Arizona Governor Jane Dee Hull spent a day in Southern California last week (3/21) to promote her state to the film industry. Noting that the thrust of her visit was the commercialmaking business, the Governor said she met personally with executives from bicoastal/ international @radical.media; bicoastal Tool of North America; and Crossroads Films, bicoastal and Chicago, as well as with studios such as Sony and Universal. She also unveiled the Arizona Film Commission’s online film permit system, which is believed to be among the first of its kind.
"I’m here to sell our beautiful state for filming," Governor Hull said at a press briefing. "We have mountains, lakes, rivers, deserts and small towns—everything except an ocean.
"I’m also here to launch our E-Film site," she continued. "Giving filmmakers the option to file for permits at any time from anywhere via the Internet demonstrates Arizona’s continuing commitment to service through every phase of location filming."
Accompanying the governor was Arizona film commissioner Linda Peterson Warren, who noted that the online permit system should be of particular use to the spot community, because of the short turnaround time of most commercial productions. The fee-free permits for filming on state and federal highways or on state trust lands are available at www.azcommerce.com/azfilmcommission.htm.
Calling commercials the Grand Canyon State’s "bread and butter," Warren added that spot shoots generate as much as 50 percent of Arizona’s annual filmmaking revenue. Recent commercial productions include ads for Coors, Mazda, Taco Bell, Subaru, Lincoln and Acura. Among recent feature productions are Ivan Reitman’s Evolution and Tim Burton’s remake of Planet of the Apes. (Burton is repped for spots by Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart 35mm.)
"I think it’s great that the Governor’s here," said Steve Caplan, senior VP of external affairs for the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), who met the Governor at a reception following the press briefing. "Her visit makes it clear that she and her staff are aware of our industry and the value of commercial production, and are doing what they can to attract it."
@radical.media co-proprietor Frank Scherma told SHOOT that he and Governor Hull talked about several incentives, such as the lack of red tape in getting permits for state parks. "I’m waiting to hear more on some financial incentives [we discussed]," noted Scherma, citing as an example the possible elimination of taxes on hotel rooms if a significant number are booked in advance. "We’ve done our fair share of filming in Arizona," he continued. "But I’m always more apt to do business with people I’ve met face-to-face. Things tend to work out better when there’s a personal relationship."
As for the online permit system, Scherma said it’s an added convenience. But more important from his perspective is whether a state film commission’s Web site offers extensive information about its available locations. "The real key to locations is access to all kinds of information, because directors and creative people are inspired by photos, books, all kinds of things," he observed.
The timing of the Governor’s visit and its focus on the commercial community could be seen as a calculated move in light of possible strikes by feature and TV writers and actors, whose contracts are set to expire in May and June, respectively. However, Warren said that while the potential strikes were a topic of conversation, they did not prompt the Governor’s visit. "The thrust of the visit was commercial production," she said. "We’re prepared for a strike, and it was a topic of conversation. Like everyone else, we just hope there isn’t one."
