The theatre filled with cheers and clapping when the Town of Ladysmith was shown in an advance screening of Sonic the Hedgehog. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

gotta juice

Sonic movie boosts bright future of filming in the mid island

Feb 13, 2020 | 4:34 PM

NANAIMO — A little blue ball of energy on the big screen is boosting a long-term project to bring more films and television shows to Vancouver Island.

A formal partnership between Tourism Vancouver Island and Vancouver Island North Film Commission was launched Wednesday, Feb. 12 at an advance screening of Sonic the Hedgehog.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the agencies before the movie, where Ladysmith stands in for a quaint American town featured in the first third of the movie.

Film commissioner Joan Miller said the signing and advance screening marks a major step in a 15-year journey between her film office and tourism agencies.

“We’ve leveraged all of this to bring back the people who make decisions about where they’re going to travel based on something they see on a screen. We have a lot more plans in the works.”

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Shooting in Ladysmith and also on Hwy. 19 near Parksville for a car stunt filled hotels and restaurants during filming.

Miller said it’s a sign of what’s to come for the island as “constant requests” for filming locations come in.

“The need for content has exploded, we’re getting constant requests for television series now. They would come here and shoot longer if we had bigger studios. The Netflix and Amazon of the world, they’re looking for two 20,000 square foot studios.”

The Vancouver Island Film Studio in Parksville is used for Hallmark Channel shows and smaller productions. Miller said it’s a great asset in the community but won’t suffice for filming larger scenes.

Despite limited studio space, Miller said numerous conversations are ongoing about capitalizing on the mid islands pristine landscapes with larger studios.

Karen Bannister with Tourism Vancouver Island said film tourism is viewed as a sustainable market as more viewers connect with and try to visit locations they see on the big screen.

“We’re not looking at growth right now in terms of number of people but rather economic impact and sustainability. It’ll be interesting going forward to see how we can measure this.”

Creative BC said more than $3 billion was generated by movie and TV filming in the 2018/2019 fiscal year and the number was only expected to rise in coming years.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit