Posted on: Friday, August 23, 2002
More movies, TV pilots stoke local film industry
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
A special-effects team from 20th Century Fox was in the clouds for five days atop Mauna Kea earlier this month, shooting scenes for "The Day After Tomorrow," a big-budget film adventure about the devastating effects of global warming.
And representatives from Columbia Pictures just wound up an island scouting mission for "Fertig," a World War II epic about a real-life Army general who led a guerrilla uprising and fought the Japanese after the largest surrender in U.S. history.
The producers hope to film here, instead of alternative sites such as Costa Rica, the Philippines and Panama, and "we're high up on the list," said Donne Dawson, manager of the Hawai'i Film Office.
These two new projects, and two TV pilots announced earlier this week in the Hollywood trades, signal a sustained surge in filming in Hawai'i that began in 2000 and was only slightly hurt by the Sept. 11 attacks. In fact, some productions that had looked at filming overseas now want the security and predictability of staying in the United States, even when higher costs are involved.
"Projects that might have gone to Vietnam or the Philippines are looking to Hawai'i," said Amy Kastens, the Maui film commissioner. "A lot of it has to do with 9/11; producers and actors want to stay close to home."
Act 221, a state high-technology business investment tax credit that benefited such productions as "Blue Crush," is also a factor, Dawson said. The law, passed in 2001, allows TV and film producers to claim credits of up to $2 million per Hawai'i-based investor.
"I get one or two inquiries a day about 221; the word is out on the Mainland," Dawson said. "We've been inundated by queries and we're working with the tax department to redefine the criteria for how the credits would apply to the performing arts products."
While Dawson does not have price tags for all projects hoping to shoot here, she said it's likely that the amount spent in 2002 would exceed last year's estimated
$70 million in film expenditures, which yielded about $9 million in tax revenue.
The industry's best year in Hawai'i was 2000, with $136 million spent, generating $16.5 million in tax revenues.
Following the success of such high-profile projects as "Blue Crush" and the highly-rated season finale of "ER" in the spring, is a vigorous new quest for location shooting in Hawai'i.
"The Day After Tomorrow," budgeted at between $100 million and $125 million, is being filmed mostly in Montreal, but its director needed to shoot scenes in the clouds, making Mauna Kea an ideal location, said Marilyn Killeri, the Big Island film commissioner.
"It's a huge movie and they needed to look down on the clouds, to be above the clouds — the whole point of filming up there on Mauna Kea," she said.
The movie, starring Dennis Quaid and directed by Roland Emmerich, whose credits include "The Patriot," "Godzilla," and "Independence Day," is expected to be released in the summer of 2003. Exactly how much money the movie leaves in the Hawai'i economy is unknown, Killeri said.
Neither has a budget been announced for "Fertig," which David Fincher would direct, from a script by William Nicholson. The star interested in the title role is Brad Pitt, who worked with Fincher in "Seven," and wants to film in this country, so he can be closer to his wife, Jennifer Aniston. Hence, Hawai'i is far more appealing than, say, the Philippines, as a filming destination.
Even more encouraging to those working to bring more production work to Hawai'i is the start of two series pilots aiming for network prime time in 2003. While films are welcome, state officials and marketing executives have hoped for years to gain the weekly exposure of a network series, which Hawai'i hasn't consistently had since "Magnum, P.I." ended in 1988.
"A series is really important to us. But two?" Dawson said. "Just great, after a difficult year last year. Looks like we're coming back up to a peak."
Variety reported this week that "The Break," a Fox pilot that might become a series, is planned by John Stockwell, who directed "Blue Crush."
And "808," a CBS show by director Simon West, would deal with the exploits of a Mainland cop who joins the FBI in Hawai'i.
"The Break" is about a cop who returns to the North Shore, where he encounters his troubled teenage son. The lead character is attached to the Honolulu Police Department's Crime Reduction Unit — sort of Steve McGarrett with a younger spin. Casting and other specifics, including costs, have not been announced.
As writer-director of "Blue Crush," Stockwell enjoyed shooting the surfing film here last winter and is making good on his pledge to follow up with another project, this time on TV. He earlier directed "Crazy/Beautiful," wrote "Rock Star" and wrote and directed the HBO film, "Cheaters."
West told Variety that he wanted "808" to reflect "things that really go on around here ... the crime underworld." And he hinted at an East-West connection, noting Hawai'i's place as an entry point to the United States from overseas.
West earlier directed "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," "Con Air," and "The General's Daughter," and was executive producer of "Black Hawk Down."
Act 221 credits are being sought by Shangri-La Entertainment's "The Big Bounce," a Warner Bros. picture to be directed by George Armitage and starring Owen Wilson, for a fall launch. Producers have been scouting locations and checking on the tax incentives.
Joseph Blanco, executive assistant to the governor and a key player behind Act 221, said the tax incentive has allowed Hawai'i to compete more effectively with locations like Canada, which touts its non-union production work force and favorable exchange rate to the U.S. dollar.
Even the unions, once blamed for some of the film industry's reluctance to shoot in Hawai'i, are now earning praise.
"Our unions are a lot friendlier (to movie-makers) now," said Kastens, the Maui film commissioner. "So the filmmakers can make better deals; it's becoming a lot more realistic to shoot here, financially speaking."
Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, or fax 525-8055.
Tax credits for TV and film productions in Hawai‘i are separate from the so-called Act 221 investment tax credit available to high-technology businesses. As a result of a reporter’s error, a previous version of this story incorrectly linked the two measures.
