Location report: Hawaii

Riding the wave

Sheri Linden

May 17, 2005

The ultraphotogenic Hawaiian Islands have been playing themselves in movies since the earliest days of celluloid. But it's still news to many that they're more than capable of standing in for everything from Africa to New York to Mars. Week after week, ABC's Oahu-shot hit series "Lost" is helping to drive that point home.

Hawaii's film commissioners couldn't be happier about the exposure a top 10 show affords the islands, and none more so than Walea Constantinau, who oversees the film office for the city of Honolulu and the island of Oahu. "It has certainly been one of the most illustrative shows for me as a commissioner to be able to show off what we have," Constantinau says. She points out that a "Lost" sequence set in Iraq was filmed in the pre-World War II bunkers at Diamond Head crater overlooking Waikiki -- a far cry from the stunning tropical beaches usually associated with the 50th state.

"It really has opened a lot of people's eyes to Hawaii's versatility," state film commissioner Donne Dawson says of "Lost."

Touchstone Television senior vp production Barry Jossen, who grew up in Hawaii, says Oahu has given his "Lost" team a few surprises with its "ability to support the flashback sequences." In addition, he sees many locations on the island that the series has yet to tap, with beaches and jungles only part of the mix. "There still are a lot of suburban and urban areas that can double for other parts of the world," Jossen says.

The mystery-adventure series, which has struck a chord with critics and viewers, was one of three pilots shooting in Oahu at the same time last year, helping to take Hawaii's production revenue to a record $161 million, nearly twice 2003's $84 million total.

Fox's "North Shore" and NBC's "Hawaii" have since been canceled, but each project, no matter how short-lived, helps to strengthen the local industry by providing opportunities and experience to crew members. And with competition among U.S. states for production dollars growing fiercer by the day, Hawaii knows better than most that it takes more than a pretty face to lure projects.

Rann Watumull, co-founder of Honolulu-based production company Hawaii Film Partners, sees good reason to move beyond tropical typecasting. "Our goal from the start is to do films and TV series in Hawaii -- not about Hawaii," he says of HFP, pointing out that "Canada has built a viable film industry not by doing films about Canada."

The islands have hosted their share of reality series, among them ABC's "Celebrity Mole," CBS' "The Amazing Race" and NBC's "Average Joe." But even with such network projects and recent high-profile studio features -- 2002's "Blue Crush," "Die Another Day" and "Windtalkers," as well as 2003's "Tears of the Sun" -- the local industry must work hard to maintain momentum while addressing long-term issues of infrastructure and investment incentives.

In the era of runaway production, several states, including Illinois, Louisiana and South Carolina, are offering attractive incentive packages that make shooting in Hawaii a relatively expensive proposition. New Mexico enticed Paramount's remake of "The Longest Yard," due in theaters May 27, away from the Aloha State, despite star Adam Sandler's eagerness to work again in Hawaii, where he shot 2002's "Punch-Drunk Love" and 2004's "50 First Dates."

And though "Lost" has committed to a second season on Oahu, its episodes reportedly cost well above $2 million each.

"It is a very expensive television show," Jossen acknowledges, declining to specify a dollar figure. But he says there are no plans to relocate the production.

Touchstone TV and the series' creators considered Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico for the pilot, but, Jossen says, "visually, there was no place that came close." On Oahu, they found the perfect combination of beach, rain forest and mountains. In the tight time frame of pilot production, he adds, proximity to Los Angeles was a significant plus.

"For me personally, the hope is that we can continue to be there for the life of the series, and I hope the life of the series is no less five to seven years," Jossen says, adding that "any incentives that exist will only help us in every way." He's one of several Hollywood executives who has met with members of the Hawaii legislature and the governor's office to express the importance of increased production incentives. With such increases in place, Jossen says, "We would be encouraged to consider bringing other productions there."

Because of the state's relatively low financial rebates and credits, "We've lost a lot (of productions) over the years," Big Island Film Office commissioner Marilyn Killeri says. Not only must Hawaii contend with competition from other states, but, Killeri points out: "When people do their budget comparisons, we go up against countries more than we go up against states. They're always comparing us to Thailand, Australia, Mexico and even Canada."

The current 4% refundable production tax credit "is really not very competitive at all," Dawson says. Dawson's Hawaii Film Office has been instrumental in pushing a bill that would elevate the 4%-15% for production on Oahu and 20% for production on the neighbor islands. The state legislature declined to put the bill to a vote this year. "It's a tough time, and the film industry competes with very important issues like health and social service and education," Dawson says. "When you're weighing things out, it's difficult to try to put us ahead of the others."

The state also offers an investment tax credit under Act 215 that's intended not for one-off projects but for production entities that establish a long-term presence in the state.

One such entity is HFP, whose first production, the series "Flight 29 Down" will begin airing in September on NBC's Discovery Kids block on Saturday mornings. Act 215's 100% income-tax credit, paid out over five years, "was brilliant in allowing us to get started," Watumull says. For his investors, the prospect of getting repaid "brought them to the table."

HFP, which Watumull and his wife, Gina, formed in 2002, shot 13 episodes of the live-action "29 Down" in three months, bringing the project in a day early and underbudget at a cost of around $350,000 an episode. In light of general concerns about Hawaii's cost-effectiveness, that's an impressive feat. It's even more so considering that the project shot on Oahu during an especially wet winter -- "One day, our camp was flooded under 3 feet of water," Watumull recalls -- with no studio work. Watumull is determined to combine modest budgets and commercial viability. "We're going to show people that it can be done in Hawaii," he says.

