Hawaii film industry on pace for record year

With the renewal of “Hawaii Five-0” for another full season and the debut of the rebooted “Magnum P.I.” providing base-line stability to a local production calendar already filling up with feature film activity, 2018 is on pace to be a record year for the state’s film industry.

According to Georja Skinner, chief officer of the Creative Industries Division of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, film and television production in Hawaii could generate in excess of $400 million this year, topping the record mark set in 2010. Last year such production generated an estimated $300 million.

“We’re on track with so many productions shooting here,” Skinner said. “TV is the bread and butter of the local industry. As it looks now we will be close to the $400 million mark, and we may surpass it.”

BUSY YEAR AHEAD

Thousands of residents and visitors turned out Sunday evening for a sneak peek at the Season 9 premiere of “Hawaii Five-0” and the much-anticipated series premiere of “Magnum P.I.” at Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki. The event was rescheduled from its original Friday date due to Tropical Storm Olivia.

See video from Sunday’s Sunset on the Beach event featuring ‘Magnum P.I.’ and ‘Hawaii Five-0’ here.

Helmed by executive producer and reboot savant Peter Lenkov, “Hawaii Five-0” was renewed by CBS in April for a full 22-episode season. Filming for the new season began in July. Lenkov’s involvement as writer and executive producer of “Magnum P.I.” has many in the industry predicting similar success for the new series.

Skinner, who said she is grateful to broadcast networks who choose to film in Hawaii and to Lenkov for “flying the Hawaii flag,” said the two series represent at least $170 million in economic impact to the state each season they film here.

On the feature film front, the $100 million remake of “Midway,” directed by Roland Emmerich (“Independence Day”) and starring Woody Harrelson and Mandy Moore, started filming on Oahu earlier this month. Legendary Pictures’ “Godzilla vs. Kong” is scheduled to begin production in Hawaii next month.

Also, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been a regular sight here with back-to-back filming of his upcoming features “Jungle Cruise” and “Hobbs and Shaw,” the first spinoff from “The Fast and the Furious.” Johnson could be back in the not-too-distant future when he assumes the role of King Kamehameha in Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema’s “The King.”

TRICKLE-DOWN EFFECT

The high level of activity has been a boon to local film and TV professionals.

“Our members have been busy,” said Richard Crum, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 665. “Things have ramped up recently with the two TV shows, another ‘Kong,’ ‘Midway’ filming here and all the stage stuff. The industry is strong and busy and in a good position for the short term.”

Crum said membership in the mixed local chapter, which represents some 300 technicians and craftsmen, has grown steadily over the last several years, which he attributes to the number of productions seeking to take advantage of the state’s tax credit for motion picture, digital media and film production.

“We’re getting close to full capacity, which is where growth comes from,” he said. “The endgame is to grow a healthy membership. We’re in a position where we have to be able to respond to the hand we’re dealt.”

Mericia Palma Elmore, executive director of Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Hawaii, said the increase has benefited the more than 1,000 actors, stunt performers, recording artists, background performers and other professionals the union represents.

“We are seeing an uptick in the amount of days our actors, stunt performers and back ground performers are working on set,” she said. “The productions are not only providing employment opportunities for local actors; our professional performers are winning parts and working on projects more often and in more visible and featured roles.”

Still, Palma Elmore said, the resources have yet to exceed the demand.

“Currently, there are more opportunities for work for Hawaii performers; in fact, we have some members working multiple days on multiple productions,” she said. “However, there is room for further growth with regards to booking local actors. While many of our members are working, there are more waiting in the wings.”

TAX-CREDIT CAP LOOMS

Crum and Palma Elmore said they are concerned that a new cap on tax-credit reimbursements, set to take effect in 2019, will negatively affect the local industry. The restriction would limit first-come, first-served reimbursements to $35 million per year until the credit either expires or is extended in 2024. That would be a significant decrease over the estimated $58 million the state is expected to give back for productions active this year.

“Unfortunately, one only need look to states where caps have been imposed to see that the most likely consequence will be a reduction in productions coming to the state to film,” Palma Elmore said. “In terms of our membership, this reduction will likely mean less work and fewer opportunities.”

Skinner said an effective tax credit is one of three critical components to the continued health of the local industry, along with an excellent crew base and adequate support at the state and county levels.

“It’s been quite a year, and what it means in terms of our crew base is that everybody is working,” she said. “If we expand, we’ll need to expand that crew base and our infrastructure.”

In particular, Skinner is seeking greater funding for county offices and two additional positions at the state Film Office to properly review and process tax-credit applications and analyze the benefits derived.

Expansion of physical infrastructure is already in the works with a proposed agreement to lease a 30-acre parcel at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu.