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Short films are becoming popular amongst ambitious realtors looking for a competitive edge to stand out in the city’s housing market.

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Forget the gimmicks, fridge magnets, or free home evaluations, short films are becoming popular amongst ambitious realtors looking for a competitive edge to stand out in the city’s housing market.

A successful woman driving a Telsa pulls up and parks in the two car garage, she struts confidently through her back yard. She’s obsessed with a song by a trendy Soundcloud famous DJ, Mallrat https://www.facebook.com/lilmallrat/, from which she switches from her Model 3 electric car, to iPhone, then to her house Sonos system, seamlessly, to which she starts to dance. We’re given a cinematic tour of the smart home, from room to room has the dancer, performed by professional dancer, and successful Edmonton business woman, Larissa Kovelanko, as she rhythmically moves her body throughout the entire home. The home located at 8617 108A Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

While the beautifully shot film could be advertising any number of things – electric cars, dance classes, new religion for adults seeking meaning – it’s actually an ad for a home. The home, a brand new custom infill home built by Vrabel Homes in the core of Edmonton, near 109st, and Saskchawean drive, blocks south of Whyte Avenue. Edmonton’s bustling market place is prime location for people to shop, or hang out with friends at the local coffee shops within a short radius.

The film is the brainchild of realtor Nikita Gylander with Core Real Estate Group (corerealestategroup.ca), who sold Edmonton cinematographer Raoul Bhatt (https://www.facebook.com/raoulbhatt) his home which was built by the same builder. Nikita, the social and well connected Edmonton realtor who’s kept tight relationships with all her clients, approached Bhatt for a video, whom she was aware was in the movie business. The movie’s uniqueness shines throughout this 4min and 20second video, which we discover the three-storey house, visually and emotionally.

“The price point was much higher than what was common in the neighbourhood, because it’s a brand new home, an infill, and it has a unique layout, high end finishing’s and ability to generate an income with it’s basement suite, ideal for someone who wants a new home, but is investment savvy, ie the two bedroom legal basement suite could rent for $1800 a month, which would cover $350,000 of the mortgage. With university students at UofA just blocks away, and anyone that may enjoy flavourful foods and sips of chai at hip local indian fusion ‘coffee shop’ Remedy. So I knew the exposure [of the listing] needed to be greater than usual,” she explains.

With that in mind, Raoul suggested a short video that would appeal to her perceived prospective buyer… Nikita, an outside the box thinker, thought it would appeal to a young family looking for a quiet property in an attractive neighbourhood, or a professional that wants to be in the mix of it all. And it worked. The video has been viewed thousands of times, and the house with increasing inquiries for viewing, which was listed just last week, for the asking price at $1.1 million.

In Edmonton, real estate videos – from fanciful creations like straightforward virtual tours – are becoming more popular among realtors looking for a competitive edge in a saturated market.

According to the Edmonton Real Estate Board, there are some 3000 real estate agents working in the Edmonton and surrounding area. Forget fridge magnets. Some realtors are now doing anything to attract new clients, from throwing “wine and cheese night” open houses to branding ice cream bicycles that pedal around local fairs, this just shows how far agents are willing to go for their clients, in this case the builder of this infill.

Raoul Bhatt, After 22 years of running a software company, who initially got into film to create cinematic stories of his softwares, which have been used by NHL, Superbowl, WWE Wrestlemania, Fall Out Boy. Which also produced a short web series for Booster Juice in 2017. Has been increasingly been approached to produce docs and tv shows by national Canadian brands. Bhatt, still a CEO of his software company, has ventured into the movie business, being featured by Jetset Parking which got 1/2 million views (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AtsFUKho98), and Swimco.com (https://www.swimco.com/2018/06/meet-our-swimsuitmodel-raoul-bhatt/). Early into his new career, Raoul has realized, it’s doing things differently that makes his business stand out, and storytelling through cinema compliments his other ventures.

“The typical Realestate video, they’re definitely cheesy, but the films do to job, but when you make a movie, those are never forgotten, doesn’t matter what you’re offering” says Raoul Bhatt, who advocates anything he does be like a movie.

