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Canada Increasingly Becoming A "Real Place" On Streaming Shows
From the Globe & Mail:
"For decades, creators of homegrown series shaved off the edges of their Canadian-ness, the better to sell to international (especially U.S.) markets. They filmed in Toronto or Vancouver, but never as Toronto or Vancouver – it was Generic North American City. They avoided glimpses of the CN Tower; they swapped out red mailboxes for blue ones; their characters never uttered tells such as “province” or “prime minister.”
But the author of the linked piece believes that's changing.
“We’re not going to wave the Maple Leaf in every scene,” [says Brent Haynes, head of scripted originals, Canada, Amazon Studios.] “...But we want to tell stories that have to be in the location they’re set...You see all these other countries shooting their cities and making them glamorous, in a way that makes you want to go there. Why can’t we?”
Streaming wars have hit the Canadian TV world. But when is a series homegrown vs. Canadian-ish?
- paterson1
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Re: Canada Increasingly Becoming A "Real Place" On Streaming Shows
One of the first shows that didn't hide it's Canadianess was Kids In The Hall which came on the air in 1989 on CBC and aired in the US on HBO the same year. The show moved from HBO to CBS in 1993. Kids In The Hall didn't change anything for the US airings and the program was always set in Toronto.
Canada's amateurish media writers navel gaze way too much worrying about if a show is Canadian enough...let's move on. A program does not need to be showing the flag and the CN Tower or yammering about diversity and multiculturalism to be a Canadian show.
Last edited by paterson1 (August 15, 2022 6:54 pm)
- Media Observer
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Re: Canada Increasingly Becoming A "Real Place" On Streaming Shows
RadioActive wrote:
From the Globe & Mail:
"For decades, creators of homegrown series shaved off the edges of their Canadian-ness, the better to sell to international (especially U.S.) markets. They filmed in Toronto or Vancouver, but never as Toronto or Vancouver – it was Generic North American City. They avoided glimpses of the CN Tower; they swapped out red mailboxes for blue ones; their characters never uttered tells such as “province” or “prime minister.”
But the author of the linked piece believes that's changing.
“We’re not going to wave the Maple Leaf in every scene,” [says Brent Haynes, head of scripted originals, Canada, Amazon Studios.] “...But we want to tell stories that have to be in the location they’re set...You see all these other countries shooting their cities and making them glamorous, in a way that makes you want to go there. Why can’t we?”
Streaming wars have hit the Canadian TV world. But when is a series homegrown vs. Canadian-ish?
Alternate link:
Last edited by Media Observer (August 15, 2022 7:03 pm)