'And ... action!': With new funding Saskatchewan's film industry is scrambling to find crew

A wave of new productions in Saskatchewan has local filmmakers feeling more optimistic these days, signalling a turnaround for an industry once devastated by funding cuts.

When the Saskatchewan Party government eliminated the film tax credit in 2012, productions fled the province and many local crew members followed in pursuit of work. A decade later, a newly established a production grant is luring the production companies back.

Now they are scrambling to find enough crew members for all the work.

"It's a problem, but it's a good problem," said Mike MacNaughton, board president of the Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association.

"It's way better than the alternative problem which is, you know, nothing going on.… Film is a viable career option here in Saskatchewan now."

In 2022, Creative Saskatchewan, the agency responsible for film productions in the province, established a film production grant that covers 30 per cent of any expenditures made in Saskatchewan to a maximum of $5 million.

Die Alone, the new feature film from Saskatchewan filmmaker and WolfCop franchise creator Lowell Dean, opened in theatres last week. It was shot in the Regina and Qu'appelle Valley areas last summer, something that couldn't have happened without the new production grant, Dean says.

"When I was making the WolfCop films, you would kind of top out around the $2-million mark for a film, so it would have literally been impossible to make this film here had they not revised the grant system," Dean said. "I predict it's going to mean great things for our local industry."

Jessica Gares is in post-production for her short film Maneater. The Regina filmmaker also works behind the scenes on other productions and she's been busier than ever.

"In the last couple years — last year for sure — you see just how many more productions there are. It's very evident there's way more work, and I can support myself with purely film work," Gares said.

"I think we need more crew. That is something that's become very evident this summer with all the productions that were happening."

More films, more spin-offs

A successful film made in Saskatchewan can act like a calling card to attract future productions, Dean says. 

"To be in theatres is crazy so I really hope people will support it," Dean said. "I hope that Saskatchewan especially will go to their local theatre and you know, just this once, go see a Saskatchewan movie instead of something else, just to prove that there is a desire for it."

The roughly $7-million budget for Die Alone is small by Hollywood standards, but one of the largest for a film produced in Saskatchewan in about 15 years, says Kevin DeWalt, CEO of Regina's Minds Eye Entertainment and Die Alone producer.

"For every dollar that you spend in the province on this industry, it generates another $5 to $6 in economic activity," DeWalt said.

"And it's not just on crew and labour —  it's on hotels, it's on food, it's on construction. We build sets, we rent a ton of vehicles. Wherever we shoot, we spend money, which is very positive for Saskatchewan's economy."

Before the province cut the tax credit, Minds Eye Entertainment had work for three film crews with 75 to 100 people per crew. DeWalt says many of them left the province to find other film work, but with the new production grant, the company is rebuilding its numbers to keep up with demand.

But it's not easy to do after a decade of brain drain, so the industry is trying to create opportunities for inexperienced rookies. The Die Alone production hired dozens of untested crew so they could train alongside veterans.

"We're in a constant mode of trying to expand or fill our crew base, and the only way to do that is you need to train people on set," said McNaughton.

"So they need to be able to get on to a set and work with qualified and experienced folks.…Then they can start to build their careers and their experience level so that when the next film comes along they're that much better prepared."

New opportunities

The labour shortage is also good for emerging filmmakers and crew members, who get more opportunities than they would in more competitive markets.

"We're being thrown into positions with way more responsibility than we've ever had to deal with before. But people are stepping up," Gares said.

"Yes, the person that you might be hiring might not have been a first assistant director on a feature film before … but the film can still happen and still be really successful, and then that person is learning a lot of new skills."