Cay ’ fs QQ: to open RALPH ALDERMAN sits in a dusty trailer which serves as a makeshift office, surrounded by the high-pitched whirl of drills and incessant hammering. Outside on the former Park and Tilford Distillery site, workers trade loud bellows as they put the finishing touches on the $25 mil- lion North Shore Studios, which, if all goes according to plan, should be completed by the fall. Alderman, general manager of the project, will be the first to celebrate when Canada’s largest film studio opens Sept. 9, 2% years after-Cannell Studios first announced its intention to build the studio complex. sh ns NORTH Shore Studics genersi manager Ralph Aidermon....“‘B.C. can become the crown of filming in Canada...’’ Now, however, ‘ie is more con- cerned with dispelling some of the myths suvrounding she studio. One such myth is the misconception of just what is being built. “There are still many people who don’t believe the studio is be- ing constructed,’” says Alderman, despite the fact that the complex is now 70 per cent complete. **People think we're building condos here. It’s mildiy distress- ing,’” he says, somewhat vexed. - Another misnomer is the name of the studic, “It is not the Can- neli Studios. It is the North Shore Studios,’’ Alderman clarifies. ‘Cannell Studios (of Canada) is just one tenant. The studio is a joint venture between Cormweb Corporation (a Toronto-based firm headed by Paul Bronfman) and (the U.S.) Cannell Studios.”” It’s not hard to see why peopic are confused about what is going on at 555 Brooksbank Avenue. For the past two years there By EVELYN JACOB lews Reporter have been conflicting reports over the status of the project, including charges that the company planned to flip the land, that the studio was in financial trouble, and specula- tion that the project would be scrapped because of problems with union negotiations. Alderman conceded that the project hinged on successful union negotiations and cooperative local governments. But he said the company always intended to go ahead with the project. Last year the company settled a three-year contract with the Mo- tion Picture Production Techni- cians focal 891 and the Interna- tional Photographers local 667 of the International Alliance of The- atrical Stage Employees (I[ATSE), and with Teamsters union focal 155. Since then, Alderman said the company has set full steam ahead with construction, and only minor problems, such as. construction delays, design changes and bad weather have postponed the com- pletion date by about six months. When the 13'4-acre North Shore Studios finally opens for business, Vancouver’s film producing in- dustry will be the envy of the country. The state-of-the-art facility in- cludes 100,000 square feet of office space and 120,000 square feet of manufacturing space, including a screening room, an ADR suite (automatic. dialogue replacing, otherwise known as locping) a sound mixing studio and seven sound stages. TV series, feature films, com- mercials and possibly rock videos will be made in the studio, which will be available to the entertain- ment community as well as Cannell Studios, producers of 21 Jump Street and Wiseguy. “Cannell will take 30 per cent of the space. The rest will be available to other independent producers or corporate producers,’’ said Alderman. Having all the necessary facili- ties in one location will be a huge benefit to producers, who pres- ently have resources scattered Across town. “‘At the moment you have pro- 3 - Wednesday, July 5, 1989 - North Shore News studios ioors in September CONSTRUCTION WORKERS raise the archway at North Shore Studios on the former Park and Tilford site in North Vancouver. The $25 miilion project is scheduled te open for business this September. ducers, who for artistic and eco- nomic reasons, choose to film in B.C. They have to try to find warehouses large enough to make . their film at a reasonable cost. Two things usually happen.’’ he explains. ‘*‘Warehouses that are big, are likely to be torn down, and you have to dea! with sound problems. The motion picture business, by nature, needs as clear a sound as it can get, which puts additional costs on budgets. Nov’, all these facilities will be here. That’s the ultimate plan.’” Cannell Studios chose the North Vancouver location — after view- ing eight alternate sites in B.C. — because of its central location and _the major shopping centre being built next door. But just what the economic spinoff of the studio will mean for - the community, Alderman is not prepared to speculate. *‘At this point we can’t judge the full impact of the economic spinoff. Once we start doing business then we'll see how things develop,”’ he says cautiously, ad- ding that the $605,000 the studio expects to pay in property taxes for 1990 will benefit the local economy. Last year, about $157 million was spent on feature films and television productions shot in B.C. IATSE local 89i president Don Ramsden said during the same time, ‘‘$50 million in wages alone were paid to union and guild members residing largely in the Lower Mainiand.”’ The studio g.m., however, felt compelled to quell any expecta- tions of North Vancouver streets being paved with Hollywood gold. “People have the misconception of the dollars being thrown around in the movie industry. TV is usually deficit financing. Lots of people see the movie industry as a fat lumbering slough coming down an alleyway, and everyone wants to chop off a piece for themselves. By the time it gets to the end of the alley it’s not there anymore.”’ Alderman is not prepared -to commer on how many jobs the studio will create. for locals; beyond that he expects jobs will be created in all areas of the film in- dustry. He points out that of the 50,000 man days of labor used by CANADA DAY celebrations were for young and old alike Saturday. At Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver, a giant cake with a Canadian flag design was 2 hit with children (left photo). In West Vancouver, local residents (above) watch cadets raise the flag during celebrations at Ambleside Landing. Cannell Studios of Canada from June 1987 to Feb 1988, 47,000 of those days were filled by Cana- dians, or 92.8 per cent. As well, 47 per cent of the actors used were Canadian. “Producers are using Canadian actors, and the more production there is, the more opportunities will be open to them.”’ Alderman agreed that some risks associated with building a Cana- dian studio include future union negotiations and the fluctuating value of the Canadian dollar. He says he would be concerned if the two currencies ever reached par. “If a producer can save 25 cents en his budget then that’s where he’s going to go.’’ But for now, he is confident that the studio will be a boon and not a ust. ‘With prudent management, B.C. can become the crown of filming in Canada, and I hope North Shore Studios will become a jewel in that crown.”’ Alderman is equally confident that Vancouver is ready for North Shore Studios. ‘‘If anything it is a touch overdue.”