On April 10 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, the California Film Commission (CFC) held its third annual “Speed Dating” breakfast during which invited location filming decision-makers–feature and TV production executives, indie producers, location scouts and commercialmakers–were matched up for quickie round-robin sessions with 28 regional film office representatives from throughout the state. The table-hopping event gave industry attendees a taste of the diverse locales each city/county/region has to offer.
CFC director Amy Lemisch was gratified to see increased turnout from the spotmaking community, including execs from such houses as RSA Films and Believe Media.
For Lemisch, the session can be described as a calculated counter punch to the mega locations event which was going on across town at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium–the three day (4/10-12) Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) Locations Trade Show, at which film commissions from all over the country and the world come to the Southland to woo Hollywood for filming biz.
While the CFC and assorted city, county and regional California film commissions showcase their wares at AFCI Locations, there’s more of an emphasis by many other exhibiting film commissions on financial incentives such as rebates and tax credits.
California still harbors hope of getting its own filming incentives package off the ground, but the prospects don’t look all that promising given the state’s massive budget shortfall. Meanwhile an estimated 40 states in this country–not to mention numerous other nations–have enticing rebates, tax breaks and credits in place. For example, Michigan generated a major buzz at the AFCI Locations Trade Show with its new program offering filmmakers a 40 percent tax credit on spending in the state on feature, TV and commercial production.
So the CFC and local film commissioners throughout the Golden State are instead putting the spotlight on the locales, services and production infrastructure that California can offer feature, TV, spot and music video producers. And while Lemisch and her state colleagues championed that message at the Locations Trade Show, clearly they were able to communicate it more directly and with less competitive interference at the “Speed Dating” session, which drew some 75 influential contacts.
During this latest round of “Speed Dating,” Lemisch said the groundwork was laid for some projects to film on location in California. “It’s part of our needing to be more innovative in how we present our case.”
During this latest round of “Speed Dating,” Lemisch said the groundwork was laid for some projects to film on location in California. “It’s part of our needing to be more innovative in how we present our case.”
However, until that realization sets in and translates into progressive legislative action, Lemisch said that “Speed Dating,” among other inventive means, are needed to show that California remains film friendly and deep in talent, services and locations.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More