Summary of Film Bill

Finally, here is a summary of SB2570, SD2, HD2, CD1, the 15-20% production tax credit that the conference committee just passed yesterday. The film industry would like to thank conference committee members from the House: Representatives Jerry Chang, Jon Riki Karamatsu, Kyle Yamashita, and Corinne Ching; and Senate: Senators Carol Fukunaga, Brian Taniguchi, David Ige, Bob Hogue, as well as committee members on the House TAC, EDB, and FIN committees, and the Senate MAT and WAM committees.

What's next for this bill? The entire House and Senate will vote on it next week. If it passes (which is likely), it will be sent on to the Governor for her departments to review and make recommendations on the action she should take. She will have 90 days from the legislature's adjournment (May 4) to sign the bill into law or veto it.

OK, now for the summary you've all been salivating for (this should hopefully make up for me not having time to call you all back in a timely fashion):

• 15% rebate on all production expenditures incurred on Oahu that are subject to Hawaii general excise tax
• 20% rebate for same on neighbor islands
• Effective July 1, 2006 to December 31, 2015
• Must be a "qualified production," defined as: feature film, short film, TV movie, commercial, music video, interactive game, TV series pilot, single season (up to 22 episodes) of a TV series regularly filmed in the state (if the number of episodes per single season exceeds 22, additional episodes for the same season shall constitute a separate qualified production), TV special, single TV episode that is not part of a TV series regularly filmed or based in the state, national magazine show, or national talk show
• Each "qualified production" is subject to a per-production credit cap of $8 million
• Excluded productions: daily news; public affairs programs; non-national magazine or talk shows; televised sporting events or activities; productions that solicit funds; productions produced primarily for industrial, corporate, institutional, or other private purposes; and pornography
• Must have minimum Hawaii expenditure of $200K in "qualified production costs," defined as the following costs provided they are subject to Hawaii general excise tax: pre-production costs (location scouting, etc.); set construction and operations, purchases or rentals of wardrobe, props, accessories, food, office supplies, transportation, equipment, etc.; wages or salaries of cast, crew, and musicians; photography, sound synchronization, lighting, etc.; editing, visual effects, music, other post-production, etc.; location rentals and fees; vehicular and lodging rentals and fees; airfare for flights to/from Hawaii, interisland flights; insurance and bonding; shipping of equipment and supplies to/from Hawaii, interisland shipments
• Must provide screen credit to State of Hawaii
• Must show effort to hire local talent and crew
• Must provide evidence of financial or in-kind contributions or educational or workforce development efforts, in partnership with related local industry labor organizations, educational institutions, or both, toward the furtherance of the local film and television and digital media industries
• Cannot "double-dip" with the Act 221 investment tax credit
• Must register with Hawaii Film Office during development or pre-production to get pre-certified for credit
• After production wraps, must give detailed report of Hawaii expenditures and activity to Hawaii Film Office, which will then write a letter certifying the amount of the credits. This letter is to be filed with the Tax Dept. to process the rebate.

RELATED POSTS:
>> Film Bill Passed by Conference Committee!
>> Local Film Industry Says Film Bill Good (Go Figure)
>> Films Set in Hawaii Make Big Bucks
>> Hawaii as San Fran, NYC, UK, Oz, etc.
>> Hawaii Galore in Hollywood Reporter
>> Meet the Hawaii Film Office!
>> Meet the County Film Offices
>> Permits, Hawaiian Style

10 Factoids From FilmHawaii Seminar on Labor Unions

We had a good turnout at our second FilmHawaii seminar yesterday. Thanks to those who came, and thanks to (from left to right, above) IATSE's Al Omo and Donovan Ahuna, Musicians Association's Michael Largarticha, SAG's Brenda Ching, and Teamsters' Jeanne Ishikawa, for giving their spiel on film labor unions.

Check out some video excerpts of the seminar, courtesy of Makai Motion Pictures' Johnson Choi: Introduction/Background and Becoming Signatory/Contractual Issues. Hopefully, we can figure out different ways to show you all the full seminars soon (after we become less short-staffed and overworked).

