County Won’t Lure Film Makers With Loans : But Supervisors Retain Broader Plan to Attract More Location Shooting

The Orange County Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday not to pursue a proposal to provide financial assistance for independent film makers, but it left in place a broader plan to attract more film production to the county.

The proposal would have provided low-interest loans to independent producers interested in filming in Orange County. The loans would have been financed through the sale of tax-exempt county bonds.

A task force appointed by the board had recommended against the bond program, citing insufficient demand.

The proposal was an outgrowth of a county plan adopted in June to lure a bigger portion of an estimated $6 billion spent each year on film productions at California locations.

At stake is an estimated $35,000 a day in revenue that an average motion picture production generates for the local economy in which it takes place, according to the California Film Commission.

The county plan is being pursued in tandem with a statewide effort to keep movie makers from leaving California. Earlier this year, Gov. George Deukmejian said that $1 billion a year in potential economic activity is lost because of filming in other states.

The supervisors are attempting to make it easier for production companies to work in Orange County by simplifying application forms and standardizing fees charged by counties and cities.

A board survey found that obtaining a permit to film in Orange County can be a complicated exercise involving a variety of county and city agencies. “Obtaining a permit in the county can involve up to 50 phone calls,” an aide to Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez said.

For county-owned locations, such as John Wayne Airport and the old Santa Ana courthouse, that process has already been streamlined to a two-page form.

The county survey also found a wide discrepancy in the fees that cities in Orange County charge production companies.

Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, the county’s most popular film locations, charge production companies $200 a day for the right to shoot on location. In 1987, portions of more than 40 commercials, television programs and movies were shot on location in Newport Beach. More than 20 film permits were issued in Laguna Beach over the same period.

Anaheim Stadium, at $5,000 a day, is the county’s most expensive location shot. Many Orange County cities, meanwhile, don’t even bother to charge a fee.

But to Glen Everroad, who supervises licensing for Newport Beach, the economic benefits of film activity are not as tangible as its proponents contend.

“There’s no way a film production brings $35,000 a day to this city,” Everroad said. Production companies, he said, are mostly self-contained operations, bringing their own cameramen, equipment, and catering services.

“We don’t realize any direct financial gain. But longer term, someone in Idaho may see a movie shot here and decide this may be an interesting place to visit. It’s good public relations for tourism,” Everroad said.

One veteran Orange County film maker said he doubts that the county plan will attract more production.

“We need all the help we can get in Orange County, but it is a Catch-22 situation here,” said Joseph Cleary, an independent producer and location scout who has been promoting Orange County locations for film and advertising.

Hub of the Industry

“We are so close and yet so far” to the hub of the film industry, Cleary said.

A major problem is that most of Orange County lies outside the 30-mile radius extending from Hollywood that determines what is “on location.” That raises production costs since union crews must be paid travel and other expenses outside the 30-mile zone.

The last major film made almost entirely in Newport Beach caused more headaches than economic benefit, according to Everroad.

The 1987 production of “Assassination,” a Charles Bronson action movie, included a scene in which a 46-foot yacht exploded at dockside. The production crew assured the city the blast would result in a 35-second fire. Instead, the blaze lasted more than four hours, and a neighborhood had to be evacuated.

“We had a major problem with that one. If they were all like that, we wouldn’t allow any more films be made here anymore.”

FILMING FEES FOR SELECTED CITIES IN COUNTY

City: Anaheim Permit Fee: -- Business License: $35 Location Fee: Anaheim Stadium $3,000 outside/day; $5,000 inside/day Other: Insurance City: Huntington Beach Permit Fee: $500/day commercial; $250/day still Business License: -- City: Laguna Beach Permit Fee: $200/day Business License: -- Other: $100 application fee City: Newport Beach Permit Fee: $200/day non-resident; $100/day resident Business License: -- Other: $115 application fee City: Orange Permit Fee: $250/day Business License: $50 Location Fee: Orange Plaza Circle, $1,750 Other: $500-$5,000 clean-up bond, $100 filing fee. Staff support reimbursement. City: Santa Ana Permit Fee: -- Business License: -- Other: $200 admin. fee