At press time, preliminary exhibitor and attendee registration numbers were encouraging for the Locations Trade Show taking place in Santa Monica this weekend (April 11-13). This marks the 17th year for the annual event, which has become a staple of the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI).
According to AFCI CEO Bill Lindstrom, the number of pre-registrants is 20 percent ahead of the pace set by last year’s show, which wound up drawing in excess of 3,000 visitors. The Locations Trade Show has also gained commitments from some 180 exhibitors, which is about on par with the 2002 event.
The fact that the numbers are healthy is all the more remarkable in light of the state of film commissions, particularly in the United States. Lindstrom noted that state and local budget cutbacks have resulted in the elimination of "some of our normal U.S. film commission participants." With many state budgets facing deficits in the billions of dollars, film commissions have either been closed or had their budgets reduced significantly.
On the latter score, Lindstrom related that there are numerous cases where state and local film commissions have been reduced to "bare-bones operations," with no more than a full-time staffer or a part-time person onboard.
"It’s highly regrettable," he related. "We’ve tried to make the case that it’s shortsighted to cut several hundred thousand dollars allocated to a film commission that helps bring in millions of dollars to state and local economies. But many legislators aren’t listening to that argument in light of the huge budget shortfalls confronting states and cities. It’s unfortunate."
The AFCI helps to promote film commissions and filming throughout the world—a prime means toward that end being the Locations Trade Show, with film commissions and location service providers from more than 30 countries showcasing their wares to the industry at large. AFCI has a global membership, with about two-thirds of that rank-and-file in the United States.
But as evidenced in this week’s Special Report on Film Commissions (which starts on p. 21), filmmaking prospects in this country are being weakened by the shuttering of or budget cutbacks forced upon state and local film commissions. Cutbacks have also jeopardized successful anti-runaway measures, such as the Film California First (FCF) program overseen and administered by the California Film Commission.
The FCF—which provides reimbursements of qualifying production costs—has gained favorable feedback from feature, TV and commercial producers. FCF funds ran out this fiscal year, which ends on June 30 (SHOOT, 3/21, p. 1). Now the key is gaining funding for fiscal year 2003-’04, which begins on July 1. While Gov. Gray Davis (D-Calif.) has proposed an $8.2 million allocation for FCF in ’03-’04, there’s no guarantee that this allocation will come to pass as the state vies with an overall budget deficit estimated to be as high as $33 billion.
Frank Scherma, a proprietor at bicoastal/international @radical.media, observed, "FCF is very important because it sends a signal to the marketplace and to advertisers that we want to keep business here."
FCF has arguably also inspired other states and municipalities to look into ways they can promote filming through incentives. Indeed, California is regarded as a filming leader, so initiatives from that state can have a ripple effect. On a positive note, California’s State Theatrical Arts Resources (STAR) program is being expanded (see story, p. 1), with additional state-owned and -controlled locations being made available for filming at a low or no fee.