In the meantime, here are 10 (hopefully useful) factoids from the seminar:

• 1. IATSE Local 665 is a mixed local with 450 members and 200 referrals, and is 3-5 crews deep.
• 2. SAG's Hawaii branch has over 700 members.
• 3. Teamsters Local 996 has 120 movie drivers.
• 4. Musicians Association Local 677 has 478 members.
• 5. The local IATSE and Teamsters branches are willing to work cooperatively with producers on getting them to become signatory, no matter how low their budgets. For example, IATSE Local 665 recently signed a contract with a $70,000 TV documentary project on the Big Island.
• 6. Because Oahu is IATSE Local 665's production hub, Oahu-based crew members who work on neighbor island productons must be paid as "distant hires," meaning producers must pay them per diem, housing, airfare, etc.
• 7. On the other hand, neighbor island-based crew members working on Oahu are not paid as "distant hires," but rather as "local hires," meaning they do not get per diem, housing, airfare, etc.
• 8. Two years ago IATSE Local 665 had only 1 script supervisor among its members. Today, it has 5.
• 9. Student films do not have to be signatory with IATSE or Teamsters, but local student filmmakers who want to use SAG actors should call Brenda Ching at (808) 596-0388 to work out an agreement. Brenda is working on getting local colleges to become SAG signatory so their students can use SAG waivers on their projects (just like on the mainland).
• 10. Hawaii is not a right to work state.

For more information on union issues, please contact our local union reps.

Stay tuned for our next must-attend FilmHawaii Seminar on Hawaii's tax incentives for film, television, and digital media on Thursday, June 8 at noon.

RELATED POSTS:
>> FilmHawaii Seminar on Film Labor Unions
>> Meet the Hawaii Film Office!
>> Local Labor Union Chapters
>> 10 Things I Learned From Our First FilmHawaii Seminar
>> IATSE Local 665, Unions
>> Film Bill Passed by Conference Committee!

New Student Film Fest This Saturday

There's a new student short film festival in Honolulu, co-presented by the Hawaii Pacific University Film Club and the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The "Shorts on the Rocks" film fest will screen 15 shorts this Saturday, 4/29, at the Academy of Arts' Doris Duke Theatre. Showtime is 7:30pm with doors opening at 7pm. Tickets are $5.00 general and $3.00 students/academy members. Prizes will be given out, including a grand prize of Avid Xpress Pro.

>> Shorts on the Rocks

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Come and Get This

The new 2006 Hawaii Production Index is in! This is Hawaii's official production guide. Please come by (250 S. Hotel St., Ste. 510-B) to pick one up or email Brent to get one mailed to you.

Film Bill Passed by Conference Committee!

Very exciting news! SB2570 (15-20% production tax credit) was passed out by the conference committee just a few minutes ago! The draft passed out is known as CD1, or conference draft 1. Just two more steps left before it formally becomes law: (1) Floor votes in both legislative bodies (need majority) and (2) Governor Lingle signs it into law. This is all very exciting because the revision of our existing (insufficient) 4% film tax rebate has been 5 years in the making. I'll summarize the bill in layperson's terms after I eat my lunch tomorrow.

Get "Lost" for Free on ABC.com

Considering the colossal failure of its Go.com portal circa 2001, who knew that Disney would be leading the charge in alternative broadcasting across various digital media platforms? Just a few months ago, the company started distributing its hit ABC shows via iTunes (watchable on iPods) and began producing additional content for "Lost" to be distributed exclusively over cell phones.

Now, Disney is going to allow viewers to download "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Alias," and "Commander in Chief" for free via ABC.com. The "free" factor is made possible by an alternative kind of interactive advertising that will be screened during the online versions of these shows. We can start checking this out on May 1 (provided the national pro-immigrant march / Latino walk-out that day doesn't completely shut America down).

>> Disney to test new interactive ads on ABC.com [Reuters via News.com, 4/26/06]

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>> Distribution, Distribution, Distribution
>> "Lost" Series Finale Will Suck
>> "Lost" is Fab, But Will It Last?
>> Hawaii's "Digital Revolution" Continues

Local Film Industry Says Film Bill Good (Go Figure)

The Hawaii Film & Entertainment Board, a consortium of local film labor nion leaders, state and county film commissioners, and local production crew members wrote a letter to the editor at the Honolulu Advertiser in response to Sean Hao's Sunday article on the local film industry, "Lights, camera, competition." Here's an excerpt of it:

GOOD FOR ECONOMY: FILM INDUSTRY LEGISLATION CRITICAL

As the major proponent of Senate Bill 2570, the Hawaii Film and Entertainment Board has these comments regarding Sean Hao's report Sunday on incentives for the film industry.

The local film industry has spent years informing and educating our decision-makers and leaders about the complex business of film, its benefits to us as a state, and what is needed to take it to the next level. It is with this deep understanding that government officials are basing their decision to support the measure this session.

As Hawai'i taxpayers, HFEB members strongly support SB2570 because we believe the bill is sound, fiscally responsible legislation. It pays only on actual dollars spent, limits the amount production can receive, eliminates double-dipping, and will likely save the state an estimated $5 million annually through a more cost-effective incentive while providing the necessary tools to aggressively compete globally, and through this, ultimately grow our local film industry as other culturally rich regions have done.

