"'Hollywood North'", an
allusion to
Hollywood,
California, the most notable
film centre in the world, is a
colloquialism used to describe
film production locations and or film gatherings located north of its namesake. The term has been applied principally to the
film industry in Canada, specifically
Vancouver and
Toronto. It is also used to refer to several
California locations north of the original Hollywood, including
San Francisco,
Silicon Valley,
[1][2][3] and the
Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
[4]
Canada
The term "Hollywood North", with regards to
Canada has been in use as far back as 1981
[5] and is the title of the book ''Hollywood North: The Feature Film Industry in British Columbia''.
[6][7] While the term is predominantly used in relation to
Vancouver,
British Columbia[8][9][10][11] and
Toronto,
Ontario,
[12][13][14] it is now common for the term to be used to described the entire Canadian film industry.
[15][16]
In the American film industry, the loss of film productions to foreign locations such as Canada is known as "
runaway production". Groups such as The Film and Television Action Committee have lobbied the U.S. government to enforce
World Trade Organization agreements and to protect U.S. workers from what they say are unfair trade practices and
outsourcing of American jobs to other countries, including Canada.
Vancouver
:''See also: '', ''
Nicknamed "Hollywood North"
[17], Vancouver has been used as a filmmaking location for nearly a century, beginning with ''The Cowpuncher's Glove'' and ''The Ship's Husband'', both shot in 1910 by the
Edison Manufacturing Company.
[18] As a production centre for feature films shot in British Columbia; it has led Canada's other cities for feature films since 1999.
[19][20][21] In 2002, 75% of all Canadian foreign productions were based in British Columbia and Ontario. That same year British Columbia led the country in foreign film production receiving 44% of the Canadian total.
15 Presently, Vancouver is
North America's third-largest film centre,
[22][23] just after
Los Angeles and
New York.
[24][25][26] It is second to Los Angeles in television production in the world.
[27]
Lions Gate Studios and
Vancouver Film Studios are among the two largest special effects stages in Canada.
248 VFS being the largest production facility outside of
Los Angeles[28] On a world-wide scale,
Bridge Studios, in
Greater Vancouver, has one of the largest special effects stages in North America.
24
The BC Film Commission reported that in 2005, more than 200 productions were completed in B.C.: 63 feature films, 31 television series, 37 movies-of-the-week, 15 television pilots, 5 miniseries, 20 documentaries, 16 short films and 24 animation projects.
[29]. In 2006, spending on film and TV production in B.C. was $1.228 Billion. .
[30]
Vancouver is 1,725 kilometres (1,072 miles) from
Hollywood, a three hour airplane flight
[31] or a two to three day drive. This relative proximity coupled with Canadian government subsidies is a major factor in the growth of Vancouver's production industry.
[32] Proximity reduces issues over operating hours, accessibility, travel time for principals, access to filmmaking infrastructure, and experience of crews (the closer to Hollywood, the better and more experienced the crew).
Several books outline the evolution of the Vancouver production community, including ''Hollywood North: The Feature Film Industry in British Columbia'',
''Dreaming in the Rain: How Vancouver Became Hollywood North by Northwest'',
[33] and ''Hollywood North: The Feature Film Industry in British Columbia: An article from: Business History Review''.
[34]
Toronto
Hollywood North 2004 Film
:''See also: , ''
Since at least the 1980s, Toronto has been associated with the nickname 'Hollywood North.'
[35] Toronto ranks third in film and television production in North America
[36] and ranks second as an exporter of television programming in
North America.
[37]. Toronto is the home base for
Alliance Atlantis productions, the largest movie and television productions company in Canada,
[38], which produces and distributes films and television across all of North America and parts of
Europe.
[39] Toronto is also the headquarters of
Nelvana, the largest animation company in Canada and one of the largest animation/children's entertainment studios in the world.
The Toronto Film and Television Office reported that in 2005 some 200 productions were completed in Toronto: 39 features, and 44 movies made for television, 84 television series, 11 television specials, and 22 MOW's (movies of the week).
[40] The Toronto Film and Television Office issued 4,154 location filming permits for 1,258 projects totalling 7,319 days of shooting.
[41] Ontario is the only Canadian province to have an office in Los Angeles: the Toronto Ontario Film Office.
[42][43]
In addition to being a productions centre, Toronto is the home to the
Toronto International Film Festival, the largest film festival in North America and second to the
Cannes festival globally.
[44] It attracts numerous high-profile actors and film makers form around the globe to premiere their Films in Toronto and is generally considered the point to which the
Oscar races begin.
[45][46] 
Poster for the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto is home to
Canada's Walk of Fame, based on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, albeit honouring notable Canadians.
Former Toronto Mayor
Mel Lastman proclaimed Toronto as being "Hollywood North" in 2002,
[47] the same year which Toronto's film and television production industry accounted for $1.16 billion towards the city's economy.
[48] However, in 2006, film and TV spending in Ontario was only $888 million.
