Cambridge becoming a ‘film-friendly’ city
River views, architecture and a good attitude are bringing more crews here
CAMBRIDGE — A quaint coffee shop in downtown Cambridge has been getting a lot of curious visitors lately. They all want to hear about the exploding café window.
In one episode of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” shot in Cambridge last year, one of Grand Café’s windows was replaced with candy glass for a scene in which the window explodes.
“Sometimes my staff will have to stop and give people a little tour,” said Michelle George, owner of the café.
Her coffee shop is perched at the edge of the Grand River and the Main Street Bridge, so it’s a popular spot for filming when production crews come to town.
The sight of film trucks is becoming common in
downtown Cambridge as the city strives to be more “film-friendly.”
From “Murdoch Mysteries” to “American Gods” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the picturesque Grand River winding through an architecturally-rich downtown core attracts film companies from far and wide.
“First and foremost, they come for the river,” said Devon Hogue, economic development officer with the City of Cambridge.
“Once they are here, they fall in love with the built architecture. That’s not something you can get very easily in Toronto or Hamilton.”
Hogue’s primary job for the last year has been to help production companies with their needs when they choose to shoot a film or television series in Cambridge.
She helps crews with road closures and parking, issuing filming notices, and to find local accommodations if they need it.
Hogue cuts through the red tape to make Cambridge a film-friendly place.
Companies are seeking out the European flair the city has to offer just an hour’s drive from Toronto to shoot period pieces and pretty riverside scenes.
Last year 15 different projects were filmed in Cambridge over 21 days. It’s gone up compared to 12 projects over 15 days the year before. The city estimates it brought in $1.2 million in economic revenue in 2016.
This year there have been seven shoots, with three more scheduled so far. Hogue’s phone has been ringing nonstop lately because August kicks off the busy season for the film industry.
This week, a new CBC Television series called “Frankie Drake Mysteries” took over a private home in Galt for two days. The spinoff of “Murdoch Mysteries” is about a female private detective in 1920s Toronto. The production team needed to find the right home to fit the early 20th century vibe it was looking for.
Galt proved to be a treasure trove. A large, red-brick house on a quiet street was transformed into a film set.
The driveway was covered in tightly coiled nests of thick electrical cords and spotlights.
“Cambridge has a lot of wellpreserved period homes,” said Cal Coons, show runner for “Frankie Drake Mysteries.”
Even in the early beginnings of “Murdoch Mysteries,” Coons — who is responsible for creative decisions — said Cambridge was ideal because of its rich architecture and because it’s a “film-friendly” city.
“From a creative point of view, Cambridge just looks great. It’s hard to find these places.”
He loves the river and said it offers an interesting view with its elegant bridges and skyline dotted with church spires.
The Grand’s rushing waters and the river walk alongside it were also prominently featured in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
“It made Cambridge look good,” Hogue said with a laugh.
In fact, Cambridge is so noticeable in the popular series based on Margaret Atwood’s book that Hogue is getting lots of calls from people asking where certain scenes were shot so they can visit those spots.
“Seeing Cambridge on the screen creates a sense of community pride,” she said.
It could even be a source of tourism in the near future. The thought of more visitors coming to the core is promising to George, because the owner of Grand Café said it isn’t all fun and glory when a film crew rolls in, especially when your business is located in such a scenic location.
George said it can be frustrating when she only gets a few days notice that filming on the Main Street Bridge or nearby will force her to shut down her café. In the past year the business has been affected by four productions.
While production companies do reimburse business owners for a loss in sales, she said it can be difficult to handle irate regular customers. Sometimes production companies will pay George extra for the inconvenience of being forced to shut down shop.
“The usual experience is good,” she said.
When “The Handmaid’s Tale” took over her café to shoot the exploding window scene, things did get a bit out of control.
“It went a little awry and blew out another window,” George said. The explosion also embedded bits of glass into an opposing wall inside the café, but George appreciated that the production company paid for all the damages.
On the other side of the river, Graham Braun fondly remembers the time Rachel McAdams walked into his café, Monigram Coffee Roasters, to buy coffee.
“That was really exciting,” he said, adding that she was in town to attend a media event in Langdon Hall.
Braun is also chair of the Galt Business Improvement Area and he said the organization is always excited when a film crew rolls into downtown Galt.
“It’s a good vibe because lots of people come downtown,” he explained. “It’s definitely got a positive financial impact, too.”
But sometimes there are complaints. They are often about road closures and film trucks blocking businesses, Braun said.
The city tries to give as much notice to residents as possible when a closure is planned, but Hogue said it can be difficult because the city often gets little notice from the companies themselves.
“It can be a fine balance between the community and the production.” Communication with the public is going to become even more crucial as more film crews are choosing to come to Cambridge. Hogue said the number of inquiries from production companies looking for places to shoot has doubled since 2015.
“It’s a word of mouth industry and it’s about creating relationships.”
James Goodram, director of economic development at the city, said many municipalities do not have a dedicated staff person to assist production companies with what they need.
“I think what we’ve created is that point of contact. We’re getting a reputation and we’re starting to become recognized for that.”
Goodram said it is difficult to quantify the economic benefits of filming in Cambridge and it also depends on how long a production will be in town.
The city calculates estimates by asking companies what they spent in Cambridge. That’s how it came to the $1.2 million number.
With “The Handmaid’s Tale” returning to Cambridge next month, city staff and business owners are ready for possibly bigger crowds of spectators.
“I just think it’s great for our community,” Hogue said.
The city put together online maps to mark the locations some scenes were shot in “The Handmaid’s Tale” and other films and series.