SB2570 would allow Hawai'i to shift its incentive focus and the majority of production claiming credits to a national standard based on business certainty that has proven to be wildly successful at generating new productions in the region. It would also be about 50 percent more cost-effective for us as taxpayers.

This bill is based on a formula that balances how much the state is paying out versus how much it is collecting. On-location filming and the support businesses it generates are aggressively pursued globally because of the significant economic development it encourages.

For Hawai'i, it is even more attractive given the dynamic synergy it brings to tourism and the opportunity to develop an environmentally friendly type of manufacturing.

Film production is a labor-intensive industry that values natural beauty and utilizes existing visitor industry infrastructure — in other words, it is a perfect fit for Hawai'i as we diversify and expand our economy.

The industry creates meaningful, skilled, high-paying jobs.

Just as a steady flow of visitors is necessary for our tourist industry to thrive, a steady flow of production is needed for film industry to develop. The passage of this bill would keep workers and local businesses that provide services, equipment and facilities to the industry continually working.

A large part of our industry has been in the business for 20 to 30 years. This breadth and depth of knowledge is what we are trying to harness to take our industry from a cyclical one to a more constant one that allows our local filmmakers to thrive.

A critical mass of production is needed to make it cost-effective for private industry to invest in developing Hawai'i's film infrastructure.

We were starting to achieve critical mass in 2004, but the incentives we had to offer proved to be inappropriate for many, too difficult to access for most and rife with business uncertainty.

There was steady growth in our local industry until the late 1990s, when dramatic shifts in the business took place. As business people and economic development specialists, we know that we must review, analyze and change as trends in the industry fluctuate or we will go the way of the Wang computer. SB2570 addresses these macro film industry trends and allows Hawai'i to make the necessary course corrections to keep us moving toward our goals.

Brenda Ching
Chairwoman, Hawaii Film and Entertainment Board

RELATED POSTS:
>> Hao on Film Industry
>> Film Bill Conference to Reconvene Again
>> Press Massacres Hawaii's Film Tax Credits Again
>> From Your Mouth to the Legislature's Ears
>> More Film Tax Incentive Success Stories
>> Everyone Else Is Doing It...
>> Local Labor Union Chapters

PBS Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

In May, PBS will be broadcasting programs to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage month. Many of these programs have Hawaii ties, including: "Fishbowl" (shot/set here), "The Land Has Eyes" (directed by UH professor and produced by Hawaii Int'l Film Fest founder), "American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawaii," and "An Untold Triumph" (written by Hawaii-based filmmaker; about Filipino American soldiers in WWII, many of whom were from Hawaii). Watch these and other APA programs starting next week!

>> PBS To Offer Special Programming For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month [PBS, 4/24/06]

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>> Made-in-Hawaii Independent Films on PBS
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Film Bill Conference to Reconvene Again

The fate of SB2570, SD2, HD2 is still indeterminate after today's conference committee hearing. The committee is awaiting passage of the state budget bill today or tomorrow before making a final decision on this film bill. So...the committee will reconvene again this Thursday, 4/27 at 2:15pm, State Capitol Room 423. We can all walk over to the Capitol together after the 12pm FilmHawaii Seminar on labor unions (where you can pick up a copy of the brand new 2006 production directory).

Hao on Film Industry

Did you guys see this year's requisite Sean Hao film tax incentive article in the Honolulu Advertiser yesterday? Pretty fairly balanced between tax incentive supporters and naysayers, I would say. Funny though, it seems that Paul Brewbaker and Lowell Kalapa are the local go-to guys for tax incentive naysaying. Why, just last Friday, they were also quoted by the AP's Alexandre Da Silva, in an article about Act 221, our investment tax credit!

In any case, let's pick apart Hao's article and Brewbaker's and Kalapa's comments, shall we?

