Florida forecasts production swell

Major production coin comes from telenovelas -- some $50 million a year, per Jeff Peel, director of Miami-Dade County's Office of Film & Entertainment -- with more than 300 hours of the popular genre produced by Telemundo alone.

Feature production tends to be cyclical in the region; often pics come to town for days rather than weeks of work. "Commercials and still photo shoots are pretty constant," Peel notes. "It's icing on the cake to get feature films in any given year."

2008 should be a good year for the city and county. Already in the pipeline: "Chilled in Miami," with Renee Zellweger; an untitled Sam Mendes film from Focus Features; Michael Mann's "Public Enemies"; and Fox 2000's "Marley & Me," starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, helmed by Miami's own David Frankel ("The Devil Wears Prada").

Based on the tome by John Grogan, with a story set in South Florida about a guy and his remarkable dog, "Marley & Me" begins lensing in March; a bayside auditorium owned by the city will serve as soundstages and production headquarters for the film.

According to Fox 2000 prexy Elizabeth Gabler, "Miami was a really strong creative choice for us. The director got to scout the real locations, and he has a real emotional connection to the place." Also a positive: a "lovely" financial rebate, Gabler says. The state of Florida's film incentive program rebates up to 20% of a qualifying film's budget, with a $25 million cap.

That incentive aside, features come to town for many reasons: Miami's Latin vibe, dramatic visuals and bay-front skyline as well as the lure of South Beach's Ocean Drive -- the area's most frequently filmed location. Logistics and production support are first rate: The city and county have established a user-friendly online permitting system, and seasoned crews and local talent are readily available.

As vet Miami-based location manager Jennifer Radzikowski points out, a steady flow of shows have been coming to the area, though the bumper crop of a few years back -- when "Miami Vice," "Bad Boys 2" and "2 Fast, 2 Furious" filmed there -- has yet to be repeated. "Scripts are not as location driven as they used to be," she acknowledges. "States are in direct competition, but Miami's strength is its extreme beauty and visual character."

Last year saw several smaller pics lensed in Miami, including Michael Moore's "Sicko"; "Old Dogs," with Robin Williams and John Travolta; Fox's "Bachelor Party 2"; Gloria and Emilio Estefan's "90 millas"; and indie feature "Bart Got a Room," with William H. Macy.

USA Network's "Burn Notice" was also ensconced in town until the writers strike. Although "CSI: Miami" and "Cane" have Florida-based storylines, the skeins lense locally for exteriors only. However, the region's predominant scripted genre is telenovelas for Spanish-language television, produced for both domestic and international consumption.

"We staff, crew and cast one-hour scripted shows reliably here," says Derek Bond, exec VP, studios and broadcast operations, Telemundo. In Miami, the net occupies all five soundstages at the former Miami Broadcast Center, which also produces sports, news and entertainment specials.

Telemundo has augmented the area's infrastructure by training production personnel and underwriting workshops for writers and actors. Bond points to Miami's pull for Latin American talent, adding, "We've helped build a Hollywood for Spanish TV here."

On March 7, the Miami Film Fest will host a seminar on the subject "L.A. to Miami: The Growth of Our Local Film Industry."