On Location In Illinois
The city of Chicago wil never replace Hollywood as the movie capital of the world, but feature films like "blues Brothers,""Home Alone" and "The Fugitive" have done much to highlight the fact that the city - and Illinois - have much to offer inb the way of talent and scenic beauty

Since 1976, when the state opened its film office in Chicago, film production expenditures ranging from equipment rental to hotel rooms have pumped more than $900 million into the state economy.

The residual effects of such activity can linger for years, according to Ron Ver Kuilen, managing director of the Illinois Film Office, a division of the state’s Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA).

"It’s amazing that nearly 20 years after ‘Blues Brothers,’ people come here on movie tours asking to see where the film was made," said Ver Kuilen. "And kids will go to Winnetka to have their pictures taken in front of the house used in ‘Home Alone.’"

And TV shows like ‘Chicago Hope,’ ‘ER,’ and ‘Early Edition,’ do their part in giving the city of Chicago a role in America’s favorite pastime.

Despite such successes, industry members say that state and local governments must become more aggressive in promoting the area.

Ruth Ratny, owner and editor of Screen magazine in Chicago, suggests that, "We need to offer more incentives, and the state needs to spend more money on marketing and advertising."

Eileen Willenborg, executive director of the Chicago office of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), agrees.

The city’s and state’s film offices are working hard with what they have, she said, but have been shortsighted about the importance of Chicago as a production center. For example, "Each year Willenborg said, there is a location fair that allows states to promote themselves to the industry. Chicago and the state still don’t have their own booth; we have to share space with other states."

High on the list of those issues that critics say must be addressed is the city’s six percent tax on leased and rented equipment.

"No other city has a tax like that," said Willenborg. She noted, for example, that of the $52 million raised from the tax in 1995, only $850,000 was generated by film and commercial production. "What is that, 1/50th of the total? I think it puts us at an extreme disadvantage."

Although the city remains committed to the tax, industry members say the matter is far from closed and cite progress made recently in discussions with the city’s Economic Development Commission.

"The tax has been an issue for years and to end it would be a great marketing tool," said Rich Moskal, director of the Chicago Film Office, part of the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. "More incentives would be great, but I don’t want to overlook what we’ve done either, because we wouldn’t have the level of production that is going on without good reason. I believe that we are heading in the right direction."

Said DCCA’s Ver Kuilen, "The tax is more a problem of perception than a real hardship. If it really was a big a burden as some make it out to be, we wouldn’t be having as much (filming) activity as we are."

Noting that governments are not proactive by nature, Ver Kuilen urged the industry to do a better job of promoting itself.

"I don’t seem to notice too many trade union ads in Chicago, but I see them a lot in New York," he said.

Production of TV commercials, which remains the core of the city’s activity, is another sore point with local producers because they say local ad agencies are too quick to provide jobs for actors and directors on the West Coast.

According to a Screen magazine survey, less than half of the 2,600 TV spots handled by Chicago’s ad agencies last year were produced locally. Economic benefits from the production of commercials are difficult to determine, sources say, because of the competitive nature of the business.

"The grass is always greener elsewhere, and you must remember that this industry is made up of some pretty insecure people," said one ad agency veteran, who asked not to be identified. "There’s a snob appeal about Los Angeles, and there are an awful lot of people to please. If you use local talent and the client is unhappy with the results, you’re in a corner. Whereas if the client is unhappy, and you’ve used ‘the best’ in L.A., you’re protected. It takes a lot of courage to use local talent."

Nichole Taghert, president of the Chicago-based Association of Independent Commercial Producers, said she sometimes finds the whole issue confusing.

"This area has only become more desirable because of our talent pool, and I don’t understand the fascination with Los Angeles myself," said Taghert. "The funny thing is that L.A. and New York increasingly are bringing their production schedules here."

Regardless of what both sides say must be done to make Illinois more attractive, everyone agrees that each day the task becomes harder because of growing competition from other states. When Illinois opened its film office, for example, it was only the ninth state to do so. Today, according to Ver Kuilen, there more than 280 state film offices eager to attract attention to their areas.

But the industry’s biggest threat is coming from Canada, thanks to its better exchange rates and incentive packages that include rebates or subsidies for everything from production costs to lodging expenses.

"They’ve become major competition," said the city’s Moskal. "Those incentives add up to substantial savings, especially for tight-budget productions like TV series and ‘movies of the week.’ Fortunately, our unions have recognized this and are responding with more competitive rates."

