Filming is expected to continue through June, said Steve Saeta, production manager of the Revolution Studios' film. Production offices already have headquarters at the Renaissance Ilikai Hotel, and other staffers are set up at the Hawai'i Film Studio lot near Diamond Head, where the studio's large sound stage will be utilized.

Hawai'i's fragile film industry is ready for another close-up.

"Willis arrives in Hawai'i in a couple of weeks," said Saeta.

Understandably, anticipation is high within the film community, which is holding out for an emerging — or re-emerging — film industry here. At a Legislature-organized Film Industry Day gathering last month, film boosters made their case for public support in the way of tax credits and state-funded renovation of the Hawai'i Film Studio. They say the measures are needed to keep Hawai'i competitive globally.

The messenger was a Hawai'i-born movie producer, Chris Lee, who said he bypassed Honolulu for Vancouver, British Columbia, to make his movie, "Ecks vs. Sever."

"I would say everyone in Hollywood wants to shoot in Hawai'i, but the distance from the Mainland and the lack of enough highly-skilled crews (which would be helped by a more vibrant film industry) results in films having to bring in large crews, with all the attendant expense," Lee said.

His advice? "Create incentives, the main driver of the (film) economy,"

While 2000 was a banner year for filmed-in-Hawai'i projects, with features such as "Pearl Harbor," "Jurassic Park III," "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" and "Windtalkers" bringing local spending totals to about $140 million, 2001 was a downer (final figures have yet to be announced). The syndicated TV series "Baywatch Hawai'i" failed to return for an expected second season, and Square USA Inc., the makers of the computer-generated "Final Fantasy," shut down operations.

"This is a cyclical industry. Productions come and go, providing either a streak of revenue or none at all," said Donne Dawson, manager of the state film office.

The Willis project, with its set-building, catering, hotel and transportation needs, is creating local jobs. The project has been called "Man of War," but Saeta said the name could change: The crew calls it either "The Untitled Willis Project" or "The Untitled Fuqua Project," after director Anthony Fuqua. Film supporters hope this movie will jump-start 2002, despite the fact that fallout from Sept. 11 has kept many Hollywood productions on the back burner.

There have been signs of encouragement:

• "Surf Girls," an independent release by Beach Orchid Film Productions, just wound up a $30 million shoot here. The film received nearly $16 million in tax breaks under state legislation. There is no assurance, however, that the indie producers will commit to additional projects in the Islands.

• "ER," NBC-TV's highly-rated medical drama, is said to be considering a Hawai'i story for the May sweeps. If so, production probably would be completed by April, though no production schedule has been set.

• "One Life to Live," the ABC-TV soap opera, has been scouting Maui sites for a 10-day shoot that would translate to about 20 episodes. Speculation, according to Soap Opera Digest, is that the segments would coincide with the ABC West Coast Super Soap Weekend in April, bringing soap actors Kassie DePaiva (Blair), Roger Howard (Todd) and possibly Tuc Watkins (David) to Hawai'i.

• "Five Stones," a film starring Val Kilmer and Adam Beach, is poised for a Maui shoot from May to June. Maui resident Keola Beamer, an award-winning singer-composer-performer, is negotiating to co-compose the musical score with Neil Gerardo.

• A "Beach Blanket Bingo"-type film, inspired by the giddy Frankie Avalon-Annette Funicello fun-in-the-sun flicks of the past, is tentatively slotted for a Maui shoot in June, though its makers are also considering Australia.

Hungry for work

"I do believe that the industry has never been more united in its effort to try to take this industry to the next level," said Dawson, whose office oversees cinematic activities in the state. "If Hawai'i does not step up to the plate, to compete in luring crews over, productions will go elsewhere, as they have. If we sit back and do nothing, we get nothing."

While film officials see more lasting value in a long-lived series — think "Hawai'i Five-O" and "Magnum P.I." — over a one-shot mega-movie, work is work.

"The pinnacle is a series, a successful series," said Walea Constantinau, Honolulu film commissioner. "But a feature film generates more immediate, worldwide publicity. ... A healthy industry, whether film or TV, puts people to work."

About 4,200 people in Hawai'i are available to work in film. The jobs are "seasonal"— whenever a project is in town — "and our actors are accustomed to the feast-or-famine situation," said Brenda Ching, executive director of the Screen Actors Guild, whose membership fluctuates between 600 and 700. "I think after 9/11, a lot of productions pulled back, even in the large production centers like Hollywood and New York. With the Willis movie and 'Surf Girls,' I think we're looking at a good year."

Scott Wong, business representative of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, said more than 30 of his union members already are employed, doing pre-production set construction work on the Bruce Willis film at Kualoa and Diamond Head studios. "I'm very optimistic that this will be a great year," Wong said.

The union has 365 full-time card-holders, with another 400 referrals on call. During a busy season, as many as 200 may be chosen for full-time work, he said. "But it's obvious that we need incentives, in any way, shape or form, to attract more productions in Hawai'i."

Wong said wages should no longer be an issue. "We've got the same pay scale, part of a new area-standards agreement negotiated by our international, which means Hawai'i is the same as Hollywood."

In the wake of Sept. 11, Constantinau said, two back-to-back features here — "Surf Girls" and the Willis movie — "send a wonderful, strong message that it's OK to go back to work, to come to Hawai'i. I don't think anything speaks louder than this kind of success."

The best advertising for Hawai'i within the industry is a return visit, Constantinau said, noting that one of the "ER" producers has worked here before.

If the series comes to the Islands, it will be "the best compliment you could possibly have," she said. "It proves we still have the cachet, the value, the lure, the marketability — if we can just level the playing field to be competitive with other cities."

Playing politics

Some legislators support public involvement with the film industry.

House Speaker Calvin Say, a prime backer of the Film Industry Day session, said the era of selling Hawai'i based on its natural beauty is over. "We want to look at some of the ways Hawai'i can provide incentives that make sense for producers and might ... attract more production to our state," he said.

Film revenues in California totalled $44 billion in 2000 and are expected to rise to $54 billion in 2004. A multimillion-dollar incentive program provides up to $300,000 in rebates to qualified companies, offsetting some of the costs of public labor, excluding local police, with reduced location site fees when filming on public property. Among other incentives: no state hotel-room tax, no sales or user taxes on production or post-production services.

In Florida, businesses are participating in a Discounts & Deals program, providing services — film, hotel, restaurants — at reduced cost.

"The incentives are driving where the films go," said Maui film commissioner Amy Kastens.

Kastens said that the "Five Stones" script was written on Maui by the writer-director, Jeffrey Kramer, "who always envisioned it to be a story about Hawai'i." But when she went to Los Angeles to discussing the project with producers, they asked, "What are your incentives?"

"We're looking to Australia and New Zealand. Maybe we'll double them for Hawai'i," the producers told Kastens.

"That said it all to me," the film commissioner said.

"California has some new laws (pending) to increase incentives, because they've been losing business, too," she said. "Seattle has suffered immeasurably, being (close to) Canada."

On Maui, Kasten has been making alliances with hotels and car-rental agencies, and she's been able to attract some business. Nevertheless, the filming of commercials came to a thudding halt after Sept. 11. "Nobody's buying products, so nobody's making commercials," she said. "Our commercial shoots are down 60 percent."