Titanic Movie Location a Production's Dream

Location with a view could be any era

I've written before about how Newmarket, and often its Main St., had been utilized a number of times in various movie productions including this short scene from Tommy Boy and most recently the Remake of Carrie as well as Regression with Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson. But close by Newmarket, some even more famous movies have had segments shot here too, and one particular location even had a building paid for and built by the Producers on the property just for the movie - that being the Titantic - and that that building, along with another studio space totaling 20,000 square feet, only minutes from Newmarket and is available for production use and bookings today. 

2016 Image

Catch Me If You Can and Night at the Museum were also shot here with Ben Stiller in the latter using prepared animals owned by then previous property owners who were taxidermists. Some of the scary looking features still adorn the upstairs "lair" of Studio A, including a fighting zebra and lion as seen in the flick, a fierce looking tiger, and polar bear. Click to see photo album highlights.

The gorgeous property studio minutes from Toronto and surrounded by farm fields also features a fully functional five bedroom house and 98 acres of tree lined bush, a natural waterway and complete with cleared vehicle pathways, making way for resilient vehicles to travel through. In fact the area was used for a live launch of Tomb Raider with 50 participants flown in from around the world to play in a live version of the game in the launch followed by a screening at the Studio A projection lounge and no worries about storage of equipment from day to day either as the entire grounds are under 24 hour video surveillance.

Studio B - Built by Producers to accommodate the famous car love scene in the Titanic's parking deck

Located outside the foot of Studio B

You can book this gorgeous historic G.T.A. location whether that be for a production or function - as the Studio B can also easily be converted to host a large wedding, large group reception or live music event. Imagine telling your guests or potential clients you're hosting your production / wedding in the very building the famous fancy car love scene from The Titanic was shot with Leonardo Dicaprio! For those able to afford it, we may even find you a similar car to adorn the studio room turned hall for the night.

Shot Main St Newmarket during the filming of Regression with Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson

Newmarket is in the heart of Hollywood North and convenient to G.T.A. productions with the studio located only 40 minutes from downtown Toronto and minutes from historic downtown Newmarket and Main St.. So this prime studio, house and grounds location offer more than just in-house convenience, but nearby access to time travel scenes as well within a vibrant York Region / GTA community, brimming with acting and production crew talent.

Call TPE @ 289-221-0928 to inquire. Bookings by the day, week or month depending on availability. Studio space booking use without the house also negotiable depending on availability.

Rare Props owned by a taxidermused in Night At The Museum

High Ceiling in house for convenient lighting and unique shot angles

Direct off road drive access to remote spots for shooting scenes

Studio A has 3 sections. Both lower areas have slide up door access.

Beautiful Victorian 5 bedroom Home

Room with a view

The View Part 2

Local Caterers also benefit from local productions and on site cooking access

That's a wrap

Hollywood North Act 2 - The Boom Resurgence Begins

Back in the 90's, I was working as an actor in minor roles on mostly American productions shot in Canada. I had bit parts on TV shows like Secret Service, Top Cops, Canadian TV movie The Steven Truscott Trial, "cult following" vampire cop series, Forever Knight ( twice, aired on CBS), and on...There were some major films shot here back then too, lots of them. Harvey Keitel was like a resident he was here so often.  Toronto was booming due to the combination of our low dollar and tax incentives and granting formulas that had American productions shoot here often. TommyBoy Scene

Later there became somewhat of an outcry from U.S.A. industry crews, that shows and movies depicting New York should be shot in N.Y. etc, and that by making productions in Canada, they were somehow un-American. And being un-American was uncool. That, politicized, mixed with some US states beginning to wise up with their own incentives started an an end to that era. Almost overnight it dried up to almost nothing. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise for me, as around that same time I'd acquired full custody of my kids, and 3:00 am shoot starts for Forever Knights and the like I simply could no longer manage. Many Toronto and Canadian actors and industry people had to find other vocations or pursue live performing. Like me.

In recent years however, more and more productions rely on in-studio special effects like green screen technology and thus state-of-the-art indoor studios and special effects editing became more and more in demand, for which, Toronto industry folks were early to jump on, opening up one of the biggest and best in all North America while surrounded by a core of skilled industry professionals at the ready for hire should the projects arise.. and arise they have.

Toronto's studios and production have slowly, almost quietly, climbed back into bed with the big boys, with more and more major productions again being shot here. With 1.1 million square feet of studio space available inside the city now it's no wonder. Pinewood Studios alone has 250,000 sq feet of studio space under one roof. And none too soon, as Canada's dollar goes low, all-time low-like, which has always served as a tipping point for productions shooting in Canada. Nothing pleases a Producer more than being able to save several hundreds of thousands of dollars, other than one going on to earn $millions for them.

