City Guide Filming in Downtown Toronto, ON
Production Permit Fees
- Regular production company - $100 non-refundable
- Student production company - $
Minimum Insurance
- General Liability - $2,000,000 per occurrence
Additional Permits
Discounts
About Downtown Toronto
When you're filming in Canada, and your script calls for a skyscraper-heavy skyline, you don't need to leave the country to find it. Forget crossing the border and driving the 500 miles to New York and head for Downtown Toronto instead.
You wouldn't be the first filmmaker to pull the wool over an audience's eyes by using Downtown Toronto as a filming location and calling it somewhere else. It's actually a much more common occurrence than you probably realize.
One recent small-screen success filmed in Downtown Toronto is the Umbrella Academy. While the storyline supposedly took place in New York, some of the filming was done at the Gardiner Museum in Downtown's Queen's Park.
Another outstanding movie filmed in part in Downtown Toronto is the Time Traveller's Wife, which featured the University of Toronto and its campus in various scenes. Probably the most remembered movie where Downtown acted as a stand-in for New York is American Psycho, and no one even noticed.
If you're an Incredible Hulk fan, then you may already be familiar with practically all of the Downtown district and its neighborhoods, or at least get a sense of deja vu when you see it. Most of the 2008 movie was filmed there at spots like the University and the financial district, to name just two.
You'll probably also recognize some of the same locations from Resident Evil – Afterlife too, as well as in Good Will Hunting. Not to mention Suicide Squad, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, X-Men, or the musical Chicago, would be doing Downtown an injustice as it featured in all of them.
If you're now curious as to what attracted all those A-list filmmakers to this particular part of Toronto, you only need to check out the filming locations on Giggster to find out. Believe it; they're interesting enough that no filmmaker is going to be put off by the strict filming guidelines all production companies have to adhere to when filming in Downtown Toronto. Keep reading, and you'll be well prepared for the rigmarole you'll need to go through to get your film shoot authorized.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in Downtown Toronto?
Any production company filming for commercial purposes in Downtown Toronto must be in possession of a film permit. In fact, depending on where your chosen filming location is or whether you'll be requiring road closures, you may need more than one.
Permit Management in Downtown Toronto
Toronto Film, Television & Digital Media Office
All film permitting in Toronto, including for Downtown Toronto, is managed by the Toronto Film, Television & Digital Media Office.
The first step you will need to make in applying for a film permit from the Toronto Film, Television & Digital Media Office is to open a FilmPal account. FilmPal is the app that the film office uses to coordinate all aspects of your permit application. Once your application has been submitted correctly, you will receive a confirmation email and then be allocated a film coordinator.
The Toronto film office has specific requirements regarding application processing times. They are:
Normal permit applications – two full business working days
Park permit applications – three full business working days
Complex productions or ones involving road closures – longer
The office hours of the Toronto film office are from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, Mondays to Fridays. If you want to film, for example, on a Monday, you will need to submit your application at the latest on the Wednesday before, as the two-day processing operation won't begin until Thursday. Earlier is better in case any complications should arise.
The authorized permits are not issued to the production company until the day before the film shoot takes place. Take note that should you need to make any changes to your submitted permit application, they will take a further 48 hours to process. You can avoid delays in getting your permit by making sure you get the application correct the first time around.
Changes that will hold up the issuing of your permit may include:
Asking for extended filming dates
Adding new locations
Increasing the scale of a location already submitted
Adding additional set-up and breakdown time
Adding drone use
Adding special effects
Requesting additional parking
If you do need to make changes to your permit application, you will also need to make an additional notification distribution to advise the community around the location of the changes. You can find out more about that in the Outreach section of this article.
What Insurance Do I Need in Downtown Toronto?
Yes is the simple answer to the question of whether you need insurance to film in Downtown Toronto. While the Toronto film office publishes a figure for minimum liability coverage, they may, once they've assessed your project, ask for a higher level of coverage if they deem it necessary.
