Isle movie
productions may
ring up $100 million

Film industry officials predict
a banner year for Hollywood, HI

Movies filmed in Hawaii

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By Jaymes Song
Associated Press

For his new film, director Sean McNamara knew he would need swaying palms, peaceful beaches and lush green mountains to stand in for the perfect fictitious island off California.

In his mind, there was just one possibility.

"Nothing looks like Hawaii, nothing looks like a tropical paradise except for here," said McNamara, who was on the island of Oahu last month filming "The Stevens Get Even" based on the Disney Channel series "Even Stevens."

In the past, other Hollywood filmmakers -- from Steven Spielberg with "Jurassic Park" to John Woo with "Windtalkers" -- have had the same idea.

This year is no different, as filmmakers rediscover what state film promoters call Hollywood's "tropical back lot."

Hawaii's television and film industry is enjoying one of its strongest years ever. It has rebounded from last year's dismal performance compared with a record year in 2000 with $136 million in revenue.

"There's been a tremendous amount of activity this year and there's a lot more planned for the next couple months," said Donne Dawson, manager of the Hawaii Film Office.

Dawson expects this year to easily surpass the estimated $70 million mark of 2001 -- a year that included Tim Burton's remake of "Planet of the Apes," which was filmed on the Big Island, but was hampered by the threatened actor-writer strikes, the poor economy and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"We are well on our way, especially with all the production gearing up for the balance of the year," she said. "We stand a very good chance of reaching at least the $100 million mark."

Two major movies have already been shot in Hawaii this year, including the surfing film "Blue Crush" and the upcoming Bruce Willis project, "Tears of the Sun." The opening sequence of the new James Bond film, "Die Another Day," was filmed after Christmas last year at a Maui surfing spot.

Upcoming productions this year include an action film starring The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) at one time entitled "Helldorado"; a thriller based on an Elmore Leonard crime novel entitled "The Big Bounce"; and the "Baywatch Hawaiian Wedding" reunion movie.

And at least two television pilots are scheduled to begin filming next year, the police drama "The Break" and a crime series entitled "808," Hawaii's telephone area code.

"It's great," said Scott Wong, business representative for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 665. "This new banner year we're having now, a lot of it is due in part to 9/11 and the tax incentives that are being offered."

Wong said Hollywood seems reluctant to shoot in foreign countries in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

"Actors and major producers are not wanting to leave the security of the United States and go to countries that may have terrorist activity or them having to fly 10 hours to a remote location," he said. "So that helps keep them here at home.

"We have all the amenities -- five-star hotels, people that speak English, a safe environment where you're not worried about getting mugged. All those things help," Wong said.

Dawson said one area that has picked up since Sept. 11 is the number of Japanese commercials and shows filmed in Hawaii.

While major films attract most of the attention, commercials and television shows provide the Hawaii film industry with sustained employment, Dawson said.

"There's a lot of production going on out here that isn't in the limelight, but is important to us just the same," she said.

Dawson's office, which falls under the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, grants film permits and works as a liaison with filmmakers.

"We have been marketing ourselves as Hollywood's tropical back lot and the world's premiere tropical location," she said. "There's a quality and beauty here that I don't think they can get anywhere in the United States."

Hawaii's main selling point is the diverse scenery, including the beach, forest, mountain, desert, urban city and foreign country looks, Dawson said.

Directors, including McNamara, also save money by hiring unionized film crews in the islands and not bringing their own crews, eliminating hotel, travel and per diem costs.

"Once you're outside of 35 miles of Los Angeles, you have to travel your whole crew, so part of the lure of Hawaii was that it already has great crews," he said. "You've had everything since 'Magnum (P.I.),' 'Hawaii Five-0' and all the great shows you've had here."

Besides the immediate economic impact from filling hotel rooms and restaurants and providing work for local film crews, every time Hawaii is shown on the big screen, it is a tremendous marketing tool, tourism officials said.

"Television and movies give our state a high level of international exposure we could not buy anywhere," said Gov. Ben Cayetano. "It also provides a tremendous boost to our local economy and furnishes jobs for island residents."

