Spotlight on Canada: Pinewood Toronto Studios

On September 16th, 411 Publishing, along with partners the Producers Guild of America and Entertainment Partners, kicked off their second production incentives webinar series.  This series’ kick-off took place during the Toronto International Film Festival and focused on the benefits of shooting in Canada, specifically British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.

 Joe Chianese, Entertainment Partner's Vice President of Business Development and Production Planning and the series moderator was joined by Canadian moderator David Carter.  Mr. Carter is the President of Canada Film Capital, a financial service, tax incentive financing and administration company servicing the film and television industry in Canada.   Joining Chianese and Carter were panelists Robert Wong, Vice President, Tax Credits and Development, British Columbia Film and Jennifer Blitz, Director, Tax Credits and Financing Programs, Ontario Media Development Corporation.  Quebec's panel member, Jean-Philippe Normandeau, Cultural Industry for Tax Credits Quebec, was called away on an emergency.  Filling in for Normandeau was Jennifer Liscio, a lawyer on the board of Canadian Film Capital.

Joining this webinar as a sponsor was Pinewood Toronto Studios.  Pinewood Toronto Studios is a new facility built specifically for television and film production in Toronto during 2008.  Since opening for business in 2009, Pinewood Toronto Studios has been frequently used to film many global productions, primarily form the US.  Recent productions shot at Pinewood Toronto Studios include "Devil," "Scott Pilgrim Versus the World," "Chloe," "Happy Town," and a variety of television pilots.

"We are the largest film complex in Canada," said Edith Myers, Managing Director for Pinewood Toronto Studios.  "This facility was designed to service every need of a production.  We have seven sound stages that are all completely sound proof.   We have storage facilities that can fit a truck trailer.   We have generators available; a company does not have to bring in their own generators.  We are constantly reviewing the performance of our facility and looking for alternatives that will improve its performance."

One recent up-grade Pinewood Toronto Studios made was placing window films over all windows.  The window films helped to minimize heat transfer, providing a more comfortable and efficient environment throughout the facility.

Pinewood Toronto Studios is located close to downtown Toronto, making commuting to the facility very convenient.  In addition to ample parking, the studio also can accommodate bike traffic and is located conveniently to Toronto's public transportation system.  Twenty-four hour security ensures personal and property safety throughout the studio's grounds.

Pinewood Toronto Studios has also made a commitment to be a green studio.  They have energy efficient lighting, heating and cooling devices employed throughout the grounds and building structures.  Pond water is used to irrigate the facility.  They encourage recycling and reuse of all products from paper to staging and equipment, and are committed to helping any crew that would like to learn how to green their production (without pressuring them to do so.)

In association with the Sheridan Institute and Training, Pinewood Toronto Studios is also involved with education.  Members of Sheridan Institute have an office on the Pinewood Toronto Studios lot, and work with the staff to provide production-related training for the various guilds members.  They also work together to test and document newly emerging equipment in an effort to assist technicians who will be operating them.

"We are eager to find anyway we can to help a production acquire added value," said Myers.

To see the Canada Production Incentive Webinar and all previous incentive webinars, please visit:

http://www.newyork411.com/webinar/webinar.cfm

To learn about the PGA, please visit:

www.pga.org

To learn about Entertainment Partners, please visit:

www.entertainmentpartners.com

To learn more about Pinewood Toronto Studios, please visit:

www.pinewoodtorontostudios.com