Ontario Film & Photography Production Services & Camera Crews

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and a major North American film production centre. The city is known for its modern skyline of downtown office towers, typical American suburbs, vibrant Chinatown, trendy neighborhoods, major sporting venues, gardens and city parks.

Toronto often doubles for Chicago and New York City. Dundas Square can be filmed for New York’s Times Square, and Toronto’s Financial District regularly features as New York’s Wall Street.

Government buildings of note include the Ontario Legislative Building, Osgoode Hall Ontario Court of Appeal, Old Toronto City Hall, and Toronto City Hall.

Museums of note include Art Gallery of Ontario designed by Frank Gehry, Royal Ontario Museum, Aga Khan Museum designed by Fumihiko Maki, Gardiner Museum, Ontario Science Centre, Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, Bata Shoe Museum, Textile Museum of Canada, Museum of Inuit Art, The Image Centre, Museum of Illusions, CBC Museum, Toronto Railway Museum, Hockey Hall of Fame, MZTV Museum of Television, McMichael Canadian Art Collection and Spadina Museum. National Holocaust Monument was designed by Daniel Libeskind. Casa Loma is a Gothic Revival castle-style mansion.

CN Tower, 222 Jarvis Street, and Royal Bank Plaza, were designed by WZMH Architects.

Centres of higher learning include the University of Toronto campus which was filmed for Good Will Hunting (1997), Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto Metropolitan University, York University, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, and Toronto Public Library.

Entertainment venues include Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Roy Thomson Hall designed by Arthur Erickson, Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, Princess of Wales Theatre, Royal Alexandra Theatre, Massey Hall, Meridian Arts Centre, Meridian Hall, Design Exchange, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre, BMO Field, and York Lions Stadium.

Toronto Eaton Centre is a shopping mall.

Religious locations include St James Anglican Cathedral, St Michael’s Cathedral Basilica, Cathedral of the Transfiguration which was filmed for In The Mouth of Madness (1994), Ismaili Centre designed by Charles Correa, and BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple.

City parks of note include High Park, Edwards Gardens, Evergreen Brick Works, Allan Gardens, Rouge National Urban Park, and Toronto Islands. Frozen lakes are ideal pond hockey locations.

Transport locations include Toronto Subway, Union Station, Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, and Toronto Pearson International Airport. Lower Bay is an abandoned subway station often used by film and photography projects. PATH is a network of underground pedestrian tunnels connecting more than 70 buildings via 30km (19mi) of tunnels, walkways, and shopping areas.

Parts of the cavernous Toronto sewer system is available for filming.

Outside of Toronto you can find the following film locations in the Golden Horseshoe region:

Absolute Towers, located in Mississauga, are designed by Ma Yansong.

Hamilton is an industrial city located an hour drive south of Toronto. Hamilton is known for Pigott Building, Dundurn Castle, McMaster University, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, HMCS Haida navy destroyer museum, Canadian Football Hall of Fame, FirstOntario Centre, Tim Hortons Field, Royal Botanical Gardens, Webster’s Falls, and Albion Falls.

Port Perry was filmed for Thanksgiving (2023).

Kawartha Lakes were filmed for In a Violent Nature (2024).

The world famous Niagara Falls are located a 2 hour drive south of Toronto. The falls drain Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. Horseshoe Falls is the largest of the three waterfalls. Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Generating Stations is located in Niagara Falls.

Darlington Nuclear Generating Station and Pickering Nuclear Generating Station are located near Oshawa.

Eastern Ontario

Ottawa is Canada’s capital. The city is best known for its gothic-style Parliament Buildings, wealth of museums and galleries, beautiful river parks, and leafy neighborhoods with Victorian homes.

Government buildings of note include Parliament Hill, Supreme Court of Canada Building, Rideau Hall, Royal Canadian Mint, Library and Archives Canada, Bank of Canada Building designed by Arthur Erickson, Ottawa City Hall designed by Moshe Safdie, and foreign embassies. 

Museums of note include National Gallery of Canada designed by Moshe Safdie, Canadian War Museum, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Canada Science and Technology Museum, and Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.

Entertainment venues include National Arts Centre, Canadian Tire Centre, and TD Place Stadium.

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica is a beautiful film location.

Universities of note include University of Ottawa, and Carleton University.

Rideau Canal freezes over in the winter and becomes a skating rink.

