New City Rules Would Benefit Filmmakers
Making movies in the city could soon be a little bit easier and cheaper. City Council members today are expected to approve revisions to the film code to bring it in line with a model ordinance drafted by the Orange County Film Commission.
Economic Development Director Linda Boone said the reduced rates should increase the city’s income by luring more film crews.
Local businesses are the real winners of film production, Boone said. One crew for a cable-TV movie, which took one day to shoot, dropped about $17,000 in local business coffers, she said.
Most fees decrease, while others increase slightly under the plan. A one-day permit to film in the downtown plaza, which now costs $1,750, would cost only $500. And while all productions now must pay a $100 application fee, student groups will be able to apply for permits free of charge.
If passed, the new fee schedule will take effect in November.
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