There is something to be said for having the right spaces to film the biggest productions in (which Toronto does not have yet), and a local expert workforce to film the project (which Toronto does have). Beyond that, yes, everyone has to compete on the financial front.

42
 
We have a very respected industy up here. Great crews, actors etc. Our Govt got greedy, took away alot of the tax credits at a time when Louisiana, NYC, Prague etc let theirs sore. Then SARS hit and we lost more momentum. Then the dollar changed.

we rallied for the credits to come back. The gov't talked about building and training a great new industy, whcih was an insult to huge industy that was already here!?

we got some, SOME of the credits back. But not like before. We also got the 1 hour out of Toronto = 10% more credits rule which is such a freeking joke. It is like telling the auto sector to produce cars in Thunder Bay as the GTA gets too much of the stuff here. Idiotic!!

So many movies of the week that still shoot here , now shoot in Hamilton. As do shows like Jeff Inc, the upcoming MVP and other films. That means all the Toronto folks have to drive 2 extra hours everyday to work in most cases. Just so we don't look like the Govt favors TO.

We need the studio as it will help attract more big films. And having good modern facilities will help big time. We shot scenes for the upcoming " Hollywoodland" in a crusty old, tightsqueeze warehouse. And I know the big guys were not impressed with the working conditions.

Other areas, Halifax etc are giving the farm away right now. And Vancouver is a great local that is close to LA.

I am praying this thing goes as we really need a kickstart.
 
Interesting info' Spasongs. Do you think the new studio will help the situation even if the kind of credits you talk about are not in place yet?
 
I just heard on the news (CBC...so it has to be true) that construction started today on the studios (whew!). I am sure we will see a newspaper report or two during the coming days/hours.

Good news and our industry needs a bit of a kick-start. Its nice that at the start of the film festival (and having a lot of industry types in town) that the buzz will be that we are building a studio, as opposed to a negative buzz about a stalled project.
 
Timing it to start with the film festival could be a PR stunt. Hopefully not.
 
Link to article

$100M movie complex finally breaks ground
First phase of FILMPORT will now house seven sound stages

Natalie Alcoba
National Post
Thursday, September 07, 2006

The earth is now moving at the site of a massive, $100-million film production complex in Toronto's Port Lands.

Construction of FILMPORT began on Aug. 31, later than had been hoped but just in time to meet the deadline for breaking ground on the project.

Ken Ferguson, president of Toronto Film Studios, said the project's first phase will be bigger than previously announced: It will house seven sound stages instead of two, and the blueprint for the signature Mega-Stage --touted as big enough to fit the Parthenon -- has grown, which will make it the largest sound stage in the world.

Mr. Ferguson said smaller sound stages will be ready by the end of next year; the Mega-Stage should be available to host major productions such as Spider-Man by early 2008.

"When complete it will go far beyond a simple cluster of sound stages," Mr. Ferguson said during a news conference at Toronto Film Studios' Eastern Avenue address. "FILMPORT will become Toronto's newest business community, supporting the creative sector with a rich infrastructure of recreational, cultural and tourist amenities."

Last fall, Toronto Film Studios, one of Canada's largest film studio operators, signed a 99-year ground lease agreement with the Toronto Economic Development Corporation for the construction of FILMPORT. At the time, opponents were critical of the secrecy surrounding the lease agreement, even though it is standard practice not to publicize most details about such commercial contracts. In December, the Ontario Municipal Board gave its final approval for development of the sprawling film and media complex on Commissioners Street, west of Carlaw Avenue.

Mr. Ferguson said he had hoped to break ground at the beginning of the summer, but it took longer than expected to sort out financial agreements. He said he expects to announce the various financial partners in the coming weeks.

FILMPORT will be surrounded by 21 acres of land ripe for commercial development; the idea is to create a vibrant movie-making mecca in Toronto, complemented by cafes, bistros and other amenities.

On the site, a four-storey, glass-walled building will create more than 65,000 square feet of furnished production offices.

