Screen Magazine: Vol. 29, Issue 1

Screen Magazine - Index

Screen Magazine - Screen Magazine: Vol. 29, Issue 1 - Index

��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
��
By Bob Hudgins
Director, Texas Film Commission
December saw the release of two high-profile
films with strong Texas ties. One’s set in Texas,
but was filmed mostly in Louisiana; the other is
set in California, but filmed in west Texas. I guess
it evens out…
“There Will Be Blood,” out of Paramount
Vantage, was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
and stars Daniel Day-Lewis. It shot near the
town of Marfa in far west Texas, near Big Bend
National Park. The setting was Bakersfield, Calif.
In 1910, and it looks great. A 200-person crew
on an eight-week shoot certainly makes a big
impression on a town of 2,000 residents.
“The Great Debaters,” out of The Weinstein
Company, was directed by Denzel Washington
and set in 1930s east Texas. The Texas Film
Commission had been working with this project
for four years, and it sure hurt to lose it. Only a
few days were filmed in Texas, with most scenes
being shot in Louisiana. When we approach the
next Texas legislature about revisions to Texas’
incentive program, this kind of story certainly
helps to make our case.
Houston has seen tons of commercial
production recently. Rick Ferguson, director
of the Houston Film Commission, says, “It’s the
busiest November we’ve ever had. And a lot of
it seems tied into Yao Ming.”
Product endorsements by the Houston Rockets
star have brought a one-man production boom
to the area. This year, Yao was featured in quite
an assortment of national and international
commercials, all shot in Houston, including 24-
Hour Fitness, Garmin GPS Systems, Reebok and
China Life Insurance.
A bit further west, the city of Austin and the
Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau have rolled
out the “Austin Now Playing” Film Industry
Discount Cards, which offer discounts at a
variety of merchants.
Austin’s welcome to production comes through
in other ways as well. The city offered a modest
incentive to “Friday Night Lights” – basically
refunding the tax revenue that the series brings
to Austin – and Mayor Wynn has long proven his
worth as a supporter.
When the low-budget feature “Jumping Off
Bridges” needed to have an actor leap off a
downtown bridge into Lady Bird Lake, Mayor
Wynn volunteered to lead the way – literally
– by leaping off the bridge himself on the day of
filming. His participation made it an official city
event, so the filmmakers had the benefit of the
safety personnel already on hand.
��