BC Film Industry
 

Not sure if the topic has been covered already, but does anyone here work in the BC Film Industry? What is your job/position? What have you worked on?

Me myself, I am taking the Motion Picture Production Program at Capilano College currently and hoping to become a 1st AD.

Bad time to be in that industry up here right now.

Luckily i'm still in school right now and for another couple of years, so i presume the strike will be over by then...

Actually the strike has helped Canadian shows because more American stations are importing Canadian shows to fill in time slots.

But the strong Canadian dollar makes it so film companies must pay more to film in BC as oppose to before where it was cheap. This might detour them from filming here.

^ the only thing that I can think of that might keep them coming back is film location. i doubt they will resort to CG all the time as THAT Costs even MORE to produce.

The strike is irrelevant.

Well the thing is the Canadian Writers Guild is supporting the American writers guild so even our production is grinding to a halt.

Meh, screw the Writers Guild. We all know the real magic happens after the script is written. :p

How are you finding the current courses there? I took the programs back in '01/'02 and found them horribly useless. While they manage to luck their way into teaching you some useful information, the majority of it you can forget as soon as you graduate.


My portfolio includes working on Dark Angel, The Unprofessionals (an HBO exclusive), Millennium and X-Files, among others. I was also employed with Rogers Community for a couple years. On the X-Files and Millennium I was a 3rd Camera Assistant for a few weeks. On Dark Angel, I was 2nd and 1st Camera Assistant for a couple episodes. The Unprofessionals had me as a 2nd CA. Roger's, however, kept swapping me between Camera Operator and Director when it came to certain live feeds of local shows and events. I was also employed by a local School District to produce some "modern" replacement documentaries that they still had from something like the 60's.

Let me just stress how much you do NOT want to be 1CA. Focus pulling is the absolute worst job you can have on set. :(




Just some information for you that you may or may not already know... For you to work in any quality shoot, you'll need to be a member of the DGCBC (Directors Guild of Canada - BC District Council). After that, you need to complete 150 days of paid work spread out over a minimum of three different productions (so one feature film, one tv mini-series, and one tv episode, etc.). You also need to obtain a bunch of certifications and crap, many of which you may be getting through the course at Capilano (I know I did).

Ah, hell... I'll just give you the link. It's easier than me explaining it to you... :p

Permitee Program Information

Last of all, don't be discouraged if all you can find are PA positions. Many 1AD's, not to mention Directors, started at the bottom of the totem pole. How high you rise, and how quickly, depends on how willing you are to work with your crew and how much initiative you're willing to show.


At the end of the day, it can totally be worth it. The only reason I left the industry is because I couldn't handle the obscene hours they were asking of me at the time. Mind you, what I was doing is different than what yours would be as you get to spend a good portion of it inside an office (well, once you start rising up in the ranks, at least).


Good luck and let me know if you need any other information.

I'm actually having a really good time at Cap right now. I can understand why you might've not liked it at all, the program has really come far from then and it is still evolving. my friend took it last year and it was completely different from what i am doing this year. The program now goes up to 4 years for a degree.
Do you remember someone named Josh Whitall by any chance?
I'm hoping to get a job as a PA during the summer until i have to go back to school for 2nd year. I'm not really sure how to start on that, would you recommend me just faxing my resume out to productions that are filming here? thanks again!

It's not that the program wasn't any good... I just had a bloody superb high school teacher and a fantastic chance to work on films and shows prior to joining the course. By that time, I already knew pretty much everything they were teaching. Four years, though? Man, they were only introducing the second year when I was there.

Josh Whitall... the name sounds familiar, but I can't say I recall a face. However, if you're ever in the Television building up at the top of the hill, the techie there is Ian Gustafson (aka Guffy). He was in my program and is a really good guy. Tell him Loni and Jon say hi if you ever come across him.

