Your home could star in movies and tv series!

by Samantha Quantz, Locations Officer, Edmonton Screen Industries Office

Film and television productions are always on the look-out for unique locations. Do you recognize this location? Do you recall the Emmy Award Winning Apple Christmas Commercial “Misunderstood”? The Edmonton region has served as the backdrop for popular movies like The Assassination of Jesse James, Cut Bank, and Christmas in Wonderland. Click on links to watch their trailers. Recognize any locations?

As the screen-industries start back up after many changes for health and safety during the pandemic, productions are looking for fresh locations to use for filming movies and tv series. Historic homes are in demand as filming locations, especially for Hallmark-style films, period dramas and westerns.

The Edmonton Screen Industries Office (ESIO) is working with Alberta Film to showcase Edmonton region locations on a new software program called Reel Scout. The program allows directors, producers and location scouts from all over the world to look at what kind of locations are offered in each area and is very successful in centres such as Vancouver. Here’s a link to the library: https://alberta.reel-scout.com/loc_results.aspx

Film and tv production has a positive economic impact on the local community, with spending on local vendors and locations, and job creation for many local crew members. Alberta municipalities are showing support of the film and television production industry and the ESIO are working to prepare our region to attract more guest productions. Here’s a video about how filming has positively impacted the community of Didsbury, AB: https://youtube.com/watch?v=i6bL2hoR4CM

The Highlands neighbourhood would be an attractive setting for a variety of tv and movie genres, and the ESIO is inviting Highlands homeowners to participate in the locations library initiative. The ESIO works with participating locations to collect existing photos and/or arrange for a location scout to photograph the location at no cost to the homeowner.

Photos of participating locations are uploaded to the Alberta Film locations library and would be contacted by the ESIO if a production inquires regarding potential filming projects. If you are interested in the project, productions would negotiate rental fees with you directly and locations owners always have the right of refusal. Only photos of home exteriors are visible to the public and addresses are not public either.

Productions provide home owners with a location agreement (ESIO can help you with negotiations if needed) and general liability insurance before filming commences. In the location agreement, it will outline dates, times, fees, and provisions for any damage.

Participation in the locations library initiative does not mean permission for any productions to film at your location, only that you would be open to considering a project, if one is interested in your location.

If you are interested in participating in the locations library initiative or would like more information, please email us at: locations@edmontonscreen.com or call (780) 362-2347 to speak with Samantha.