News
September 6, 2013
September 6th News Report from your Los Angeles Representative
TORONTO ONTARIO film office - A partnership of the Ontario Media Development Corporation, City of Toronto and FilmOntario.
WEEKLY UPDATE September 6, 2013
from Kelly Graham-Scherer, Los Angeles Representative - torontoontariofilm@gmail.com
Los Angeles was quiet this week as many execs and producers prepared to attend the Toronto International Film Festival and the rest of the city dealt with an extended triple-digit heat wave.
Variety this week spoke to producer Randall Emmett about chasing tax credits. Emmett, who is considered a bit of a golden boy in indie circles right now, explains in very precise terms just how important incentives are to film and television producers like him. http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/emmettfurla-films-plays-the-tax-break-game-1200597661/In the story above Emmett talks about keeping track of what's happening to tax credits in jurisdictions across the country: he is likely keeping an eye on North Carolina which, according to the Atlanta Business Journal below, is close to dropping its incentives program, one of the most generous in North America. http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2013/09/north-carolina-close-to-axing-tax.html
The Los Angeles Times this week reported that cord-cutting continues to nibble away at the U.S. pay-TV industry. As detailed below, according to a report released Tuesday, the industry suffered a net loss of 217,000 subscribers in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-pay-tv-industry-loses-subscribers-20130903,0,7983225.story
The production of Pacific Rim in Toronto was heralded as the biggest budget shoot ever in our jurisdiction: an article in the Hollywood Reporter this week references that movie as it takes a look at why this summer's box office numbers may result in lower tentpole budgets in the future. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/summer-box-office-bombs-studios-619389
The L.A.-based media was awash in stories of TIFF this week. The Los Angeles Times had an interesting one about how filmmakers decide whether or not to show their films in the crowded market, describing the decision to exhibit as navigating a complicated "set of carefully constructed strategies that seek to balance hype and expectation, prestige and populism, in the high stakes bid foe Oscars and dollars". http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-toronto-film-festival-studios-filmmakers20130905,0,4409404.story
Finally this week, the Hollywood Reporter published a series of wonderfully positive articles this morning extolling the virtues of Ontario and the OMDC. As detailed below, the stable support from our provincial government, along with a top-notch infrastructure, have made our jurisdiction the darling of Hollywood when it comes to production... http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/toronto-inside-hollywoods-love-affair-622529
...And post production alike! http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/toronto-why-hollywood-tentpoles-love-622525
Please feel free to distribute this e-mail widely and to get in touch with me with comments or links for inclusion.
Warmest regards,
Kelly Graham-Scherer
Los Angeles Representative
Toronto/ Ontario Film Office