• "Comparing incentives offered by various states and foreign countries is difficult because they are structured differently." Yes, there are different programs out there, but the industry seems to be lining up behind 2 main kinds of tax incentives: the straight rebate on local production expenditures, and the transferable investor tax credit that acts essentially like a rebate. Comparing these between states and countries is easy (after making cost of living and exchange rate adjustments): just look at the percentage offered! (e.g., 25% in New Mexico, 25% in Louisiana, 15% in NYC, 15% in Florida, and an unprecedented 30% proposed in South Carolina).
• "Paul Brewbaker, chief economist for Bank of Hawaii, questions whether the state needs to stimulate a specific industry in an economy that's already booming and has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. 'It's a different story when you have 6 percent unemployment from the situation (today) when there's 2.5 percent unemployment,' Brewbaker said. By giving out tax credits, 'you can change the type of economic activity, but that's all you can do if everybody is working.'" Oof! Does that mean, Paul, that we should give up trying to create different highly desirable, highly skilled, highly paid jobs, simply because we are at such a low rate of unemployment? The idea behind film tax incentives is indeed to "change the type of economic activity"! Didn't everyone hear about the Hawaii Tourism Authority's recent study that concluded that Hawaii residents are sick of the menial service jobs created by the tourism industry? Incentives to stimulate the film industry (and high tech industry, for that matter) are part of a progressive hope to change Hawaii's economic landscape.
• "...Senate Bill 2570, which would combine the various film incentives into a larger production tax credit." This makes it sound like there are a whole bunch of incentives being combined into one. Actually, what SB2570 would do is raise the current 4% rebate to 15% on Oahu and 20% on the neighbor islands (and do away with the additional 7.25% hotel room rebate).
• "...the film industry's use of tax credits for investors would decline...Even though the proposed changes aren't supposed to cost the state money, [state film commissioner Donne] Dawson said they would result in more movie business for the state. That's because it will be easier for shows to qualify for production tax credits than for investment tax credits." This warrants further explanation. The goal of the proposed 15-20% rebate is to divert larger productions away from Act 221, the investment tax credit that is, let's face it, a pain in the okole to claim. Productions need certainty when they do their budgets (something they do way before they hit the ground to shoot!), and Act 221, which requires a search for local investors who can actually claim the credits, does not provide a sufficient level of certainty. That is why productions would much prefer the 15-20% rebate (and they can't double dip with Act 221), and that is why Hawaii would get more bang for its buck with this rebate. Furthermore, the pool of local investment would be freed up for little indie productions and tech startups that need cash infusions instead of mere discounts.
• "'You're never going to have permanent jobs if you're depending on the whim of viewers for the success or failure of a TV show,'" Kalapa said." Hello! Can't you say that about many different industries? I mean, how many tech companies start up and fall down per day? Given all of the corporate downsizing, technological advances, and foreign outsourcing that is happening across industries in America, is there even such a thing as a "permanent job" anymore in 2006? It's been about, hmmm...150 years since the last Industrial Revolution! Also, you should all know that production jobs are largely temporary in nature--people hop from one TV show and film to the next (that holds true of everyone from grips and PAs to A-list stars and directors). The idea here is to close the gap between jobs so that workers aren't collecting unemployment (i.e. public monies) while waiting for the next production to arrive. Also, once we have a lot of production activity in the islands, we will have a creative environment in which local filmmakers will be inspired to start their own production companies and make their own films. And maybe all the production activity will also stimulate the building of post-production and animation companies, soundstages, and equipment houses, thereby creating more "permanent" types of jobs.
• "In other situations, the credits benefit existing rather than new productions, Kalapa said. 'Are we handing out credits to productions that are already here?' asked Kalapa. 'Are we handing out candy to good kids?'" If new productions get to benefit from the tax incentive, why shouldn't existing ones get to benefit? After all, the existing ones are the ones that have provided much needed jobs to production workers when everyone else was too cheap to come shoot here. NBC's long-running "Law and Order" is currently facing criticism similar to Kalapa's: people are wondering why, after over a decade and a half of shooting in NYC, should the show now get an incentive for what they are going to continue doing anyway? To this, Jeff Zucker, chief executive of the NBC Universal Television Group told the NY Times, "First of all, the 'Law and Order' franchise single-handedly supported production in New York City when there was virtually no one else here. To penalize them because they were holding up their end of the bargain long before anyone else seems patently unfair. In addition, there is another state next door that is begging for the 'Law and Order' productions."

OK, that's it for now. All in all, Hao's article was a good overview of the major issues. I just wanted to throw in my $.02 (as usual). See you all tomorrow at the reconvened conference hearing on SB2570, SD2, HD2!

>> Lights, camera competition [Hnl Advertiser, 4/23/06]

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>> Press Massacres Hawaii's Film Tax Credits Again
>> Aloha...Now Give It Here or Get Out!
>> Tax Incentives Suck...Who Said That?
>> From Your Mouth to the Legislature's Ears
>> More Film Tax Incentive Success Stories
>> Indies in Hollywood's Wake
>> Elegy for Film Bills and Mahalo

Calling All Korean & Korean American Filmmakers

The excellent feature "The Motel" by Korean American filmmaker Michael Kang, a former Sundance Filmmakers Lab fellow.

Today, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) announced the launch of a brand new program to nurture and encourage emerging Korean American/Korean filmmakers to make films! The KOFIC Filmmakers Development Lab, modeled after other filmmaker labs like the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, is being launched in conjunction with the University of Hawaii's Academy for Creative Media (ACM).