[49]
Toronto's media outlets include
CBC Television,
MTV,
MuchMusic,
YTV, and ''
Entertainment Tonight''. Toronto usually hosts the
Gemini Awards, and between 1970 and 2006, Toronto has hosted 28 of the 36
Juno Awards.
San Francisco and the Bay Area
The
City of San Francisco has been used as a shooting location at least as far back as ''Illustrated Photographs in Motion'' was filmed there in 1880. Several other early documentary films feature films have been shot there in the years since.
[50] San Francisco and the Bay Area have had a vibrant filmmaking community ever since, hosting several notable filmmakers including
George Lucas,
Francis Ford Coppola,
Wayne Wang,
Saul Zaentz, and their respective movie studios and production companies. San Francisco was also a favorite shooting location for master film director
Alfred Hitchcock, who filmed ''
The Birds''
[51] and ''
Vertigo''
[52] in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Movie and special effects studios in the San Francisco Bay Area include George Lucas'
Lucasfilm,
visual effects masters
Industrial Light & Magic, and Lucas'
Skywalker Ranch, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope, The
Saul Zaentz Film Center in
Berkeley, Matte World Digital,
The Orphanage, Giant Killer Robots,
Disney's and
John Lasseter's
Pixar animation studios, and PDA/
Dreamworks.
Since 1957 San Francisco has been the home of the
San Francisco International Film Festival, the longest-running and first international film festival on the North American continent.
[ About ] [53] The first San Francisco International Film Festival hosted films by
Satyajit Ray,
Luchino Visconti, and
Michelangelo Antonioni among others.
53
''Hollywood North'' the film
The 2003 feature film ''Hollywood North'', starring
Matthew Modine and
Jennifer Tilly, is a
mockumentary detailing the struggles of two Canadian movie producers in Toronto circa 1979.
[54]
See also
★
List of filming locations in and around Vancouver
★
List of films filmed in Toronto
★
List of films set in Toronto
★
List of films set in San Francisco
★
Cinema of Canada
★
Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood
★
Runaway production
References
1. Hollywood North, Silicon Valley South
2. SiliconBeat: "George Lucas' Hollywood North" - Mercury News by Mary Anne Ostrom
3. SF Gate.com San Francisco Chronical - "Google Team sets sights on big screen" by Verne Kopytoff
4. Hollywood North Comes of Age: The Twentieth Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival D.J. Palladino
5. Pay Television Judy Steed
6. Hollywood North: The Feature Film Industry in British Columbia, , Mike, Gasher, University of British Columbia Press, , ISBN 0-774809-67-1
7. Hollywood
8. History of Vancouver Film Studios
9. CBC: Searched for 'Hollywood North'
10. "Hollywood North Vancouver"
11. 'Hollywood North' to grow again
12. New numbers confirm Toronto's rank as Hollywood North
13. SARS costs for 'Hollywood North' and more
14. "Hollywood North Toronto"
15. Hollywood North: The Canadian film industry
16. U.S. tax change may affect 'Hollywood North'
17. Mike Gasher. ''Hollywood North: The Feature Film Industry in British Columbia.'' Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2002. p. 8.
18. Ken MacIntyre. ''Reel Vancouver.'' Vancouver: Whitecap Books, 1996. p. 133.
19. Foreign location production spending, British Columbia and Canada
20. Number of Productions 1993-2005
21. Tax scare in Hollywood North
22. Industry Profile
23. Film in BC, Canada
24. BC Film Industry
25. Vancouver Film Industry
26. About HNR
27. Some 'useless' facts about Vancouver
28. Vancouver Film Industry Overview & Links
29. Mayor's Office Release
30. ?
31. Flights to Los Angeles (LAX) from Vancouver, Canada (YVR) on Mexicana
32. B.C. tries to build up Hollywood North
33. Dreaming in the Rain: How Vancouver Became Hollywood North by Northwest, , David, Spaner, Arsenal Pulp Press, , ISBN 1551521296
34. Hollywood North: The Feature Film Industry in British Columbia: An article from: Business History Review, , John, Trumpbour, Harvard Business School, ,
35. Toronto has Earned a New Title
36. The news from home
37. Toronto Facts
38. Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. Company Profile
39. Marquette University (AIM) Program
40. TFTO Statistical Chart
41. A snapshot: film, television, commercial and music video production in Toronto
42. The Development of Film Policy in Canada and Japan-Pg.11
43. The Right Move:Relocating to Toronto
44. Film Festival Guide Scott Tobias
45. Toronto fires starter's gun for Oscar race
46. Top Oscar rivals emerge from Toronto Tom O'Neil
47. New numbers confirm Toronto's rank as Hollywood North
48. Toronto Staff Report
49. [1]
50. Northern California Movies
51. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Filming Locations - The Birds
52. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Filming Locations - Vertigo
53. HOW THE SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL STARTED Traude Gómez
54. Movie Details: Hollywood North (2004)
External links
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
