News
April 17, 2014
April 17th 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 April 17, 2014
from Kelly Graham-Scherer, Los Angeles Representative - torontoontariofilm@gmail.com
The latest report released by prolific permitting agency and local industry lobby FilmLA made headlines in the trades this week. As detailed in the Hollywood Reporter below, its figures show California's film incentives, while limited, do make a difference, covering 25 percent of all movies and 22 percent of TV drama production shot in the state in the first three months of 2014. This information is a potential boost for supporters of a bill currently being considered by the state legislature to expand California's incentives program.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/california-tax-incentives-boost-la-696096
Film and television industry advocates in North Carolina have adopted a PR strategy similar to the one the "Thank you Toronto, Thank you Ontario" group used in our jurisdiction a decade ago. As reported this week in Star News, bumper stickers equating the economic benefits of the region's film industry are designed to influence North Carolina's General Assembly, which is expected to decide the future of the state's film incentive program - scheduled to sunset at the end of the year - during its short session that starts in mid-May.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20140413/ARTICLES/140419885?Title=Studios-union-distribute-bumper-stickers-for-film-industry
The Los Angeles Times featured a front page story this week on the business opportunities in a sector of the industry in which I have long been interested: Christian films. As reported below, recent faith-based and Bible-inspired films such as Noah, Son of God and God's Not Dead have galvanized Hollywood with robust showings at the box office.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-faith-based-films-20140413,0,2154438.story#axzz2z4D2m47w
The City of Toronto’s economic development committee said $1.19 billion was spent on location shoots in Toronto in 2013. As detailed in Playback below, the figure was part of a report on the city’s screen-based industry presented yesterday at City Hall.
http://playbackonline.ca/2014/04/17/toronto-location-shooting-spend-hit-1-19-billion-in-2013/
And finally this week, I couldn't resist including the article below from the widely read satirical web site The Onion. Toronto is name-checked in the "feature" below which pegs the top of Mount Everest as the hottest new filming location.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/top-of-mt-everest-pulling-away-majority-of-hollywo,35706/?ref=auto
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