The Descendants–Oscar-nominated this year for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Leading Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing–has been lauded for its mesh of dramatic and comedic elements. Yet there’s another genre that isn’t as generally acknowledged, what its director Alexander Payne refers to as a “documentary feel” relative to where the film was shot, Hawaii.
Speaking at the Directors Guild of America’s “Meet The DGA Award Feature Nominees” panel discussion last month in Los Angeles, Payne observed that some have commented that The Descendants is engaging yet paradoxically remains “mellow” and kind of “lopes along” at times. Payne explained that this is the “feeling of life on the Islands seeping into the film.” He noted that he sought to capture a sense of the “human landscape and the rhythms” of Hawaii. Part of that experience, Payne related, is the wonder of nature’s beauty and “how puny” it makes you feel–but in a noble way. You’re happy to feel puny against that majesty of nature.”
And while Hawaii is very much a character in The Descendants, so too did the film weave its way into the Islands, having a positive impact on varied fronts.
That impact jibes with Georja Skinner’s title of chief officer, creative services division for the State of Hawaii Film Office. “My job is to advance the great talent that’s here across all the arts, music, film and digital media sectors,” she related. “The Descendants has done just that.”
For example, Walea Constantinau, film commissioner, Honolulu Film Office, noted that The Descendants is “by far the most successful film by a local author [the film is based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings]….As a result of this success, we’ve heard from mainland production companies who have expressed interest in meeting with other authors in Hawaii, asking us for any finished scripts. There’s interest bubbling in stories of Hawaii.”
Constantinau observed that in the same way that Bridesmaids changed the perception of female comedy leads in a film, The Descendants has changed perceptions about Hawaii, underscoring that “movies made in Hawaii can also be about Hawaii and have universal appeal. A new storytelling capacity has been revealed.”
Meanwhile the music of Hawaii, showcased in the score of The Descendants, has picked up significant mainstream momentum, featuring the music of such legends as Gabby Pahinui, the father of modern slack key guitar. In fact at press time the movie’s soundtrack had maintained its number one position on the Billboard world chart for five weeks and counting. “Music is clearly a character in the film,” observed Skinner. “Local musicians have been able to monetize their creative talents across many platforms, from the film itself, CDs [the album is on the Sony Classics label], downloads, DVD sales. Alexander’s [director Payne] music supervisor and music editor are great disciples of the Hawaiian music movement. The film has really amped up the exposure for Hawaii’s creative music talent.”
Slack key guitarists like Keola Beamer and Jeff Peterson recorded specifically for the movie’s soundtrack. And Dondi Bastone, the alluded to music supervisor on The Descendants, told National Public Radio that he and Payne plan to enter the CD into the Grammy Awards competition for consideration as best soundtrack compilation.
Cast and crew were on the Islands for five months, with shooting taking place primarily on Oahu, with a week on Kauai, and a day on the Big Island. While figures aren’t broken out in terms of how much money the film generated for the state economy, suffice it to say that the impact was significant, with 80 percent of the crew being local. Hawaii hosted 10 features in 2010, contributing to a landmark year in production for the Islands, with The Descendants figuring prominently. In 2010 Hawaii played host to some $400 million in filming, the state’s best year ever.
Skinner and Constantinau affirmed that the profoundly positive impact of The Descendants on Hawaii stems from Payne’s deep commitment to understand life on the Islands. They said that Payne, his cast and crew immersed themselves in Hawaii so they could do full justice to it as a character within the film. “They peeled back layers to reveal the Hawaii we here know,” said Constantinau. “Personally the locals here who saw their efforts were moved. And the people here who see the film are moved. Being able to capture the distinctiveness of who we are with the emotional balance required by the film’s story is the mark of a master filmmaker.”
Another ripple effect of The Descendants has been on prospects for increased tourism. By showing sides of Hawaii that are not of the typical touristy ilk, the movie has piqued interest among travelers to experience a different Hawaii. The film has played to responsive audiences in Europe, for example, with travelers from there booking trips to the Islands, staying for longer stretches to experience the history and culture of Hawaii.
“Those of us who live here know there’s something special about Hawaii. This film,” said Skinner, “cracks open a little window for audiences to see that in a different, real way. That only happens when you have a very careful, thoughtful and heartfelt filmmaker who wants to tell a story well.”
