B.C. is playing itself more often in movies and shows, boosting local industry, film insiders say

Vancouver has long stood in for other locales like Seattle, New York and fictional communities featured in holiday rom-coms in films and television.

Kamloops, meanwhile, has stood in for California, Smithers played Antarctica and Victoria has taken on the role of Massachusetts.

So it’s a special occasion for crews and local cinephiles when a project is shot and set in the province, according to industry experts — and something that’s happening more and more, they say. 

Take, for instance, Allegiance, a CBC production filmed in Surrey, B.C. — where the series is also set. 

Executive producer Tex Antonucci, who was born and raised in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, said crews enjoy being able to work on projects in their home communities. When they’re set here, filmmakers work to make the content more relatable for a local audience. 

“There’s a sense of pride,” he said. 

B.C. communities have played themselves in the past — Da Vinci’s Inquest took place in Vancouver, as did the sci-fi series Continuum.

Vancouver has long been considered Hollywood North, as it offers a variety of film locations and talented local crews, B.C. film commissioner Marnie Gee said. 

But Gee agreed that the province does seem to be getting the opportunity to play itself more than ever before, particularly in the last 10 years or so. 

“We’ve been playing other cities, other countries, other continents for decades,” she said. 

“We’ve certainly noticed in the last few years with domestic productions that there are more popping up where we’re actually playing [British Columbia].”

Among works made and set in B.C. in recent years are Riceboy Sleeps, Fakes, Family Law and Under the Bridge.

More exposure for B.C. film industry

Actor and director Omari Newton, head of the acting department at Vancouver Film School, said the more stories set and shot in B.C., the more exposure the province will get, which could lead to more work for the local industry as a whole. 

He said there’s a perception in the film industry that American viewers — a massive audience base — think stories set in the U.S. are more relatable, so they often make a project in B.C. but transform it into an American location. 

This adds a layer of complexity for Canadian actors, he said, who have to learn specific accents to help make the story more authentic.

“It’s cool just to come as you are and just speak with your own regular voice and your own regular accent rather than having to kind of sound like a standard generic American,” Newton said.

He added that it’s helped having big names like Seth Rogen and Ryan Reynolds share their hometown Vancouver pride and even make movies here, and he hopes other actors, writers and producers consider this when pitching new projects. 

“If people who are behind the scenes and our producers have a love and affinity for the city [and advocate] for playing itself, it’ll happen more,” he said. “I think it’ll take more people with clout — profile people on the producing and writing end — to push for the city to be itself.”

As well, Gee said the province and local governments, who offer tax incentives and make space for filming, make all the difference in bringing local stories to the screen. 

“Production couldn’t operate in the province without that,” she said. 

Earlier this month, the province said it would increase tax incentives for international film products from 28 per cent to 36 per cent, and Canadian-made projects from 35 to 36 per cent.

Finance Minister Brenda Bailey went to Los Angeles in November on a mission to promote B.C.’s film industry, meeting with decision-makers at Warner Bros., for example. 

At the time, she told CBC News that more than 47,000 people work in TV and film production in British Columbia, and said the industry brings $3.3 billion into the province’s economy each year.