The land that will house the Mega-Stage has already been cleared. Mr. Ferguson expects drilling work will begin by the end of the month but noted it would likely be spring before any buildings start sprouting.

The Mega-Stage will occupy 45,000 square feet of space and will be covered by a vaulted, 100-foot ceiling. It is meant to accommodate the largest of movie sets for blockbuster features such as Spider-Man III and Die Hard IV. The six other sound stages will follow a similar layout but will be significantly smaller.

FILMPORT is designed to reverse the tide of feature films that have chosen other Canadian cities, such as Vancouver, over Toronto because of a lack of suitable filming space. While Toronto still remains one of the country's movie capitals, Mr. Ferguson admitted that production has slowed down for a number of reasons -- among them, the soaring loonie. "It certainly makes us check our figures," he said.

Still, he said what this city lacks is a movie-making infrastructure that will draw business.

"If we provide good, quality space, [movie companies] will fill it," he said. "This is what they're telling us in L.A."

But for all the positive feedback, Hollywood production companies will remain skeptical until construction is well underway, he said.

Once complete, FILMPORT will be able to accommodate four or five feature films at a time, each commanding a budget of about $30-million. It will have room for two $100-million blockbusters at a time. The complex could make as much as $2-million from each big picture.
-----------------------------------------------

four-storey, glass-walled building....
Click to expand...
The Mega-Stage will occupy 45,000 square feet of space and will be covered by a vaulted, 100-foot ceiling
Click to expand...
I suspect they won't be architectural gems from the sounds of it.
 
billonlogan:

I think only the office component was to be designed by Alsop, the rest are all by Quadrangle, which has a history of providing fine work anyways.

AoD
 
Die Hard lV? Is that the one where Bruce Willis is the bad guy and everyone is trying to blow him up? Sure hope so. No Die Hard V then.
 
Re: Finally

The article in the National Post includes a small rendering of the building. It looks like a huge hockey arena with a curved roof, not architecturally distinguished in the least I'm afraid.

I'm no architect, but I would think tha constraints in designing a building like this would include the need for good soundproofing (hence few windows) and the need to have a huge clear span of space without columns.
 
Re: Finally

"Once complete, FILMPORT will be able to accommodate four or five feature films at a time, each commanding a budget of about $30-million. It will have room for two $100-million blockbusters at a time."

Whoa - that's some serious friggin' space. This is even bigger than I'd realized. Fabulous news for TO's industry!
 
Re: Finally

It has been a while since this project was announced, and I was wondering if there are provisions for attracting other film and film-related businesses unrelated to the lead developer.
 
Re: Finally

awesome. it may not be pretty, but it's going to do wonders for the industry.
 
Star: Walmart @ Toronto Film Studio (+ Filmport news)

From the Star:

$14M Film Studio deal
$14 million deal may see Mitch Goldhar develop Toronto's first downtown big-box retail centre on the 7.4-hectare Toronto Film Studios property
Oct. 20, 2006. 07:22 AM
TONY WONG
BUSINESS REPORTER

Developer Mitch Goldhar, known as the man who brought retail giant Wal-Mart to Canada, has acquired a 50 per cent stake in an east-end property in a move that could lead to Toronto's first downtown retail power centre.

Goldhar's SmartCentres Inc., the largest developer of power centres in Canada, paid $14 million for a half interest in the 7.4-hectare Toronto Film Studios site at 629 Eastern Avenue in a deal that closed Sept. 29, according to documents obtained by the Toronto Star.

Goldhar's company now owns 170 shopping centres, 118 anchored by Wal-Mart.

The downtown land purchase is significant because there has never been a large-scale power centre in Toronto's core.

Goldhar said yesterday he purchased the property as a potential site for a centre, but there are no immediate plans to build.

The future of the site would depend on the possible relocation of Toronto Film Studios, Goldhar said.

