Nearly two years have passed since Reel People sprang to life in these very pages.
My original mission was to introduce Vancouverites to the brilliant and passionate “reel people” who populate our city’s film and television industry.
Over the course of 100 columns, I’ve written about all manner of individuals who work in the biz: actors and stunt artists; directors and writers; voice performers and animators; producers and composers.
Reel People was born when the film and TV industry was recovering from one of the slowest periods in its history – but despite claims that the industry had been on death’s door, our local reel people had never really ceased creating compelling screen-based products.
Even though the American work had dried up and the service side of the industry was on life support, indie features and web series and shorts were still being lovingly crafted by a legion of top-tier professionals.
They were doing what artists do: creating their work on shoestring budgets, supporting each other, forgoing recompense and personal comfort so that they could send meaningful art into the universe.
And some truly remarkable work was created during the darkest days: Down River, which won a slew of Leo Awards and featured masterful performances from Gabrielle Miller, Helen Shaver, Colleen Rennison, and Jennifer Spence; Sociable Films’ Afterparty; What An Idiot, a cameo-heavy laugh-fest from Julia and Peter Benson; an array of shorts, such as Fade Out and those created via Crazy8s; and some of the best web series offerings on the interwebs, including Parked.
Now, the service part of the industry is back. Vancouver is the third largest film production centre in North America. The commercial success of Deadpool – which poured nearly $40 million into the economy when it filmed here last year – has led to this moment where experts and stakeholders are proclaiming that the industry is stronger than ever.
Take this excerpt from a Feb. 19 press release released by the Mayor’s office: “The City of Vancouver continues to establish itself as a premier destination for film and TV production with 2015 proving to be a record setting year. The City has posted an increase of more than 40% in film activity over 2014.”
The press release notes a record 158 commercials filmed in Vancouver in 2015, as well as 309 episodes of television, and 10 more feature films than in 2014.
A lot of people worked tirelessly to bring the service work back to the 604. And all signs point to an even busier 2016.
What the release doesn’t address is the independent scene – which, let’s be honest, encompasses pretty much everything that is created by Vancouver’s hometown filmmakers.
So what happens to the independent arm of the industry now that people are swamped with service jobs? How will this busy service period impact the indie scene?
I don’t know what the future holds for the indie scene. I know I’m not the only one thinking about it, though. I’ve witnessed a number of emotionally charged Facebook exchanges on the subject already.
It’s not a clear-cut Us vs. Them debate, either: many of the artists who work on one side channel their passion, time, and skills into the other. This is a more nuanced discussion than “Service industry = bad! Indie scene = good!”
We need a thriving service industry. We need the infrastructure and the jobs that come with being a premiere film production destination. Our artists can stand shoulder to shoulder with best in the world. And it is wonderful whenever our local stars and crews and locations are afforded the opportunity to shine on the international stage. Heck, yes; let’s celebrate!
But we need to tell our own stories, too, and to celebrate these local stories. Our local projects – our independent, Canadian-helmed features and shorts and web series – hold up a mirror to who we are. And yet, they’re so easily overlooked and forgotten.
So maybe the discussion should begin with the value we place on our indie projects.
Our indie projects reflect our city’s heart and soul; shouldn’t we value our homegrown work as much as the work we do for out-of-towners?
This is a complicated issue, one involving funders and regulators and distributors and, in many ways, cuts to the core of how much Canadians value (or, frankly, don’t value) our homegrown artists and stories.
Either way, we shouldn’t forget our own stories as we service more foreign productions.
Ideally, one (the moneymaker) will feed the other. When I threw this question up on my Facebook page, one of our city’s most prolific local actors posted that the “service side pays the bills and allows you some room to do the indie side.”
I encourage you – amidst the fanfare that has characterized much of the industry media coverage of late – to, yes, absolutely, see Deadpool, and binge the new The X-Files, but please also consider making room in your life for projects that were created right here in the 604 by your fellow Vancouverites.
You might have to work a bit to find them – scroll through iTunes and VOD; pop over to Superchannel; keep an eye on Canada Screens’ offerings; frequent festivals and single-screen cinemas – but, I promise you, it’ll be worth it, because these reel people are telling your stories.
And – service side and indie side – I’ll continue to share their stories with you, too.
