Throughout the course of our everyday lives, many of us find it difficult to put energy and attention toward supporting a bill through the legislative process. The demands of daily living take much of our time, leaving little for additional efforts. For many of us, just accomplishing the tasks of taking care of family, earning a living and supporting friends is enough. Supporting a bill like the one now facing review by the Hawaii legislature is one of those actions that we just don't seem to have time for.
So the question arises - Why support a bill like the Film Industry Bill (SB No.318)? Excellent question...
Each of us is painfully aware of the state of our economy. As we watch the news we are overwhelmed with news about how Hawaii is dangling at the end of a thread. And our legislators see no other recourse but to ask for even more money from us in the form of higher taxes, and additional fees for everything. We want to say to them "STOP! WE HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE! WE HAVE NO MORE MONEY TO SPARE!". And we despair that our voices are being drowned out by the sound of stampeding feet exiting our state.
But... We DO have something that can turn our ailing economy around. Something that will help to relieve our enormous burden, something that will not only stop our government administrators from bleeding us dry, but will heal the wound. We have the Film Industry Bill.
The Film Industry loves Hawaii. We all know this, without question. They love our beautiful scenery, our lush foliage, our delicately perfumed flowers, our joyous and welcoming people. And Hawaii loves the film industry. We welcome each production with open arms. We provide skilled labor, talented performers, first class technology and luxurious and engaging accommodations. Clearly the film industry loves Hawaii - they have been coming here for more than a century. Hundreds of films, movies, TV shows, documentaries, and more have been shot in Hawaii. And each of these has brought money to our state. They have hired actors and crew, they have rented locations and equipment, they have brought people to stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and buy our products. At least 115 motion pictures have been made in Hawaii just since Jack Lord brought the first Hawaii 5-0 to the state in 1968. The infrastructure he created is his legacy - that infrastructure supported Magnum PI, Baywatch Hawaii, North Shore, Lost, and now Off the Map and the new Hawaii 5-O as well as the countless movies also shot here. And a ripple effect happens every time someone watches a show, and says "What a wonderful place for vacation! Hey, let's go to Hawaii this year!" Even Disney sees the value of this mindset. They see the value to the tune of a multi-million dollar resort in Ko`Olina.
But all is not perfect in paradise. When a movie or TV production is debating a location to shoot, the biggest factor is not talent, accommodations or technology. The deciding factor is always money. Every production must look at their budget and determine the best use of the funds. As beautiful as our state is, we still have to compete with other locations. Other states are a choice - Louisiana and others offer tax incentives and deals to encourage productions to choose them. We have lost out to Puerto Rico more than once. The bottom line is this - it costs less to film in Louisiana or Puerto Rico than it does to film in Hawaii. This is a pure, simple, undeniable, irrefutable fact. IT COST LESS. Budgets can be organized to allow less money for location costs and more money for other things that will enhance the film or TV show. They can hire more prominent actors. They can put the money toward CGA or other technology.
