Measure Had Film Industry Support and Would Have Raised Money For State Parks, Which Are Popular Lensing Locations
By Robert Goldrich
LOS ANGELES --California voters have overwhelmingly rejected Proposition 21, a measure which would have provided funding for state parks by instituting an extra $18 charge on the annual registration fee for most vehicles. Assorted film industry groups, including the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), supported Prop. 21 on the grounds that without such an additional revenue stream, a number of parks could close or at least have curtailed hours and not enough staff to facilitate activities such as location filming.
The parks represent one of the California’s biggest location draws for motion picture lensing and professional still photography. Not only does this activity generate dollars from production but the screening and airing of breathtaking vistas in these projects in turn promote the parks as tourist destinations, another major contributor to the state’s economy.
According to the California Film Commission (CFC), state parks account for the majority of the state filming permits it issues. In the latest available figures–which are for 2009–parks represent 62 percent of state permit filming days. Caltrans properties (roads, highways) are a distant second at 30 percent. California’s network of state parks cover 1.5 million acres and one-third of the state’s coastline.
Based on the importance of location lensing, such groups as the AICP, The Location Managers Guild of America, San Diego Film Commission, Sacramento Film Commission, Santa Cruz County Film Commission, Monterey County Film Commission, Mendocino County Film Office, Santa Barbara Film Commission and the Humboldt Film Commission endorsed Prop. 21.
Now that Prop. 21 has been defeated, the industry is hopeful that location filming will still be not only welcomed but also fully facilitated in a timely fashion–despite the dramatic budget shortfall being felt by state parks. Tough economic times certainly make it all the more prudent to make efforts to accommodate revenue-generating production shoots.
In the past decade, California lost more than 36,000 jobs and $2.4 billion in wages because of production leaving California to film out-of-state. California’s 278 state parks rank as the state’s most popular state-owned location for filming, offering low-cost and diverse locations to help keep film and commercial production and jobs in the state. In 2008 and 2009, California state parks hosted more than 400 television commercial and print advertisement shoots.
“Overnight Success” Has Been More Than A Decade In The Making For Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson
Meghann Fahy and Eve Hewson, two of the stars of Netflix's whodunit "The Perfect Couple," have news for you if you want to call them breakouts: They've been working in this business for more than a decade.
Fahy made her TV debut in 2009 in an episode of "Gossip Girl." Hewson's first big film role was in 2011's "This Must Be the Place." They do concede, however, that it's recent TV roles — "The White Lotus" for Fahy and "Bad Sisters" for Hewson — that have led to new frontiers of opportunity.
Susanne Bier, who directed "The Perfect Couple," says both Fahy and Hewson are "going to be big stars."
"They certainly have proper, profound star quality, Both of them in very different ways," Bier says. "Both are incredibly creative, incredibly smart, and also have a impressive insight as to who they are. You can be a great actor or actress and not necessarily really know who you are yourself. And they do."
Hewson, 33, whose dad is U2 front man Bono, may have grown up in a famous family but she's now in demand in her own right. She will next be seen in a second season of "Bad Sisters, " out in November. She's in Noah Baumbach's next film, alongside Adam Sandler, George Clooney and Riley Keough. She's also been cast in Steven Spielberg's next production and is set to star opposite Murray Bartlett in a racing series for Hulu.
Fahy, 34, is in production on a limited series with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock called "Sirens," written by Molly Smith Metzler ("Maid") for Netflix. She also has two films in the can with Josh O'Connor ("The Crown," "Challengers") and Brandon Sklenar ("It Ends With Us").
The two actors spoke candidly about this phase of their careers. This interview has been condensed for clarity and... Read More