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Film, video and audio-visual post-production
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Canada's film, video and audio-visual post-production companies posted a record $1.0 billion in operating revenues in 2004, but their profitability continued a long-term decline as rising expenses outpaced growth in revenues.
As a result, their profit margin fell from 7.3% in 2001 to only 4.3% in 2004. Profitability has been on the decline since 1999 when it peaked at 17.9%.
Exports were the sole driver of revenue growth, rising to $523 million in 2004 from $401 million in 2001.
This information comes from a 2004 census of film, video and audio-visual post production facilities in Canada. To be included, a company had to be a motion picture laboratory or post-production facility engaged in production or post-production services in 2004. These facilities performed work on a film after production was complete, such as film printing, editing, and adding subtitles or visual effects.
Revenue earned from duplication and transcoding was one of the largest streams for post-production facilities, but it fell 28.0% over this period. This compares to the 10.4% increase in total operating revenue.
Although full-time employees constituted almost 9 out of every 10 employees in 2004, their number grew by only 2.5% from 2001. Meanwhile the number of part-timers fell by 19.9%, while 23.6% fewer freelancers were hired by Canadian post-production firms.
Total wages and salaries rose 7.0% for post-production employees from 2001 to 2004. This compares with a 4.9% increase in the average weekly wage for workers in the information, culture and recreation industries combined, from December 2001 to December 2004, according to data from the Labour Force Survey.
Money paid out for interest and all other operating expenses also rose over this period, leading to a 14.1% increase in operating expenses.
Ontario firms dominated Canadian post-production, earning 60.3% of total operating revenue in 2004. Quebec firms, however, experienced the greatest growth in revenues from 2001 to 2004 (+42.1%) compared with just 0.4% growth for Ontario.
Together these two provinces earned 95.2% of total national post-production revenue. British Columbian firms earned 3.8%.
Quebec post-production firms were among the most profitable in the country in 2004 with a profit margin of 14.9%. Ontario firms had an operating loss of 1.3%.
Note: Data for the territories were combined with British Columbia in order to protect confidentiality. All data are in current dollars. The survey was not conducted in 2002 and 2003.
Available on CANSIM: table 501-0011.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2415.
Selected information is now available in Film, Video and Audio-visual Post-production: Data Tables (87-009-XIE, free) from the Publications module of our website. These tables include breakdowns of data by province and region of Canada.
For general information to order special tables or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-307-3382; fax: 613-951-1333; culture@statcan.gc.ca), Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics.
Table(s).