Transport locations include O-Train stations, and Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport.

Kingston Penitentiary is a 19th century prison open to filming.

Southwestern Ontario

Waterloo is known for the University of Waterloo, and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

London is known for the University of Western Ontario, St Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, Royal Canadian Regiment Museum, and Boler Mountain ski area.

The Goderich salt mine is the world’s largest underground salt mine.

Point Pelee National Park is a Dark-Sky preserve.

Bruce Nuclear Generating Station is located in Tiverton.

Central Ontario

Barrie is the largest city in Central Ontario.

Quaint towns of note include Port Hope which featured in It (2017), Bobcaygeon, Lindsay, Gravenhurst, Bancroft, Campbellford, Cobourg, Lakefield, Fenelon Falls, Tweed, Madoc, Picton, and Penetanguishene.

Georgian Bay Islands National Park consists of 63 small islands located in Georgian Bay. Wildlife of note includes moose, black bears, coyotes, timber wolves, lynxes, bobcats, porcupines, raccoons, and beavers.

Sandbanks Provincial Park has one of the best sandy beaches in Ontario.

Bon Echo Provincial Park is known for its lake and native pictographs.

Killbear Provincial Park is known for its beaches, rock ridges, and pine forests.

Presqu’ile Provincial Park is an important wetlands area known for its migratory birds. 

Torrance Barrens is a Dark-Sky preserve.

Northern Ontario

Northern Ontario is a largely uninhabited wilderness of lakes, swamps and forests.

Sudbury is the largest city in Northern Ontario.

Thunder Bay, located on Lake Superior, is known for Fort William Historical Park and Kakabeka Falls.

Aguasabon Falls is a beautiful film location on Lake Superior.

Algonquin Provincial Park is a landscape of coniferous and deciduous forests, as well as hundreds of lakes and rivers. Wildlife includes moose, black bears, eastern wolves, red foxes, deer, beavers, and great grey owls.

Restoule Provincial Park is a landscape of forests and lakes. Wildlife includes coyotes, wolves, bears, otters, pine martens, moose, deer, and a diversity of birdlife. Backcountry (2014) was filmed in Restoule Provincial Park.

Pukaskwa National Park is known for Lake Superior, boreal forests, and rivers. Wildlife of note include black bears, lynx, timber wolves, moose, woodland caribou, beavers, river otters, and peregrine falcons.

Killarney Provincial Park, located on Georgian Bay, is a landsape of lakes, forests, and hills. The park is a Dark-Sky Preserve. Wildlife of note includes moose, deer, black bears, wolves, lynx, bobcats, martens, and beavers.

Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park is known for its canyon.

Polar Bear Provincial Park, located north on the Hudson Bay, is the largest park in Ontario. As well as being home to polar bear it is an important wetlands area.

Ontario Film Location Permits

Ontario film location permits depend on the specific location as well as the scope and size of your shoot. Film permits are required for shooting on public locations in Toronto. Proof of insurance is also required. Please contact us for location specific information.

When To Shoot?

Ontario has a typical four-season climate. Spring (April to May) brings flowers and warm weather. Summers (June to September) can get very hot and humid. Fall (October to November) brings colorful leaves and the migration of the monarch butterfly. Winters (December to March) are very cold and snowy, particularly the farther north you go.

Ontario is home to a long list of festivals and events of interest to filmmakers and photographers including:

• Winterlude takes place in Toronto in January / February.
• Kuumba Festival takes place in Toronto in February.
• Canadian International AutoShow takes place in Toronto in February.
• St Patrick’s Day Parade takes place in Toronto in March.
• Toronto ComiCon takes place in Toronto in March.
• Hot Docs Film Festival takes place in Toronto in April / May.
• Toronto Festival of Storytelling takes place in Toronto in May.
• Stratford Festival is a theatre festival that runs from April to October.
• CONTACT Photography Festival takes place in Toronto in May.
• Canadian Music Week takes place in Toronto in May.
• Toronto Pride in June.
• Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival in June.
• North by Northeast Festival takes place in Toronto in June.
• International Festival of Authors takes place in Toronto in June.
• Toronto Jazz Festival in June / July.
• Toronto Fringe Festival in July.
• Honda Indy Toronto in July.
• Canadian Open Golf Tournament takes place in St George’s Golf and Country Club in July.
• Toronto Caribbean Carnival in July / August.
• Toronto Summer Music Festival in July / August.
• Rogers Cup Tennis takes place in Toronto in August.
• Canadian National Exhibition takes place in Toronto in August.
• BuskerFest takes place in Toronto in August.
• Toronto International Film Festival in September.
• Oktoberfest takes place in Waterloo.
• Santa Claus Parade takes place in Toronto in November.
• Toronto Christmas Market in November / December.
• Cavalcade of Lights takes place in Toronto in November / December.

Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in Canada.

Unique Local Stories

Brands are looking for local stories that match their brand narrative. Our local teams are a great lead for sourcing those unique stories and characters.

If you are looking for stories for your next shoot, send us your brief and we will pitch you ideas.

If you have a unique story you would like to pitch to a brand anywhere in the world, pitch us your idea. We have well-established processes to ensure that your ideas are properly seen and protected.

Ontario Tax Incentives For Filming

Tax Incentives. The Ontario Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC) is a refundable tax credit of 25% on qualified Ontario production expenditures for eligible film and television productions. The Ontario Computer Animation & Special Effects (OCASE) Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit of 20% of qualifying Ontario labor expenditures for digital animation and digital visual effects created in Ontario for film and television productions. See here for more information.

Ontario Film Crew & Talent

Crew. Toronto is Eastern Canada’s main production service center. It is the gateway to filming in Ontario, Manitoba, the Maritimes, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Toronto has world renowned, experienced creative and technical crews that specialize in servicing a broad spectrum of productions from Hollywood feature films to commercial stills. 

Contact us if you are looking for a Toronto or Ottawa based director, DP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, or any other film crew in Ontario.

Talent. Ontario’s population is predominately Caucasian, Asian, and Afro-Canadian. Common First Nations ethnicities in the province include the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and the Cree. Toronto offers an impressive multicultural pool of experienced actors and models. It has a deeper selection of talent options than any other city in Canada, especially in terms of African looks and high end fashion models. Film characters synonymous with Ontario including hockey players, politicians, and blue collar workers.

Ontario Film Equipment

Equipment. Toronto offers both Panavision and Arri equipment as well as several boutique equipment companies. The majority of specialized equipment is available in Toronto including Russian Arms, camera cars, cranes and helicopter mounts.

Communications. Communication is key. Our agility and global experience allows us to customise the right communications systems for every shoot.

Web posted casting, scouting, and videoconferencing.

For clients that are unable to attend set we offer a virtual video village solution. This dedicated and secure high-resolution video streaming platform allows clients from one or multiple timezones to view setups without compromise and to participate in real-time with the team on set. Separate systems can be set up for the discrete conversations that are required to make a job run right. Working remotely with our local teams reduces your content production costs, turnaround times, carbon footprint, and risks associated with unpredictable global events.

Ontario Studios

Studios. Ontario has several state of the art studio facilities. Pinewood Toronto Studios has 10 fully-equipped sound stages and 9 acres of backlot.

Visas & Work Permits

Previously the rules were very strict with all visiting crew required to have work permits that were very time consuming and expensive to get. The good news is now commercial advertising shoots are exempt from the work permit process on the condition the project is foreign funded. See here for more information.

For crew members who will be entering to oversee the project, Western passport holders are able to enter Canada visa-free with an eTA for a period of up to six months. This excludes US nationals arriving directly from the US, who are exempt from the eTA requirement.

Transport & Accommodation

Transportation Infrastructure. Canada has an extensive road network, particularly in the more populated south of the country. Several domestic airlines and charter services are available to access more remote areas. Major Canadian cities are serviced by most international carriers.

Accommodation. See below for recommended film friendly hotels in Toronto, Ottawa and other areas of Ontario.

Pantages Hotel Toronto

Final Notes

Safety. Ontario is a very safe and reliable place to film. See here for up to date travel advice.

Down Time. Toronto is a vibrant, modern city with many great restaurants and entertainment venues.

Projects. For an example of TV commercials, stills campaigns, online content, corporate videos, virtual reality 360 content, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Ontario, please see below:

Hire Ontario Production Support & Shooting Crew

If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer for your shoot in Ontario, please contact us.

If you are looking for a shooting crew for your shoot in Ontario, such as a director, DoP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, please contact us.

We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.