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Filmed in Hawaii A partial list of the movies filmed in Hawaii since 1913 or scheduled to be filmed, the year they were filmed and who starred in them. 2002 >> "Tears of the Sun"; Bruce Willis. >> "Blue Crush"; Kate Bosworth. >> "Die Another Day"; Pierce Brosnan. >> "Helldorado"; The Rock (Dwayne Johnson). >> "The Big Bounce"; Owen Wilson. 2001 >> "The Time Machine"; Guy Pearce. >> "Dragonfly"; Kevin Costner. >> "Planet of The Apes"; Mark Wahlberg. >> "Punch-Drunk Love"; Adam Sandler. 2000 >> "Final Fantasy"; voice of James Woods >> "Jurassic Park III"; Sam Neill. >> "Windtalkers"; Nicolas Cage. >> "To End All Wars"; Keifer Sutherland. >> "Pearl Harbor"; Ben Affleck. 1997 >> "6 Days/7 Nights"; Harrison Ford. >> "Dinosaurs"; animated feature. >> "City of Angels"; Nicolas Cage. >> "Godzilla"; Matthew Broderick. >> "Mighty Joe Young"; Bill Paxton. 1996 >> "A Very Brady Sequel"; Shelley Long. >> "George of The Jungle"; Brendan Fraser. >> "The Lost World"; Jeff Goldblum. 1995 >> "Race The Sun"; Jim Belushi. 1994 >> "Waterworld"; Kevin Costner. >> "Outbreak"; Dustin Hoffman. >> "Don Juan DeMarco"; Johnny Depp. 1993 >> "North"; Bruce Willis. >> "Picture Bride"; Toshiro Mifune. 1992 >> "Jurassic Park"; Jeff Goldblum. 1991 >> "Wind"; Matthew Modine, Jennifer Grey. >> "Honeymoon in Vegas"; Nicolas Cage, James Caan. >> "Under Siege"; Steven Segal. >> "Hook"; Robin Williams. 1990 >> "Point Break"; Patrick Swayze. 1989 >> "Flight of The Intruder"; Willem Dafoe. >> "Lord of The Flies"; Balthazar Getty. >> "Joe Versus The Volcano"; Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan. 1987 >> "Throw Mama from The Train"; Danny DeVito. >> "Farewell To The King"; Nick Nolte. 1985 >> "Karate Kid II"; Pat Morita. >> "Black Widow"; Debra Winger. 1983 >> "Uncommon Valor"; Gene Hackman. 1981 >> "Body Heat"; William Hurt, Kathleen Turner. >> "Buddy Buddy"; Walter Matthau. 1980 >> "Raiders of The Lost Ark"; Harrison Ford. 1979 >> "The Day The World Ended"; Paul Newman. >> "Final Countdown"; Kirk Douglas. >> "10"; Bo Derek, Dudley Moore. 1978 >> "Going Coconuts"; Donnie and Marie Osmond. 1977 >> "The Deep"; Jacqueline Bisset, Nick Nolte. 1976 >> "Midway"; Charlton Heston. >> "King Kong"; Jessica Lange. 1973 >> "Papillon"; Dustin Hoffman. 1970 >> "The Hawaiians"; Charlton Heston. >> "Tora! Tora! Tora!"; Jason Robards. 1966 >> "Lt. Robin Crusoe"; Dick Van Dyke. >> "Paradise, Hawaiian Style"; Elvis Presley. >> "The Endless Summer"; Bruce Brown. >> "Hawaii"; Julie Andrews. 1965 >> "None But The Brave"; Frank Sinatra. >> "In Harm's Way"; John Wayne. 1963 >> "Diamond Head"; Charlton Heston. >> "Gilligan's Travel"; Bob Denver. >> "Donovan's Reef"; John Wayne. >> "Rampage"; Robert Mitchum. 1962 >> "Girls! Girls! Girls!"; Elvis Presley. 1961 >> "Gidget Goes Hawaiian"; James Darren. >> "Blue Hawaii"; Elvis Presley. >> "Devil at Four O'clock"; Frank Sinatra. 1958 >> "South Pacific"; Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor. >> "The Old Man and The Sea"; Spencer Tracy. >> "Twilight for The Gods"; Rock Hudson. 1957 >> "The Enemy Below"; Robert Mitchum. 1955 >> "Mr. Roberts"; Henry Fonda. >> "The Sea Chase"; John Wayne. 1954 >> "The Caine Mutiny"; Humphrey Bogart. >> "Miss Sadie Thompson"; Rita Hayworth. >> "The High and The Mighty"; John Wayne. 1953 >> "From Here To Eternity"; Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra. 1952 >> "Big Jim McLain"; John Wayne. 1951 >> "Bird of Paradise"; Jeff Chandler. >> "Operation Pacific"; John Wayne. 1950 >> "Pagan Love Song"; Esther Williams. 1942 >> "Song of The Islands"; Betty Grable. 1937 >> "Waikiki Wedding"; Bing Crosby. 1935 >> "Curly Top"; Shirley Temple. 1933 >> "Hell Below"; Robert Montgomery. 1931 >> "The Black Camel"; Warner Oland. 1913 >> "Hawaiian Love"; Virginia Brissac. >> "The Shark God"; James Dillon. Source: Hawaii Film Office Associated Press