New "Hopeful Notes" Movie Scouting GR Locations

[metrogrkid 20]

LINK TO Grand Rapids Press "Hopeful Notes" Story

Hmmm. The ball keeps rolling and rolling and rolling and rolling . . . .

[LA Dave 2]

Looked at the GR Press story you linked. "The Steam Experiment" was an indie picture, in that a $4-5 million budget is very low. (Guess Val Kilmer and Armand Assante aren't A-list anymore).

I hope that the film thing comes true for GR and West Michigan. But it is not a panacea. Crews are there because it is cheap and because there are nice locations. However, if they find a cheaper place and equivalent locations, that's where they will go. The reason Toronto became Hollywood North is because the Canadian dollar was down at peso levels. Now that it is trading at or about the US dollar, the volume of shooting in Canada is down. (Some shows are still shot there -- if you like the show "Psych," which is supposed to be set in Santa Barbara, check out the pine trees on some of the long shots. It is made in Vancouver.)

What would be excellent for GR is with enough shooting, you start to get ancillary businesses; companies that supply greenery (art directors need a lot of potted plants), food (huge cost item in a film budget) and transportation. Some below the line personnel can and will be flown in from LA (key grips, camera operators, etc.) but there is an opportunity for locals. This requires a fairly steady diet of production, however, and not occasional films.