Lab fellows will be paired with industry mentors in a weeklong intensive Lab that will take place in Hawaii this September, with the goal of developing completed scripts. Then fellows will get to go to the Pusan International Film Festival in Korea (the preeminent film festival in Asia) in October to schmooze for financing and futher collaboration on development.

KOFIC chair An Cheong Sook hopes to help these filmmakers to "establish markets and audiences on both continents," and ACM director Chris Lee expressed his excitement about the partnership: "It accentuates the tremendous growth of the Academy and its now global outreach. We look forward to a long and prosperous association."

Qualified filmmakers (director-screenwriters) must be fluent in English, of Korean descent, a resident of Korea or the US, and have written and directed at least one short or feature film. Click here for more info on how to apply. Deadline for submissions is May 31, 2006.

>> Korean Film Council Launches Innovative New Filmmakers Development Lab inAssociation With the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaii [PR Newswire, 4/21/06]
>> KOFIC Filmmakers Development Lab 2006 Application
>> UH Academy for Creative Media

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Film Bill Conference Committee to Reconvene

The conference committee for SB2570, SD2, HD2 (15-20% production tax credit) just met to discuss differences between the Senate and House drafts of the bill. There are 2 minor points in contention: one involving a small difference in a reference in the preamble, and the other regarding the effective date of the measure. The committee will reconvene on Tuesday, April 25 at 2pm, State Capitol Room 423 to resolve these differences.

>> Hearing Notice

RELATED POST:
>> Conference Meeting on Film Bill

Made-in-Hawaii Independent Films on PBS

Hawaii film trio on PBS: "Fishbowl," "Kamea," and "The Hawaiians"

Tune in to PBS next week and in May (Asian Pacific American Heritage Month) to check out these great indie films shot in Hawaii, set in Hawaii, and about Hawaii.

"Fishbowl" directed by Kayo Hatta
* 4/27 at 8 p.m. on PBS Hawaii only
* 5/9 at 10 p.m. on PBS nationally as part of Independent Lens series
Adapted from Lois-Ann Yamanaka’s Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers, the dramatic short “Fishbowl” follows 11-year-old Lovey of Hilo, Hawaii, as she tries to be anything but herself. By Kayo Hatta, Linda Barry and Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga. Co-presentation with PBS Hawaii and National Asian American Telecommunications Association.

"Kamea" directed by Jennifer Akana-Sturla
* 4/27 at 8:30 p.m. on PBS Hawaii only
This film is a mystical coming-of-age story about Kamea (Malia Verdadero), a teenage Hawaiian girl living on the North Shore who falls in love with Thomas (Maui Laigo), a cute surfer boy who’s obsessed with the legendary icon Duke Kahanamoku. Kamea studies up on the Duke to impress Thomas, but when her attempts to pique his interest fail, she makes her own connection to Kahanamoku and gains a sense of self. "Kamea" won the best short film award at the 2004 Hawaii International Film Festival.

"The Hawaiians: Reflecting Spirit" directed by Edgy Lee
* Airs in May on PBS nationally (check local schedules)
* Also on tour around the U.S. with upcoming stops in Nashville and Chicago
This 80-minute film by Hawaii's most prominent documentary filmmaker Edgy Lee offers important cultural insights into who the Hawaiians are as a people, their origins, historical challenges and current social conditions, and the revival of spirit of a native people whose identity is intrinsically tied to their Hawaiian homelands. "The Hawaiians" is included in the new book, Progressive Hollywood, A People's Film History of the United States by Ed Rampell, who describes it as "a film of transcendent splendor" that defends Native rights and culture.

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>> Indigenous Pacific Storytelling
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>> Local Filmmakers Left in the Dust
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>> How Da Haoles Wen Stole Hawaii: The Film(s)
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>> Kayo Hatta (1958-2005)

Conference Meeting on Film Bill

The conferees for SB2570, SD2, HD2 (15-20% production tax credit) have been named. They are:
* House: Representatives Jerry Chang, Jon Riki Karamatsu, and Kyle Yamashita, Co-Chairs
* Senate: Senators Carol Fukunaga, Chair; Brian Taniguchi, Co-Chair; David Ige, Bob Hogue

Also, a conference meeting has been scheduled to decide the bill's fate:
Date: Friday, April 21, 2006
Time: 10:00am
Place: Conference Room 423, State Capitol

See the full hearing notice. Note that this is a decisionmaking meeting only and no public testimony will be accepted. For more info, call 808-586-6673.

RELATED POSTS:
>> 15-20% Tax Credit Bill Passes House Floor Vote
>> Film Bill: The Final Frontier

FilmHawaii Seminar on Film Labor Unions

FILM LABOR UNIONS

This roundtable discussion will provide an informal overview of film-related labor unions such as the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and I.A.T.S.E. (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). Local filmmakers can expect to learn the purpose of these unions, what kinds of agreements are available to low-budget independent productions, how to become a union member, how to become a union signatory, and how to work with the local branches of these unions.