While I would recommend faxing your resume to all the productions you can find, quite often you can come across a set and talk to a PA there. If you happen to have a resume on you, ask to speak to a Production Manager (or whoever is the one responsible for hiring PA's for that particular shoot). It's not uncommon for productions to hire you more or less on the spot. It doesn't happen often but it's far more frequent than you probably think. Otherwise, just give them your resume, thank them, and hope to hear from them in a weeks time. However, to find a weekly updated production list, visit www.dgcbc.com. It's a very handy source to have.

on the flip side, all of the unions related to tv and film in bc are very refined, new locations means new crew. new crew means slower production. slower production means more money.

its easier to go with what works in an area that is tried tested and true than it is to go elsewhere for the sake of saving a few bucks.

While on the whole I'll agree with that, never underestimate the shortsightedness of Producers and their willingness to save a few bucks where ever and whenever they can.

i'm not saying that the teamsters and the iatse guys should rest on their laurels and blow their dough because we've got the studios in a chokehold -- that certainly isnt the case. its just a matter of going where the resources are. true, that could all end in a heartbeat (as anything could) but as long as we can provide ample studio space, pro crews and production equipment, we will have an industry in this city.

If i'm thinking of the right Ian...he now runs the equipment rentals for the film program at cap. he's also the techie. very useful on days we have to shoot, last minute advice haha

I finish this year in mid April. do you think i'd be able to work as a PA until July? I'm going away in July until the beginning of the 2nd year so that's why i ask. So basically just as a PA for 4 months or so?

You can certainly try it. What I suggest you do is start faxing productions a couple weeks before your classes end. That way, you name has a chance to start cycling its way to the top of the list. If you do get asked for a job, make sure they know that you're only available until a certain date. The absolute last thing you want to do is just disappear one day and not come back. This industry, despite its size, is very close knit and names of people get whispered all the time. You don't want to have a black mark on your name preventing you from getting another job out here.

Thanks for the advice!
since you're out of the industry now...what did you move on to? did you keep a backup plan throughout your time in the film industry?

I still do personal film jobs on the side, though it's mainly car videos that I do for fun for either myself or friends. Currently, I've got a contact in the HR department at the BBC in London, so I'm planning on moving out there for a couple years and hopefully snagging myself a job. I've always wanted to live in the Yorkshire area and if I can do that while filming something like Top Gear, I'll be living a dream. :D

i better have a guest appearance on it then!! =p

hey. this topic harsh caught my eye cause i'm trying to get into the film industry as well. except i'm more into writing and editing. you guys said you went to cap?? what made you choose that school? i'm going to the Art Institute of Burnaby and just trying to decide if that was a wise choice. comments? i'm in my second semester there.

Mrs Tomlinson (I believe she's currently the Assistant Dean... or, at least, was...) was my high school television teacher and from what I've heard, when she was hired at AI, she completely turned the television program around.

I chose Capilano because it was decently priced (unlike VFS which is HUGELY overpriced for what you're taught), and had a pretty good reputation in Canada for its film program. Art Institute (I believe it was still CDIS at the time) had a pretty crappy program.

I cant say for sure how AI now compares to other schools but knowing Ms T, I'm sure it's now a very capable program.

i don't think tomlinson is there anymore...haven't heard of the name. We have this new director of the program and apparently he started a few months ago and now he is already bailing to some events planning career...i don't know if that's a good sign that he is leaving so quickly. But ya, i hear you on the pricing. I only chose the school because they said that job opportunities were very high after graduating from them...but, after taking the program and being in my second semester it seems really over priced for the shit they teach us...some of the stuff seems forced and they try to expand one small topic into a whole course. and like you said the hours seem terrible if you work in production. you know much about getting into editing and writing?? thanks.

any updates from anyone?

work has begun to pick up lately...at least for me. anyone else?

EXTRA right here!! work is aiight.

haha yeah i've been doing extra work too!
what have you worked on recently?
I'm working on Jennifer's Body 3 days this week

jennifer's body = Adam Brody and Megan Fox!!!