MILK & HONEY PRODUCtion Services has embraced the fact that production, like all businesses, is going global. Looking back on this final year of the 20th century, I see several questions rising to the foreground. Here are some of them:
Is the production industry in the U.S. winding down? How much will global production grow to take its place? The idea of filming abroad is on everyone’s lips. Agencies and directors are more aware of the production opportunities that exist throughout the world, and they are no longer afraid to pursue them. They’re more willing to hop on a plane to test new waters, thanks to the growing number of companies created to look after their production needs when they land. Will U.S. production cease? I don’t think so, but as the walls collapse between all other areas of business and cultural life, so will production flow even more between borders.
What will be the next Canada? Producers are beginning to grumble that Canada has become too crowded, that resources are so thin that they’re forced to scrape the bottom of the barrel for crew and equipment. Many are also complaining that immigration restrictions for long-term projects stifle the creative process.
To what countries are these producers turning? Many are testing the waters in Mexico, where locations and crews are extensive—and less expensive—and where Titanic proved that projects of any scope are possible.
What impact has the Internet had on commercial production? In addition to the obvious impact of dot-com spots on our bottom line, the Internet continues to find new ways to expedite production across states and continents. First there was e-mail, then FTP sites, and now there’s FTP Drop Box, which provides additional assurances of privacy. It’s just as simple as sliding an image or text file into a folder, which can then be instantly accessed on the other side. Last-minute art direction changes, location photos and more are easy to transmit, making the notion of overseas production that I mentioned above even easier to accomplish.