Thursday, April 27 at Noon

Speakers:
* Donovan Ahuna, The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.) Local 665
* Brenda Ching, Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
* Jeanne Ishikawa, Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996
* Michael Lagarticha, Musicians Association of Hawaii Local 677

Moderator: Donne Dawson, Hawaii State Film Commissioner

Location: Hawaii State Art Museum Multi-Purpose Room, 1st Floor, 250 S. Hotel Street (@ Richards St.)

Parking: Metered parking on Iolani Palace Grounds (enter on King St.) and at the Alii Place garage, 1099 Alakea St.

>> FREE <<
Members of the local film industry and the general public are invited to attend.

Presented by: Hawaii Film Office, Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, State of Hawaii

The FilmHawaii Seminar Series is presented by the Hawaii Film Office periodically throughout the year to inform and educate the members of the local film industry and the film-interested public on practical topics related to the business of film and television production.

>> Download the "FilmHawaii: Labor Unions" FLYER (.pdf) to post in your community or at your organization!

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More Film Tax Incentive Success Stories

Brrr, it's cold up here: Poor Wentworth Miller is shooting "Prison Break" in Illinois (where there's an attractive tax credit), but would rather be shooting in Hawaii (where there isn't...yet!). (Photo: Fox)

In his Newsweek column, George F. Will recently commented on the pending Supreme Court case on the constitutionality of state-sponsored tax incentives. Will provides a brief history of states competing with and undercutting each other to attract business, and argues that this practice is a laudable one because "Capital goes where it is welcome and stays where it is well treated."

With respect to the film industry, some states get this message loud and clear. Here are the latest film tax credit success stories, and the latest on wannabe states that want a piece of the action:

• New York: Fueled by the astounding success of its pilot film and TV tax incentive program, the New York State Legislature recently passed a budget that extends this program through 2012, increases the annual overall credit allotment from $25 million to $60 million, and allots a separate new $42 million incentive for commercial productions.
• Illinois: A bill is currently moving through the state legislature to extend and increase Illinois' current film tax credit--25% off IL resident labor costs--that's expiring next January. The new incentive program would give productions a 20% rebate on total IL production costs and 15% back on labor costs for employees hired from high-poverty areas. The state is hoping to lure another runaway success like Fox's "Prison Break." (Side note: "Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller apparently recently fantasized that, "In the last episode of the season, we slip into the prison's sewer systems, up through these grates, and pop out a hatch--and we're face-to-face with Matthew Fox, and we spend season two on a tropical beach." What, those cold Chicago winters up in Joliet not doin' it for ya, Wenty? Miller is referring of course to "Lost," which, incidentally, is shot in (now sunny again) Hawaii.)
• Arizona: The state's new film tax incentive program has already attracted numerous productions, and it's also stimulating the animation business. Several animation firms have opened up in Arizona, expressing interest in working with local AZ college students to provide on-the-job animation training.
• Connecticut: This state is jealous of all the attention and love productions are giving to its neighbors (MA, RI, and NY), so there is bipartisan support for a bill that's currently moving through its legislature. This bill currently offers 25% back on eligible costs for companies spending $50K+, and a whopping 30% back to companies spending $1M+.

And let's not forget Hawaii, where our film bill (SB2570)--providing a 15% rebate on Oahu expenditures and a 20% rebate on neighbor island expenditures for films, TV projects, commercials, and photo shoots spending $200K+--has passed both legislative bodies and currently sits in conference. We'll find our real soon (in about 2 weeks) for sure whether this bill will become law.

RELATED POSTS:
>> 15-20% Tax Credit Bill Passes House Floor Vote
>> Film Bill: The Final Frontier
>> State Tax Credits on Trial in Supreme Court
>> Tax Credits Bring Gigantic Film Studio to Queens
>> Beantown as Tinseltown
>> Everyone Else Is Doing It...
>> States Cannibalizing States
>> Press Massacres Hawaii's Film Tax Credits Again

Listen and Learn

Sugar field workers pose for a photo in Kilauea, Kauai in 1888. (Photo: Honolulu Advertiser Archives)

I'm feeling professorial today, so here are some audio history lessons on Hawaii, courtesy of "Crossing East," a great 8-hour public radio documentary series on the history of Asian America. Click on the links below to check out the segments that include Hawaii.

Program One: First Contacts
Kanaka Village: Fur pelts sold for as high as a 3000% percent profit in China in the 1700s. Many British and American companies, while fighting over the territory of North America, hired anyone they could find to trap and transport those furs, including many Hawaiians.

