Nova Scotia Is A Filmmaker's Haven

Filmmakers from across Canada and around the world are discovering what we already know -- Nova Scotia is a great place to live and do business.

Wayne Grigsby and David MacLeod, of Big Motion Pictures, say one senior executive of Disney's film distribution arm, congratulated them this spring on "figuring it all out." The unnamed executive, who was in the province to work on the new Jason Priestley TV movie, Sleep Murder, said Nova Scotia's "Hollywood-class" film professionals and enviable lifestyle make this the perfect place to live and work.

That was not news to Wayne or David, two Montreal-raised entrepreneurs who came to Nova Scotia in the 1990s as founding principals of the CBC series Black Harbour -- and stayed.

"Once we moved Black Harbour to Nova Scotia, we got a closer look at all of the industrial and economic incentives of locating a production here," says Wayne, who had been in love with the province since visiting here in the 1970s. "The clincher was the quality of the crews and their commitment to projects. They really took the show to heart and made it better. This is the hallmark of Nova Scotia crews. Fundamentally, they are all filmmakers at heart."

The demise of Black Harbour in 1999 did not end the entrepreneurs' love affair with the area. David, whose grandfather hailed from New Glasgow, says he and his partner had discovered they could successfully work in the film industry from Nova Scotia and enjoy a better quality of life at the same time.

The Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation, a provincial Crown corporation reporting to the Minister of Economic Development, was there to provide assistance as the partners created and nurtured Big Motion Pictures -- an independent film and television production company based in Chester.

The film development corporation provides a wide range of programs and services to build the capacity and competitiveness of Nova Scotia's film, television and new media industries. One important component of its work is helping implement investment programs provided by the provincial government. The film industry tax credit and the equity investment program allow local filmmakers to compete with producers from across the country.

"Nova Scotia has an impressive number of talented filmmakers and crews," says Ann MacKenzie, chief executive officer, Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation. "We are fortunate to have investment programs that allow talented people, like Wayne and David, to hone their crafts here in Nova Scotia. Their accomplishments not only reflect well on all of us, they help attract new business to the province."

The corporation "made it easier to get a grip on what was available in the province," says David. Film development corporation staff "provided advice and guidance on how to set up. We didn't have to reinvent the wheel."

And what a success Big Motion has made of it all. The TV movie Blessed Stranger -- which chronicled the impact of the Swissair air disaster on a small, tight-knit fishing community -- earned eight Gemini nominations. In 2002, the Trudeau miniseries won Geminis for best writing, best performance, best directing and best picture editing.

In addition to Sleep Murder, which includes scenes shot this spring in Halifax, Big Motion has also produced the 14-part TV series A Guy & A Girl. It is also developing a prequel to the Trudeau series, a dramatic series titled Political Animals, and a large budget miniseries with Channel 4 in the United Kingdom that will shoot this fall and winter.

The support available and the quality of crews makes it possible, says David, to do any type of program right here in Nova Scotia.

It's a secret that is getting out.