From Max Greenwood of Techvibes:
Link: The half-billion dollar Netflix bet on Hollywood North
The goal of the subsidiary is twofold: one objective is to invest in Canadian content, but the other is to navigate a long-standing law that prohibits foreign companies from spending directly in Canada. Traditionally, U.S. companies had to work with local production companies to hire staff, as non-Canadian companies that seek to localize in Canada must notify the Canadian government and get approval—whether it be hiring stylists or caterers. With this new subsidiary, Netflix can now manage hiring themselves. Continue reading.Â
The author describing Altered Carbon as Canadian is kind of everyone’s worst fears imagined, isn’t it? That show would not come close to passing the CRTC’s approval for Canadian content. To call it Canadian would be like saying 90% of The CW’s schedule is Canadian because they shoot almost everything in the GVRD. To be a Canadian show, Canadians should play an integral role in its production. If Altered Carbon’s second season decides to shoot in Georgia (the US state, not the country lol) and outsource its CG work to India because it’s cheaper, was it ever really a Canadian show to begin with? Of course not.
The localization comments are also kind of funny. While it’s true Netflix offers an unparalleled reach, your work often isn’t presented in its best light. Netflix is known to use cheap multi-lingual translation companies on their shows, leading to the old saying, “a jack of all trades, master of none” being very true. Check out the English version of a Netflix original anime called AICO. Every non-Japanese dub of that show was handled by one company and by hearing it you’ll believe it. When it comes to Canada, Netflix has actually been taking dubbing work away: https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2014/12/12/quebec_actors_voice_fears_over_shrinking_dubbing_industry.html AFAIK, none of their English dubs have been done here. Canada once had a very vibrant ADR industry in both English and French, but through the erosion of home video and linear television, the CRTC cutting back on Cancon quotas, free falling costs of equipment propping up foreign competition and (up until relatively recently) a strong Canadian dollar, there’s little left of that. Not that doing dubs up here would placate those watching Netflix eradicate our local “broadcasters” with “Canadian content” that has no real relation to Canada.