Such homegrown productions are crucial to what is, in many ways, a young industry that remains largely dependent on one-off studio productions. "You should have both of those sectors (studios and homegrown independents) growing simultaneously to really build the industry because they feed off each other, and they benefit each other," Constantinau says. "It's the simultaneous growth that really helps to create the critical mass to bring the industry where we want it to be."

That's especially important for Oahu's neighbor islands, which lack the infrastructure of Honolulu, where the lion's share of Hawaii production takes place. For film commissioners on the less-populous islands, big-budget studio extravaganzas are not always feasible or desirable.

"I'm not going to say we wouldn't love to have a major motion picture, but I think we're better suited for smaller independent films, documentaries, travelogues, still shoots and music videos," says film commissioner Benita Brazier, whose Maui County Film Office oversees the islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai. "Sometimes, the impact of that big circus coming to town is a bit overwhelming," she says, pointing out that though Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands, it has only one main road.

The most remote of the main islands, Kauai, is no stranger to Hollywood and international filmmakers. It has a long movie history stretching from 1934's "White Heat" through 2001's "Jurassic Park III."

As isolated as the "Garden Island" is, it can be easy to forget that it's part of the U.S. Film commissioner Art Umezu emphasizes the "safe haven" it offers filmmakers seeking exotic, middle-of-nowhere locales without having to cross borders.

Although Kauai hasn't played host to a feature film recently, scouts visited the island earlier this year for DreamWorks' upcoming comedy "Tropic Thunder," starring Ben Stiller.

"Small projects are abundant right now," Umezu says. "I've been getting a lot of Japanese crews for commercials and docu projects." Kauai also recently hosted still and film shoots for Calvin Klein.

"What sustains us (on the Big Island) is small to medium productions," Killeri says. Although large Hollywood projects occasionally make Hawaii their base -- MCA/Universal's 1995 actioner "Waterworld" spent a year and $36 million there -- most of the Big Island's 110 productions last year were various types of TV shows, print ads, catalog shoots or TV commercials, including Honda's two Super Bowl spots. International crews are frequent visitors, with 40% of the island's 2004 shoots hailing from Japan.

The 4,000-square-mile Big Island, which contains 11 of the world's 13 major climate zones, was the first neighbor island to host a TV series. And though the 1998 Bo Derek adventure show "Wind on Water" for NBC shot only eight episodes before it was canceled, "the impact was tremendous for the community," Killeri says. Unlike a one-off film or commercial, a series can help build physical infrastructure and a local crew base. Last year, the island's production industry received a boost when the NBC reality series "Average Joe" spent eight weeks there. "We're always looking for that next one," Killeri adds.

Even on Oahu, with its well-developed facilities and infrastructure, there's plenty of room to grow. Constantinau notes that when new local indie Pacific Films, formed by Regent Entertainment and Here! TV principals Stephen Jarchow and Paul Colichman, recently filmed the submarine telefilm "Tides of War," it was "a fairly small economic footprint -- a lot of people joked that their whole budget was the catering budget for 'Lost' -- (but) a huge step forward in the evolution of our industry." The Oahu commissioner is referring to the opportunity for local crew members to step into higher levels of responsibility and for newcomers to develop their skills. "What's great about lower-budget independent stuff is that they take a chance on people."

Building a sustained, full-time crew base is one of the key areas ripe for growth. When HFP wanted to start filming "29 Down" in October, it found the local below-the-line population tied up with the three concurrent pilot shoots.

There's room for expansion on the facilities front, too. Honolulu's Hawaii Film Studio, the only state-owned film studio in the U.S., is undergoing a major renovation that will add new production offices -- but a second soundstage is not yet in the works. "We definitely need (one)," says Dawson, whose office manages the facility. "(It) was a bit of a squeeze when all three television shows were in production last year," she says. While "Shore" occupied the studio's 16,500-square-foot soundstage, NBC and ABC had to retrofit existing warehouse space, which, Dawson says, was "costly and challenging."

For its second season, "Lost" will make HFS its base. Until then, the show's "production offices, construction department, wardrobe department and the existing building that we use as a soundstage are in four different locations," Jossen says without the faintest note of complaint, adding that modifying a downtown warehouse is "not unlike a lot of drama production in Los Angeles."

Whatever challenges it might pose, Hawaii continues to draw ardent and loyal repeat business with its wide range of striking locations and its enthusiastic, film-friendly environment -- even in a tough economy. And it's building a local financial base as well.

"Investors in Hawaii are not star-struck," Watumull says. "They're willing to give it a shot not because they like to hobnob with stars but because they like to think that they're going to be involved with building a new industry." He adds, "While there have been a lot of shows shot here historically, there has never been much local control or involvement on the large scale." Through companies such as HFP and Pacific Films, that's beginning to change, even as the islands eagerly watch for progress on in-development studio projects such as "Magnum, P.I." (Universal) and "Hawaii Five-O " (Warner Bros. Pictures), which would bring two classic Hawaii-set TV series to the big screen.

Killeri and Umezu observe that budget-consciousness has created a decided shift in approach, with talk of incentives and tax breaks often leading the agenda.

But Umezu notes, too, that some things haven't changed, like the sense of awe Hawaii inspires.

"Every filmmaker who comes here, once they get off the plane, the first thing (they say) is, 'Oh, wow,'" Umezu says. "They just love that fresh air. We call it the trade winds, accompanied by the fragrance of plumeria or ginger. It's intoxicating."

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