Documentarian keeps cameras rolling
Two Citytv series have allowed filmmaker to defy odds and stay in Saskatchewan
Many believe the provincial government killed Saskatchewan’s film industry when it eliminated the film employment tax credit. Almost seven years later, we talk to a few industry “survivors” in this four-part series.
Antonio (Tony) Hrynchuk calls it “dumb luck” that he met the owners of Tequila Nightclub while shooting a commercial inside their Saskatoon bar.
The high-spirited entrepreneurs became the subjects of his first documentary series, Nightclub Confidential, which he pitched to Citytv in late 2012.
The 13-episode reality TV show followed them through their personal and work lives — the latter including firing staff, ousting drunk and misbehaving patrons, and trying to get their declining business back on track.
“They really aspired to greatness, that was their dream, and they had a lot of struggles,” said Hrynchuk. “It was a pretty rowdy bar. I thought it was a fertile sort of a place for a doc series.”
That was the start of Hrynchuk’s documentary filmmaking career.
His second reality series, Paramedics: Emergency Response, premiered in 2016 and airs on Citytv. It follows several teams of paramedics working in Saskatoon. Later this month, it will debut in England, then in Spain in February.
Hrynchuk’s film career began with commercial production at the local CTV station, which led to a decade of directing music videos.
He drew the likes of Doc Walker, Deric Ruttan and Jason Blaine to Saskatchewan, making music videos to air on Muchmusic and CMT.
But in 2012 — the same year the Saskatchewan government axed a tax credit that benefited Hrynchuk’s every project — the work was drying up anyway.
“Muchmusic and CMT realized that they could get more people watching their station during prime time if they did not play music videos, so they were trying to get out of commissioned music videos,” said Hrynchuk.
“It seemed like everything was going to be over — the music video industry’s dying, there’s no more tax credit ... I was thinking about becoming a real-estate agent or something. I really thought this was the end.”
But it wasn’t.
When Citytv entered the province, also in 2012 — purchasing the government-owned Saskatchewan Communications Network (SCN) — it opened a door for Hrynchuk.
There was a call for project submissions. He pitched Nightclub Confidential, and they bought it.
“I luckily managed to survive the death of the industry, because I managed to slip into doing the doc series stuff, which was totally different than the music video stuff,” said Hrynchuk.
“If I wasn’t working consistently, I would have had to change my residency and be full-time somewhere else, but I mean, Saskatchewan’s been good. I’ve been lucky; I feel I’ve been lucky.”
Hrynchuk gives credit to Creative Saskatchewan, the funding agency that replaced the film employment tax credit.
“They’ll give you a pretty sizable percentage up front, which helps eliminate your need to seek interim financing to cover stuff,” said Hrynchuk. “I’ve used my house (and) line of credit a lot to cover costs.
“The problem is the budget’s not very big, so it can’t support big projects. So what it means is it’s just little shows that survive, like my shows, or there are some other little doc series, or maybe a really low-budget movie.
“We’ll never have a big Netflix series or something filmed in Saskatchewan, because … (producers) will go to Manitoba or Alberta or B.C. or whatever to shoot it, because they have more incentives.”
Looking east, Manitoba Film and Music reported $210 million in screen-based media productions during eight months of 2018, which created jobs for hundreds of people.
The Manitoba government refunds producers up to 65 per cent of their cost-of-salaries taxes, or 30 per cent of their total in-province spending.
The Alberta Media Fund provides grants of up to $5 million.
Saskatchewan’s grant is capped at $600,000.
“The industry has turned into some small productions, sort of scavenging what’s left,” said Hrynchuk.
He points to some “very skilled professionals” still working in Saskatchewan, including the producers at Wavelength Entertainment and Bamboo Shoots, and the audio post-production team at Talking Dog Studios.
Hrynchuk has benefited from the Recording Arts Institute of Saskatoon (RAIS): Several of its graduates have worked on his shows, as has veteran cinematographer Ian Rogers.
However, there aren’t many crew members to draw on, as most have moved away.
“Most of the crew that I worked with when I did music videos in Saskatchewan either left the province, or left the industry,” said Hrynchuk.
“We just have fewer people and everyone’s sort of asked just to do a little bit extra. Like, I’m the producer and director, but I’m also getting craft services from the grocery store. You know what I mean? So you definitely can’t have any sort of airs about it.”
By necessity, he said, his company Fahrenheit Films also has a Vancouver office.
“I felt I had to have one foot out — that started around 2012 — because there was so much uncertainty about our industry in Saskatchewan. You always feel that the hammer’s going to drop and ... you just never when the death cuts are going to come,” said Hrynchuk.
“If Creative Sask got eliminated, that would be the end of the industry. (Or) if Citytv stopped (commissioning) shows,” added Hrynchuk.
“It’s like one year at a time.”
■ THURSDAY: TIM THURMEIER SCRAPES BY AS A FREELANCE EDITOR IN REGINA