990103cnn

As Holiday Movie Season Ends, Race for Oscars Begins. "Patch Adams" Tells Story of Doctor Who Uses Humor to Cure.

SHOWBIZ TODAY
01/04/99
By CNN, 2:30pm ET

COMMENTARY
In a report on how production companies are going overseas to film and US crews are losing business from this practice, Xena is mentioned as being filmed in new Zealand

EXCERPT

PRIMARY SOURCE

[snip]

   JIM MORET: The movie "Patch Adams" was shot in North Carolina, one of a growing
number of productions filmed outside the traditional home base of California.

   Even Jesse Ventura, Minnesota's newly inaugurated governor, is vowing to lure
more TV and movie production to his state.  Paul Vercammen reports that around
the world, everyone wants a piece of Hollywood's pie.

   (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

   PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oh, Canada, oh, England, oh,
New Zealand, where they shoot the "Xena" and "Hercules" series.  All are
locations for film and television projects popular in America.

   Many Hollywood movers and shakers have been meeting to deal with what they
call runaway productions leaving California.

   RICHARD MASUR, PRESIDENT, SCREEN ACTORS GUILD: A lot of work that could be
getting done here is being done either in other states, or more importantly, in
other countries.

   VERCAMMEN: Specifically, Canada, where movies such as "Simon Birch" and "54"
were filmed.  Critics charge Canada lures projects out of California with tax
breaks and lower costs due to the Canadian dollar exchange rate.  But one
Canadian official doesn't see it as a problem.

   JERRY KRAMER, CANADIAN CONSULATE, LOS ANGELES: These projects employ
Americans, employ American actors, directors, and writers, and it's really
mistaken to view it as a loss from here to there.  Both economies win.

   VERCAMMEN (on camera): Still, you'll hear a chorus of complaints about
runaway productions causing a loss of jobs and revenue in California.  Take the
large independent Raleigh Studios.

   (voice-over): The studio claims out of town projects have led to the
occupancy rate here dropping approximately 40 percent in the past two years.

   MICHAEL MOORE, PRESIDENT, Raleigh Film & Television Studios: The strength
certainly comes in numbers.  And if our stages fall short of carrying them into
a nice skidding rink, I'm not quite sure what else we're doing to do with them.

   (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "Lost in Space")

   UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: There's a lot of space out there to get lost in.

   (END VIDEO CLIP)

   VERCAMMEN: The $80 million feature, "Lost in Space," made in England, is
cited as a runaway production that hurt several levels of Hollywood business.

   SCOTT ROSS, CEO, DIGITAL DOMAIN: In a lot of ways, it's runaway post
production for us 'cause we're in the visual effects industry. We've seen a lot
of work go overseas.  London has become a significant factor in Hollywood
feature film post production.

   VERCAMMEN: And with movies such as the "Waterboy" filmed in Florida, other
U.S. states are also providing competition for Hollywood. California business
leaders say the government should help keep productions in the Golden State
through tax breaks and other incentives, but it's estimated California still
accounts for 75 percent of the world's film production.

   PATTI ARCHULETTA, DIRECTOR, CALIFORNIA FILM COMMISSION: We are not in a
crisis mode.  Understand this is simply a vigilance.  It is about not -- It is
about learning from the past and not waiting to have a trickle become a flow out
of California.

   VERCAMMEN: This industry town wants the world to remember the cheer is
"Hurray for Hollywood," not Vancouver or Auckland.

   Paul Vercammen, CNN Entertainment News, Hollywood.

   (END VIDEOTAPE)

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