The good thing is you don't need to submit your insurance certificate until the day before your permit is due to be issued. That gives you a chance to consult with your film coordinator about the correct coverage and then pass that information on to your insurance broker.
If you can’t meet any of these requirements, you’ll need to explain in writing why you can’t meet the requirement to the Office. They will determine if the shoot can go ahead without the necessary insurance.
Note that these requirements are minimum requirements. Larger and more complex shoots may require additional insurance which will be determined by the Office.
What Kind of Filming Locations Are Available in Downtown Toronto?
Anything and everything you could possibly hope for as a filming location you'll find in Downtown Toronto. The extra bonus is they're all close together, so you won't have to go through any mass upheavals or long-distance traveling to get from one to the other.
Downtown has 27 different neighborhoods, all of which have distinct characteristics. If your script calls for Victorian houses, then you should take a look at Cabbagetown. Should you be scouting for big brownstones and churches with a 1950s appearance, then Corktown is the place to go wandering.
When you need commercial mayhem, then you need to be in the Entertainment District, which is crammed with stores, restaurants, and bars. If that's not posh enough, check out Mink Mile in the Yorkville neighborhood, and you won't be disappointed.
Want some New York-style skyline in your shots? If you do, you only have to go as far as the Financial District to find them. Chinatown speaks for itself, as does the Harborfront, with its marina and views out onto Lake Ontario. They're all amazing filming locations in Downtown Toronto, and there are many more besides those.
Internal filming locations are abundant too. In Downtown Toronto, there are classy loft apartments with luxurious décor that are suitable for single-person pads and homes ready for a film family to move straight into.
You'll find lecture rooms, classrooms, and studios ideal for workshops, photography, dance, yoga, and everything else you can think of. Event spaces, bars, breweries, restaurants, and even an art gallery and museum. If there's one old saying you can apply to film locations in Downtown Toronto, it's seek, and you will find. And probably more than you expect, so be prepared for a few surprises.
Special Requirements in Downtown Toronto
Student Filming
Regardless of whether a student production requires a permit or not, all student production units are expected to abide by the special guidelines issued by the Toronto Film Office.
All students hoping to film in Downtown Toronto must make themselves aware of the Safety Guidelines for the Film and Television Industry in Ontario published by the Ministry of Labor. Student productions are also obliged to make themselves familiar with the Code of Conduct for Cast and Crew published by the Toronto Film Office and should abide by it.
Student productions, permitted or unpermitted, are not allowed to:
Film between the hours of 11 pm and 7 am
Use any special effects during the shoot
Use any fake weapons or ammunition during the shoot
Implement traffic stops with or without police assistance
Filming With Special Effects
Any non-student production company that wants to film using special effects, pyrotechnics, simulated gunfire, or fake weapons is obliged to have a police officer present during the filming of the relevant scenes.
The number of police officers required is decided by the production company's film coordinator. The film coordinator also liaises with a Toronto Police Department representative, the Toronto Police Film Liaison Officer, on behalf of the production company. All costs for police attendance are billed to the production company.
Code of Conduct
The Toronto Film Office publishes a code of conduct for cast and crew. Before it begins, this document should be distributed to anyone participating in the film shoot. The document covers the general dos and don'ts cast, and crew should be aware of when filming in public places. A few examples are:
Keeping noise levels to an acceptable level
Smoking in designated zones only
No drinking of alcohol on set
Wearing suitable clothing
No guests or pets on set unless previously authorized
The full code of conduct for cast and crew can be downloaded from the Toronto Film Office website in PDF format.
Filming With A Drone
Any drone being used to film in Downtown Toronto must be piloted by a licensed pilot unless it weighs less than 250 grams. The pilot must keep their license with them at all times during filming. All drone use should be discussed with the film coordinator first, as some places in Downtown Toronto are restricted or prohibited.
What Does it Cost to Film in Downtown Toronto?
