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Lights, camera, action! Centre Wellington sees filming boom during COVID

Filming is not unusual in the area with many major productions over the decades
Screenshot 2021-12-03 2.02.31 PM
Trapped In Paradise with Nicolas Cage and Dana Carvey filmed in Elora.

CENTRE WELLINGTON – Elora and Fergus have historically been used as filming locations but COVID has created an uptick in productions coming to the area. 

Deb Dalziel, Centre Wellington’s tourism and destination coordinator, explained that while the film industry was deemed essential, some urban centres closed themselves off to the industry. Crews had to become more creative with location choices.

“We picked up a number of productions that would perhaps not have looked at our area,” Dalziel said, adding these ranged from small commercial shoots to high-profile films.

One of these recent productions was for a made-for-TV Christmas movie called It Takes a Christmas Village, also known as The Christmas Market, which notably closed Fergus’ David Street bridge in February. 

Dalziel said this film, releasing later this month, brought a great economic boost to the area through permit fees, services the township can provide and to local businesses as well. 

For example, Dalziel explained the production used the Brew House as its green room and ended up contracting them to provide lunch, which would benefit the business that was for the most part closed at the time. 

“It presents a really good business case when we can look at return on investment with having film in our area,” Dalziel said. 

Dalziel said a unique quality to the film industry is that locations are more or less “at the mercy” of what a location scout is looking for. 

Elora’s Jack R. MacDonald pedestrian bridge caught the eye of location scouts for The Man from Toronto, releasing in 2022 starring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson.

“They wanted that bridge,” Dalziel said.

“It was that particular image that they wanted and they knew exactly where it’s going to be used in the movie.”

Another location Dalziel said is getting good use is the former Groves Hospital site in Fergus for those looking for a medical environment. 

Allison Armstrong, spokesperson for Groves Memorial Community Hospital, said via email the hospital has hosted a movie, commercial and a CBS TV show since it closed in July 2020. 

“Other than a small section of the hospital being used as a COVID assessment centre, the majority of the hospital remains empty,” Armstrong said of why crews might be drawn to the former hospital site. 

“There are no challenges with having to worry about patient/staff privacy. It is an empty canvas for the film industry. We also have plenty of free parking available for film trucks and crew.”

While there has been a boost of late, filming in the area isn’t brand new. 

The Elora Quarry was featured prominently in the 2017 version of IT and Henry Winkler came to town in the 70s for An American Christmas Carol. Winkler remarked in a recent Twitter exchange about remembering Elora being a beautiful town.

Dalziel said she remembered the buzz around Trapped In Paradise starring Nicolas Cage, Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey when it filmed in Fergus in the 1990s. 

“I would say that’s one of the biggest Christmas movies we have filmed,” Dalziel said. 

Dalziel stressed film productions follow very strict COVID protocols, which she said she experienced as she does site inspections for movie shoots. 

She said there are a lot of “thanks, but no thanks” from location scouts, she figured about three out of 10 pan out, but she has noticed those using the area seem to be more than satisfied when filming in the area. 

“You know you’ve done a good job when they come calling again because they’ve had a good positive experience,” Dalziel said. 

Some past films that have used Elora or Fergus as locations are:

  • An American Christmas Carol (1979 TV Movie)
  • Mrs. Soffel (1984)
  • Trapped in Paradise (1994)
  • Simon Birch (1998)
  • Angel Eyes (2001)
  • Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
  • Dead Silence (2007)
  • Salem Falls (2011 TV Movie)
  • Revenge Delivered (2021 TV Movie)

More can be found here


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Keegan Kozolanka

About the Author: Keegan Kozolanka

Keegan Kozolanka is a general assignment reporter for EloraFergusToday, covering Wellington County. Keegan has been working with Village Media for more than two years and helped launch EloraFergusToday in 2021.
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