LIHU‘E — While some states offer rebates as high as 35 percent, that’s not the only reason filmmakers select locations. That’s what Kaua‘i Film Commissioner Art Umezu said was the consensus after attending an Association of Film Commissioners International annual
LIHU‘E — While some states offer rebates as high as 35 percent, that’s not the only reason filmmakers select locations.
That’s what Kaua‘i Film Commissioner Art Umezu said was the consensus after attending an Association of Film Commissioners International annual locations show in Los Angeles last month, according to a press release issued by the Kaua‘i Office of Economic Development.
“Bigger is not always better when it comes to film incentives. Choose your state wisely,” was the title of a forum he attended.
“Other factors, such as having a qualified local crew as well as support facilities like a sound stage for post-production work, are just as important,” Umezu said in the release.
While these factors are great incentives for filmmakers, the rebates have been playing a major role in attracting filmmakers to Kaua‘i, Umezu said in a phone interview. In 2006, Hawai‘i implemented Act 88, which gave filmmakers who shoot on Kaua‘i and the Neighbor Islands a 20 percent rebate (15 percent on O‘ahu) on total production expenditures.
Three months after the bill was signed by Gov. Linda Lingle, Umezu said Kaua‘i was chosen for the filming of “Tropic Thunder.”
“Before that, the locations manager said they can’t afford to shoot here,” Umezu said. “Before that, it was, you go to Kaua‘i and Art’s going to give you a bag of coffee.”
Since Act 88 was enacted, Umezu said that filmmaking in Hawai’i has increased exponentially, including heavy-hitters such as “The Descendants,” which won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” starring Johnny Depp. The television series “Hawai’i Five-O” is also being shot in Hawai‘i.
During their trip to LA, Umezu and Hawai‘i’s film commissioners visited with executives of Sony Pictures Television Studios who produce a new series for ABC TV called the “Last Resort” currently being filmed on O‘ahu.
The release said they discussed the possibility of filming an episode of the show on a Neighbor Island. The series, which depicts a renegade crew of a U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarine, is set to air on Thursday nights starting this fall.
The film commissioners also seized the opportunity to meet with the producers at Lionsgate Studios who are responsible for the success of “Hunger Games.”
The benefits of filming the sequel of the blockbuster movie in Hawai’i and the tremendous support they would receive statewide were the main topics of discussion, said the release.
