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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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Initiative Would Give Nonprofit Role in Pursuing Productions

San Diego doesn’t easily double for other cities, but in the new Netflix series “Ingobernable,” Balboa Park’s Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and the tall shadows of downtown at night make for a convincing Mexico City.

The production was not without its headaches, unfortunately. Location scout Vincent Lopez remembers costs shooting up because of an unresponsive venue operator and a parking lot owner too quick to raise prices — typical, he said, of a business community unaccustomed to working with filmmakers.

“It’s a great city for filming the right projects,” said Lopez, also an associate producer, who grew up in San Diego and promotes the city as a location when he can. “The challenge is, getting the city and its businesses — its locations — to understand the quick pace of film.”

Against that backdrop has come a new pitch to boost local filmmaking, focusing at first on North County, by providing production and distribution assistance as part of a turnkey package industry observers say goes well beyond what competing cities offer.

The proposal by filmmaker Jeff Deverett has won early support from the San Diego North Economic Development Council, and a process has begun to form a nonprofit that could accept public and private grants or donations. If he is successful, local film students would work on independent productions that would then be able to tap his own experience and industry connections.

More Immediate Benefits

Deverett’s months-old initiative is not seen as competing with San Diego’s own film recruitment efforts, and if anything, it could contribute to the city’s campaign to revive local filmmaking.

“Any type of efforts to attract more filming could really benefit all,” said Brandy Shimabukuro, whose December 2015 appointment to lead San Diego’s film office was viewed as a reboot of the city’s movie industry attraction efforts after decades of ups and downs.

Cities and states across the country go to great lengths to attract film production because it comes with a substantial economic bump. The production of “Ingobernable,” about the troubled administration of a fictional Mexican president, generated an estimated $9 million in direct local spending during its 55 filming days in San Diego. A Fox series “Pitch” brought in $5.7 million in direct spending during its 19 days of shooting in the area.

Many states and municipalities try to lure filmmakers by extending tax credits and waiving fees, as California does. Though valuable, these kinds of incentives can take a year or more to have a financial impact, and so they have less immediacy than the benefits Deverett is proposing.

Innovative Partnerships

The whole approach is unconventional, and will require innovative partnerships to underwrite all the proposed training, production and distribution work, even as it looks “really interesting,” said Ed Henegar, president of Charlotte, N.C.-based film recruitment company Reel-Scout, of which San Diego is a client.

“That’s a little less common, for sure,” he said of the offer of direct assistance. “But that doesn’t mean that it can’t happen, and that it won’t be successful. I hope it is for the sake of that part of the county.”

The idea of a film initiative in the area impressed the North County EDC’s investment group, said the organization’s CEO, Mike Cully. He said it struck him as a bit of a “no-brainer,” if only because of the proximity to Los Angeles.

“It’s quite a bit of a different approach than other film commissions have,” he said. “He will really hand-hold the filmmakers.”

Deverett, president and CEO of San Diego-based Deverett Media Group, has made several independent films, including some in San Diego after moving from Toronto eight years ago. He said that while the package he plans to put together won’t target makers of Hollywood blockbusters, at least not at first, it will be very attractive to smaller productions — those with budgets in the $500,000 to $1 million range — that often struggle with money and distribution.

‘Commoditizing’ Production

Part of the idea is to “commoditize” film production, he said, by making arrangements with labor, locations, hotels and catering services, “so that we have predictability in terms of access and cost.”

He proposes covering 20 percent to 25 percent of a film production’s costs through in-kind services, staffing and equipment. His organization would provide access to locations in North County, such as Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and offer training and assistance for raising money for production. It would also “guarantee” distribution, either through introductions or direct channels Deverett said he has access to.

“We’re going to be the most attractive financial incentive in North America for filmmakers,” he said.

Naturally, there’s work to be done to attract capital. Besides partnering with local educational institutions, Deverett said he will reach out to large local companies with an interest in helping develop the area’s economy. Some executives will sign on, as well, to help stop the outflow of film students, including their own children.

“If we can create an industry sector that creates opportunities and jobs, that would be good for keeping families together in San Diego,” he said.

The Wrong Look?

Lopez, the film scout and associate producer, sees plenty of advantages to Deverett’s proposal, especially the distribution assistance and ability to pitch in immediate production help. But he emphasized the initiative must be realistic, too, and offer genuine follow-through.

Another challenge he foresees is North County’s relatively homogeneous building styles. “Cookie-cutter” housing doesn’t easily lend itself to recreating Miami, New York, Rome or Paris, he said.

“You don’t have that diversity in architecture in San Diego County,” he said.

Deverett doesn’t consider the lack of building diversity too big an obstacle, noting a lot of filming is done indoors. Besides, he said, North County has picture-perfect beaches and hillsides.

“The terrain thing is actually covered,” he said.

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