Courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin, by David Salcido
Will she or won’t she? That was the question facing New Mexico filmmakers as the 60-day legislative session wound to a close Friday, March 15, and HB379 sat on Gov. Susana Martinez’s desk awaiting a signature. When news broke that Martinez had vetoed the bill, however, it wasn’t seen as a final defeat.
Revived within hours as HB641 by House majority whip Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, D-Albuquerque, the provisions of the original bill were amended into an omnibus tax bill in the final minutes of the session and passed. Pleased with the changes, Martinez promised to sign it into law.
As part of a larger tax reform package, the bill boosts the 25 percent tax rebate on qualified production expenditures to 30 percent for television series shooting at least six episodes in the state with a budget of at least $50,000 per episode. The bill also allows up to $10 million in credits to roll over to the following year if annual payouts do not reach the $50 million cap.
This is seen as great news by an industry that had been holding its breath while future prospects hung precariously in the balance. Power players like Mary Ann Hughes, vice president for film and television production at the Walt Disney Co., had gone on record as stating in the Albuquerque Journal, “It’s a game-changer for us. It puts New Mexico among the top leaders in the world regarding locations for a television series.”
A progressive approach
For now, at least, all is well with the film industry in the northern part of the state. Here in southern New Mexico, however, there was never any doubt as to the potential for growth and economic development when it comes to filmmaking. Chalk it up to forward thinking men and women who are doing everything they can to prove that a successful film industry doesn’t necessarily rely on the kindness of fickle politicians with personal agendas.
On Tuesday, March 13, during the monthly Film Las Cruces forum held at the Rio Grande Theatre, Las Cruces Film Liaison Mark Wark made an announcement that polarized the 80 or so filmmakers and film enthusiasts gathered. Since then, word has spread and the excitement is building. As a joint effort between the Las Cruces Convention & Visitors Bureau, which houses the Las Cruces Film Office, and the Doña Ana Community College Creative Media Technology Department, a Film Workforce Initiative has been put into effect which will, over time, create more jobs and opportunities for the students and filmmakers living in the region.
The initiative has been set up to raise awareness of filmmaking in southern New Mexico, by bringing industry professionals from Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Angeles and elsewhere to Las Cruces, in order to provide workforce training seminars.
“A specialized ‘workforce training program’ of this type has never been attempted before and is a flagship initiative of the new CVB film office,” Wark said. “Local students and professionals will get advanced ‘hands-on’ field training provided by industry insiders with unique working knowledge. It will serve several purposes, including attracting new business and employment opportunities to the Las Cruces community.”
Professional partnering
Wark believes that by bringing industry insiders into the community network, they will familiarize themselves with the city demographics beneficial to new business. He further adds that building strong partnerships with outside resources through education and training is a vital process to community workforce preparedness and provides additional economic impact.
First in this new workshop series will be nationally renowned location manager Rebecca “Puck” Stair, who works exclusively in New Mexico and has on her résumé such high-profile productions as “No Country For Old Men,” “Terminator Salvation,” “Due Date” and “The Lone Ranger,” to name just a few. She is currently working on the set of “The Homesman,” starring Academy Award-winners Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep and Hilary Swank. The class will be held at the DACC East Mesa branch from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, March 23, and includes travel to multiple locations within a 15 mile radius of Las Cruces.
The classes are open to locals who meet the basic requirements and have advanced skills in photography and digital media training. Classes are limited. Individuals should call the Las Cruces Film Office at 541-2444 for availability. Future classes will be announced. Classroom trainees will also be provided networking opportunities with known industry insiders looking for local workforce solutions.
The development of this workforce training program is a work in progress, according to Wark, and has been established as result of gracious support from Matt Byrnes, the department chair for the Digital Imaging and Design Technology Department at DACC and Philip J. San Filippo, executive director of the Las Cruces Convention & Visitors Bureau. “I want to thank them both for developing this valuable key community training program,” he said. “They deserve the credit.”
Building on successes
Fueling this new initiative was the announcement that New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute was recently ranked No. 49 in the 2013 Top 100 U.S. Schools for Animation and Game Design sponsored by Animation Career Review.
“These programs are vital to our community success by providing qualified workforce for today’s demanding digital film and entertainment industries,” Wark said. “We do not see enough recognition for our academic partners who play such an active role, often behind the scenes, to attract and develop sustainable economic growth in our local film and entertainment industry.” Add to this the Las Cruces Film Office’s recent successes with workforce placement on the NBC production, “The Dead of Night,” a true-crime documentary series airing on the Discovery I.D. network – which was shot in Las Cruces March 9-14 – and the feature film “Enemy Way,” starring Forest Whitaker, which will be filming in Las Cruces and Deming through April. According to Wark, NBC hired 31 local crew members and “Enemy Way” is estimated to have hired around 200 local crew and specialized support services.
“The film and entertainment industry relies on film offices around the state to find local resource solutions beneficial to filming locations in their areas,” Wark said. “Las Cruces’ recent success has garnered regional and state recognition by industry insiders and the N.M. film office. The collaborative success in the local film and entertainment community, including the academic institutions, has led to additional location interest from entertainment industry and independent productions.”
As ongoing talks between the Las Cruces Film Office and new feature film productions in development continue, Wark gives credit to the local film schools for providing the opportunities that have arisen. He sees a direct correlation between what he calls “successful academic training” and the development of the Film Workforce Initiative.
“I think these institutions deserve the recognition that helps build the recent success and I congratulate them on a job well done,” he said. “Without a credible and talented workforce to support film and entertainment industry, the opportunity for economic impact would not exist. I believe we can see the results in Las Cruces with additional hotel and restaurant traffic, with increased transportation and support services and in expendable income as result of increased employment.”
