Even though, in the end, very few shoots were interrupted due to COVID-19, the television and film industry still obtained more than $80 million in additional grants during the pandemic. But if the sector has indeed been less disturbed than that of shows, among others, this aid was essential for it to get through the crisis, assure the producers who have benefited from it.
The Quebec Association of Media Production points out that the health rules have increased filming costs. Without the aid distributed for two years by the Society for the Development of Cultural Enterprises (SODEC), the producers would have been unable to absorb the increase, proclaims the president of the group, Hélène Messier.
“It took people specialized in sanitary measures on the sets, plexiglass, additional equipment, prostheses for reconciliations… But, above all, compliance with sanitary instructions forced us to increase the number of shooting days, which meant that we exceeded our production costs,” she explains.
According to data obtained by The duty under the Access to Information Act, between April 2020 and December 2021, SODEC awarded more than $81 million in grants to offset the cost of sanitary measures on film sets. This amount represents a little less than 30% of the envelope released by Quebec to support the cultural community during the pandemic, according to preliminary figures.
apples and oranges
The rest of the jackpot was distributed mainly to the performing arts sector through a myriad of temporary programs administered by both SODEC and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. These programs were aimed, among other things, at broadcasters, theaters and show producers. In short, all industry players who had to cease their activities at one time or another during the pandemic. At best, they were able to offer virtual shows or performances in front of a reduced audience, which generated additional costs.
Nothing like this in the audiovisual sector, which, on the contrary, ran at full speed during the pandemic, on the strength of an increase in demand for television productions due to the emergence of streaming platforms like Tou. tv, Crave and Club illico. In fact, between the summer of 2020 and the arrival of the Omicron variant, only one shoot had to be completely interrupted due to an outbreak of COVID-19: that of District 31in December 2020.
“I don’t look at percentages, I look at needs. [L’audiovisuel et le spectacle], it is not comparable. It costs a lot more to produce a film. The important thing is that we were able to respond to everyone’s demands,” explained in an interview with To have to Louise Lantagne, president of SODEC.
The state-owned company claims to have implemented strict control mechanisms to prevent producers from using the program to improve the bill for their project rather than to reimburse their COVID bill. The subsidy could not exceed 5% of the current production budget for variety shows, 8% for fiction.
“Producers couldn’t have done it without this program. Some will surely respond by saying that Quebec is the only province to have implemented this assistance. Maybe, but English Canada operates with production budgets of 2.2 million per hour: let’s say that helps to deal with the unexpected,” continued Ms.me Lantagna.
In concrete terms, most fiction programs benefited from a boost of less than one million per season under SODEC’s temporary assistance program in the audiovisual sector.
Shot with extraordinary means, the medical series Transplant, which is intended for the English-speaking market, was however supported to the tune of $2 million in 2020-2021, a record. “Our COVID-related costs were over $2 million, but there was a cap. This is not a criticism, but it is just to say that we did not put ourselves in our pockets with this program. On certain productions, for example, the additional expenses represented up to 15% of the current budget, while the aid was limited to 8%”, notes Bruno Dubé, president of Sphère Média, the company behind Transplant, but also The honourables, One way ticket or Cerebrum.
Questions
The fact remains that in the middle of the performing arts, still hard hit by the pandemic despite the aid, one wonders if the subsidies have been spent in an optimal way.
“I wouldn’t say that the audiovisual aid was unjustified, but it sure raises questions. Especially when, as a viewer, I see that there have never been so many series, ”underlines with caution the director of the Quebec Theater Council, Catherine Voyer-Léger.
For the Guild of Musicians, the question is above all why certain artisans in the performing arts were not eligible for aid. “A lot of people back home haven’t received anything. Events, congresses, weddings, bars were not covered by the aid, ”recalls its president, Luc Fortin. According to a survey conducted by the association in the winter of 2021, more than one in two musicians were experiencing financial difficulties at the height of the pandemic, a figure which rose to 71% for those new to the profession. Converselyartists who work in the audiovisual sector saw their incomes increase by 36% between January and November 2021, as recently reported The duty.
The Ministry of Culture remains convinced, however, that additional aid remains vital for the audiovisual sector to emerge from the pandemic. In the three-year plan of 225.8 million dollars unveiled with great fanfare at the beginning of the month by Minister Nathalie Roy, 39 million are devoted to the television and film industry.