You really couldn鈥檛 blame Kathleen Gilbert for feeling as if she were reliving the summer of 2002 this week.
The Victoria film commissioner was commenting on a current trend on our film and TV production scene 鈥� a recent and sudden increase in star power.
鈥淚n that regard, this has been the best year since X-Men,鈥� said Gilbert, flashing back to the year Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman and castmates attracted stargazers when X-Men 2 started shooting here.
The buzz generated by celebrity visitors that year wasn鈥檛 matched until 2014, when the Fox series Gracepoint attracted a sterling cast headed by David Tennant, Anna Gunn, Nick Nolte and Michael Pena.
Indeed, we鈥檝e seen a lot more A-listers here than usual lately, starting with Ryan Reynolds鈥檚 surprise appearance at Hatley Castle in June to shoot scenes for Deadpool 2, and Johnny Depp鈥檚 August visit to the same location, doubling as a college in the eastern U.S. for Richard Says Goodbye.
Oscar-winner Casey Affleck also created a stir in Maple Bay last March when he showed up to film scenes for Light of My Life.
Sooke also got into the action big time last Monday when the cameras began rolling on Elsewhere, writer-director Hernan Jimenez鈥檚 humour-laced drama starring Aden Young (Rectify) as a man who, after being evicted, is determined to reclaim the seaside cottage he built with his late wife.
The film鈥檚 high-wattage cast includes indie queen Parker Posey (Waiting for Guffman), Beau Bridges (The Descendants), Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom) and Ken Jeong, whose over-the-top performance as a flamboyant Chinese gangster in The Hangover trilogy likely accounted for so many fans showing up hoping to catch him in action.
Elsewhere, which the commission began trying to land in May, is one of 21 鈥渧isiting鈥� productions of all sizes that have filmed here in whole or in part so far this year, with a direct spend of about $10 million.
Other locally lensed projects include made-for-TV movies such as The Christmas Calendar, new instalments for the Hallmark series A Fixer Upper Mystery, An Emma Fielding Mystery and The Gourmet Detective; Reboot: The Guardian Code; national A&W and Canadian Tire commercials; the web series Spiral; the documentary Bachman; the docudrama The Doctor鈥檚 Case; and footage for the Liam Neeson feature Hard Powder.
Singer-songwriter Jewel is also back to reprise her role as renovation expert Shannon Hughes in her third entry for A Fixer Upper Mystery series, produced here by Front Street Pictures and Muse Entertainment.
鈥淲e鈥檙e pretty excited,鈥� said Gilbert. 鈥淲e can push not just the economic benefits but the excitement. It brings a lot of attention to Victoria and now Sooke as well. People are saying: 鈥楽ooke? Where is that?鈥� 鈥�
Aside from the star power, the region has been particularly busy this month, with cameras rolling on three movies here today 鈥� Pup Star 3: World Tour, which wraps this weekend, Fixer Upper 3 and Elsewhere.
Front Street鈥檚 next Emma Fielding entry is also scheduled to roll later this fall, and there has been talk that footage for an episode of CBC TV鈥檚 popular series Murdoch Mysteriescould be captured during a mini-shoot in October. 鈥淲ith Murdoch Mysteries, it鈥檚 great that we鈥檝e got some Canadian content,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great show with a worldwide following. I love it when we get to tell our own stories.鈥�
Movie magic also prompted double takes outside the Cineplex Odeon last Sunday morning before a red-carpet screening of Air Bud Entertainment鈥檚 two family-friendly features filmed here 鈥� Pup Star and Pup Star 2: Better 2Gether, with star Makenzie Moss and the Yorkie pup that plays her canine companion Tiny in attendance, alongside cast, crew and fans.
Meanwhile, Film Cowichan鈥檚 new film co-ordinator, Laura Leppard, and her associates are pumped about the prospect of increased production in the Cowichan region with availability of a potential new studio space.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fantastic space and as long as it gets rented out by the film industry, it could really create economic spinoffs,鈥� said Leppard, referring to the former Rona building at Cowichan Commons.
Lowe鈥檚 sa国际传媒 has granted permission for the 73,000-square-foot building to be sub-leased as a potential production facility before the company鈥檚 lease expires next September.
With two large warehouse areas, office and boardroom space, lots of secure parking and high ceilings, it鈥檚 ideal for use by producers of major film and TV projects, she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity because there鈥檚 not a lot of studio space in Vancouver, and it鈥檚 in line with pricing for other rentals and it鈥檚 in an industrial area,鈥� said Leppard, who has established a set of filming guidelines for the Cowichan Valley, which has seen $29 million in economic benefits from filming over the past decade.
