The real Alaska has finally joined the A-list.
Long a bit player in the entertainment world, the 49th state increasingly is sought out by TV and film producers for its unmatchable lure of spectacular beauty and peril, of wild adventures and dangerous jobs.
And they’re actually shooting in the nation’s largest and most remote state instead of locations dolled up to portray Alaska, as multiple projects have done.
Alaska’s new film production tax credit program has only amped up the state’s evolving Q quotient, attracting several dozen projects since it was launched in 2008.
“People are curious about Alaska. They’re curious about Alaskans. They’re curious about Alaska jobs,” said Alaska Film Office manager Dave Worrell.
Most of the productions are based in TV reality: “Deadliest Catch,” ”Ice Road Truckers,” ”Gold Rush Alaska,” Alaska State Troopers,” ”Flying Wild Alaska” and, of course, the recently concluded special eight-part series, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” to name a few.
Palin’s reality show, which aired on TLC, was among productions that tapped the incentives program. It was approved for a tax credit of nearly $1.2 million after spending about $3.6 million in the state, according to film office documents.
There also has been a noticeable uptick in interest from feature filmmakers — where the big money is.
A major production starring Drew Barrymore, “Everybody Loves Whales,” and a supernatural thriller starring Jon Voight filmed in Alaska last year, adding to a trickle of feature films over the years with actual footage in Alaska.
Still, Alaska’s incentive program is in its infancy and movies set in Alaska continue to be filmed in other states and foreign locations such as British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada, which has a well-established incentives system.
“I think Alaska theme shows are going to entice more feature films to Alaska because they’re going to see all of the different, great stories that Alaska has to tell,” Worrell said. The new film office offers incentives including a 30 percent tax credit to qualifying productions spending at least $100,000 in the state. Added incentives for Alaska hires, as well as offseason and rural shoots, boost credits to a maximum of 44 percent.
To date, the $100 million program has approved a total of $6.1 million in tax credits for 16 productions — including 11 reality projects and three feature films — that spent a total of $18.5 million in the state. Another 30 projects, including eight feature film productions, have signed on for the credits.
The program is set to expire in 2013, but some state lawmakers are determined to keep it going. Among them is state Rep. Chris Tuck, an Anchorage Democrat who is a sponsor of bill that would extend the program by 10 years and another $200 million.
He believes the program takes precedence over addressing such industry challenges as a limited number of experienced crews in the state and a lack of infrastructure like a soundstage. Keeping the incentives alive are a critical first step, he said.
“We have to make sure that we have certainties for the movie industry so they can continue coming up here,” he said.
For producers of the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch,” the tax credit is just an added perk. Alaska itself is the draw, said Phil Segal, president of Original Productions. The Burbank, Calif.-based company also produces the History channel’s “Ice Road Truckers,” a popular reality show about Far North truck drivers.
“Deadliest Catch, a documentary series about dangerous crab fishing in the Bering Sea, was already a hit when the incentive program began — and for good reason if you ask Segal. For many viewers, he said, the state represents the allure of the unknown, akin to Old West wagon trains heading to an uncharted destination.
“We’re in Alaska for one reason and one reason only. It is an amazing, cultural den that has so many stories to be told,” he said. “It is this incredibly rich final frontier that is an amazing backdrop for storytelling.”
“Alaska State Troopers” on the National Geographic Channel holds the same mystique. The series, which just completed production for a second season, features various troopers in multiple settings across the state, covering vast jurisdictions dotted with isolated villages, often in brutal weather and terrain.
“Just the fact that they’re asked to cover so much ground, often alone, in extreme conditions, I think, is very appealing and interesting to a viewer,” said Dan Stern of Seattle-based PSG Films, producer of the series as well as a 2006 National Geographic Channel special, “Cowboys of the Sea,” about salmon fishing in Alaska’s Bristol Bay. “People have told me that they’re fascinated by Alaska because of our shows and other shows they’ve watched.”
Hwang Dong-hyuk On Season 2 of “Squid Game,” Wrapping Production on Season 3; What’s Next?
Viewers may gasp, cringe or cry out watching characters die on Netflix's "Squid Game," but those simulated deaths have a different effect on its creator, writer and director. Instead, Hwang Dong-hyuk feels happiness seeing them go.
The show has a huge cast and Hwang says it was "really difficult" to manage everyone on set.
As characters would die, Hwang recalls saying to the actors on their last day, "'Oh no! How sad! I won't see you tomorrow,' but I was always smiling inside."
"Squid Game" season two premieres Thursday. It once again stars Lee Jung-jae and centers around a secret competition in South Korea that targets people in debt and the winner gets a big cash prize. What they don't know is that losing the game is deadly.
Hwang originally conceived of the show 15 years ago as a two-hour film but it failed to gain traction with financiers or even interested actors. He put it aside and worked on other films instead. He then had the idea to make it a TV series instead and took the project to Netflix. There, it could reach a wide audience.
"I never in my wildest dream thought it was going to be this huge," said Hwang, who spoke about the show and what comes next. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Q: What have you learned from "Squid Game"?
HWANG: I learned that I shouldn't give up. If you love something and if you want to create something, it might not work now, but the time might come later. Or that idea could be the source of inspiration for something else.
Q: You've already finished filming season three of "Squid Game." Have you thought about what your next project will be?
HWANG: I'm afraid to talk... Read More