Controversy over Florida Production(s)

Read the article and then view my response. I do not believe they post responses, so I saved the info for future reference.  Enjoy and learn.

http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=1121631

Anyone and everyone is constantly talking about “luring” outside productions and very little is said about those of us who reside in FL (even Tampa) who try to produce here locally. There is talent here, but very few decision makers. Those of us who can actually green-light a film go elsewhere for more reasons than simply tax incentives. Florida is a very “geographically specific” area and unless you want white sandy beaches, 90 degree weather and 95+% humidity, miles of beachside condos, most projects can be shot elsewhere and the end user won’t know the difference. Until this new tax incentive (which nobody really understands yet…just ask any film commissioner about it and they’ll look at you like you have three heads) there were better incentives elsewhere, which is why films would use a beach in (wherever) because of many factors, talent, accessibility, tax incentives, logistics, etc.

What they have yet to address with any diligence is the prospect of cultivating the indigenous production(s). The question is not brought up often enough, “where do you buy your groceries? Where do you buy your gas, clothes, etc.? Where do you entertain yourself?” The idea of bringing in big-budget films with the hopes they’ll spend money here is fine, but once those salaries leave, so does the money.  The nominal monies that are paid to the extras is a penance compared to what the movie stars make and guess where they spend their money? So if more effort was given to real productions that could take place entirely in Florida, the State overall, would see more significant revenue because the money stays here.

The second issue nobody talks about with outside production is that so little of the entire film actually happens on location. Only the principal photography will happen in any particular state and then everything in post production will go back to California. Why? (say this to yourself in a whisper) “Because that is where it has always happened and everything you need is there.” So when you hear that a particular area gets a film (lured from elsewhere) everyone wants to pat each other on the back because the film’s budget was $X Million. (if even that much) What nobody talks about is that less than 1/3 of that number is actually spent in Florida and virtually NONE of the marketing money is spent here. Those who know film budgets understand that 30% or more of the entire budget is allotted for marketing. (another reason Florida films don’t succeed, but this is another topic)

So lets go back to a Florida production.  If 100% of the folks were hired here (or very close to all of them…if you want movie stars, most of them are in California) then those people will get paid a modest salary and that salary stays right here! They buy groceries, gas, clothes, food and movie tickets right in their own back yard. So the commerce is more directly infused into the State.  Does anyone see a light bulb going on here?  Onward…

Its not necessarily any film commissioner’s fault a production does or does not happen here (or anywhere). They don’t earn a great deal of money and they don’t have a lot of resources and are often times treated like the redheaded stepchildren of the various EDC’s and tourism bureaus.  The show business goes where it is most conducive and that includes the talent. There are talented people in Florida for sure, but sometimes it is literally less costly to bring in various talents on both sides of the camera. The TV show “Cougar Town” is supposed to take place somewhere around Naples, (they even reference west coach beaches and towns) yet when they show the beach, its very clear there are mountains in the background. Why do they film there? Because everything is there. Its all about the network. If you’re a producer from (anywhere) and you already know your various above-the-line talent on both sides of the camera, possibly working with them before, why would you go through any casting processes or hire the locals? Pretty risky when most (not all) of the people in FL that carry a headshot are not qualified to much more than extra work.  Please take note here…I did say not all. It’s the same with crew personnel. Ask someone that claims to be a film producer/director in Florida what “packaging” is and see if they have any clue. Everybody “thinks” they can make a movie. Few actually can and those who actually finish a film, of those, even fewer achieve any success. The numbers prove that the reality of making an uber-successful film is less than standing in a room full of intellectuals and thinking you’re the next “Einstein.” It’s a fact…do some research.

So the more schlock that comes from any particular state, they less that state will be revered as a viable place in which to make a film or television show. This is the vicious cycle that has plagued Florida since the beginning of the film industry. The film industry got tossed from Florida in its infancy and the industry has never forgiven it. It’s just business. It’s not personal…well maybe a little bit.  J

So those of us who continue to work in the industry and love every minute of it, know why more films aren’t made here. To all those who hope to continue to work in the industry, I wish you the best of luck and keep at it.

Russell Hess

Producer/Distributor

25 year Florida Resident, Actor & Voiceover Artist