While there are plenty of rules and regulations for filming in Downtown Toronto, the actual permit fees are not extortionate.
Additional Fees
Permit fees can be subject to change at the discretion of the Toronto Film Office. Any changes to the rates are always published immediately on the official website.
Geographical Jurisdiction of Downtown Toronto?
Downtown Toronto occupies around 6.5 square miles of Toronto, and while it is labeled as the city's main business district, it's home to almost a quarter of a million people.
Downtown is divided into 27 different neighborhoods, the most southerly of which is Harborfront. Harborfront lines part of the Lake Ontario shoreline and faces out onto Centre Island. To the southeast are Port Lands and the neighborhoods of Riverside, South Riverdale, and East Chinatown.
At its most northern reach, Downtown meets with the Toronto neighborhoods of Yorkville and Annex. To the northwest are the neighborhoods of Koreatown and Palmerston Little Italy. To the west are Little Italy and Trinity-Bellwoods, while to the southwest is bordered by West Queen West.
As some of the neighborhoods tend to merge, it's easier to define Downtown's boundaries by the roads that ring it. To the west is Bathurst Street, to the north is Bloor Street, and to the east is the Don Valley Parkway.
If your chosen filming location should fall outside of the boundaries of Downtown Toronto and into any of the surrounding neighborhoods, you will still need to apply to the Toronto film office for a film permit.
Outreach in Downtown Toronto
.Conducting outreach before filming in Downtown Toronto is mandatory. The Toronto film office has strict guidelines about outreach that all production companies need to adhere to, with no exceptions.
The Toronto film office publishes strict requirements regarding the content of notification letters, and they must include:
The name of the production company
The title, format, and genre of the production
Production company contact name and number
Contact details for the Toronto film office
Times and dates of filming
Exact locations of filming
Any parking restrictions that may occur
Outline the use of any special effects
Links to Code of Conduct and Filming guidelines
The basic notifications must be distributed on paper printed with the production company logo at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled filming day.
On occasion, the Toronto film office may request you to do a Have Your Say Survey of the community around your chosen filming locations rather than a standard notification service. This should be done at least one week in advance of the filming date and state clearly the end of the period when anyone can lodge an objection to your proposed activities.
In both cases, the Toronto film office coordinator assigned to your production will want to see the notifications before they are distributed. You will find downloadable examples of a notification letter and a have your say survey letter on the Toronto film office website.
Take note that if you make any changes to the details of your film permit once it has been granted, then you will need to redo the community notifications. This can delay the start of filming as it has to be done 48 hours before the shoot. It'll save you time, energy, and money if you get your application for a film permit right the first time.
Community Management in Downtown Toronto
There are three good reasons to have a community manager on your crew when you're filming in Downtown Toronto.
The first – a community manager can undertake the nit-picky and time-consuming job of doing the outreach that the Toronto film office demands. That's especially important when you need to distribute the notifications in advance and are unable to deploy yourself to do it.
The second – some areas of Downtown Toronto are classed as sensitive for various reasons. It could be that there have been disrespectful production companies filming there previously that upset the community, or it could be because there have been publicly disturbing events at or near that particular location. A good community manager will be able to spot a potential problem before it arises and nip it in the bud before it escalates and cause a delay in the shoot or, worse, someone complains about you to the film office.
The third – you can't have eyes everywhere at the same time. When you're filming in Downtown Toronto, it's imperative that the cast and crew adhere to the Code of Conduct. If they don't, you could find the shoot is halted, or you'll receive a fine. A community manager, while still being part of the team, can act as a second pair of eyes and make sure no one breaks the rules.
Conclusion
There's no denying that Downtown Toronto is a fantastic filming location, especially if you're looking for somewhere to substitute New York. Each of the district's neighborhoods has different characteristics and so finding somewhere suitable for filming any genre is not a problem in the slightest. Yes, the Toronto film office does expect you to follow their guidelines to the letter, but for any professional production company, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.