CIFF Panel Talks Through Hopes and Opportunities for Alberta Film Industry

A panel of Alberta film professionals discussed the state of the industry at CIFF, sharing their insight on where things are at, and where they can grow.

The panelists pointed to the growth of Alberta’s independent film scene, the wealth of skilled production trades and new facilities such as the Digital Production Hub at Bow Valley College.

“I think Calgary is very, very well positioned,” said Damian Petti, president of IATSE local 212. “There's a lot of training, there's a lot of young people.”

“We’re seeing Netflix, invest a lot of money into our jurisdiction. It's not a mistake that they've hired lobbyists in this province.”

While Calgary has been home to ongoing, big dollar productions such as Fargo and The Last of Us, they’ve sometimes had to rely on temporary facilities. For smaller productions with smaller budgets, that can put a strain on delivering their finished product.

“Our virtual production hub and can support industry, whether it's an indie startup or its larger industry,” said Tasneem Rahim, vice president external at Bow Valley College.  “We have the 180-LED volume wall, we’ve got the motion capture capability.”

The facility opened in May and not only includes the volume walls and an integrated Vicon Valkyrie Mo-Cap suite, but also post-production and composite edit suites and a dedicated dailies room.

“It's a full-service suite, and it's for industry first. So what we try to do is look at ensuring that that space is available for industry at a reasonable rate,” said Rahim.

“It is critical so that we can keep projects here from start to finish.”

The panel was moderated by accomplished production executive Adnaan Wasey, recently announced as Calgary’s new film commissioner. The other panelists were Andrew Long with the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers and Tina Alford from ACTRA.

“To me, that's sustainability is based on having a local production base,” Long said. “You want a bunch of artists who are able to sustain things, a bunch of producers who are able to keep work going, keeping projects going through.”

Long says that greater flexibility in qualifying for tax credits would help Alberta’s competitiveness against other markets. In an industry with high costs, cash (or cost) is king.

Rahim said staying cost effective is part of the Digital Production Hub’s value proposition:

“Even if costs are really low for large production budgets, they're not low for a small independent producer,” Rahim said. “So how do we start to look at those type of opportunities and streams where we can find those funds to help support those individuals?”

Some of the facility’s technology was on display at Chinook Centre Mall Saturday Sept 27^th. Bow Valley College’s Centre for Entertainment Arts and the Digital Entertainment Nexus set up a facial motion capture booth as part of a CIFF industry event.

It’s the same technology used to create movies such as Planet of the Apes and Lord of the Rings. Using Unreal Engine the team created realistic versions of famous actors, giving attendees a chance to transform themselves, virtually at least.

This event brought out some big industry groups, including IASTE, APPA, and AMPIA.

“putting these kinds of events together also gives students a chance to build their industry network and find new ways to apply and adapt their skills,” said Jeff Clemens, associate dean in the Centre for Entertainment Arts at Bow Valley College.

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