Lights, Camera, FLiCK-tion!
A new film production office has opened in Chatham-Kent, called FLiCK, which is short for Filming Locally in Chatham-Kent.
The municipality recognized an increased interest for the film industry in the area and wondered how to make it easier for people who wanted to film.
FLiCK was then created to serve as a concierge service that brings people in to the area and assists them with all aspects of film production.
Mayor Darrin Canniff says FLiCK will help film makers with everything from location scouting to access to local crews.
"When somebody says I want to do filming, we'll with the permit process, we'll help them set-up locations. Make connections. If you're coming into the community and don't know people, that's what we're going to do is connect with whatever you need for the services here in Chatham-Kent."
He says the film office will be a good economic driver.
"Twenty to twenty-five per cent of what the budget in a film is, is spent locally. So it's going to drive a lot of tourism. It will drive a lot of excitement in the community as well. When filming is going on here or there it's something that just hasn't been happening in Chatham-Kent. So it will certainly contribute to the economy and just one more thing into the arts and culture renaissance that we're experiencing in Chatham-Kent."
He says Chatham-Kent has 2500 square kilometres of rural and city areas ready to be filmed.
"We're the classic car capital of Canada. So if you need to transform into a certain era with cars, we have that. So we have a ton of different wonderful features here. The only thing we may not be able to replicate is skyscrapers, but we're working on it."
Three films are already set to start filming in the next three months.
Canniff says anyone interested in filming in Chatham-Kent can call 311 while in the municipality, or 519-360-1998 and they'll be connected with the film office.
More details can be found HERE.