VANCOUVER -- When homeowner Mary Samuel watches the box office hit that is Juno, she's more likely to notice the set decoration than most people.
She's so enamoured of the decor, in fact, that she plans on seeing the movie 10 more times. While she's at it, she's going to purchase the DVD, "as a keepsake."
In the film, Ms. Samuel's big suburban house in White Rock played home to yuppie wannabe parents Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman.
"I would say a good half of the movie is filmed here," says Ms. Samuel, who is a dental assistant and single mom to two teenagers.
The family stayed in a nearby hotel throughout the 30-day film shoot, and was thrilled with the experience. The financial pay-off was a surprise bonus, and daily room service was a welcome change of pace.
"It's kind of like a miracle actually," says Ms. Samuel. "They had some other choices, but they ended up picking this house."
With the spectacular success of Juno, word is spreading that the film was shot in British Columbia's Lower Mainland. As is usual with Hollywood North, Vancouver and its suburbs usually stand in for Anywhere, U.S.A. -- in this case, Minnesota.
Although it had a small $7.5-million budget, the film has grossed more than $100-million and is in the top 10 at the box office. Juno is also in the running for four Oscars at this Sunday's Academy Awards, including nominations for best picture, best director, best actress and best original screenplay.
Writer Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman plan to return to Vancouver to shoot their next film project, Jennifer's Body.
Location manager Neil Robertson, who found Ms. Samuel's house for Juno, is in pre-production for that one too, which begins shooting next month.
"Initially Jason Reitman the director had come up to Vancouver, and his wife is from here, so he is back and forth a fair bit," says Mr. Robertson. "Before we got up and running, he and I spent the weekend driving around. I was showing him a few ideas. We had definitely come up with a definitive look, and [found] what he was looking for within a short period of time."
B.C. has been playing host to Hollywood long before TV shows like the X-files showed up at its doorstep.
Long-time film industry writer Lynne McNamara recalls when Jack Nicholson hung out in Vancouver for classic films Five Easy Pieces and Carnal Knowledge in the early 70s. Emilio Estevez and Richard Dreyfuss spent time in a Kitsilano Craftsman for the 1987 film Stakeout.
Mansions in the city's exclusive Shaughnessy neighbourhood, with their Georgian columns and sweeping driveways, have proven particularly suitable for upper middle class Americana. Shaughnessy has played starring roles in Little Women, Whale Music, Who's Harry Crumb? and Jumanji.
Lately, Jennifer Aniston has been shooting scenes for feature film Traveling at a former mansion in the West End that is now the Macaroni Grill restaurant.
The B.C. Film Commission keeps a digital library of homes from around the Lower Mainland that is used by location scouts. There are 1,625 houses and 193 apartments in the database.
"Those will be unique properties," says film commissioner Susan Croome. "[Places] that are unique and sought after."
It seems that everyone in Vancouver knows someone in the film industry. The city plays a central role in Hollywood movie making. The film crews have lots of experience, the studios are established, the climate is temperate -- and perhaps most importantly, the geography is diverse. Where else can you find a backdrop for the Antarctica and the desert within the same region?
"We've got the full meal deal," says Ms. Croome. "And we have got it very close to our major client, which is in Los Angeles. In production spending, we like to say it's a billion-dollar industry."
And when it comes to the stock of homes B.C. has to offer, it's the old ones that get picked most often. Other than Ms. Samuel's deluxe suburban yuppie house, newer homes usually don't have enough character for the movies. Mr. Robertson says he has yet to go scouting for a Vancouver Special or pink stucco box house.
"[Old houses] have a luxurious feel about them - there is the craftsmanship that was involved back in those days. They put them together so much quicker now, and the quality just isn't there."
The industry is willing to pay for the right home. A homeowner makes around $1,000 a day; if their house is a mansion, it's closer to $5,000 a day. If it's a long shoot, a flat rate will be negotiated, says Mr. Robertson.
The most he's paid a homeowner is between $70,000 and $80,000, and that was for a house in West Vancouver, he says.
If the homeowner chooses to stay in a hotel during the shoot, all their expenses are covered.
"It's not for everybody, that's for sure," cautions Ms. Samuel. "Because it's like moving out and moving back in again. Even though they do most of the work, you still have to get yourself back to normal."
If the film crew paints or wallpapers their home, which they often do, the homeowner can opt to keep it or have it returned to its original state.
In Ms. Samuel's case, she chose to revert to her vibrant red walls instead of the neutral shades her rooms had been painted for the shoot. And even though her furniture and other items were used as props in the film, everything was as she'd left it.
When Ms. McNamara visits film shoots at houses, she has to wear booties over her shoes like the rest of the crew. The floors and walls, she says, are lined with protective sheets of cardboard.
"I'm sure there have been people who've had damage [to their homes], but I would say the majority of people were knocked out by how incredible things were put back together," she says.
Occasionally, says Mr. Robertson, he gets a homeowner who takes advantage.
"I had an incident where someone had a hole in their bathroom wall where the door had flung open and I happened to take note of that when I used the bathroom on a scout prior to our filming," he recalls.
"And the owner came back and said our crew had done it. And I was adamant, I said, 'no, that's not the case -- that was done prior to us coming here to film.' "They had already asked above and beyond what we needed to do to make things right, so that's when I draw the line."
Ms. Samuel thought it would be in poor taste to disclose the rent she received for her house, but said it was close to $1,000 a day. And the windfall came at a time when she really needed the extra cash to cover some unexpected bills.
"It's so funny how things happen. I'm thoroughly grateful for it," says Ms. Samuel. "When things are just darkest, some angel out there is looking after me, that's all I can say."
166