An upcoming film being shot on Vancouver Island is using locations in and around Port Alberni, including Smitty's restaurant and the McLean Mill National Historic Site.
Smitty's owner Katinna Savard said having the film shoot there was a fantastic experience. She enjoyed watching the crew working together on everything from electrical to camera work to prop management.
"I think being in my own restaurant, I've been here for 36 years and bought it nine years ago, it was pretty amazing to see these famous people in our house and working out of it and doing their job," she said. "It was kind of surreal, watching the professionals work and get ready to do their role and get into their role. And seeing one of them pacing in our dish pit reading her lines."
In the side dining room tables were moved and equipment was brought in. Savard said there were at least 20 people with laptops working out of one end of the restaurant while filming was done in the other.
Outside of the restaurant, trucks filled the parking area. Savard said they brought their own generators for power and had washrooms, food trucks and an ice cream truck outside along with all of the trucks used for equipment.
The evening before filming, crews arrived and covered up the Smitty's signage to prepare for the shoot.
"A lot of our customers were actually asking if we changed hands or if we sold," Savard said with a chuckle. She and her husband reassured people Smitty's was not closing down or changing hands.
Savard said the crew took great care to make sure anything they moved was put back, going so far as to make sure they had photos of everything the way it was when they arrived.
The film shoot included some of Smitty's staff including Savard's niece who works at the restaurant.
"When I saw her walk in all dressed up for the part I was like 'oh wow that's kind of what we looked like when I started 36 years ago,' so that was an interesting moment and pretty honoured and proud of her too," Savard said. In total three of Smitty's staff were on camera during the shoot.
There was a last-minute change to the filming dates, it was originally supposed to be on a Wednesday but got switched to Thursday after Savard told staff they had Wednesday off. Savard said that change worked in the restaurant's favour as Wednesday was an incredibly busy day for the restaurant.
"We're just all happy that we could help them and make it work. And we're pretty excited to see the movie," she said. "We're going to recognize a lot of the town, we're not the only location so I feel like it's going to be pretty exciting."
Savard said having things filmed in town is a boost for the local economy and helps put the city on the map. That's something echoed by Elliot Drew, the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce's director of operations.
"It's three weeks, these people are pretty much moving into our community for that time," Drew said. "Whether it be in food and services, whether it be hotel rooms, whether it be the cash they infuse into the economy, renting equipment, hiring local talents, renting out locations, those kinds of things. We figure at this point the number is looking roughly around half a million dollars paid directly into the Port Alberni community."
On top of that, the cast and crew for the film are in town and spending money at places like restaurants, stores and gas stations. He said what was contributed to the economy will take time to figure out but it is a definite boost.
McLean Mill, which is operated by the chamber, has remained open for the most part throughout filming at the historic site. Filming is ongoing in Port Alberni and Drew said there will be some days with limited access to the mill.
Drew said there weren't any big changes made to the historic site for filming and people who know McLean Mill will definitely still recognize it.
"Not only does it bring dollars when they film here, but it brings attention when people are watching the finished product," he said. "Right now we know that having more eyes on our community can only help us so it's definitely something we want to foster."
Drew said the chamber's priority isn't to chase down and find productions to film at the site, but they are always open to having things filmed there because of how much it benefits the community. He added that if Port Alberni continues to be a good place for filming, word will spread.
"If they have a good experience, if they find us easy to work with, if they find that they're able to do way more than they thought because it's simple, we have different types of environments that work for them then it makes sense to come here for these extended stays so that they can get a lot of filming done," he said.
"Any way we can spread the good word about the valley, it is going to help us grow and prosper and that's really what the Chamber's mission is."
Savard said in her conversations with crew members, they've enjoyed there time in Port Alberni. She spoke to two of them from Metro Vancouver who told her they're going to look at moving to the Island, one specifically said they want to move to Port Alberni.