In 2015, I was focused on producing low budget documentaries, entering one into and winning the Playr Festival awarded Best Documentary, but somehow I still felt unfulfilled, and realized I itched for more onscreen roles. When I had an accident that resulted in being unable to physically lift a camera for some time, I decided what better opportunity to revisit acting and on-screen roles, taking a part in an on-line production featuring Super Heroines to hone up on my skills and collect some $.

Before spending two weeks shooting there, I hadn't even known there was a production facility this (40 mins) north of Toronto, near Newmarket Ontario, Canada, let alone it had been used to shoot scenes for The Titanic, Night at the Museum and Catch Me If You Can.  The town of Newmarket itself, ironically, has served a number of times as 'downtown USA in movies like 2013 remake of Carrie and 2015's Regression, but those are the exceptions over the past decade.

Recognize from Night at The Museum? 

Smaller budget productions also have had a place in the sub-culture of the craft / industry, feeding the hungry acting minions whilst the industry has suffered, even alternative / fetish style, and with online abilities today, can be easily viewed to a broad audience. Although I look forward to my episodes 'airing", shot in winter and being released on-line in mid summer, but still, for those that dream, the big screen is the goal, and, to that end, the conditions here are just ripe now for an influx of mainstream productions to start popping up.

Canadians themselves need to open up their minds to how productions are financed as well, as US productions don't rely on government grants to finance their productions, but private and corporate investors. Risk takers. Something we Canadians are not as we are typically conservative investors and may never be as adept at "the making of" therefore, methinks...but boy..can we act!

Watch for Canada's "New" boom industry. 2016 will be a resurgence of TV and Film productions shot here...because $ talks.

TP out!

Cheers to the resurgence of Hollywood North!

Main St USA, Canada and Whatnot...

Dynamic Toronto

Regression - Movie Shoot on Main St Newmarket

Main St Newmarket becomes Main St USA

The town of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, doubled for a retro American town for a day as, Regression, a psychological thriller film Directed by Writer, Director & Composer, 29 year old Alejandro Amenabar (The Others, Tesis, Abre Los Ojos), starring Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke, wherein a police detective investigates activities of the paranormal and evil happening in a small rural U.S. town, was shot on location on their Main St. Insert scary music here.

Although the storyline had been kept under wraps, a style similar to Amenbar's previous work in the genre, like the snuff film based Tesis, is likely to emerge.

The film will be released by Dimension Films, owned by the Weinstein Company, in 2015.

The last time a movie production was in town with Main St. as it's set location, it was the remake of Carrie being shot, and, like then, locals turn into patronizing wannabes whenever the circus comes to town, just happy to be a part of it and willing to lend our streets out and restrict residents while the shoot goes on. The only thing missing was the red carpet, but hey, it's all part of the small town charm Newmarket maintains, at least on its Main St, as everything else seems to be under construction - but again - the magic of movies will edit that out for us thank goodness.

The movie shoot was fairly typical with Main St. being used for part of a chase scene. In a scene like this, continuity is very important so everything from the road being wet for a rainy scene, to the people walking down the street (extras) have to be the same and are shot from different angles so must be done numerous times. This shoot had several crane cams too which was very cool to see in action hovering high above the streets, which, while observing, I also noticed a dog in a window and wondered if it was part of the flick. Ha.

The crew and A.D.'s et al were actually quite accommodating I found, allowing me some pics and the like in between takes and posing for the odd one too. Last time out (Carrie production) I found them a bit condescending and pushy which always gets my back up a bit when I figure we're doing them a favour as locals, allowing them use of our beautiful Main St. (not an easy task for a local to do) and suspending our use of it for their movie -  which I won't likely ever see until it hits cable.

But that's the charm of Main St Newmarket - and a charm that's beginning to pay off as movie credits for Main pile up with increased business in the shops and restaurants or those just soaking up the well preserved older historical-like buildings, including one of the few remaining Main St, old town clocks which sets her apart as a town, and, I guess, for the movie locations scouts.

Rover restricted during movie shoot

I likely won't rush out to see this movie Regression or anything, as thrillers aren't my thing, but I do look forward to seeing the final shots of Main St  - especially with all the development hounds salivating over it of late including the clock tower - so we may lose attracting these movie shoots soon, as well as lose the charm.

Meantime, Newmarket has it's our own Talent Show in town tonight featuring Canada's Idol Star finder Farley Flex so who knows!? A star is born!?

Below a video I put together of some backstage stuff. See you in the movies!


Here's some more photos below and check out the TPE You Tube video of some behind the scenes scenes from Regression!

Mr. Newmarket checks in

Even extras are Stars in Newmarket!

Optical Delusion..Hey its a horror!