Millions in grants `huge' for province's TV, film industry

Michael Macnaughton says the influx of cash and larger grants for films and television production in Saskatchewan will be a game-changer.

“This is one of the best days for screen media production in Saskatchewan history. I mean, this is going to be huge for us,” said Macnaughton, community engagement chair for Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association (SMPIA).

The 2022-23 provincial budget increased the total available funding for the Feature Film and TV Production Program, which funds film and television projects in the province, from $2 million to $10 million. Grants top out at $5 million instead of the previous threshold of $600,000. According to the government, grants of more than $5 million are possible but would require an order-in-council for approval.

What this means is that there are bigger incentives to bring production to the province.

“I could hardly ask for anything more,” said Macnaughton.

In the time of streaming services and ramped up movie and television production, Macnaughton says media production is a booming industry the world over with Netflix, Apple, Amazon and more calling it an “almost generational” moment for demand.

Regina is particularly well-positioned to benefit from a restored film industry with the John Hopkins Regina Soundstage. In Canada, according to Macnaughton, there is a “space race” for sound stage access.

“There is so much production going on that it's almost impossible to get space in a sound stage,” he said. “We have a world-class state of the art stage right here, right now and it's available.”

What the industry needs right now is training and people to work in the industry.

“We've got to train crews and get workers here,” laughed Macnaughton. “What a great problem to have.”

As part of the announcement on Monday, Creative Saskatchewan launched a training program for entry-level positions into the film and television industry. The program has space for 20 Saskatchewan residents to learn how to work on sets over an intensive, twoweek period online and in person.

“There's an opportunity for people who maybe want to break into the industry through this training initiative,” said Erin Dean, CEO of Creative Saskatchewan.

For the funding, there is a base ability to cover 25 per cent or 30 per cent of costs in the province. The amount of money awarded will depend on the ask and on how much of the project is owned by Saskatchewan companies, said Creative Saskatchewan.

Dean said part of the benefit of the grant system is that some funding is provided upfront for production crews.

“On the first day of principal photography, producers get a portion of our commitment, so, they're not waiting as long to get our investment,” said Dean.

As for what kind of productions they hope to attract, Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport Laura Ross said her hope was for multifilm productions or for a series to put down roots in Saskatchewan. The bonus system is structured to attract long-term shoots, she said.

“What we'd like to see is, is the continual use of the Soundstage,” said Ross.

“This really has the opportunity to really encourage the sustainability of the whole industry,” he added.

Ross added that throughout the shooting of a film or series, Creative Saskatchewan will audit productions to make sure the money is being spent appropriately and within Saskatchewan. But there are incentives for shooting in rural Saskatchewan, for bringing multi-movie shoots to the province and for doing post-production at the Soundstage.

As for the training program, Ross said the training program is a “really good opportunity for us to really, like beef up the whole program and the industry.”

Both the crew training program and the Feature Film and TV Production Program grant program are currently open and accepting applications.