OTTAWA – Does the “Made in Canada” brand matter to Canadians when it comes to their television and film content? Does it matter internationally? If so, how can the industry better promote it to make it matter?
Those were some of the questions discussed Monday during the pre-conference symposium on the promotion of Canadian film and TV content held in conjunction with the International Institute of Communications annual Canadian conference here in Ottawa. Sponsored by Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund and the CRTC, the symposium delegates tried to come up with ways of better-promoting Canadian film and TV in Canada and beyond so that Canadians at least know what shows are made in Canada (usually with money they have contributed, either through tax dollars or their subscription TV fees).
In his speech to open the symposium, CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais was anxious to get talking about better promotion of Canadian film and TV. “For someone who spent many years working in the field of cultural policy at the Department of Canadian Heritage, and who is now the head of the communication regulator, this is an exciting prospect,” he said. “While preparing for this event, I was reminded of something Margaret Laurence once said. An astute observer of the world around her, she said: ‘One can write of events in a small Prairie town, and everything that happens there in some way happens everywhere.’ This observation is not restricted to literature; it’s true of all media.
“More and more Canadian television productions are resonating with audiences here at home. There are currently at least a dozen series that attract over a million viewers per episode. A number of Canadian-made productions are also making inroads in the global marketplace. They are finding audiences in the U.S., Europe and around the globe,” added Blais.
However, many of those shows (Flashpoint, Rookie Blue and Saving Hope were all referenced) aren’t necessarily known by Canadians as being Canadian-made and Blais – along with CMF president and CEO Valerie Creighton and Telefilm executive director Carolle Brabant, want to change all that – and get the vast library of Canadian content that is archived in many places offline, onto the web.
While Canadian producers are creating good TV and movies, the industry is not promoting them very well, not stimulating the demand for it the way it should, said the trio (a problem which has existed for many years). “The challenge we have before us is: how do we get our productions in front of larger audiences, more audiences and new audiences?” asked Brabant.
To that end, Telefilm has hosted a number of red carpet public screening events across the country to showcase Canadian movies and their talent. Plus, Canadian broadcasters do their share in airing Canadian movies. But it’s not enough. The content production industry is still small and very few Canadians actually see Canadian movies – and when they do, likely don’t realize those shows are Canadian. “One of Steve Jobs’ principles for success at Apple was ‘mastering the message’. You can have the most innovative idea in the world, but if you can’t get people excited about it, it doesn’t matter,” Brabant (pictured on stage with Blais) added. “With this in mind, I want to remind us all that our offer is as good as any other country’s.”
The Canada Media Fund’s Creighton took the stage next and extolled the virtues of the money spent (billions) and hours created (thousands) noting that is a ton of material, paid for by Canadians “and they don’t have access to it.”
The CMF, Telefilm and the CRTC want to “engage and build ownership and pride of place,” added Creighton who then spoke about a new web portal with the working title of watch-canada.com, which would be a clearing house where the vast library of Canadian content would be viewable by Canadians on whatever device they want, whenever and wherever they are.
For example, there are 18 seasons (370 episodes) of The Beachcombers stored somewhere which are not available anywhere online and watch-canada.com could be the clearing house for that sort of library content as well as new material. “Is there an audience for the Beachcombers? I don’t know. Nobody can find it, even if they wanted to,” said Creighton to delegates.
(Ed note: Why isn’t Beachcombers on iTunes or Netflix yet? I mean, it was on air for almost 20 years. People did like it. Couldn’t digital distribution give the series an new, extended life, or at least earn its rights holders a few bucks?)
However, the broadcasters who spoke next at the symposium were not exactly on board with the loosely-defined portal, which Creighton acknowledged, saying “We already know what the obstacles are to this and there are many.” Plus, it won’t get off the ground without the co-operation of BDUs, broadcasters, distributors, producers, unions, rights holders, funding agencies, different levels of governments and so on.
But without more meat on the bones of what this might look like yet, broadcasters and BDUs, who already provide so much of their programming online and on demand through their own apps and web sites were lukewarm to the idea of watch-canada.com.
Besides, Canadians rarely watch programs just because they are Canadian. Like anyone else, they tune in to be informed or entertained. “There might be a gap in understanding how successful Cancon is and can be, but being Canadian doesn’t really drive (audience) viewing choices,” said the head of CBC’s English Services, Kirstine Stewart, during her panel Monday morning.
Canadians “don’t discern a Canadian show as being Canadian on a day-to-day basis,” added CTV’s programming chief, Mike Cosentino.
And a freeview site like watch-canada.com needs far more explanation for the likes of Marblemedia co-CEO Mark Bishop who added “We’re still generating revenue from shows we produced 10 years ago. It would scare me to put them there for free.”
“If you have a library, you are looking to monetize that globally,” said Corus Entertainment’s television division president Doug Murphy, adding, “(The portal) requires quite a bit more thought but as a notion it’s interesting… we’d have to make sure it is an enhancement.”
Stewart, and later, Rogers Communications’ David Purdy, suggested such a site be more of a user-friendly search engine for Canadian content, driving Canadians to where they can find the video on the web – then hosting only those shows, those movies which can find no other digital home.
There are big questions and many will need convincing, but a working group or steering committee will be struck shortly, led by Blais, Creighton and Brabant, to figure out ways to collectively promote Canadian film and television content and to get watch-canada.com, or whatever it may be called, off the ground.
Added Blais: “Wouldn’t it be great if in a few years: half of the top-10 rated TV shows in the Canadian English-language market were, in fact, Canadian? Every Canadian had access to a back catalogue of Canadian productions, as well as current content, through their tablets? A French-language Canadian film won a César? Canada continued to be recognized as a producer of quality content that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in the world?
“Those may sound like ambitious goals to many of you, but there are some remarkably creative people working in the Canadian film and television industry—many of which are in this room today,” he added. “Let us not be shy of our ambitions. Let us strive so that what is created here, indeed happens everywhere.”
What do you think? Is this a good idea? A great one? An unnecessary one? Let us know in the comments box below, or, if you want, confidentially at greg.obrien@cartt.ca.
Photo by Jim Cochrane courtesy Telefilm.
