News
September 26, 2014
Weekly Update from Film Ontario, September 26, 2014
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Happy Friday! The municipal debates are continuing, although Councillor Ford has opted out of a couple this week. Do let me know if you would like me to help you connect with your local Councillor candidates, to ensure that screen-based industries remain a priority industry. And although City Hall is closed today due to the electrical fire, our permit office has set up shop nearby; for update and info on priority permits, please let Location Managers or those looking for permits know they can email ejensen@toronto.ca Looks like one of the last lovely weather weekends is upon us - enjoy! Sarah Ker-Hornell _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Weekly Update from Kelly Graham-Scherer, Los Angeles Representative The Los Angeles-based trades have lately been full of reviews and speculation regarding the upcoming fall television offerings and I noticed a few articles that really drive home just how important this time of year is for the industry, particularly for the major networks. The L.A. Times this week ran a prominent front-page story on the increasing desperation of networks searching for the next hit sitcom. As detailed below, Hollywood's production studios bank on half hour comedies to sustain their businesses as they are cheaper to produce than hour long dramas and lucrative in syndication long after new episodes have been canceled. Variety this week took an in-depth look at something I have spoken about for a while - the staggering number of scripted series available today as compared to 10 or 15 years ago. As reported below, original programming on television and digital platforms has seen a 1,000% spike since 1999, causing industry insiders to wonder if we will soon reap the unwelcome consequences of so much capital chasing talent, viewers and, most important, off-network profits. Last week was a busy one for me: I had seven meetings with production and finance executives at both studios and major indies and in every meeting I asked people their thoughts on California's expanded tax credits. The conversations I had reinforced the idea that many are taking a cautious, wait-and-see approach regarding how the credits will be administered and what kind of impact they will have. Media coverage on the expanded incentives continued here this week as Variety reported on some backlash against the Motion Picture Association of America. As detailed below, the timing of the MPAA's upcoming summit for film commissioners has stirred concerns from some California lawmakers that, on the heels of the state tripling the size of its tax credit program, other states will be encouraged to up their game as well. Those of you who tweet about your favorite movies are about to be targeted in a new advertising strategy. As detailed in the Hollywood Reporter below, Twitter is about to begin beta testing on ads targeting users who engage regarding movie names, movies genres and movies in general. There have been a few interesting articles regarding the VFX industry in Canada this week. Playback had a lengthy feature examining the flight of VFX work from Los Angeles to Vancouver and whether the trend will continue. And finally this week, the Globe and Mail looked at the move of Oakland, California-based Atomic Fiction to Montreal, despite a recent 20% cut to incentives in Quebec. |