Job Opening: Film Curator for Doris Duke Theatre

The Honolulu Academy of Arts needs a new film curator for its Doris Duke Theatre now that Konrad Ng has left to teach at the UH ACM. Here's the job description:

Curator of Film and Media Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts seeks a curator for the museum’s film and media arts program in the Doris Duke Theatre. The successful candidate will have demonstrated knowledge in the art, history and politics of film and media arts, and experience in executing a sustainable film program. The curator is responsible for leading a cinema program that complements the Academy’s mission and maintains the niche for the Doris Duke Theatre as the premier venue for repertory film programs and the theatrical debut of American independent and foreign art films in Honolulu....
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New Zealand One-Ups Hawaii

The sequel to the Disney Channel film "Johnny Tsunami" (1999) is being filmed in New Zealand instead of Hawaii, where both films are partially set. The original film shot its Hawaii scenes on Oahu.

Exec producer Douglas Sloan said, "New Zealand looks amazingly like Hawaii. It's pretty astounding how similar the landscape is, the ocean, waves and vegetation....We've done a lot of shows here now and we know that we can absolutely rely on the crews and actors down here to do a first-rate job," and claimed that all but 4 of the 60-person crew is local.

>> Waitakeres stand in for Hawaii in Disney film [New Zealand Herald, 2/16/07]

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"Lost" Ratings Drop, Press Freaks Out

*BREAKING!*: ABC's hit show "Lost" is apparently no longer a hit, with just 12.8 million viewers this week, compared to 20 million+ at its peak. Woe is me, whatever shall we do?

>> 'Lost' loses attraction to millions of viewers [Hnl Advertiser, 2/16/07]
>> Real 'Lost' mystery: Can TV show survive? [AP via Hnl Advertiser, 2/16/07]

Gerard Elmore's "All For Melissa"

Anne Misawa and Vince Keala Lucero working the camera on the lead actors

Local writer/director/producer/actor/comedian Gerard Elmore ("Valtor the Great vs. the Universe," "Amasian: The Amazing Asian") is almost done with his first (local! indie!) feature, "All for Melissa," a quirky romantic comedy / coming of age story shot entirely on Oahu. Check out the trailer here.

>> Elmore ready to finish his first feature [Hnl Star-Bulletin, 2/15/07]

Lingle's Innovation Infrastructure Package

Governor Linda Lingle is making a big push for a package of bills aimed at developing Hawaii's infrastructure for technological, scientific, and creative innovation. Here's a list of specific initiatives put together by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin (I've bolded the film-related ones):

• Creating two "academies" in public schools to equip students with the technical skills they'll need to compete for high-value jobs. These academies will be voluntary additions to the curriculum.
• A $100 million Hawaii Innovation Fund to finance technology and creative industry companies. The money would come from the state Employees Retirement System.
• Providing breaks for college tuition savings accounts of up to $20,000 in tax deductions.
• Starting a privately led science and biotech research facility and technology incubator at Kakaako.
• Developing a digital media center that could be used for software design, electronic game development, TV and film production, special effects and animation.
• Promoting musical education and skills in partnership with Tennessee's Belmont University.
• Public Internet access in state government buildings, including libraries and schools.
• Founding an Office of International Affairs.

>> Lingle making headway stumping for high-tech [Hnl Star-Bulletin, 2/14/07]

Bills, Bills, Bills

Here's a quick round-up of the latest versions of the film-related bills before the 2007 Hawaii State Legislature. To keep up with the latest status of these bills and learn when to testify at hearings, sign up to get hearing notices by email. Choose the following pertinent committees: House: EDB, TAC, HED, FIN / Senate: EDT, EDU, WAM


SB1920, SD1 - Taxation; Motion Picture, Digital Media, Film Production; Hawaii Television and Film Board; Membership; Appropriation
Recodifies and renames existing motion picture, digital media, and film production tax provisions. Increases the tax credits from fifteen and twenty per cent to twenty and twenty-five per cent. Increases reporting requirements. Increases membership of the Hawaii television and film board; enables the board to delegate certain administrative functions to subcommittees; authorizes the board to not have to meet if no money is in its special fund or no grants are being managed; and appropriates funds to the board's special fund for grants programs.

SB1922, SD1 - Creative Media; Appropriations
Creates financial incentives for and appropriates funds to the academy for creative media at the University of Hawaii to develop plans for a permanent facility in Hawaii; appropriates funds for a digital media incubator facility; establishes and appropriates funds for the music and enterprise learning experience program at the University of Hawaii-Honolulu Community College to develop the technical business skills required by Hawaii's music artists and music industry.

