What gives Ontario its production edge?

TAX CREDITS

Ontario — along with Quebec — offers a 25-per-cent credit on all production spending that takes place in the province.

B.C. offers a 33 percent tax on labour only. Unlike in the U.S., where tax credits vary from state to state, tax credits are like money in the bank for producers and studios.

Veteran producer J. Miles Dale ( Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Mama) said, following an audit, the government will issue a cheque to the holding company for the film, usually within six months. “Within six months, you will just get a cheque — period. It will effectively be a rebate. In a lot of U.S. states, you actually have to sell your tax credit,” Dale said. That means film companies must work through brokers to sell credits — often at 85 cents on the dollar — to corporations seeking to offset their profits and reduce their tax burden, Dale said.

LOCATIONS

“Toronto can cover for a lot of places. Rarely is there a show that you can’t figure out how to fit into Toronto,” said Randi Richmond, vice-president of production for UCP/ NBC Universal, which has brought five series to Cinespace in 2012, including Covert Affairs and Suits.

A DESIRABLE LOCATION FOR STARS AND FILMMAKERS

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro ( Pacific Rim) told the Star’s Linda Barnard in January he loves to film in Toronto and plans to return this summer to shoot a TV series called The Strain — based on the vampire series he cowrote for U.S. cable channel FX — and another thriller in the same vein as Mama by year’s end.

“I love the city, I love the (film) crews first of all. I love the people and then I love the city. I think it’s the most livable city. The food is amazing, the cultural life is amazing . . . and what is great is it’s a city, a proper city. It’s not a big town or a wannabe. I love this city,” del Toro said.

Dale says of Toronto: “The paparazzi is not as bad as it is in Los Angeles for one, and people here are more celebrity-savvy so it’s not a big issue. The actors can feel comfortable. It’s a city that’s used to having filming where people aren’t going crazy when they see trucks. They understand that it’s fairly ‘green,’ labour-intensive business that helps to make the city prosperous.”

The quality of life is important, especially for marquee actors like Colin Farrell ( Total Recall), said Pinewood vice-president Eoin Egan. “Actors will come back again. They really take a slice of city life instead of just coming in and out of work. That’s a big deal. Actors, especially on episodic television, they have to be here for eight to 10 months of the year,” Egan said. “Colin Farrell was active around the town. He used to do yoga and went for jogs in the parks. You can be kind of anonymous here.”

ONTARIO MEDIA DEVELOPMENT CORP. SUPPORT

Egan says the Ontario Film Commission is “very proactive” in enticing filmmakers to the province. Their complimentary services include assisting with travel, hiring location managers for preliminary location scouting, as well as touring locations with producers and directors considering filming in the province.

The OMDC also has a marketing office in Los Angeles, and its website has a digital database of almost 11,000 locations throughout the city and the province — “with over 225,000 digital images.”