The Help The Help , nominated for Best Picture, Best Leading Actress and Supporting Actress Oscars, helped Mississippi, and particularly the city of Greenwood, in assorted ways beyond the dollars it directly poured into the local economy. The film also paved a path for an increased incentives package to attract future filming into Mississippi, has spurred on not only tourism throughout the state but also the development of a community center and mentoring program in historic Baptist Town, and has served to lift the spirits of many residents.
“It’s the gift that keeps on giving,” observed Bill Crump, chairman of the Greenwood-Leflore County Economic Development Foundation. Beyond being critically acclaimed for its artistry in conveying a substantive story, the film has made Greenwood mainstream. This realization sank in for Crump when he saw that a showcase prize package on TV game show The Price Is Right included a vacation to Greenwood to see where The Help was filmed.
“Actors and actresses in The Help are interviewed on talk shows and they all have positive things to say about Mississippi, its people,” noted Crump. “I saw Allison Janney say she had never been to the South before, telling people they need to go to Mississippi, that it’s one of the most hospitable places on earth. You can’t buy publicity like that, and it’s been very high profile during the awards season. Tourism is up and it’s all because of The Help and director/writer Tate Taylor and producer Brunson Green, two Mississippians, who wanted to bring their film here.”
Crump said that he, Green, Taylor and Ward Emling, director of the Mississippi Film Office, were among those who worked hard to put together an incentives package that made Mississippi more financially viable when stacked up against Louisiana, its main filming location competitor for The Help. “When Tate and Brunson first came here to scout around, all they had was a script and a dream,” recalled Crump. “They didn’t have any financial backing yet. We worked with them closely to make that dream a reality for them and for Mississippi.
Aside from a day in Clarksdale and several in Jackson, Mississippi, The Help was shot entirely in Greenwood. The production crew was in the state for some six months, and shot 60 days in Greenwood. Crump reported that the direct economic impact on Greenwood–sans any multiplier–was $13 million. Conservatively, an economic multiplier of two or three could be applied to give a better handle on direct and indirect impact combined.
But the fiscal bottom line extends even well beyond that, according to Emling. Legislators, economic development people, the public at large saw first hand what The Help meant to the local and state economy. The impact was easy to see in that Greenwood is a small city with a handful of restaurants, hotels, bars and other vendors. “I’ve been talking about the impact of the film business for 21 years here–what it can do for a community,” said Emling. “But The Help’s impact on Greenwood was the perfect case study. Suddenly I’d go to economic development conferences in Mississippi and people were believers. I’d hear statements like, ‘If you don’t think filmmaking is economic development, you don’t understand what’s happening in Greenwood.”
This more widespread understanding of filming’s importance to the health of the economy in turn translated into Mississippi taking action to encourage more of such activity. The incentives package improved five percent with the rebate increasing from 20 to 25 percent for local spend and nonresident payroll and from 25 to 30 percent for resident payroll. The expanded incentives package now also applies for the first time to content distributed via streaming video and the Internet. Also covered are per diems and housing allowances.
The per diem inclusion came about thanks in large part to some legwork by Crump who had the advantage of the cast and crew being almost exclusively in Greenwood. Crump recalled one day a merchant telling him he had never seen so many $50 bills in his life. This got Crump on the research path as he confirmed that per diems were paid in cash, mainly in 50 and $100 denominations. Crump then went to the local banks. A typical finding was that for the six months prior to the arrival of The Help, one bank had deposited $10,000 in $50 bills. By sharp contrast, the first month The Help was in town, that same bank saw an influx of $30,000 in $50 bills. The next month, that total went up to $40,000 and it kept climbing from month to month. “That was just at one bank–all the other banks had similar reports,” noted Crump who added this was the proof that legislators required, showing that per diems were being spent locally. As a result, the state legislature approved per diems being added to the rebate package.
For Crump, the economic impact of filming hits home when reduced to individual stories. “I went to a restaurant here in Greenwood today for lunch. The owner there thanked us for bringing The Help into town because it helped her business so much. She said they had the best year they have ever had.”
However, the positive impact of The Help promises to last well beyond one good year of business–not just due to the continued effect of improved filming incentives but also with tangible benefits to be realized by the Greenwood community of Baptist Town where parts of the movie were filmed.
