With the filming of the newly released Star Trek Beyond alone contributing $69 million to the B.C. economy over a 78-day period last year, the film industry in Hollywood North is entering warp speed.
Beyond the heavy-duty lure of tax benefits, industry leaders cite British Columbia’s skilled labour force, hospitable businesses and unique, picturesque landscape as some of the reasons for the sector’s stellar performance.
“Filming Star Trek Beyond in Vancouver and the surrounding areas provided us diverse filming locations and outstanding studios,” said Wendy Noss, president of the Motion Picture Association of Canada. “Beyond that we had access to amazing cast and crew.”
Wrapping up production in late September, the filming of Star Trek Beyond was part of a blockbuster year for the B.C. film and TV industry, and foreshadowed even bigger returns this year, with more large feature movies slated to be filmed on the West Coast in 2016. According to whatsfilming.ca, a website that tracks movie production in B.C., 34 feature films are expected to be produced in British Columbia. This is up 30% from 2015. Movies include sequels to Planet of the Apes, Fifty Shades of Grey and Pirates of the Caribbean.
But stars like Johnny Depp are not the only ones financially benefiting from big-budget franchises; industry leaders say increased B.C. film production means more jobs for Canadians. The instant cult classic Deadpool, released in February, hired over 2,000 Vancouverites for the film’s cast and crew, spending $19 million in wages. Star Trek Beyond employed over 3,900 people and paid $40 million in wages.
According to Creative BC, a government non-profit aimed at promoting arts and entertainment indstries in the province, the motion picture and sound recording sectors together grew faster then the B.C. economy, 3.6% to 3%. Overall the motion picture industry employs 25,000 people and contributes $2 billion to the provincial economy.
While any increase in film production is an obvious boost to employment and spending within the entertainment industry, big-budget movies can’t help but have their big budgets spill over into other industries. Of the $69 million spent on Star Trek Beyond by Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Bad Robot, over 40% was funnelled to industries outside of the entertainment sector.
According to the Canadian Motion Picture Association, an industry representative for large movie producers, the transportation, hospitality and forestry industries are some of the sectors that benefited from Hollywood North’s growth. The production of a single featured film, Star Trek Beyond, contributed $17 million in transportation rentals, $1.75 million to Vancouver’s hospitality industry and $1.6 million in lumber and hardware.