SB1993 - Economic Development; Taxation; Ko Olina Tax Credit; Digital Media Arts; Tourism Training Facility
Establishes the tourism training curriculum committee. Creates a new tax credit for a tourism training facility. Creates a new tax credit for digital media and performing arts. Repeals the Ko Olina tax credit. Appropriates funds.

HB933 - Taxation; Disclosure; Tax Credits
Requires businesses who apply for tax credits that are related to their commercial activities to sign a release statement allowing the department of taxation to publicly disclose their names and the names and amounts of the tax credits claimed. Requires the department of taxation to publicly disclose businesses that receive the tax credits.

HB1868, HD1 - University of Hawaii; Academy for Creative Media
Appropriates funds and creates financial incentives for a permanent facility to house digital equipment and media, classrooms, production laboratories, and related facilities for the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaii.

RELATED POSTS:
>> Senate Leadership and Committees Rejiggered
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>> FIND YOUR LEGISLATORS
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>> Hear, Hear on Hearings
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>> Schoolhouse Rock Redux
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Transporting Film From HNL Airport

Here's an official message from the Hawaii Film Office regarding transporting film from Honolulu International Airport:

As many of you know, two Hawaii productions recently had film accidentally x-rayed in advance of a domestic air carrier departing from Honolulu International Airport . The x-rayed film was a total loss. This created a very costly and time-consuming situation for both productions.

It appears that the mistake had to do with a new Transportation Security Administration cargo security directive that requires that all small packages (counter-to-counter cargo) traveling on passenger planes be screened by air carriers in accordance with the TSA cargo security directives, or by TSA agents via Explosive Detection System (EDS or x-ray) or Explosive Trace Detection (ETD). ETD is the process whereby TSA agents swipe items with cotton pads and then run those pads through a machine that detects explosive residue.

The recent problems occurred when film was left by airline personnel at the EDS x-ray machines along with other non-film counter-to-counter cargo . The film apparently was then thrown in and co-mingled with piles of passenger luggage without regard for the warning labels indicating not to x-ray the sensitive contents within.

The good news is that with the help of TSA and United Airlines, a new process has been put into place that will prevent this from happening in the future. The new procedure will require all cargo personnel sending shipments containing sensitive film via passenger planes to either screen the film in accordance with TSA cargo security directives (shipper identification procedures) or hand-deliver the film directly to an ETD station to go through a screening by hand rather than through an EDS x-ray machine. If the ETD station is unattended, personnel will be asked to carry the film over to a TSA agent at an EDS x-ray machine and notify the agent that the package contains sensitive film and requires an ETD screening. At no time prior to the screening will the film be left unattended.

Any production transporting film counter-to-counter or through a known shipper for transport on a passenger plane will be asked to fill out specific documents at the airline or cargo counter to ship the film.

You should expect this process to be in place immediately. Please contact the Hawaii Film Office at (808) 586-2570 or an air cargo representative with any questions or concerns.

UPDATE, 2/9/07: 'Lost' loses footage in airport blunder [Hnl Advertiser] (wherein this blog is referred to as "an informational Web site run by the film office")

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>> Meet the Hawaii Film Office!
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For You Location Stalkers

More on "Lost" locations: Local "Lost" fanatic Ryan Ozawa tells you exactly where in Hawaii you can find Bangkok, Pittsburgh, Albuquerque, Seoul, and more. Check it out in this month's Honolulu Magazine.

>> Media: Lost on Location [Honolulu Magazine, Feb 2007]

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This Show is Still On?

St. Andrew's Priory in downtown Honolulu stands in for England

Indeed it is! "Lost" returns with new episodes on Wednesday. And to usher in that return, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin's Katherine Nichols does a really nice job of showing us how location manager Jim Triplett and production designer Zack Grobler transform various Oahu locales into, among many other places, Nigeria, Australia, Korea, New York, and England.

Jim also points out that the "Lost" crew often leaves the locations in better condition than they had found them in, for example, by cleaning graffiti off rocks or removing garbage and abandoned cars.

>> Location, location, location [Hnl Star-Bulletin, 2/4/07]

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>> Famous Hawaii Locations
>> Hawaii's Nature Police Launches 24-Hour Hotline
>> Permits, Hawaiian Style
>> Meet the Hawaii Film Office!

"Maui Fever" Folks Surprised by Reaction

According to the Maui News, the cast and crew of MTV's "Maui Fever" are shocked by the negative local reactions to the show. Even some of the show's fans are posting comments on message boards calling locals reactionary and even "racist" against "anyone who is from the 'Mainland.'"

The local reactions may seem extreme to some, but after centuries of colonization and decades of offensive and negative portrayals in art, literature, mass media, and popular culture, can you blame 'em?

>> MTV shocked by response to show [Maui News, 2/4/07]

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