The Front Row View (entertainment insurance blog)

The Best Locations for Filming in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

Written by Grant Patten | Mar 4, 2022 2:19:46 PM

Toronto has been home to many film productions over the years, both large and small. Some of the better known movies shot in Toronto include Adventures in Babysitting (1987), Mean Girls (2004) and The Shape of Water (2017). Let’s do a resource round-up of some of these filming locations in the GTA.

This list is not comprehensive and if you feel we are missing a location that should be added, feel free to contact us with the suggestion.

We’ll discuss, in no particular order:

  1. Best larger studios for filming in Toronto
  2. Best smaller studios for filming in Toronto
  3. Best churches for filming in Toronto
  4. Best other locations for filming in Toronto

 

Best larger studios for filming in Toronto

Pinewood Toronto Studios

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinewood_Toronto_Studios

Pinewood Toronto Studios is the largest film studio in Canada. It is located on Commissioners St in the Port Lands neighbourhood. This studio is capable of accommodating the production of large-scale films.

The 11-hectare lot features seven purpose-built sound stages and one converted warehouse, ranging from 10,000 to 46,000 square feet.

Notable production shot there: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Edwards Blvd Studio from WFW

URL: https://ironwoodstudios.ca/edwards/

The Edwards Blvd Studio from William F. White International is located in Mississauga. This studio has over 150,000 square feet of space, split between four soundstages and over 21,000 sq. ft of office space. The offices have fibre-optic services and are fully furnished, making this a comfortable turnkey studio work environment.

WFW has other large studios in the GTA, including Century Studio and Cantay Studio, but the Edwards Blvd Studio is the company’s primary GTA location.

Cinespace Film Studios

URL: https://cinespace.com/

Cinespace has multiple film studios in the GTA: Kipling Av. Studios, Booth Av. Studios and Eastern Av. Studios. Kipling Av. is the largest of these with over 750,000 square feet of film, TV and digital media production space.

Booth Av. has four studios ranging in size from 6,000 to 20,000 square feet. Eastern Av. has five studios ranging in size from 8,000 to 25,000 square feet.

Notable production shot there: Pompeii (2014)

TriBro Studios

URL: https://tribrostudios.com/

TriBro Studios was created to provide productions with a great space to work in. They have three sound stages, with the largest being 19,000 square feet with 18’ clearance.

TriBro also offers: The Pit, The Loft, a Film Hangar and an Airport Film Terminal space. This airport filming space is located at YYZ and is designed to make filming in an airport easier and more straightforward for productions.

Notable production shot there: Killjoys TV series

Studio City Toronto

URL: https://www.studiocitytoronto.ca/

Studio City is one of Toronto’s busiest studios for film and television production, offering 148,000 square feet of production facilities on six stages. This studio is located on Lake Shore Blvd E in Toronto.

Located in the same area is Studio City Rentals where productions can rent great rigging gear to use on set, including truss, chain motors, clamps, fasteners and custom rigging.

 

Best smaller studios for filming in Toronto

Pie in the Sky Studios

URL: https://www.piestudios.ca/

Billed as “Toronto's first boutique film studio”, Pie in the Sky has seven studio spaces, with the largest one being 6,000 square feet. They also have gear available for rent on site, including Fresnel lights, soft lights, projector lenses and dimmers.

These seven facilities are spread across east, west and central Toronto. Studios 1 and 3 are located at 379 Donlands Av. in the East York neighbourhood.

Notable production shot there: Dark Side of the Ring TV series

StartWell Studios

URL: https://startwell.co/studios/

Described as “a turn-key facility for professional film and photo productions”, StartWell is located on Niagara Street in Toronto. A unique feature of this studio is that it has a massive two-wall cyclorama.

The studio is in a single-floor detached building measuring 3,400 square feet.

The building has two sets of doors and you can load equipment directly from parking. The studio has tall ceilings for sets plus load bearing truss to rig lighting equipment.

Wanderspace

URL: https://www.wanderspace.co/

Located on St. Lawrence Street in the east end of TO, the Wanderspace “Light Factory” is 700 square feet and can accommodate both photo and smaller film/video shoots.

The studio is furnished with a leather couch, clothing rack, kitchenette, refrigerator and various fun props. The building is a brick and beam third floor walk-up. Original hardwood floors.

Studio Cozy

URL: http://www.studiocozy.com/

Located on Dupont St. in Toronto, Studio Cozy is 26’ x 26’ and has a wood floor finish. The studio is set up for both photography and videography.

Lights, backgrounds, stands, filters, furniture, reflectors, etc. are included in the hourly rate when booking the studio.

Six5 Studios

URL: https://six5studios.com/

Located on Heward Av. in Toronto’s east end, Six5 Studios are purpose-built stages, column-free and fully supported with all the amenities required to support a seamless production.

The studios range in size from 9,200 to 9,600 square feet.

Both studios are supported by a flexible production office space, including green rooms, workstations, and smaller studios that can be configured to meet your exact needs.