His film isn’t just showing off the space’s amenities, they’re also meant to be aspirational. For Nikita Gylander and Vrabel Homes, he tailored this video to who he imagines is the prospective buyer, whether it’s a professor, or a young successful career woman.

“These films show what life could be like if you lived in this home,” says Bhatt. “Instead of just some beauty shots where you can turn off the video halfway through, [lifestyle films] work because people want to see the beginning, middle and the end.”

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California planning to double film tax credits amid industry decline

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California legislators have unveiled a bill to follow through with the governor’s plan of more than doubling the state’s film and TV production tax credits to $750 million.

The state’s own analysis warns it’s likely the refundable production credits generate only 20 to 50 cents of state revenue for every dollar the state spends, and the increase could stoke a “race to the bottom” among the 38 states that now have such programs.

Industry insiders say the state’s high production costs are to blame for much of the exodus, and experts say the cost of housing is responsible for a significant share of the higher costs.

The bill creates a special carve-out for shooting in Los Angeles, where productions would be able to claim refundable credits for 35% of the cost of production.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his proposal last year and highlighted his goal of expanding the program at an industry event last week.

“California is the entertainment capital of the world – and we’re committed to ensuring we stay that way,” said Newsom. “Fashion and film go hand in hand, helping to express characters, capture eras in time and reflect cultural movements.”

With most states now offering production credits, economic analysis suggests these programs now produce state revenue well below the cost of the credits themselves.

“A recent study from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation found that each $1 of Program 2.0 credit results in $1.07 in new state and local government revenue. This finding, however, is significantly overstated due to the study’s use of implausible assumptions,” wrote the state’s analysts in a 2023 report. “Most importantly, the study assumes that no productions receiving tax credits would have filmed here in the absence of the credit.”

“This is out of line with economic research discussed above which suggests tax credits influence location decisions of only a portion of recipients,” continued the state analysis. “Two studies that better reflect this research finding suggest that each $1 of film credit results in $0.20 to $0.50 of state revenues.”

“Parks and Recreation” stars Rob Lowe and Adam Scott recently shared on Lowe’s podcast how costs are so high their show likely would have been shot in Europe instead.

“It’s cheaper to bring 100 American people to Ireland than to walk across the lot at Fox past the sound stages and do it and do it there,” said Lowe.

“Do you think if we shot ‘Parks’ right now, we would be in Budapest?” asked Scott, who now stars in “Severance.”

“100%,” replied Lowe. “All those other places are offering 40% — forty percent — and then on top of that there’s other stuff that they do, and then that’s not even talking about the union stuff. That’s just tax economics of it all.”

“It’s criminal what California and LA have let happen. It’s criminal,” continued Lowe. “Everybody should be fired.”

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, housing is the single largest expense for California households.

“Across the income spectrum, 35–44% of household expenditures go to covering rent, mortgages, utilities and home maintenance,” wrote PPIC.

The cost of housing due to supply constraints now makes it nearly impossible for creatives to get their start in LA, said M. Nolan Gray, legislative director at housing regulatory reform organization California YIMBY.

“Hollywood depends on Los Angeles being the place where anybody can show up, take a big risk, and pursue their dreams, and that only works if you have a lot of affordable apartments,” said Gray to The Center Square. “We’ve built a Los Angeles where you have to be fabulously wealthy to have stable and decent housing, and as a result a lot of folks either are not coming, or those who are coming need to paid quite a bit higher to make it worth it, and it’s destroying one of California’s most important industries.”

“Anybody who arrived in Hollywood before the 2010s, their story is always, ‘Yeah, I showed up in LA, and I lived in a really, really  dirt-cheap apartment with like $10 in my pocket.’ That just doesn’t exist anymore,” continued Gray. “Does the Walt Disney of 2025 not take the train from Kansas City to LA? Almost certainly not. If he goes anywhere, he goes to Atlanta.”

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Trump orders 10% baseline tariff on imports, closes de minimis loophole

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Reciprocal tariffs higher on many nations

President Donald Trump on Wednesday put the biggest piece of his new trade policy in effect by signing executive orders that place a 10% baseline tariff on all imports and much higher rates on nations that put taxes on U.S. products.