Program Three: Raising Cane
Hawaii was a self-contained society when Captain Cook made first contact. Then settlers and missionaries turned Hawaiians into workers and the islands into plantations. Crossing East weaves a unique cross-cultural American tale through music, descendant histories and sounds of Hawaii.

• Hard Labor: By 1850, the sugar industry exploded. Plantations needed cheap labor, fast. The first workers came from China. Then Japan, Korea, the Philippines. The laborers had hopes of making money quickly and returning home.
• Picture Brides: In 1900, the plantations were bachelor societies. 20 percent of workers were women. Some men married native Hawaiian women, but many Japanese, Okinawan, and Korean men asked their families to help arrange a marriage across the ocean.
• Strength & Resistance: Plantation owners exploited racial differences. They pitted workers against each other. Organized protest began along ethnic lines in the early 1900s. Workers needed higher wages to support their families and a new strategy to beat the plantation system.
• Plantation Life: Plantation workers lived in camps next to the sugar and pineapple fields. The plantation segregated them – there was Chinese camp, Filipino camp, Puerto Rican camp and so on. Conditions were often squalid until families took steps to improve their own lives.
• Pidgin English: “Talk Story” is a term used in Hawaii for people gathering together for conversation. On the plantations, people of different ethnicities had to find a way to communicate, so they created a common language to talk to each other.
  

There are also profiles of Asian American and Pacific Islander artists, actors, and musicians, including master slack key guitarist Ledward Kaapana.

RELATED POSTS:
>> Respecting Host Cultures While Filming
>> How Da Haoles Wen Stole Hawaii: The Film(s)
>> Hawaii Newbies, Read This
>> A Pictorial History of Hawaii
>> Hawaii vs. Hawaiian
>> Culture Clash

"Lost" & Legislature Team Up to Give

"Lost" script signed by 13 cast members is up for auction. Auction closes today at 5pm with proceeds benefitting the Hawaii Foodbank.

Some "Lost" cast members have teamed up with Hawaii state representative Jon Riki Karamatsu and the Women's Legislative Caucus to collect donations for the Kapiolani Medical Center's Sex Abuse Treatment Center. Brittany and Harold Perrineau, and Daniel Dae Kim were on hand at the State Capitol yesterday to help collect clothes, books, stuffed animals, and coffee mugs for victims of abuse.

"Lost" cast members also signed a script that is being auctioned off by Rep. Karamatsu for the benefit of the Hawaii Foodbank. The script is of the episode, "The 23rd Psalm," and is autographed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Mr. Eko), Emilie de Ravin (Claire), Matthew Fox (Jack), Jorge Garcia (Hurley), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin), Yunjin Kim (Sun), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Dominic Monaghan (Charlie), Terry O'Quinn (Locke), Harold Perrineau (Michael), Michelle Rodriguez (Ana Lucia) and Cynthia Watros (Lilly).

Opening bid is $20, and bidding closes TODAY, Thurs, 4/13 at 5pm. Here's how to bid in this silent auction:

• 1. Post a bid by emailing Representative Karamatsu's Office Manager Baron Gushiken at [BIDDING CLOSED--THANKS!], titling subject line "LOST Silent Auction Bid." Include your name and contact phone number. You will get a short reply, "Bid accepted."
• 2. Bid Updates will be posted to all participating bidders at 9:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. until the close of bidding.
• 3. Bidding Closes at 5:00 p.m., Thursday, April 13, 2006. All participants will be notified on the winning bid. The winning bidder must pay by check to Hawaii Foodbank by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 17, 2006 in Room 427. Remember, April 14, 2006 is Good Friday, a State Holiday.
  

For more information, call Baron at Rep. Karamatsu's office at 586-8490.

>> 'Lost' star collects donations for sex abuse center [Hnl Advertiser, 4/12/06]

RELATED POSTS:
>> "Lost" Officially Honored by State Legislature
>> "Lost" is Fab, But Will It Last?
>> Respecting Host Cultures While Filming
>> "Lost" Series Finale Will Suck
>> Paranoia + Hard Work + Ratings = "Lost"
>> Kudos to "Lost" on Asian American Representation

Aloha...Now Give It Here or Get Out!

The results of a recent study by the Hawaii Tourism Authority revealed that Hawaii residents aren't thrilled about our #1 industry: tourism. And why would we feel this way about an $11.5 billion industry that employs 183,000 locals? Because, as the Honolulu Advertiser so aptly put it, "Tourists suck up resources, jam roads and crowd beaches. They bring money and jobs, but mostly the low-paying, dead-end variety."

