise a few locations from on screen.
And, as the world begins to recognise Canadian cities not just as prime tourist destinations, but as cities full of their own rich character – they are starting to play themselves in film and television.
Kenneth Hirsch, co-creator of 21 Thunder, a new soccer drama that premiered in July on the CBC to strong reviews, was adamant that the city of Montreal be not only the location, but also the setting for the show. The story of an under-21 team battling their own demons, while also trying to crack the Montreal Thunder first team, portrays Montreal in a fresh light. In avoiding the tourist traps, it showcases the natural beauty of one of Canada’s most internationally recognised cities. And Hirsch is happy that Montreal is now getting time in the spotlight.
“I was very active talking to international distributors,” he says of the show. “I had been warned that they were going to tell us to set it in generic, suburban America. We were very lucky. They all accepted Montreal as a cosmopolitan city and as a character in the show.”
For more information and inspiration, see explore-canada.co.uk