It could be the opening salvo in a global trade war, or, as Trump sees it, the beginning of a “Golden Age” for U.S. trade.

Trump also closed the small value packages loophole that allowed China to avoid taxes on packages valued at less than $800. Companies such as Temu and Shein used the loophole to ship billions of dollars worth of products directly to U.S. consumers and avoid paying the tax, as The Center Square previously reported.

President Trump speaks about tariffs at a Make America Wealthy Again event

Trump’s moves on Wednesday, which he termed “Liberation Day” for U.S. trade, marked the most significant shift in U.S. trade policy since the end of World War II.

In a speech from the White House’s Rose Garden, Trump said foreign nations for decades have stolen American jobs, factories and industries. He said the tariffs would bring in new jobs, factories and industries and return the U.S. to a manufacturing superpower.

“Our country and its taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years,” Trump said. “But it is not going to happen anymore.”

Trump’s supporters praised the trade overhaul. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said it was time for foreign nations to pay up.

“If you want to do business in America, you need to play by our rules,” she said. “For too long, American businesses, big and small, have been ripped off by bad trade deals and unfair competition. President Trump is putting a stop to it. He’s standing up for our workers, our companies and our consumers.”

Critics slammed Trump’s trade plans.

“Donald Trump may want to call this ‘Liberation Day,’ but there is nothing liberating for working families who are grappling with the high costs of food, housing, and utilities,” said Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat. “Tariffs are a tax. They are a tax on working families, a tax on groceries, and a tax on other everyday necessities.”

Other countries planned their own responses. The European Union plans to retaliate with its own measures.

“Europe has not started this confrontation,” EU boss Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech. “We do not necessarily want to retaliate but, if it is necessary, we have a strong plan to retaliate and we will use it.”

She said tariffs are taxes “paid by the people.”

“But Europe has everything to protect our people and our prosperity,” she wrote on X. “We will always promote & defend our interests and values. And we will always stand up for Europe.”

China, the world’s second-largest economy, said Monday that it was planning to coordinate its response to U.S. tariffs with Japan and South Korea.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday that he was willing to fly to the U.S. to meet with Trump to get an exemption for Japanese vehicle makers. He also said the government will take steps to minimize the impact of U.S. tariffs on Japanese industries and jobs.

Trump will impose a 10% tariff on all countries that will take effect April 5, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. EDT. Trump will impose an individualized reciprocal tariff on the countries with which the United States has the largest trade deficits, including China, India and Vietnam, among others. All other countries will continue to be subject to the 10% tariff baseline, according to the White House.

“These tariffs will remain in effect until such a time as President Trump determines that the threat posed by the trade deficit and underlying nonreciprocal treatment is satisfied, resolved, or mitigated,” according to a White House fact sheet.

Trump’s executive order also gives him authority to increase the tariffs

“if trading partners retaliate” or “decrease the tariffs if trading partners take significant steps to remedy non-reciprocal trade arrangements and align with the United States on economic and national security matters,” according to the White House.

“Foreign cheaters have stolen our jobs, ransacked our factories and foreign scavengers have torn apart our once beautiful American dream,” Trump said in the Rose Garden.

For China, the tariff rate will be about 34% on imports from the world’s most populous nation. For European Union countries, it will be 20%. For Japan, the duty will be 24%. Imports from India will get a 26% tariff. Cambodia will get hit with a 49% tariff, among the highest Trump outlined on Wednesday.

For months, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has warned that tariffs could increase costs for U.S. consumers and hurt businesses. Neil Bradley, the chamber’s chief policy officer, said businesses large and small don’t want tariffs.

“What we have heard from business of all sizes, across all industries, from around the country is that these broad tariffs are a tax increase that will raise prices for American consumers and hurt the economy,” he said.

Last week, Trump announced a 25% tariff on imported automobiles and auto parts, duties that he said would be “permanent.” The White House said it expects the auto tariffs on cars and light-duty trucks will generate up to $100 billion in federal revenue.

Trump said he hopes to bring in $600 billion to $1 trillion in tariff revenue in the next year or two. Trump also said the tariffs would lead to a manufacturing boom in the U.S., with auto companies building new plants, expanding existing plants and adding jobs.

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