Business Degrees in Entertainment in Vancouver

Vancouver appeals to Hollywood producers because it is in the same time zone as Los Angeles, an easy two-hour plane trip away, has moderate temperatures year-round, with up to 16 hours of daylight in the summer.

Production costs in Vancouver also tend to be lower than in Hollywood or New York, and the exchange rate between the Canadian and U.S. dollar is often favorable. The B.C. provincial government also provides attractive tax credits (up to 25 percent of local labor costs) to U.S. producers.

Permission to film in British Columbia is streamlined due to a policy that actually states, "The government will start from 'yes.'" Provincial and municipal film offices and even the parks board have highly developed location support departments, with Community Affairs offices that help coordinate with impacted neighborhoods. That offers filmmakers the opportunity to make use of Vancouver's urban setting, its long coastline, the Coast Mountain Range, or the forests and rivers that offer lens-loving backdrops.

In fact, many of the movies and television shows you watch may actually have been filmed in and around Vancouver.

• The "Twilight" books may take place in Forks, Washington, but it's the forests and soundstages of B.C. where the films "Twilight," "New Moon," "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn" were shot.
   
• The SyFy channel series "Battlestar Galactica" was filmed at the 64,000 square-foot Canadian Motion Picture Park Studios in nearby Burnaby, while Vancouver landmarks like the Orpheum Theatre, the Waterfall building and the Vancouver Art Gallery served as otherworldly locations

Vancouver often acts a stand-in for cities in the United States:

• CW's "Reaper" and Showtime's "Dead Like Me," set in Seattle, were filmed in the Canadian city.
• The American ideal of "Smallville" is created in the nearby suburbs of Surrey and Aldergrove.
• New York's Museum of Natural History in "Night at the Museum" was really a B.C. soundstage.
• Vancouver even substituted for Los Angeles in Showtime's "The L Word."

For those with the skills, education and ambition, Vancouver has plenty of career opportunity, with over 80 film and television production houses making Vancouver their first or second home. Major film producer Lionsgate, named after Vancouver's landmark bridge, is based there and so is Canada's largest independent production company, Insight Film Studios.

In addition to live-action production, Vancouver also creates plenty of animation for children's programming, led by companies like Studio B Productions. That talent pool has drawn computer-animation pioneer Pixar to open a facility in Vancouver to produce short films, TV series and DVD films.

Finding a Business Degree in Entertainment in Vancouver

This largest metropolis of western Canada provides sophisticated living with many schools where you can learn filmmaking or earn a business degree in entertainment. Vancouver offers programs where you can learn hands-on film production skills:

• The Vancouver Film School offers a single year intensive program
• The Art Institute of Vancouver has a complete Media Arts curriculum
• Langara College offers professional training in Digital Film Production
• Simon Fraser University has both a business school and arts programs in either film or interactive arts/technology
• Arbutus College, Ashton College and The University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business all offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate business degrees in entertainment

While Vancouver remains economically strong, its film business, like other cities, is feeling some stress. A downturn has hurt the entertainment industry everywhere, and firms such as Insight Film Studios have had to lay off some employees. The city also faces competition from other Canadian provinces like Ontario and Quebec, which have begun to offer equally attractive tax credits as well.

But despite the current business climate, Vancouver's natural climate stays the same, granting it an edge over Canada's other snowbound cities in visual appeal and accessibility. Its easygoing policies in regard to filming—and the wealth of educational business degrees in entertainment—make Vancouver an exciting city to achieve your degree and career goals. You'll be part of the bright lights and bustle of the movie or television industry, applying your business degree in entertainment acumen to a position in a Vancouver-based film production management office, a digital film production role, or in a critical behind-the-scenes job, such as production accountant or film publicity and promotions director.