Ventura County Is Auditioning for the Movies

It’s a unique approach to drawing business: a glossy brochure proclaiming, “Come Blow Me Up!”

But Oxnard is hoping that some film producer will see it and want to demolish the old St. John’s Hospital.

“It’s nice for a production company to find someone who actually agrees with letting you blow their building up,” said Elizabeth Callahan, a film permit coordinator at the Oxnard Development Corp.

As Oxnard and other local cities scramble for production dollars, a nonprofit group is bringing cities together in an effort that could draw more business to Ventura County.

With a state-sponsored film commission, they hope to position the county to vie for a bigger piece of the movie-industry pie that Los Angeles County has been enjoying for decades.

“There’s literally millions of dollars that have come into Ventura already as a result of filming,” said Bob Cooper, executive director of the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County, which is coordinating the efforts. “This is almost like tourism. They come in, and when they go, they leave money behind.”

So far, two cities and the county Board of Supervisors have agreed to appoint representatives to the commission, with others expected to join soon, Cooper said.

Technically, the county has had a film commission for two years. But it has lacked the nonprofit status, the countywide representation and the networking needed to put the county on the marquee.

Not used to putting up a united front, some cities may take some convincing to get their act together, officials acknowledge.

“It’s been a Herculean effort just to get the city councils to put this item on their agenda and just actually getting them to sit under the same tent,” said Leland Hammerschmitt, the film commission’s president.

The commission will be funded with public and private money, but Hammerschmitt declined to detail the budget.

The county has already seen its fair share of movie action. It ranks second in the state--behind Los Angeles County--in the amount of entertainment production dollars spent locally, according to the Motion Pictures Assn. of America.

Revenues reached $351 million last year, but a sanctioned film commission can make that figure jump even higher, said Cody Cluff, president of the Entertainment Industry Development Corp., L.A.’s film liaison.

“I think it could attract $50 million [more] a year in business for Ventura [County]”, Cluff said.

The new film commission will be a nonprofit organization overseen by the economic development collaborative and linked with the state-run Film Liaison Industry Commission. FLIC acts as an ambassador for production companies looking for movie-friendly locations that fit their script and budget.

“A lot of people have never been to Ventura,” said Ed Duffy, location manager for the television show “Melrose Place.” “It’s just a place people drive by on their way to Santa Barbara.”

Beyond the statewide link, the local organization could help standardize the permitting process in various cities and be a touchstone for location scouts by recommending backdrops to fit their scenes.

“If there could maybe be more pictures of what’s in Ventura, that would help,” Duffy said.

Organizers hope that if Ventura County draws enough production work, major studios could follow--bringing more jobs and economic benefits.

“I wish there was enough filming up there so we could all move up there,” said Kelly Harris, assistant location manager of Melrose Productions.

Film Staff Will Often Buy Locally

Most cities are aware of the kind of money that a filming production can bring to a town.

Set builders often buy construction materials from the local hardware and lumberyards. Wardrobe buyers use clothing stores and secondhand stores to outfit extras. Plumbers, painters, security guards and caterers are often hired from nearby cities as well.

“There hasn’t been any community that we’ve talked to that hasn’t philosophically agreed with having a film commission,” Cooper said. “We have filming going on in just about every city now.”

Some cities, such as Oxnard and Ventura, are already hot spots for filming and have their own liaisons who gain them access to Hollywood.

But not everyone is basking in the glamour of tinsel town. Although most cities in the county have tried to make themselves more “movie friendly”--shortening the process of issuing a permit to as little as one hour--other cities are not as amenable.

“We discourage [filming] here in the city,” said Stan Moore, the film permit coordinator for Ojai. “The city had a bad experience when they filmed the ‘The Bionic Woman.’ I understand there was quite a problem; they did have quite a bit of damage.”

A filming permit can take up to three weeks in Ojai, and must go to a City Council vote. Thousand Oaks has also placed very restrictive ordinances on filming, restricting work to six days. Also, permits need approval from 100% of the residents within 500 feet of filming.

“That’s a huge swath,” Hammerschmitt said. “There’s been some productions shooed out of Thousand Oaks because of that.”

Santa Paula is another hot spot for filming because of its charming Main Street area, but its fetching look isn’t necessarily a welcome mat to movie moguls.

“Just because it’s Hollywood, they get more rights?” asked Jess Victoria, one of the retailers on Main Street who plans to form a coalition to fight for stricter permit requirements. “I don’t give a big rat’s tail who it is, they don’t have a right to set up their business in front of my business.”

Victoria said that after one film crew left, trees and roads were left torn up. The town’s retailers received $60,000 in compensation for the inconvenience, but that wasn’t enough, he said.

In Oxnard, residents in the Mandalay Bay neighborhood tangled with “Melrose Place” producers over the noise and congestion that filming brought.

“There’s a few that ruin it for a lot,” said John Kaiser, community service director for Santa Paula. “That’s the same case in the filming industry as it is anywhere else.”

Most production companies are professional and care about how they leave a place, Kaiser said.

Commission Plans High-Tech Approach

Under the new commission, cities will maintain their autonomy. The joint goal, however, is to standardize permit fees and application times to make Ventura County a more attractive place to do business.

“The average citizen just sees an inconvenience,” Hammerschmitt said. “What people need to understand is it’s the nature of how people make their living in Southern California. Everyone asks, where have all the good middle-class jobs gone? They’re in Hollywood. These are your average Joes.”

The film commission already has plans to go high tech: Through a computer Web site, the commission could connect producers to locations, qualified crews, permit offices and police and fire resources. Producers could even pay fees via computer.