When people think of Hollywood movies shot on location in Canada, most people will automatically think of Vancouver. Often the city is just referred to as Hollywood North. However, over the past year or so there seems to have been a shift in preference, and more movies are now actually being shot in Montreal.
Nicholas Barker, who is in charge of reading through screenplays and finding the optimal shooting locations, tells the Metro Newspaper that “the strength of Montreal is that its architecture can look like Paris, New York, Moscow, London and even Mumbai…” This becomes apparent when you look at the different sites in Montreal and the movies it has been used for. Mount Royal Park for instance is a popular location for movie makers who have a scene which is to take place in New York’s Central Park. Many movie enthusiasts will tell you that they can’t tell a difference between the two. The reason for this lies in the fact that both parks were designed by the same landscape architect.
What makes Montreal so perfect for filming is the fact that it is characterized by four distinct seasons, meaning that you can shoot any type of movie there. Furthermore, the stunning nature that surrounds Montreal makes it perfect for outdoor nature shots.
Case in point, Dustin Hoffman and Paul Giamatti are currently in Montreal filming Barney’s Vision, based on the 1997 novel. Location scouts have taken full advantage of all the city has to offer, using popular sites like Grumpy’s Bar on Bishop St for the film.
The movie they’re shooting is “Barney’s Version” not “Barney’s Vision”