Central New Mexico Lands Starring Role in Movie-Making Industry
Published Mar 27, 2008
A perfect storm of trained workers, financial incentives, picturesque landscapes and obliging communities has made Central New Mexico a hot new location for filmmakers.
A perfect storm of trained workers, financial incentives, picturesque landscapes and obliging communities has made Central New Mexico a hot new location for filmmakers.
Production companies like ABQ Studios and Sony Pictures Imageworks are finding fertile ground in and around Albuquerque, investing millions in sound stages and partnerships with local colleges and universities. Much of the growth comes from state incentives put in place in 2002, which provide refunds on up to 25 percent of production expenses subject to taxation, including labor. The state also has a zero-interest loan program for up to $15 million, and additional incentives for hiring local crews.
It’s all come together to make the area competitive with Los Angeles, which is just a short plane ride away, says Lisa Strout, director of the New Mexico Film Office.
“When we started, we were one of only two states with tax incentives, and now there are 36,” Strout says. “And we’re constantly reinventing ourselves and evolving along with the trends in the industry.”
The cornerstone of the film-production effort is the tax rebate, but the film-loan program has produced a lot of value as well.
“The principal comes back to us and we negotiate a piece of the upside once they repay all the money, so it’s very much an economic development tool,” Strout explains. “We get movies that otherwise might not come to New Mexico because we offer this financing package. Our principal is completely safe, and we’re starting to see money come in from movies that were shot here.”
That investment is pouring in on a large scale. Albuquerque Studios is now one of the largest production operations in the United States. It has poured some $74 million into building six large sound stages and has plans to build two more.
And the special effect and animation giant, Sony Pictures Imageworks, is building a 100,000-square-foot center that will be able to accommodate 1,000 workers.
The state also has a burgeoning movie-production workforce. Universities and colleges have been growing their training for dozens of different production positions, working in tandem with unions so that when producers come to town, they find plenty of crews ready for work. They’re also finding plenty of facilities as full-scale studios are beginning to appear on the landscape.
“When these plans were put into place by the governor’s office it was almost like pie in the sky, but it’s really been going like clockwork,” Strout says. “We’re growing our crew base, we’re bringing in films from out of state and we’re nurturing our own filmmakers while we’re doing all this. Now we have serious infrastructure coming to us, which is giving us a permanent presence in the world of film.”
The influx of movie people is giving cities all across the state a chance to get in on the action. Production on Swing Vote with Kevin Costner wrapped in Belen in mid-2007, and the whole community benefited from the experience, says Mayor Ronnie Torres.
“It worked very well,” Torres says. “They came into the community and brought some money, because local people were able to rent out their houses and property. If the movie’s a big hit, then people will look up our community and we’ll see some tourism dollars. I know when [Costner] did Field of Dreams, people traveled from all over to see that baseball field. We’re hoping that they’ll come down here and take a look as well.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Ian Curcio
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