"This is all very preliminary at this point. We don't have any deals pending or leases," Goldhar said. "In the case of the site being redeveloped in the future, we would certainly be sensitive to the neighbourhood. If anything this is my home, too, and it would demand much more of my personal attention."

Sam Reisman, CEO of Rose Corp., which owns the other half of the Toronto Film Studios site, said he has wanted to redevelop the property for some time. His application for a mixed-use development on the site, which would include residential, was rejected by the city, however.

That application is headed for the Ontario Municipal Board, he said. If approved, the plan calls for the two partners to build a retail and residential development, Reisman said.

Reisman said he tried to develop the property alone, but after spending more than $500,000 on community consultations and an economic study with no results, he decided to sell half the property to Goldhar.

"I decided I needed some help," said Reisman. "I think over time the community will see this as an enormous benefit."

Joe Lobko, co-chair of the South Riverdale citizen's committee, said he liked Reisman's plan, but the city seemed adamantly opposed to any residential building in the area.

Since Wal-Mart arrived in Canada in 1994 , there have been protests over the retailer building big boxes that some critics say are a suburban blight. But those centres have typically been in the suburbs, not in a dense urban area.

Another source of tension is the site is the home of the largest film studio in Canada. If the site is converted to other uses, film industry insiders say Toronto will lose valuable studio space — and millions of dollars for the local economy, if studios look elsewhere.

`This is all very preliminary at this point. We don't have any deals pending or leases'

Mitch Goldhar, CEO, SmartCentres Inc.

"This really is a hot-button issue that is part of a larger problem across the city. How do you avoid the big-box future but still keep the area vibrant?" asked Lobko.

Lobko said yesterday was the first time he had learned the studio had been partly sold to the retail developer.

But it's no secret that major power retailers such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot have been trying for years to get a foothold in the lucrative downtown market. High land costs and the lack of available sites for a power centre have been a drawback.

Home Depot tried to build in the Toronto port lands area several years ago, but lost its bid at the OMB.

The answer may be in the hands of Goldhar, acknowledged as one of Canada's shrewdest developers and the nation's 53rd richest man with a net worth of $768 million, according to Canadian Business magazine.

He also has an enviable track record of getting his centres built, including one in Guelph that finally got off the ground after 12 years, despite major opposition from residents, demonstrations and a trip to the OMB.

Goldhar, whose company opens a new centre every three to four weeks in Canada, most of which have a Wal-Mart — said he would be "acutely conscious that this be an integrated project. We would certainly want this to look beautiful."

While Toronto's official plan does allow for power centres in the area bounded by Eastern Ave., the Don Valley Parkway, Lake Shore Blvd. E. and Coxwell Ave., the city is looking at an amendment to the official plan that could prohibit such centres. "The city wants to make sure that certain areas retain an industrial use because we consider it a prime employment site," Toronto Councillor Sandra Bussin said. "Yes, there are jobs at Wal-Mart, but not the kind of high-quality jobs that you would find in the industrial sector."

Meanwhile, the controversy promises to grow if the film studio ends up being turned into retail use or residential use.

"If you're talking about attracting big-budget movies to Toronto, it just doesn't make sense to lose more space," said Jim Mirkopoulos, vice-president of rival Cinespace Studios.

Mirkopoulos and other studio owners are still smarting from Toronto Film Studios' winning bid last year to build a $275 million megastudio on Toronto port lands called Filmport.

The 12-hectare publicly owned site has a 99-year lease and a controversial "no compete" clause that shuts out other studios on lands owned by the Toronto Economic Development Corp., the city agency that controls the area.

However, Ken Ferguson, president of Toronto Film Studios, said the 629 Eastern site will remain in operation at least until after the first phase of Filmport.

"Market forces will determine the longevity of the Eastern Ave. studios," Ferguson said.

"These studios are in diminishing condition and they are unlikely to be retained over the long term."

Ferguson says it makes more "economic sense to build Filmport out to its full potential rather than divert capital to maintain the existing narrow warehouse-quality stages at 629 Eastern."

AoD
 
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