New Movie studio

[SteelTown]

A new secretive movie studio will be unveiled Tuesday. The old Studebaker factory will be transformed into a movie studio (around 350,000 sq ft). It'll be called Steelworks Studio.

This will help Hamilton's artist and hotel industry.

[SteelTown]

Here's the website......

Steel Work Studios

http://www.steelworkstudios.com/

[DC83]

This was suppose to happen years ago, then the people decided to locate at Film Port Studios in Toronto instead?

Is this a different group of people this time around?

Thanks for the info, Steeltown. This is definately awesome news!

[SteelTown]

Well the city is involved with this, think the film department will move its office there.

I also believe the province will be partners as well (job creation), not 100% sure though. I think Premier Dalton will give further film tax credits to Hamilton.

Find out on Tuesday.

[raisethehammer]

hmmm, i hope it happens. the earlier project was great but they ended up getting lured to nashville or some such place down south.
i wonder if this one will actually happen?? would be awesome.

[raisethehammer]

based on their info on the website, this isn't the old studebaker plant... its on parkdale between barton and burlington st.

[Millstone]

Cool. More power to them, interesting choice of location.

[Goldfinger]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

A new secretive movie studio will be unveiled Tuesday. The old Studebaker factory will be transformed into a movie studio (around 350,000 sq ft). It'll be called Steelworks Studio.

This will help Hamilton's artist and hotel industry.

Are you sure about this? CH did a story on this last night and they said it was in a 20,000sf building on Parkdale.

[flar]

The new one is on Parkdale, the last attempt was in the old Studebaker plant.
I wouldn't expect much from this, however, the news also said there are no tax breaks for indoor filming here and there are many more resources for the film industry in Toronto.

[thistleclub]

True -- Steel Works is in the ALSCO Uniform facility, while the former Hamilton Film Studios was located in the former Studebaker plant. At the time that studio came on line, Filmport partner Paul Bronfman noted that "Choice and options for producers are a good thing, so I don't see the Hamilton studio as competitive, really, with anything in Toronto." I expect that's still the case.

[highwater]

Well it's secretive alright. They sure aren't giving out any real info to potential clients on their website. Judging by the lameness of the website (the seedy kitchen shot alone would scare me off), I wouldn't pin any hopes on this one. They look even less savvy than the Hamilton Film Studios people, and we all know how that turned out.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by highwater

Well it's secretive alright. They sure aren't giving out any real info to potential clients on their website. Judging by the lameness of the website (the seedy kitchen shot alone would scare me off), I wouldn't pin any hopes on this one. They look even less savvy than the Hamilton Film Studios people, and we all know how that turned out.

That kitchen shot is pretty seedy.

[thistleclub]

Curtain falls on Parkdale film studio

August 21, 2008
Doug Foley
The Hamilton Spectator
(Aug 21, 2008)

There were lights and cameras but apparently not enough action for a fledgling film studio in east Hamilton.

Steel Work Studios, which opened in March hoping to tap into the film industry in Ontario, has closed its operations on Parkdale Avenue North.

"They say they are still in business but they are no longer have studio space on Parkdale," said Jacqueline Norton, manager of the Hamilton Film and Television Office.

"Because it's been so quiet in the industry across Canada, it was a bad time to start."

Norton said filming in Hamilton has lagged this year because of ongoing labour uncertainty involving the Screen Actors Guild and a strong Canadian dollar that has made working here less attractive compared with American studios.

"Every person I speak to in the industry is saying it's absolutely terrible," said Norton. "Until SAG settles no one is really doing much.

"The dollar is not as strong as it has been but it's still not the same leverage we used to have."

Steel Works was a five-person operation leasing space in what was the industrial laundry operation of Wright's Cleaners near Burlington Street.

The Spectator was unable to contact anyone from the group.

At the studio opening, group members said they planned to spend up to $500,000 to house up to 16 departments, including editing and sound suites, a special-effects area and a screening room.

Norton said the company apparently was involved in a couple of music videos.

Hamilton is currently hosting three Canadian film shoots.

One, titled Hard Wired, is filming in the downtown area while The Good Times Are Killing Me is downtown and at McMaster University.

The third, Cell 213, is also downtown and on the Beach Strip.

A joint Canadian/British production entitled Kick Ass will be shooting in Hamilton next month.

"It's building back up and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of the season," said Norton.

[realcity]

while the filming may be happening in Hamilton all the post work is going back to Toronto or the US. We need to keep some of the post-production in Hamilton or else we're just a location -- with barely an industry.

[DC83]

Originally Posted by realcity

while the filming may be happening in Hamilton all the post work is going back to Toronto or the US. We need to keep some of the post-production in Hamilton or else we're just a location -- with barely an industry.

I think this is the exact reason for all the ambitious plans for movie studios in Hamilton happened in the 1st place. Not to mention to tax credits Ontario gives to film companies to produce outside of Toronto.

However, for whatever reason, none of these studios were able to take off: Studebaker plant, the one on Main near Delta, and now this one in question.

Toronto FilmPort has been winning the battle despite the tax break incentives, as they have a super-ambitious plan for a movie studio district (actually called the Studio District) in the QueensQuay West area. This seems a lot more attractive than several studios spread across a large city.

So, here's my idea: Make the Studebaker Plant area a Studio District, advertise this district along w/ tax break/brown field incentives and our low'ish dollar (I think it's @ $0.93 US right now) and voila! There's plenty of land and so close to the areas most filmed in (esp Downtown).

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by realcity

while the filming may be happening in Hamilton all the post work is going back to Toronto or the US. We need to keep some of the post-production in Hamilton or else we're just a location -- with barely an industry.

What's needed is someone who's well capitalized and can hold on for a couple of years before getting established.

Seems to me that Steel Works closing so soon after opening it would have most to do with running low on the funds necessary to keep the studio operating while/until it got properly established.

[Boomtown_Hamilton]

Now you see it...

[SteelTown]

Good Times is being filmed at McMaster right now.

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Good Times is being filmed at McMaster right now.

DYN-O-MITE!!

[Boomtown_Hamilton]

Now you don't....