 

Best churches for filming in Toronto

The Cathedral Church Of St. James

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Church_of_St._James_(Toronto)

The Cathedral Church of St. James is an Anglican cathedral on King St. E in downtown Toronto. The cathedral opened in 1853 and is now a designated building under the Ontario Heritage Act.

The church has an event and venue centre where much filming has been done.

Notable production shot there: Mary Kills People TV series

1871 Berkeley Church

URL: https://berkeleyevents.com/

The Berkeley Church on Queen St. E offers a combination of historic tradition and contemporary vibes. The main floor features a grand ballroom with fireplaces and a Victorian-inspired bar.

Overlooking the main space is a mezzanine with 17ft high stained glass windows.

Notable production shot there: Shadowhunters TV series

St. Andrew’s Church

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Andrew's_Church_(Toronto)

St. Andrew's Church is a historic Presbyterian church located at King St. W and Simcoe St. in Toronto. Completed in 1876, various film and TV productions have been shot here over the years.

The property (consisting of the manse and the church building) has been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act since 1981.

Notable production shot there: Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

St. Basil's Church

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Basil's_Church_(Toronto)

St. Basil's Church, built in 1856, is part of St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto. The church contains some impressively designed stained glass windows.

The current organ at St. Basil’s was installed in 1919. It has been modified three times since its initial installation, most recently in 2017.

Notable production shot there: Spotlight (2015)

Church of the Holy Trinity

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Trinity_(Toronto)

The Church of the Holy Trinity is an Anglican church in downtown TO in Trinity Square.

Adjacent to the church is a clock tower similar in scale and construction to the columns at Bay Street. In addition, three nearby colonnade-like structures serve as an entrance to a labyrinth.

Notable production shot there: I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987)

 

Best other locations for filming in Toronto

Allan Gardens

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Gardens

Allan Gardens is a conservatory and urban park located on Gerrard St. E in Toronto. A permit to film there can be obtained from the City of Toronto.

Many impressive and unusual flowers are always blooming inside Allan Gardens, including peace lilies, bougainvilleas, moth orchids and poinsettias.

Notable production shot there: The Handmaid's Tale TV series

Berczy Park

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berczy_Park

Berczy Park is a small park in downtown Toronto on Wellington St. E. This park has a particularly distinctive look because of its two-tier fountain with cast-iron statues of 27 dogs and a cat.

This park is close to the famed Flatiron Building, so it would be possible to get shots of that building in the background. As with most parks in the city, it is possible to obtain a permit from the City of Toronto to film here.

Notable production shot there: The Queen's Gambit TV series

Bloor Street Viaduct

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Edward_Viaduct

The Bloor Viaduct is a bridge connecting Bloor Street East to Danforth Avenue. Various film and TV productions have been shot around this bridge over the years.

Built between 1914 and 1918. The bridge is nearby Castle Frank and Sherbourne subway stations.

Notable production shot here: Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

Lower Bay Station

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_station#Lower_Bay

Lower Bay Station is a defunct subway station that is underneath Bay Station. The public used it for only six months in 1966. Now, it is used primarily for film and TV shoots.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) occasionally opens Lower Bay Station to the public for certain cultural events, such as Doors Open Toronto.

Notable production shot there: Mimic (1997)

Hearn Generating Station

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearn_Generating_Station

The Hearn Generating Station in Toronto’s Port Lands neighbourhood is decommissioned; it was sold to Studios of America in 2018. Studios of America has leased the property for film shoots over the years.

The Hearn generated energy from 1951 to 1983. The plant is huge, encompassing 650 thousand cubic metres of space.

Notable production shot here: Goosebumps TV series

 

Get DigiGear Insurance | Short-Term Production Insurance | Front Row Insurance

If you’re researching filming locations in Toronto, chances are good that you’re a filmmaker or film producer; if that is the case, you’ll want to consider insuring your valuable filmmaking gear and film productions. Get a fast quote from Front Row Insurance and buy online:

  • Short-Term Film Insurance (Canada): provides coverage for up to 15 consecutive days of shooting, with no minimum premium. The coverage is available online 24/7. Covers rented gear, rented locations, rented props, sets, wardrobes, and more. Quotes are free. The filming location/venue can be added as an additional insured.
  • DigiGear Insurance (Canada): custom equipment insurance for owners of: cameras, sound and lighting gear working in the film/TV industry. Also available online. Quotes in 2 minutes. Policy available in 5 minutes. Shop from your phone.
  • Event Insurance (Canada): if you’re holding a private event at one of the above venues, you can buy event insurance for the day of your event.

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About: Front Row Insurance Brokers Inc. is an independent insurance broker that specializes in the entertainment industry – specifically, the film industry. Front Row works hard to provide insurance protection for a very low cost. Should a claim occur, Front Row works diligently with clients and insurers to expedite the payment. Offices in: Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, NY, Nashville and LA.

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