Vancouver Never Plays Itself
Around 15 years ago, my older sister and her friends spent a day running around our home city trying to track down the ongoing production of Twilight. 10 years after that, I visited a friend's house only to find it covered in cameras and other film equipment; he explained that a small film production had asked to use his home as a set. And even now, after leaving my hometown behind, the occasional glimpse of familiar buildings and landscapes in the background of new movies gives me a reminder of home… But I’m not from LA. I’m not from New York. I’m from Vancouver, Hollywood North, quietly the third largest film production city in North America, and the city that never plays itself.
Most people are surprised to hear about the size of Vancouver’s film industry. How is it that a Canadian city barely making the top 30 largest metro areas in North America punches so far above its weight in the Western film industry? Some of the reasons are very deliberate. One aspect of British Columbia’s appeal to film projects is the 35% tax credit available to film and TV projects. This, in addition to the relative value of the Canadian dollar to the American dollar, makes the cost savings from filming in Vancouver significant. For the most part, it’s a win-win: producers cut costs on their projects and the local economy benefits from the boost in demand and the creation of jobs on sets. And yet, with the vast majority of projects being exported from Hollywood, Vancouver has become a creative means, rather than inciting creative inspiration. For all the projects that are filmed there, they never seem to capture the genuine feel of the city. How could they, after all, when Vancouver never plays itself.
This is at least partially the fault of Vancouver’s chameleon-like architecture, geography, and weather. Indeed, it would seem that the glass and concrete skyscrapers make for a good imitation of practically any city, from San Francisco in Godzilla to Pyongyang in The Interview. Meanwhile, the nearby nature provides convincing wilderness scenes, and the famously drab and overcast weather creates a neutral backdrop for filmmakers to impose their vision. It also helps that the years of film production have helped to develop a strong cultural infrastructure. Although much of the talent working in Vancouver, both in front and behind the camera, is from elsewhere, lots of locals, many of whom attended one of the city’s many film schools, are readily available to fill in the gaps. So much activity also makes for a fairly lively indie and student film scene. And yet, it is tragic that, amidst all of the passion for film that is present in Vancouver, no one has managed to create a film that teems with passion for the city itself.
People often speak about the character of cities like New York with its sleepless energy and LA with its glamour and stardom playing a part in films and TV shows, and I know that a similar pride for Vancouver exists, but it hasn’t been captured in the same way. Free from the confines of the professional industry, the most I’ve seen the city come to life was competing in student short-film festivals, when filming in the rain was unavoidable and fitting a Vancouver landmark into the frame was the coolest thing in the world. It seems that too many big projects prefer the safety of re-creating established settings, even when something new and unique is right in front of them. It still makes me smile whenever I recognize Vancouver, but the subtlety of its appearance also hurts. I can just imagine Hollywood directors and cinematographers trying to work around how best to mask Vancouver’s identity, and I wish we could rebel. I wish our talented people could share their vision. I wish that the camera crew, dominated by Vancouver natives, could zoom out into a grand establishing shot of their home. Just once, I want a sweeping frame that doesn’t hide, but highlights the ships scattered in the harbour, the green towers of the Lion’s Gate Bridge, and the looming North Shore Mountains in the distance. There are stories to be told here, I know it… But until the camera is pointed at Vancouver instead of being propped up by it, Vancouver will remain the city that never plays itself.