It's not so much that residents are peeved at the tourists themselves (who can blame them for wanting to visit Hawaii?), but rather, they feel that government officials are not properly allocating tourism's economic benefits back to the locals (too many potholes, aging sewer lines, not enough traffic lights, poor conditions at schools, not enough parks, too much pollution, endangerment of Hawaiian culture, etc.). Residents also see the fact that tourism is breaking records year over year as part of a trend toward overpopulation, and they question the islands' ability to sustain that.

Here's my cue to say: this is why we need to diversify Hawaii's economy with an industry like, say, oh I dunno...the film industry perhaps? Where the kinds of jobs created are arguably less "dead-end" and the relationship with Hawaii more long-term and forward-thinking? Just a totally random thought.

>> Islanders irked over tourism [Hnl Star Bulletin, 4/11/06]
>> Islanders growing weary of tourism? [Hnl Advertiser, 4/11/06]
>> 2005 Survey of Resident Sentiments on Tourism in Hawaii [Hawaii Tourism Authority's full report]

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>> The Transplantification of Hawaii
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Two New Local Film Festivals

The opening film at the Filipino Indie Film Festival.

The Hawaiian islands will be host to two brand new film festivals soon...

Filipino Indie Film Festival
10 films will be shown as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of Filipinos in Hawaii. Presented by the UH Manoa Filipino and Philippine Literature Program.
When: April 17-21, 2006; Films start at 6pm
Where: UH Manoa, Hemenway Auditorium
FREE
Call 808-956-9501 for specific showtimes.

Big Island Film Festival
Showcases independent narrative feature, short, and animated films, including some locally produced films.
When: May 18-21, 2006
Where: Waikoloa, Big Island, Hawaii

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>> Asian American Film Festivals
>> Indigenous Pacific Storytelling
>> LVHIFF 2005: A Retrospective
>> Hawaii Film Panorama at LVHIFF
>> The Meaning of "Independent"

Hawaii Student-Produced Commercials

Here's an article about the recent assortment of TV commercials produced by Hawaii's high school and college students for companies/brands like Hawaiian Airlines and Scion Hawaii. Student-produced commercials seem to be a win-win situation: students get professional production experience, companies get cheap labor and fresh ideas.

>> Hawaiian Air using student video for ads [Hnl Star Bulletin, 4/11/06]

15-20% Tax Credit Bill Passes House Floor Vote

Sorry for the non-blogging lately--I'm just back from the Locations Trade Show, where I confirmed that everyone and their mother has passed or is passing tax incentives for film. Will Hawaii join the club or be the odd man out?

The passage of SB2570, SD2, HD2 (15-20% production rebate) today by a House floor vote suggests the former, but of course, anything can happen. The bill has been transmitted back to the Senate (where it originated) to see if they agree with the latest House draft and are willing to pass it out as is--this is really just a formality since the House draft has a "defective" effective date of 2020, which was put there to essentially guarantee further discussion. This discussion will happen in conference committee, made up of members from both legislative bodies.

Meanwhile, HB2421 (20% investment tax credit buy-back) never got scheduled for a WAM hearing, so we bid it adieu.

OK, we've got about 3 more weeks till this legislative session is pau (done). As always, stay tuned for the latest...

RELATED POST:
>> Film Bill: The Final Frontier

Meet With AtomFilms

This just in from HIFF's Anderson Le: Chris from Atom Films is coming to town, and he would like to meet with local filmmakers about submitting their films for consideration for Atom Entertainment's properties.

When: Sat, April 8, 6:45-8:00pm
Where: thirtyninehotel - 39 Hotel St. bt. Nuuanu & Smith St

About Atom Entertainment: Founded in 2001, San Francisco-based Atom Entertainment aggregates and distributes independently produced casual games, short films, and animation on the Web, offering fun, short, accessible and unusual digital entertainment online.

>> AtomFilms

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>> Short Run
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>> LVHIFF 2005: A Retrospective
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>> The Meaning of "Independent"
>> Hawaii's "Digital Revolution" Continues

Visit Us at Locations Trade Show in Santa Monica

The Film Offices of the Hawaiian Islands (Hawaii film office + county film offices) will be at the Association of Film Commissioners International Locations Trade Show this week. Come yak it up with us at Booth #700 on the following days/times:

Fri, April 7: 3-7pm
Sat, April 8: 12-6pm
Sun, April 9: 12-5pm
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (1855 Main St)

Ask us about Hawaii's current tax incentives, pending film-related legislation, diverse location options, and production resources. You can pre-register by April 6 here.

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>> Meet the Hawaii Film Office!
>> Meet the County Film Offices
>> Guide to Hawaii's Tax incentives For Film & Televisiom (.pdf)
>> Who are Donne, Judy, and Walea?
>> Films Set in Hawaii Make Big Bucks
>> Hawaii as San Fran, NYC, UK, Oz, etc.