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Shooting in Canada

M

Mike McCall

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I am going to have a shoot in Canada in a few months and was wondering what kind of paper work I need to legally be there and shooting. Also where I can go to get the paperwork started? Is there a difference if I bring my gear or if I rent the gear in Canada?

Thanks for the help.
 
Are you going there for a job? If so, the production company should be arranging your work permit. You'll need a letter of intent to hire from production to show Canadian immigration, and you'll pay something like $150 for the work permit, which production will pay back to you.

If you are traveling there to shoot your own material, I'm not sure what the issues are.
 
Actually I work for the production company and we are shooting for a client that has plants in both the U.S. and Canada. We have never gone out of the country to shoot, so this is newer territory for us, so we are trying the figure this out. I used to shoot in Canada on occasion with a different company many years ago, but I am sure thing are different now plus they did all the paper work.
 
If the job has US content destination and you are paid from US, then you don't have to worry about any paper work. Are you going there as a Dp or AC?.
Union Technicians should be hired locally.
 
Final content will probably be for both the US and Canada, but it is not for broadcast just a manufacturing video. I will be going as DP and will be bringing another guy as a second camera operator as well. We will be paid from the US side of the company.
 
Mike, I think my experience is vastly different than Alberts. David's scenario is much more in line with what we have experienced. Please keep in mind, Canadian customs is about revenue generation.

If you roll up to the counter with $100K worth of equipment, they will want their $175 per person (last fee I paid). I have been hassled before when attending "trade shows" and conferences. If you smell like a business person (aka NOT a tourist) then expect a significant amount of questioning - again, based on personal experience.

Also, please keep in mind, before leaving the US, get a "Certificate of Registration" from US Custom's. It will make re-entry a bit smoother when you bring your equipment back. Some US producers prefer a "Carnet" but we find the Houston port of entry is just fine with the CoR's.

Finally, remember, when returning. Many major airline hubs have a "pre-clear" process. Ie. US Custom's is stationed at the Calgary/Toronto/etc airports. You actually clear before you get on the plane to return to the States. Leave extra time on your return in case you hit a snag.

Good luck
 
Sounds like corporate work, which is a different animal than a DOP coming to shoot a film.

Customs will ask work or pleasure, and how long you intend to stay. Probably need something on corporate letterhead outlining what work is being done/reason for travel, where it will be performed, that you're being paid by a US company to do the work, and articulate when you will be coming back.

If you're bringing your own gear you need to say that and itemize.

This is essentially all people we've dealt with in the past on such things have had to do.
 
I know from experience, from bringing gear in/out of the US (being a canadian), the carnet is the only way to go. I have been with people who didn't have a carnet, and the US customs basically said, "well you can go, but your gear stays here".
Again, not sure how it works coming from the US into Canada, I assume it would be pretty close to the same thing, do it right the first time, you won't have hassles in the future.
 
Two stories about the Canadian border:

Two of my friends were planning on stopping over in Ontario on a cross country road trip. One of their hobbies is juggling, and they had their juggling clubs with them. This made the Canadians very suspicious. They seemed to think that my friends were going across to try to join a circus, or become street performers and live off the Canadian welfare system. They wound up not letting them through.

I met an environmental lawyer in Seattle, who frequently travels across the border. One of his clients had the misfortune of being named Guido Franchesco. When the border guards heard who he was going to see, they detained him for three hours and practically tore his car apart looking for whatever he was smuggling.
 
As a |+|Canadian who shoots in the US from time to time I'll say that I've needed a carnet to bring gear back and forth for about seven years now. Back in the day a serial number list stamped by Canada customs (in my case) was accepted but it I was finding more and more resistance at the border until a US customs agent said "uh, uh. These are commercial goods, you need a carnet for them so you're going to have to ship these via cargo and find a broker at the other end." I was pulled all the way back to ticketing, missed the flight, big mess. I've carried a carnet ever since. It's a hassle to get processed at times because US airports have Canada set up as a domestic location so US customs can be difficult to reach when you're flying out but it's no greater hassle than working with a camera that you can't buy a viewfinder or recording media for.

Oh...and whatever you do...DON'T EVER LIE TO A CUSTOMS OFFICER. They have the power to ban you from the country for five years right on the spot.
 
They can be really touchy at Canadian customs. I just did my third project in Vancouver and normally I ship personal items to myself (using FedEx or UPS) at the hotel because I can't carry everything I'll need for two or three months in my regular luggage.

Last time, however, my stuff never showed up - it was shipped back to Los Angeles by Canadian customs with the tag "unattended baggage". Apparently customs in Canada doesn't want you to ship valuable commercial items for fear that you will resell it in Canada, but they also don't want you to ship valueless items (like underwear, socks, spare tennis shoes) either because they consider that "unattended baggage". Next time I'll have to drag a third suitcase to the airport...

Funny thing was that the time I shot in Canada before I shipped a lot of personal crap back to the U.S. and didn't have any problems with U.S. Customs.
 
I can help you with a camera rental here in toronto. red's #50/#51!!
 
Thanks for all the responses guys. It is corporate style work and I am still not sure of the format we will be shooting on yet. I know back in 2000 when I freelanced a lot the company which sent me to Canada sent me with several different types of paperwork, of what I do not remember.

Back in 2005 my current company tried to go the cheap route and tried to get across without paperwork, which I told them would not work. Needless to say we sat there for many hours at the border before they sent us back to the US side. So I want to find out the info now so it decreases any problems when I do go.

So I will look into the Carnet, but what is the $175 fee, some people are referring to, it is call something specifi?.
 
Also I will be going to Regina and maybe Calgary. Anyone know any rental places there? An if I rent in Canada does that changes the kind of paperwork, I take it I would not need a Carnet?
 
That's right. The carnet is a document that shows what equipment you're bringing into the country, and leaving with.

I have traveled extensively and often get Canada Customs to review my gear list with serial numbers before I leave the country...they stamp it, date it, and then I show it to them when I come back. Pretty simple stuff.

If you're planning on renting then it makes life a whole lot easier.
 
If you come to Calgary, give me a shout. We have a Red MX, and probably our Epic-X by then.

For non-red, there is a Panavision, as well as Panasonic and Sony rental shops.

cheers,

Colin
 
Ryan Hollings said:
Again, not sure how it works coming from the US into Canada, I assume it would be pretty close to the same thing, do it right the first time, you won't have hassles in the future.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it works pretty much the same way when your bringing any gear back and forth. Make sure you get it right first time, the first time I filled out my paper work it turned out they gave me the wrong forms.
Thankfully the boarder guards weren't having a bad day when I returned because they can technically hold all your gear at the border.
 
Just a heads up, the reason the carnet is such an effective document for moving equipment around is because you have to put up a bond to get one. You screw around...you lose the bond. The bond is 40% of the value of the goods listed on your equipment list. You can have an insurance company do the bond for you and they will then charge you a percentage of the value of the bond.
 
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