Movies Siting Sets in State of Washington

When Steven Spielberg brought his movie production company to the small eastern Washington towns of Sprague and Moses Lake for the filming of “Always,” he had planned to stay less than a week.

But after seeing the diversity of the landscape and the possibilities for the film, he wound up staying 20 days.

The story of Spielberg’s discovery of Washington is becoming a common one, and Hollywood moguls, television crews and producers of commercials are turning the state into one of the most popular spots in the country for filming.

“If you look back at the state’s history, there were some years when there was a lot (of film production) going on,” said Lynn Murphy, assistant manager in the state’s Department of Trade and Economic Development’s Film & Video Office. “But our reputation as a film center has really grown in the past three or four years.”

The Film & Video Office recently released statistics showing a dramatic jump in the money spent by out-of-state production companies.

In 1985 a total of $5.5 million in direct spending was generated by out-of-state film companies. A spate of commercials boosted that number to $12 million--a 118% increase--in 1986. In 1987 and 1988 the total grew to $14 million and $16.9 million respectively, and last year production companies spent $20.2 million.

Feature films such as “Always” brought the most income to the state in 1989, with producers spending $10.8 million. Direct spending by commercial production companies was $7.6 million, while documentary, industrial, television and other projects brought in $1.6 million.

In-state production companies have also grown significantly, contributing $33.7 million last year to the state economy, a 48% increase over 1988’s spending.

In all, last year there were 14 feature films and television movies made in the state; 27 video and television episodes; more than 80 commercials; and about 37 industrial videos, documentaries and other projects.

“We don’t have any hard numbers right now, but I am confident we are in the top 10 production states based on the number of film days and the dollars spent on production,” Murphy said.

In-state companies obviously know what the state has to offer, but what is the attraction for out-of-state producers?

Murphy said one big plus is the availability of experienced crew staffers--such as gaffers, camera people, special effects and wardrobe experts.

“That means producers don’t have to bring in a lot of people and pay for their housing and per diem expenses, so they can really keep their production costs down,” she said.

Just as important, however, is the combination of terrain that offers virtually any kind of landscape needed--from seascapes to mountains to deserts, from small farm communities to All-American suburbs to sprawling urban areas.

“In the past when you said Washington state people thought just of forests. But they’re finding there’s a lot more,” Murphy said.

“ ‘I Love You to Death’ needed a Pennsylvania coal mining town, and it was filmed in Tacoma. ‘The Fabulous Baker Boys’ wanted seedy night spots, so we found them in downtown Seattle. ‘The Hunt for Red October’ was filmed in Port Angeles, Bremerton and around Puget Sound--they needed a lot of water.

“ ‘War of the Roses’ wanted a New England setting but didn’t want to go to New England, so we took them to Coupeville,” Murphy said. “We do New England very well.”