Article by Brad Newman at Amarillo.com

Web-posted Sunday, July 4, 2010
Luring film production to the Panhandle: Camera-shy, we're not
Despite few credits, interest rising
By Brad Newman
brad.newman@amarillo.com


For years, filmmakers have brought their cameras and crews, scripts and stars to the Texas Panhandle.

Movies filmed in the Amarillo area

A handful of feature films, or at least select scenes from feature films, have been shot in the Panhandle. A sampling:

"Hud" (1963)

Paul Newman starred in this cowboy film shot primarily in Claude, 30 miles southeast of Amarillo.

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989)

The final sunset scene of the third installment of the blockbuster franchise was filmed on a ranch southeast of Amarillo.

"Leap of Faith" (1992)

Plainview, about 75 miles south of Amarillo, was the site for this film with Steve Martin, Liam Neeson and Debra Winger about a fraudulent Christian faith healer.

"Cast Away" (2000)

The last scene in this Tom Hanks film was shot in Canadian, about 100 miles northeast of Amarillo.

"What Matters Most" (2001)

This Lifetime original movie is a portrayal of love between a rich boy and a poor girl in West Texas. It was shot in Vega over a period of 22 days.

"Waking Up in Reno" (2002)

The Big Texan Steak Ranch is featured in this comedy-drama with Billy Bob Thornton, Charlize Theron, Patrick Swayze and Natasha Richardson.

"Paper Heart" (2009)

An Amarillo couple, Don and Sally Emerson, are interviewed in this documentary-style feature film, with Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera, about the meaning of love.Movie money

Direct spending as a result of tax-incentive programs for filmmakers:

New Mexico

2006: $153 million

2007: $151 million

2008: $274 million

2009: $265 million

2010: $178 million

Texas*

April 2009-present: $342 million

*No incentives offered until Texas Legislature adopted package last year

Sources: New Mexico State Film Office; Texas Film CommissionAttracting interest

Movies like "Hud," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "Waking Up in Reno" all have featured scenes shot in the region.

But filmmaking has maintained a sporadic presence in the region. Producers with little financial motivation often are hesitant to anchor their projects in remote West Texas.

"Some really cool things have been done in this area, but we don't necessarily have a rich history of film here," said Leigh Browning, director of broadcast media at West Texas A&M University.

Local experts in the industry say interest in producing projects in and around Amarillo is escalating, but the region has yet to experience the influx of industry that other areas, specifically, nearby New Mexico, have attracted.

Film in the neighboring state, with vistas and plains similar to those found in Texas, has boomed in the last five years, when a tax-incentive program went into effect.

New Mexico has claimed more than 140 feature film and television productions since the program inception, said Lisa Strout, director of the New Mexico Film Office.

Just last week, the state announced that a television movie, "Let Them Shine," will be filmed in the Albuquerque area through the end of July and eventually air as a CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame production.

The productions have resulted in direct spending of about $1 billion since 2003.

A similar tax-incentive program adopted by the Texas Legislature that took effect in April 2009 has resulted in about $342 million in production spending, mostly in larger Texas cities, said Bob Hudgins, director of the Texas Film Commission.

But efforts remain under way, stirred by the incentive program, to entice motion picture projects to the Panhandle that will have lasting cultural and economic impact.

Amarillo has a scattering of broadcast media technicians working in the industry on a small-scale level.

Local production companies like Ragtown Media, ThreeLeaf Creative and 41 Productions are pursuing the craft full time, making TV advertisements and informational videos for nonprofit groups.

Roger Lindley, director of Ragtown Media, has worked in the production industry for 26 years.

Lindley's primary work includes shooting advertisements and corporate videos, but he has traveled elsewhere to work on feature films and documentaries, including "Bollywood Beats" in Dallas in 2008.

"I'm able to do a broad range of things, which keeps me busy with work I find rewarding," he said.

But local production companies generally aren't making feature films that will land in cinemas. Projects of that scope usually are imported from out-of-state film companies, and the Panhandle isn't yet a target location.

"Dallas and Austin are the hub of production in Texas," Lindley said. "They have the largest crew base and equipment and infrastructure. The farther you get away from those places, the more difficult it is to get those desired resources."

In New Mexico, the productions are more frequent in rural areas, largely because of the state's desirable terrain, Strout said. The tax-incentive program and positive recommendations among filmmakers also have led to the activity, she said.

"We have had really good fortune," Strout said. "It's something the entire populace is really proud of."

Enticing studio production companies to choose the Panhandle is an ongoing endeavor.

Amarillo does have its own film commission, a division of the Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council.

Director Jutta Matalka works to pair production companies with Amarillo's skilled labor. Besides technical crew, the city also has a talent pool from which producers can draw for smaller roles or extras.

But the resources are limited, and the monetary incentives are nonexistent, Matalka said.

"This area has its benefits, but they're not always enough to bring a production here," she said. "I just always try to stay optimistic."

The film industry in Texas received a boost last year with the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program.

Last year, lawmakers approved the two-year, $60 million program designed to provide tax incentives for films, TV programs, commercials and video games produced in the state. The package expires in 2011, unless legislators extend or enhance it.

"Texas had fallen really behind in this area. In fact, the lack of incentives was pretty embarrassing," said WT's Browning, noting New Mexico's vibrant incentive program.

Texas' program provides financial reimbursements to companies that spend the bulk of their production costs and time in the state.

Productions that spend more than $5 million in the state are eligible to receive a 15 percent reimbursement after the work is completed. Projects that spend $1 million to $5 million can receive a 10 percent reimbursement, and projects that spend from $250,000 to $1 million can receive a 5 percent reimbursement.

The reimbursements could increase from 3 percent to 10 percent if productions are shot in an "underutilized" or "economically distressed" area of the state.

The program eclipses a previous incentive package, which paid reimbursements up to 5 percent regardless of the spending.

"You can see the difference," Hudgins said. "These incentives have been so incredibly effective in luring work. Texas can now compete with surrounding states."

Amarillo has yet to be significantly affected by the statewide initiative, but the program's effect still could reach the Panhandle, Hudgins said.

Projects like commercials and small-budget documentaries are the most likely projects to be created in the region, he said.

The package also could serve as a catalyst for a local incentive package to be developed, Lindley said.

"We're starting to get smarter about the best way to attract projects here," he said. "They're not going to come our way unless we give them a reason. We need unique incentives that might draw them out."

The Texas Motion Picture Alliance, formed in 2006, also is working to promote film in the state, said Browning, a member of the TMPA.

The nonprofit advocacy organization offers a resource for filmmakers and producers.

In Amarillo, Browning and others are planning to present information to the City Commission - "The sooner the better," Browning said - about the city's responsibility in attracting projects.

"We want to make them aware of what's happening in the industry," Browning said. "We want them to understand it's important that we all roll out the red carpet when these projects do come to town."

Other upcoming events point to activity on the filmmaking front in the Panhandle.

Hudgins is scheduled to speak Sept. 30 at WT about the Texas Film Commission's incentive program and the state of the industry in Texas.

Also, two film festivals, one featuring Palo Duro High School students and one featuring WT students, are planned later this year.

Amarillo benefits on multiple levels when films are shot in the area, Browning said. Films can serve to boost the economy, increase tourism and foster pride.

And though financial incentives might be lacking now, the Panhandle isn't without other important perks for filmmakers, Browning said.

She listed several factors - variation in terrain, unique attractions like Palo Duro Canyon State Park and Wonderland Park, a variety of indoor and outdoor venues, unused business properties and more - that could be marketed to production companies.

"The work that's being done now is just the beginning," she said. "This area really has an opportunity now to position itself to be a choice location for filmmaking."