With 1998 marking the 23nd anniversary of the Illinois Film Office, there’s a lot to boast about since 1975. There were 777 productions shot in the state with a revenue of almost $910 million and more than 284,000 local and temporary jobs created by the production companies at the end of 1997.

Illinois has always had a reputation as "Hollywood in the Heartland," and since 1975 that reputation has continued to grow. In 1997 Illinois saw phenomenal success with four major motion pictures filmed in the state totaling over $40 million each; "Home Alone 3," "US Marshals," "Mercury Rising" and "The Negotiator."

"Film business is not business as usual," says Ron Ver Kuilen, Managing Director of the Illinois Film Office, "It’s business as unusual. That’s the nature of it." There are reasons why production companies bring their business to Illinois for film production and Ver Kuilen says, "The more the community looks at it [the film industry] like a business the more it will define the success of the community in film." There are three reasons that the film business in Illinois was so phenomenally successful in 1997.

Ver Kuilen believes that because of the union situation the crews [in Illinois] are still affordable. "There is nothing a producer needs that he can’t get here, from support and technical information to equipment."

His second reason for the state’s success is the remarkable talent. "There are day players or leads here. In Chicago a production company can pay $50 to $80 for extras that would cost much more in another state."

Ver Kuilen is proud of the talent in Chicago. "Directors have thanked me for finding locations, cutting through red tape, and creating a conducive environment in which to shoot. But they’re here primarily because of our talent base."

Finally, Ver Kuilen explains that there are very few rules and regulations that production companies must adhere to in order to film in Illinois.

Take these three key factors plus a final ingredient, the fact that Illinois can look like other places, and you have a winning combination. "The architecture in Illinois is second to nowhere," Ver Kuilen explains. "Illinois is a big state. Southern Illinois can, for example, look like Mobile, Alabama. The terrain of the northwestern part of the state looks like New England. Overall, the simple topography of the state can be translated into lots of different places."

Independent filmmaking in Illinois has begun to take on new meaning for the state in the last few years as well. In 1997 there were 29 independent films shot in Illinois such as "Hellcab" and "Kissing a Fool." And, while Hollywood productions have certainly made their mark here in the past years, it’s the growth of independent filmmaking that is becoming a huge factor in the Illinois film industry. Independent filmmakers are very aware of Illinois throughout the country. In fact, cash expenditures by independent film companies were well over $100 million for the second year in 1997.

"You can’t rely on the gravy train of Hollywood location films to keep chugging into town. What this office and this community have to do is to give the greater support to the local independent filmmakers who want to originate their movies here," says Ver Kuilen.

As for the year 1998, Ver Kuilen says it’s been an interesting start with a few setbacks. "The cost of filming in any city with exchange rates as they are causes some problems. Other countries, like Canada, can give incentives to filmmakers that we don’t give."

Studios are also making fewer movies in 1998 than in years past because, Ver Kuilen says, "There is no distribution time for them."

To add to the setbacks, earlier in the year there were talks of strikes involving the Writers’ Guild and the Screen Actors’ Guild. Still the television and film projects look good and the summer months have production companies visiting Illinois to prep and scout for locations.

Although Canada and Australia are enticing some filmmakers to shoot $10 million films in their country for only $4 million, Ver Kuilen reiterates that "the business is cyclical and whimsical, it’s the nature of the business. There is no operating on a logical basis."

So the Illinois Film Office continues to be confident that 1998 will be a good year with films coming and going throughout the state. Again, it’s those three reasons that speak to any filmmaker and Illinois has got it all; the look, the cost and the available talent, unmeasured by any other city outside Los Angeles.

The films shot in Illinois in 1997 detail an interesting blend of both major studio film productions, independent films and low budget films.

1997 Film Production Figures

Productions worked on - 205
Scouting trips conducted with production companies - 51
Film shot entirely or in part in Illinois - 49 (does not include 22 individual episodes of one television series)
Estimated total local people hired - 18,339
Cash spent in state for motion picture and television production - $104,152,405

Coming soon…….

Several new feature films scheduled to begin production this year in the Chicago area include "Message in A Bottle," starring Kevin Kostner; "Never Been Kissed," with Drew Barrymore; and "Lighted Up," a drama about a student takeover of an urban high school. In the Carbondale/Murphysboro area, preparations are underway for "Betaville," a story about a futuristic summer camp.

A September start is scheduled for the filming of "The Visitors," a TV comedy about time travelers, and David Letterman is scheduled to bring his late night talk show to Chicago this fall.

Source: Illinois Film Office