Direct Tv Movies

Perhaps it was a scene from "Adaptation," the Nicolas Cage movie version of "The Orchid Thief." Or maybe it was shot from the Oscar-winning film "The Hours," starring Nicole Kidman. Or was that recent Toyota commercial? Whatever the clip, you might have found yourself saying, "Hey, that place looks familiar!"

With good reason. The film and television industry is increasingly using Broward County -- as it does all of South Florida -- as a stage. Last year, some $12 million was spent producing 372 projects (requiring permits) in Broward in film, television, commercials and still photography. "The estimated financial impact to Broward County is around $300 million per year," says Elizabeth Wentworth, vice president of Broward County's Film and Television Commission.

The early indications this year are that 2003 will have an even greater impact. In the first quarter, the county issued 154 permits, and saw the filming of 16 major films and television programs; the direct revenues from productions came to $4.5 million. For the full year, Wentworth anticipates the county will issue some 450 permits.

Driving this growth is a combination of factors. In terms of Broward itself, says Wentworth, the county offers "a diversity of locations, a resident crew base, and cities that have a film-friendly attitude." The weather, which allows shooting year-round, is a perennial boon.

External factors also contribute. One advantage is Broward's proximity to Miami-Dade County. Movies that are principally produced in Miami-Dade have a tendency to spill into Broward. The recent filming of "Out of Time" and "2Fast 2Furious" in Miami included scenes shot in Broward; secondary filming for TV's "CSI Miami" also took place in Broward.

In the case of smaller productions -- a music video for P. Diddy, for example, or recent commercials for Wendy's and Ford Motor Company -- the entire shoot often takes place in Broward.

"The South Florida market has always been strong for television, film and commercial shooting," says Todd Beardon of Paskal Lighting Company. The production lighting and grip company, which is based in Los Angeles, opened operations in Pembroke Park four years ago. It's now expanding its facility to keep up with growth, which includes work for Spanish-language television networks Telemundo and Univision.

Judy Altman, executive producer at Hollywood, Florida-based Altman Production Services, produces more than two dozen commercials per year. Altman estimates that her company is one of approximately 12 commercial production outfits in Broward. One principal advantage of the location, she says, is cost.

"It's just cheaper to shoot here," says Altman, who has produced commercials locally for Wal-Mart, Blockbuster Video, Office Depot, Toyota, and other major corporations. "We compete on price, and it can be a 30 percent difference in cost."

The City of Hollywood, where several major motion pictures have shot scenes in recent months, anticipates continued local growth for the industry, says Dennis Pellarin, the city's director of public communications. "We've been busy," says Pellarin, an industry veteran with 25 years of experience, including work in editing and production in Toronto. Pellarin says that 40 permits were issued from January to May 2003 in Hollywood, up from 22 for the same period last year.

Pellarin says the industry helps the local economy, contributing both jobs and expense budgets. The city works to keep the business coming with one-stop permitting, an in-place police coverage process, and guidance to filmmakers on appeasing neighborhoods that double as sound stages. "On South Beach, the logistics can be difficult," Pellarin says. "We make it easier in Broward County."

Box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Los Angeles-based Exhibitor Relations Company, says that locally-filmed "Out of Time" and "2Fast 2Furious" are both expected to make major splashes in ticket sales -- and further expose the imagery of South Florida. "For people who don't live on the coast or in that environment, it has a different feel ... It's an exotic setting," says Dergarabedian -- and that makes the area a unique place to shoot.

Broward County


Total spents                   $12.3 million
Total permits issued           424
Major film and TV productions  372
Crew Hires                     5.412
Room Nights                    443

Source: The Broward Alliance

Broward County


Total spent                    $4.6 million
Permits issued                 1.54
Major film and TV productions  1.6

Source: The Broward Alliance

COPYRIGHT 2003 Americas Publishing Group
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group

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