Film school dream needs focus

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

All this happy talk lately of a new University of Hawai'i Film School doesn't need a big bucket of cold water thrown on it. The possibilities are exciting, but the realities are daunting.

Before we're tempted to look to film production as the Brand New Idea, the solution to diversifying the economy, some huge obstacles have to be acknowledged and addressed. "Build it and they will come" may not be that simple.

Yes, it would be wonderful for talented local filmmakers to have access to formal training through the University of Hawai'i.

But then what will they do? Where will they work?

There are already experienced filmmakers and crew members in Hawai'i, and they go through some very lean times between productions like "Pearl Harbor" and "Windtalkers." Sometimes they take frustrating jobs shooting local news and operating the Jumbo-tron at Aloha Stadium because that's as close as they can get to filmmaking in this town.

A skilled work force does not alone make an industry.

So maybe these future UH Film School graduates won't wait for Columbia Tri-Star to come to town. Maybe they'll boldly embark on the rocky road of the independent filmmaker. Great. Who's going to finance the films?

Investors in Hawai'i like things that are tangible, like beachside property or malls, certainly nothing as high-risk as filmmaking. Government investment in filmmaking has paid off for Australia, but at this point, Hawai'i has no business sinking taxpayer dollars into making movies or subsidizing television shows.

Even if, by some near miracle, a fund is established through, say, large donations from extremely wealthy supporters of the arts, then the biggest question of all remains: Who's going to watch these films? Who's going to buy these films?

Getting into a film festival is a great honor and a big deal, but it is rarely the key to financial success. Getting a distribution company to buy the film is a whole different mountain. Yes, a great story is a great story, and all the world hungers for a great story, but all the world won't get to see that story if no channels of distribution are open.

Two years ago, I got the opportunity to attend the Sundance Film Festival. I watched as independent filmmakers, mostly film school graduates, dragged their bruised egos to the stage to introduce their films. Many talked about being weary and disenchanted by the experience of making a film. Several thanked their parents for financing their projects.

So how about this: How about before pinning so much hope on a new Film School at UH, the business school at UH starts by offering a course in film financing and distribution. Or perhaps a prerequisite course for film school students would focus on the basics of business: supply and demand.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.