Cast and crew formed attachments to Baptist Town and wanted to help the community for which a revitalization program was already underway. Just prior to leaving Mississippi, the cast and crew took up a collection among themselves, raising $30,000 to start a nonprofit tax-exempt foundation to partner with other revitalization entities. Later, The Help made its world premiere in Jackson, Miss., a gala event which included a reception at the governor’s mansion replete with the movie’s stars. The festivities raised $150,000 for Baptist Town, with the funds being put towards the development of a community center as well as a mentoring program for children.
Crump concluded, “The Help represents the most positive professional experience I’ve ever been through from start to finish.”
The Artist Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor, Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Editing and Original Screenplay, The Artist has already cleaned up on the awards show circuit, with the DGA Award and assorted other honors. But flying below the radar is an award the film received at the end of January–the Los Angeles City Council’s first “Made in Hollywood” kudo. The City of Angels proclaimed Tuesday, January 31, “The Artist Day” because the film is the only one of this year’s nine Best Picture nominees to be filmed entirely in Los Angeles.
If The Artist wins the Best Picture Oscar, it will be the first film lensed in Los Angeles to do so since Crash (shot primarily in L.A.), which won in ’06.
Among the classic L.A. lensing locations for The Artist were The Orpheum theater and The Los Angeles Theater downtown, the Bradbury Building downtown, the Wilshire Ebell Theater, the American Film Institute and Cicada Restaurant.
While motion pictures being “made in Hollywood” used to be the norm, an award carrying that moniker has been deemed necessary in order to recognize films during an era where runaway production–to other states and for that matter, countries–has become commonplace.
Featured attractions Continuing our locations rundown, here are other films that have performed well on the awards circuit:
MoneyballDirector: Bennett Miller
Six Oscar nominations (Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, Editing, Sound Mixing)
Locations: Oakland, Calif. (including Oakland A’s stadium), downtown Los Angeles, Cal State University Long Beach, Fenway Park in Boston,
Film Offices: California Film Commission, Oakland Film Office, FilmL.A., Massachusetts Film Office
The Tree Of LifeDirector: Terrence Malick
Three Oscar nominations (Best Picture, Best Director, Cinematography); Cannes Film Festival, won Palme d’Or.
Locations: Austin, Dallas, Bastrop, Houston, La Grange, Matagorda, San Marcos, Smithville and Waco, Texas; Death Valley National Park, Calif.; Bonneville Salt Flats and Goblin Valley State Park, Utah; Hawaii; Chile; Iceland; Malta; Palau; Italy.
Film Offices: Texas Film Commission; Calif. Film Commission; Utah Film Office; Hawaii Film Office; Chile Film Commission; Malta Film Commission; Italian Film Commission
The Ides of MarchDirector: George Clooney
Oscar nominee (Adapted Screenplay)
Locations: Ann Arbor, Mich.; Cincinnati and Oxford, Ohio; Covington and Newport, Kentucky
Film Offices: Michigan Film Office, Ann Arbor Area Film Office; Ohio Film Office; Kentucky Film Office
DriveDirector: Nicolas Winding Refn
Oscar nominee (Sound Editing); Cannes Film Festival, won for Best Director; Independent Spirit Award nominee (Best Director)
Locations: Los Angeles (including MacArthur Park)
Film Office: FilmL.A.
Take ShelterDirector: Jeff Nichols
Five Independent Spirit Award nominations (Best Feature, Director, Male Lead, Supporting Female, Producers Award); Cannes Film Festival, won Critics Week Grand Prize
Locations: Northeast Ohio, Cleveland area, Lorain County, in & around Grafton, LaGrange, Elyria and Oberlin
Film Offices: Ohio Film Office, Greater Cleveland Film Commission
50/50Director: Jonathan Levine
Three Independent Spirit Award nominations (Best Feature, First Screenplay, Supporting Female)
Locations: Seattle, Vancouver, B.C.
Film Offices: B.C. Film Commission, Office of Film+Music, Seattle
Young AdultDirector: Jason Reitman,
WGA Award nomination (Best Original Screenplay); National Society of Film Critics nomination (Best Supporting Actor)
Locations: Minneapolis, Rogers and Sherburne County, Minnesota; New York City, White Plains, Long Island and Nanuet, NY
Film Offices: Minnesota Film & TV; New York State Governor’s Office For Motion Picture & Television Development; The City of New York Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting; Nassau County Film Office
Hello I Must Be GoingDirector: Todd Louiso
Sundance Film Festival nomination for Grand Jury Prize
Location: Westport, CT
Film Office: The Office of Film, TV & Digital Media, CT Dept. of Economic & Community Development
