Vancouver can feel like a city that was built to be on film. There are often 23 films in production at the same time in this beautiful area, and many wonder why. When you think of movies, your mind may conjure up California’s images, or possibly New York, but Vancouver can feel like it comes out of left field. Surprisingly, this city has a long and beautiful history in film, and these are the reasons why.
The Views
Vancouver isn’t one to ignore when it comes to looks. The city’s entire layout feels like everyone wants to be able to see the open water from their bedroom. Piers and docks line the coast, allowing for scenic filming and easy access to the water. If someone wanted to do a movie about a man who worked downtown and got lost at sea, they’d only have to drive twenty minutes to get from downtown to the piers. The city skyline itself is gorgeous and offers a metropolitan look to any movie.
The People
There are endless artists in Vancouver. Yearly art crawls show off the creative abilities of those there. Acting is a prevalent past time and career choice, which means many have gotten to play as extras in movies time and time again if they weren’t able to work up to a lead role like Vancouver native Jensen Ackles who moved on to acclaim and fame starring in the hit television show Supernatural. There’s no end to fantastic acting talent to allow studios to cast without having to try too hard.
The Variance
I touched on this while talking about the views, but nothing can compare to Vancouver’s range. You can have summer piers, a city in fall, or suburbs in winter and spring in such a small thumbprint. If you drive a couple of hours, you can end up in Whistler and film a skiing or snowboarding scene. There’s no end to what this land can offer, especially with what it can do for the studio’s wallet; it might make anyone want to look for Vancouver homes for sale.
The Budget
Although most of these answers are fun and exciting, there has to be one buzzkill among the bunch. One of the largest reasons Vancouver is a hot location to film is the tax cuts that companies get to shoot here. British Columbia, and the Canadian government as a whole, offer tax cuts to anyone who films in the area. It’s cheaper for studios to film here than it is in the United States in the long term. Money makes decisions, which might be the largest reason these businesses choose Vancouver as their backdrop.
The History
Filming on Vancouver Island means that you’re filming on hallowed ground. Hundreds of box office success stories were born here. The full list would surprise you, but big-name movies from Deadpool to Star Trek called this area home, and many more are sure to come. Vancouver is a perfectly placed city, home to so much variety and change that anyone could fall in love with it.
