L.A. To get a film commission? Didn’t we already have one?
I've just read that L.A. city council member Richard Alarcon has asked city officials to report on the steps needed to create a film commission to persuade production companies to shoot in L.A.
I'm stunned that the city, historically home to the TV and Movie industries, hadn't already had such a commission. in the last 13 years, according to statistics, production in the region has dropped by more than 50%, as producers sought more favorable labor rates, locations and tax incentives.
Why, I wonder, has L.A. waited so long to take this step to deal with runaway production? Most successful businesses know that existing customers are the most important asset there is. why hasn't the city adopted this view toward one of its largest and most influential industries?
Better late than never, I suppose.
I just hope it's not too late.
They’re right to follow this path. Los Angeles needs to promote itself. I’ve tried over the past two years to get the CFA of LA and FilmLA to produce a marketable website, at the very least, to promote LA locations.
View New Mexico’s website and then look at FilmLA’s (although they’ve fixed it up a bit under pressure.)
LA needs to produce a promo reel that shows the wonderful films produced and locations LA has used in the 80’s 90’s when production was at fever pitch. It needs to get out and knock on studio doors locally, travel to various film festivals around the world and promote itself to foreign film producers, and become, in short, professionally competitive.