Is That Adrien Brody I See…Or Daniel Radcliffe?
HALIFAX – The film industry came to a standstill last spring when Covid-19 became a worldwide pandemic. It became nearly impossible to shoot new movies anywhere throughout the world, and theatres stood empty for months. But now, new productions are starting to film on the ground and Nova Scotia is reaping some of the financial rewards.
Since the Atlantic Bubble has become one of the safer places from Covid-19 in North America, it’s no wonder studios from Hollywood and elsewhere are looking to Nova Scotia to begin filming again.
“I say (interest in Nova Scotia) increased 50 percent,” says Laura Mackenzie, executive director of Screen Nova Scotia. “When you think about it, the rest of North America, outside of Canada, is shutdown to production; it’s grounded. So, Canada right now is where all eyes are at when it comes to getting a project off the ground.”
“Canada in general is just a hotspot for production right now. The United States has much greater Covid concerns than we do. But Nova Scotia has locations that are untouched…and of course, we have a coastline. We have a coast that can be used for projects that are set anywhere in the world that has a coastline.”
Screen Nova Scotia is responsible for letting the rest of the movie and television world know that Nova Scotia is a great place to set up production. Representatives from Screen NS travel to Hollywood and beyond to pitch the province as an ideal location.
“We send a message far and wide that the screen industry in Nova Scotia is open for business,” said Mackenzie. “We promote world-class locations and crew.”
In late August, word quickly spread that world-class actors were being seen across Halifax. First, there was Adrien Brody; turned out he is in the city to film the series Chapelwaite, based on the Stephen King story, Jerusalem’s Lot. Then the city was abuzz over Daniel Radcliffe sightings. It was very clear that Hollywood came back to Nova Scotia towards the end of Summer.
Mackenzie estimated that, by late August, 10-15 TV and movie productions were on the ground in Nova Scotia. The province has long been considered a prime location for movie shoots. We have a long, beautiful coastline here that can double for anywhere in the world that has a coastline (which is why Stephen King adaptations are often filmed here).
We also have urban areas like Halifax that can be used to represent a host of modern cities. On top of all that, Nova Scotia still has some amazing untouched wilderness that can be hard to find anywhere else.
“It is incredibly diverse in what we can make Nova Scotia look like,” boasts Mackenzie.
The uptick in filming is coming at an important time for the provincial film industry. Mackenzie estimates that 2,000 people are employed through film in Nova Scotia, and they need employment. The local film industry is also still rebounding from the Liberal Government’s controversial decision to eliminate the generous film tax credit back in 2015.
“We’ve had quite a bit of outward migration to other jurisdictions…we’re starting to rebuild but we’re nowhere near where we were in 2015,” said Mackenzie.
Since a lot of the filming cast and crew are coming from outside the Atlantic Bubble, public health and safety precautions must be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Mackenzie says she is impressed with what she has seen so far from production crews.
“Covid is really hard on production. I’m so thrilled and amazed that they have been able to make it work so well. The film industry is so nimble and so flexible and so great at being able to pivot quickly and make something work,” she said.
“Of course, anyone who is coming in from outside the Atlantic bubble is mandated to quarantine for two weeks.”
With Nova Scotia still a hotspot for filming locations, the province is faced with one more problem: we need more people trained to work in the film industry to meet the demand.
“We need to develop more crews so we can supply the demand,” said Mackenzie. “At this point, if we had the ability to do so, production would be twice or three times what it is.”