Working in film in Vancouver?

atomic440

Hi all,

I was wondering if there was anyone on here that has looked into entering the world of film production in Vancouver, or who currently works for a production comapny? I hear Vancouver has garnished the title of the (current) Hollywood North. I've always wanted to get into film production, my specific interests being in screen-writing and production development but I've never had the opportunity to pursue it here in Ireland. As I'm moving over to Vancouver to start a new life, I really want to pursue this!

So is there anyone who's done it, or has entered it at least? Anyone work for any of the production companies in Vancouver? Or have secured an agent for screen-writing? Any information, knowledge or wisdom you can impart onto me would be greatly appreciated.

And of course, let me know how you pay the bills whilst trying to enter into this line of work.

Thanks a million in advance!

11811

atomic440 wrote: »

Hi all,

I was wondering if there was anyone on here that has looked into entering the world of film production in Vancouver, or who currently works for a production comapny? I hear Vancouver has garnished the title of the (current) Hollywood North. I've always wanted to get into film production, my specific interests being in screen-writing and production development but I've never had the opportunity to pursue it here in Ireland. As I'm moving over to Vancouver to start a new life, I really want to pursue this!

So is there anyone who's done it, or has entered it at least? Anyone work for any of the production companies in Vancouver? Or have secured an agent for screen-writing? Any information, knowledge or wisdom you can impart onto me would be greatly appreciated.

And of course, let me know how you pay the bills whilst trying to enter into this line of work.

Thanks a million in advance!

Not to be negative know, just giving you the heads up as it were... It can be a little tough to get into working on big productions over here as there are tax incentives for hiring Canadian Citizens, also the unions typically require Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Resident. Status.

But, that said there maybe more scope on the development side. There's a load of commercial, corporate and EPK production companies in Vancouver too, so that's also an in. Just google some and get in touch with them, Canadians are pretty great for meeting for a coffee and discussing work and possible openings.

The Directors Guild of Canada is a good resource to check out. http://www.dgc.ca/bc/index.cfm

They also publish production lists, which is really handy http://www.dgc.ca/bc/production_list/Production%20List.pdf

I work in the camera equipment side of things in Vancouver and have gotten a decent feel for whats out there, there's plenty of film work here, just put yourself out there and make some connections!

atomic440

Thanks for the tips! I should have mentioned in my original post that I am a Canadian citizen and have my passport (my mum's a Toronto native). I heard about the tax incentives for Canadian citizens so thought it might be a little easier to get my foot in the door, although I know how difficult it can be. That being said is there anything else you would recommend I do? I guess I will need to put in the time researching what's out there when I arrive and get contacting people. Need to write a few more short screenplays and get a portfolio together before I go! And do you know if there's any groups for people in a similar starting position? Would be great to get to know others who are starting out and maybe think about collaborations.

Thanks again!

madma

just hijacking this thread as kinda wondering myself.. heading over hopefully very soon..

im wondering where should i look with an audio / visual background for film? i know there are AV companies i can apply too but wondering on the film work would there be somewhere i could contact or send details etc

cheers