Film commissions struggle but survive
"Although this was a rugged year for filmmaking nationally, Washington state managed to hold its own," said Suzy Kellett, managing director of the state film office.
Washington realized $16,510,758 in film and TV production spending last year from 147 projects shot exclusively or in part in the state.
Like so many film commissions, Washington felt the loss of production to international incentives but reinvented itself to stay competitive. Following the suggestions of a 25-member film industry task force, the office has initiated an e-newsletter and co-produced a PSA to remind the public that the film industry provides jobs and money locally. The Film Office has also digitized its 100,000-photo location library.
The new strategy secured two weeks of filming on the Olympic Peninsula for Paramount's "The Hunted." Also, MGM's "A Guy Thing" did pickup shots in the Seattle area. TV production included MTV Networks' "World AIDS Day," Sony Pictures' "Wheel of Fortune" and WB-TV's "ElimiDate."
Commercials comprised most of the past year's filming in the state, which included spots touting the U.S. Army, GMC, Lincoln-Mercury and Hummer.
Missouri adjusts
The Missouri Film Commission may not be reinventing itself, but it has shifted its focus, film commissioner Jerry Jones said.
The commission survived extinction but it's still on life support. When the office of administration announced its proposed budget for fiscal year 2003, the office had been zeroed out. Restored by the legislature several months later, the commission found itself with a budget reduced from $300,00 to $175,000 and a staff reduced from four to three, plus the added responsibility of the newly closed St. Louis film office.
As an incentive, if a production spends at least $300,000, the producer can get up to 50% of that amount back in the form of a tax credit, which they can legally sell and realize 90%-95% of the tax credit's value. The cap is $500,000 tax credit per production.
Jones adds that in between those feature film production occurrences, "we need work to sustain our infrastructure, our crew base in Kansas City, St. Louis and throughout the state. As such, we're focusing more now on recruiting commercial (TV spot) production and encouraging Missouri production houses and Missouri companies to keep production in-state."
New Mexico hospitality
A little hospitality always helps. Rick Homans, New Mexico's secretary of economic development, unveiled a Be Our Guest program to encourage filmmakers to choose his state for film and TV projects.
"We're continuing to raise the stakes with our competition for film projects," Homans said. "Our film investment opportunities and tax incentives have been very successful in creating interest in New Mexico. The Be Our Guest program is one more way we can say we're serious about earning your business and we'll treat you better than other places."
Be Our Guest is a statewide joint program involving the New Mexico Film Office, New Mexico Lodging Assn. and New Mexico Restaurant Assn. Participating hotels and restaurants will offer complimentary rooms and meals to film executives scouting New Mexico for film projects.
California fingers crossed
The Film California First incentive program has proven popular with filmmakers, who exhausted the program's entire $7.9 million allocation more than four months before the end of the fiscal year. The program subsidizes fees paid by producers for government services during filming on public property.
Gov. Gray Davis has recommended an $8.2 million allocation for the 2003-2004 fiscal year, although state legislative analyst Elizabeth Hill recommended killing the program to help close the state's budget deficit. Hill said the program has an unclear rationale and a questionable impact on film location decisions. The film commission says productions taking advantage of the program have accounted for more than 130,000 below-the-line jobs in the past two years.
