The arrival of major American productions in Quebec has generated record economic spinoffs in 2021, to the great benefit of special effects studios and film crews. But at a time of labor shortages, some local producers take a completely different view of Hollywood’s increasingly visible presence on Quebec soil.
According to figures released Thursday by the Office of Cinema and Television of Quebec (BCTQ), the animation and visual effects sector continues its meteoric growth, which injected $951 million into the Quebec economy in 2021. , which is around 15% more than in 2019, which is unprecedented.
The increase is even more impressive for foreign shoots. The benefits amount to some 470 million, a growth of 30% compared to the year which preceded the pandemic, and this, even if there were fewer productions shot in Quebec.
“In 2021, there are 21 foreign shoots, so nine less than in 2019. But the difference is that the share of television series has increased, and that is very good for us. In addition, television series are renewed when they are successful. It therefore ensures a certain sustainability,” notes Christine Maestracci, President and CEO of the BCTQ.
She cites among others the American situation comedy Ghosts, whose first season was partly filmed in Montreal and which will be entitled to a second season. Other large-scale productions have contributed to this good result, such as the last part of the transformers or the Amazon Prime Video series Three Pines, an adaptation of Louise Penny’s novels set in the Eastern Townships.
Thanks to these shoots, the BCTQ exceeded the objective that it thought it would reach only next year. Admittedly, 2021 has allowed the industry to make up for some of the delays caused by the pandemic in 2020, but Christine Maestracci still expects the trend to continue and that foreign filming will continue to take more place in the next few years.
“There is a global growth in the consumption of entertainment content, and therefore the filming that comes with it. And it’s a strong trend that will remain for several years. There’s no reason that Quebec, with all the talent and expertise we have, shouldn’t take advantage of this trend,” said Ms.me Maestracci.
We also expect an increase in the number of film shoots in Quebec over the next few years, thanks in part to the emergence, with the launch of the Noovo channel by Bell, of a third major player in the television. In fact, local production generated $1.07 billion in spinoffs in 2021, more than any other year.
However, some are beginning to doubt that Quebec has the means to maintain its momentum. While the shortage of labor is hurting almost all sectors of the economy, foreign filming takes up a large part of the technical teams. And for good reason: according to the Quebec Alliance of Image and Sound Technicians, the salary is about 15% higher on the American sets for workers who are at the bottom of the scale.
“Our producers can’t compete with that,” reports Hélène Messier, president and CEO of the Quebec Association of Media Producers (AQPM). It has an undeniable effect on national production. There were several filming delays due to the labor issue. It also creates an increase in production costs for us. »
Hélène Messier is aware that big-budget American productions contribute to developing a certain local expertise, starting with the entire animation and visual effects sector. But she is sorry that Quebec productions do not have sufficient budgets to take advantage of these studios, which are nevertheless located here.
“I find the influence of these companies abroad extraordinary, but it would be even better if we had the money to take advantage of it,” says the president of the AQPM, who prefers to ask for the payment of increased aid to producers. Quebec than the imposition of quotas for foreign shoots.