DaveLovesDee

I think that's a good enough reason for 'adjourning to the bar', to quote Gene Hunt.

ExKiwilass

I know To. has unions for some work like BC. Pretty much anything crew-related (Camera, grip, PM, drivers, etc) is union-based here. If you can tell me specifically what you're looking for I can ask the OH.

dollface

to Gene Hunt and his brother HArry

The4BellsLondon

aah Gene

el_richo

Are they related to Mike? A Canadian on here went to school with him.

dollface

Indeed, yes, I believe there is a connection

BumbleBeeUK

Ok so I am already notching up drinks I owe … so far on the list:

The4bellslondon, kiwilass , Dollface, CaptainHook and if I ever get to speak to Daz... drinks on me (if i ever leave this place and get a job over there)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan2005

I see them being made in my part of Vancouver regularly. They don't half get in the way on my walk to work

The building that I work in gets filming notices every few weeks as well.

And I know to keep out of Alan2005’s way. A general tip to you alan2005 – get a florie jacket and just shout at them to get out of the way. They’ll think your either from the locations department or a city official. If you get back chat i find "dont you know who i am" usually works.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwilass

Anyway, by 'industry in Canada" do you mean the industry in Vancouver, Toronto or some other place? It makes a difference where you are. I can help a bit with Van, don't know so much about Toronto but I can ask around.

Also, what do you currently do/what kinds of jobs would you be looking to do here? That makes a difference too. Some jobs are virtually impossible to get unless you're in the union, which you won't be being a new immigrant. It can take years to work your way up the ladder. You can get work on non-union gigs but there are far less of those and tend to be of lower calibre.

Thanks kiwilass…
Yeah Vancouver is our number 1 destination. I am production and my OH is Grip. My main experience has been commercials and features, but the last two years has been in on air broadcasting. OH is all commercials, features, drama. I know that broadcasting is more in Toronto.

We know about the union and have recommendations and have met with them on our recce last year. They took us through the process, and we found them quite approachable. Of course i have no idea of all that in reality, but it felt quite positive.

I was just trying to get more of an idea from crew as to the general opinion of new people getting in, or how things in reality work over there. Over here there are certain clicks of people, certain people you know to avoid and the ones you can trust. But this is all learnt after 15 years experience. The English can be a real tricky bunch and I wasn’t sure if the Vancouver crews were just as tricky or generally a lot more approachable. Don’t want to rock up and piss everyone off straight away! Its also a very small close knit community over here.

It may be easier for me to get work in broadcasting compared to my OH in the features side of things. And of course I know its all about who you know…

DaveLovesDee

I've sent Daz a quick note on Facebook. Hopefully he'll be here soon.

Alan2005

I might have overstated how annoying it is. Still I like your idea...

ExKiwilass

Hey bumble.

You sound very realistic. YAY!

Like the UK (and anywhere, I suspect) it is a lot of who you know and getting in with the right peeps.

I don't know much about the crew side of things...I know seniority is key here, which is why it tends to be hard for newbies to get good work initially. The OH is the one who actually works in the industry - he used to work for a union at one point. I'll ask him to come and answer.

dollface

You do realise you have to come via Toronto to buyt me, Daz and Hookster a drink right??

ExKiwilass

Hey - Kiwilass' OH here. 'OH' means what exactly?!

Vancouver is a union town so glad you've gone down that road. Very small industry compared to UK is my feeling. Worth networking and joining a few organizations to start. UK is very 'exotic' so that will work in your favour. Everyone here thinks ALL British TV is fantastic like Prime Suspect.

Happy to help with specific companies but the locally produced stuff isn't as big as in Toronto and the US feature / TV work is all through Vancouver Production Managers. Will take a bit of leg work to make those intros but feasible.

Biggest issue is if you're in the Union or not for the most part. Sure you can find 'indie' work to start but it may or not be paying work.

Happy to answer more questions, just let K know.

DaveLovesDee

I think a number of US shows are filmed in Vancouver, in part because allegedly it can double for many North American cities. I think I've seen Toronto in more movie backgrounds than Vancouver though.

orange247

I work in post in Vancouver, but know plenty who work in production.

Vancouver has had its ups and downs, especially with feature work but TV work has always been a good staple. There is usually enough episodic, MOTW and mini-series to pick up the slack. For every 10 shows you see on air there might be another 1 or 2 that were produced as pilots but never make it. Right now I count eight episodic, two feature and one MOTW in production as I write, that is not bad for January, production ramps up considerably in the better summer months.

Toronto was booming about four years back but the US studios are seeing the time-difference and remoteness as a big disadvantage, Vancouver wins in this regard. Toronto is home to commercial production in Canada because all the major agencies are based there, Vancouver is not a major player in commercial work.

In my line of work Vancouver has come on in leaps and bounds in the last few years and major players are lining up to invest. There was always a good tv post/vfx business here that serviced the shows shot here but now post/vfx places are winning outstide work based on the talent pool and experience. UK company MPC setup a few years back to take advantage of this and the healthy tax break, they have been followed by Digital Domain and next year by Pixar to complement the growing number of locally owned post/vfx studios.

BumbleBeeUK

Quote:

Originally Posted by dollface

You do realise you have to come via Toronto to buyt me, Daz and Hookster a drink right??

hmmm…well I have never been, so it’s a good excuse!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwilass

Hey - Kiwilass' OH here. 'OH' means what exactly?!

Vancouver is a union town …

Hey thanks OH (other half) of kiwilass. You have given me more insight and firmed up the few things I had learnt. So its good to know my results are consistent!

I think once we get near the final stages of application (pass the medicals) then we will really start knocking on doors. I hope you don’t mind me picking your brains a little later on… Don’t want to jump the gun just yet in case they find a reason to not let us in, or it ends up taking years instead of months!

Quote:

Originally Posted by orange247

I work in post in Vancouver, but know plenty who work in production...

cheers orange… in London the post world is king. The volume they handle far out weighs what actually gets shot in the UK.
Although the last year has seen some nice little post houses shut down. Shame.
Maybe I should go get some flame education!! I now mainly deal in the post side of delivering on air promos, kids play compared to your end of the spectrum (some nice credits btw really liked the work done on District 9), but at least my post experience has come along a lot more.

Didn’t know that about Toronto and the commercials world. Might come back to you in time if you don’t mind - just abt vfx things generally, for a bit more advice when I have more things organized.

Thanks everyone