Montréal, world capital of visual effects

What do The HungerGames, Tom à laferme, The AmazingSpider-Man, TheAvengers,  Astérix et Obélix: Au service de sa Majesté and The Twilight Saga: Breaking DawnPart 2 have in common? The visual effects for these films were produced right here in Québec.

The metropolis’s visual-effects sector represents 8,552 shots completed, 28 foreign productions and $79 million in contracts. It can now be described as one of the world’s hubs for this branch of cinema. After the momentum created by video games, the world of visual effects is now being drawn in by Montréal expertise. The proof is that the sector’s workforce almost doubled in a year and a half, from 800to 2,000 people, and growth continues.

Martine Éthier of the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec confirms that Montréal is attracting attention. More and

more international studios are

setting up here, and these major players are used to working on large-scale films. The city is increasingly recognized in visual effects, and this cluster of skilled companies is attractive.

Why this enthusiasm? Very advantageous tax incentives and the ingenuity developed by local creators make Montréal competitive with Los Angeles, Vancouver and New York. After Technicolor, BUF, MPC, Cinesite and Framestore, other firms are studying the possibility of establishing themselves in the Belle Province. Several companies often collaborate on the same project. With these new arrivals, local hiring is massive, and demand is so high that some positions are sometimes in short supply.

Visual effects in cinema take many forms, from subtle added snow to crowds of thousands of people recreated digitally. These results cost far less than making snow or moving 10,000^people into a stadium. Technique and art merge to improve the seventh art. It is also worth noting that filmswhose

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visual effects are produced here are often also shot here, as with Mirror, Mirror. Montréal’s versatility therefore makes production management easier, and these strengths are

regularly promoted abroad at specialized trade shows. We have certainly not finished watching this industry evolve.