Location Spotlight: Captivating Canada

06/05/2024

Global Production Network

Production Services

Los Angeles, USA

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06/05/2024

Martin Fisher and Shawn Angelski share the best Canada has to offer

Martin Fisher started his career on the business side of radio, helping to launch seven radio stations before leaving to start his own production company. As the founder of Pink Buffalo Films and True Calling Media, Martin has produced and executive produced several feature films, documentaries, thousands of commercials, and over 180 episodes of True Calling, which follows the stories of interesting people who love what they do.

For over 15 years - along with his talented team of producers, directors, writers and cinematographers, he’s had a successful career pushing the boundaries of creativity in branded content, overseeing shoots around the globe, sleeping in Arctic igloos and even shooting deep underground.

Big on travelling, some of Martin’s favourite destinations include Greece, Vietnam, Tofino, Haida Gwaii, Cambodia, New Zealand, Japan and pretty much anywhere monkeys live. He is an avid painter, snowboarder, surfer and lover of doggos. Currently, he spends most of his time between Toronto and Vancouver.

Shawn Angelski is a producer and executive producer of commercials, television, and films, in a career that span two decades.

Shawn is best known for Producing the 2011 genre hit GRAVE ENCOUNTERS, which opened in theatres worldwide. Along with other genre films, Shawn was a co-producer on the acclaimed feature film REMEMORY, starring Peter Dinklage. Directed by Mark Palansky, this film premiered at the Sundance Film festival and was distributed worldwide by Lionsgate. He also co-produced Kyra Sedgwicks directorial debut STORY OF A GIRL, starring Kevin Bacon for A&E Networks.

Along with producing a number of other films, Shawn has produced hundreds of music videos including Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call me maybe” which has garnered over one billion views online.

Shawn lives between Vancouver and Los Angeles.

LBB> How would you pitch Canada to any production companies looking to shoot in your region? What are the main qualities of your region?

Martin and Shawn> Canada offers diverse landscapes, from the oceans along our coastlines, to the epic mountainous regions, prairie landscapes in the interior and the city centres throughout. If there’s a location you’re looking for, Canada’s got it! Vancouver, the coastal seaport city, offers beaches, snow capped mountains, and moss-covered rainforests, as well as an urban city centre all within an hour of each other. Montreal, with the historic urban town of Old Montreal Quebec which seemingly transports you to Europe. Toronto, the most populous city in Canada, is a cosmopolitan city centre located on the shores of Lake Ontario. You’ll find a range of building and infrastructure styles, from the iconic Art Deco style of the Alfred Building in Montreal to the Contemporary style of Toronto’s Art Gallery. In addition to the wide variety of locations available, the government has aggressive tax incentives for companies who film in Canada. We also have some of the most experienced film crews in the world, and the latest and greatest in film equipment to execute on your creative needs.

LBB> What would you say are the top locations in Canada? What location would you say is most popular?

Martin and Shawn> Vancouver is the 3rd largest film production hub in North America. Nicknamed 'Hollywood North' Vancouver continues to break records for the amount of film and television productions that take place in this versatile production centre due to its proximity to the US, diverse geography, local talent, skilled technical experts and government subsidies.

LBB> Explain the climate and the best/worst times to shoot in Canada?

Martin and Shawn> Canada’s climate ranges from coast to coast. Canada is known for it's cold, of course, which makes us a shoe-in for those snowy, wintery scenic, but we also offer sunny, warm summers, picturesque, lush springs and glorious autumnal leaves as we transition in fall. On the West Coast, Vancouver is often referred to as Canada's Hawaii, with more temperate winters, compared to the colder winter months out East, which can reach temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius, and lower. While on the West Coast those winter months stay warmer, Vancouver city doesn’t often get heavy snowfall but you can easily take a couple hours drive up north to Whistler to find snow! So you can be snowboarding in the morning and then golfing in the afternoon. Best times to shoot across Canada really depends on what look you're after, you can shoot comfortably all year round!

LBB> What specific work permits/Visas are required to shoot in Canada?

Martin and Shawn> For Television commercials funded outside Canada, there are no work permits required for key members of the team (directors, DP’s, producers etc..) you’ll just need a business invite letter from Pink Buffalo Films

If you’re working on a film or television production, you need a work permit to work in Canada. You may be eligible for an employer-specific work permit, which Pink Buffalo Films will facilitate.

LBB> How is the infrastructure in Canada for supporting large productions?

Martin and Shawn> Canada can support many large productions, due to the depth of professional crew and wide range of infrastructure. Canada has a range of landscapes, a great selection of Sound Stages and Studios as well as a multiple well known gear houses for all of the production’s camera rental equipment needs. Popular productions such as The Last of Us, Brokeback Mountain, The Revenant, Titanic, Twilight, Deadpool and Ghostbusters: Afterlife have all been shot in Canada. The Canadian Movie, TV and Video Production Industry in 2023 made $14.8bn in 2023. Even throughout the COVID Pandemic the Canadian Film Industry generated a record breaking $11.3 billion in revenue which supported over 244,00 jobs for Canadian crews. Canada has many popular film schools like the University of British Columbia, Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Image Arts, George Brown College and more. Canada also offers a huge range of diversity in talent, some have gone off to become A-list celebrities such as, Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, Rachel McAdams, Nina Dobrev, Jim Carrey, and more!