“Do you have crew?” is one of the top three questions I get from Hollywood types when it comes to inquiring about filming in the redwood region. I am happy to answer, we do. Our pool to choose from is obviously not like in a big city or an area known for film communities. But we do have a small group to pull from. Everything from students to locals who do it on the side apart from their day jobs to professionals who live here but often shoot elsewhere.
In the past nine years that I have been film commissioner, I have seen production after production supplement their crew with our capable bodies. Often this is a small request, a production assistant or two for a smaller shoot (commercial, documentary, print ad, reality tv, etc.). But sometimes, it’s for an indie or studio feature and that’s when the larger request for crew comes in.
In the summer of 2015, we had two indie feature films back to back. Needless to say, they hired a lot of local crew for the office, locations, wardrobe, makeup, camera, special effects, and art departments. I must admit I was worried that we would be spread thin and not have enough of what they needed. In the end, we provided and even received a high paying complement about our crew. According to the producers of “Swiss Army Man” (starring Daniel Radciffe and Paul Dano), they usually hire a group of crew while on location knowing they will have to fire half of them for incompetency and replace them with more local crew. This was one of the first times they not only did not have to fire a large group of them … they didn’t fire not even one! They were impressed how professional our locals were because they either had experience or were incredibly teachable. This was music to my ears!
What makes a good crew member for film? Setting aside the special skill set for a particular department (camera, special effects, etc.), it’s the ability to arrive on time, last a 12-hour-plus day, communicate appropriately when necessary but not overly talk unnecessarily in the office or on set, do the task you were given with accuracy and efficiency and be ready for the next one, and more. Film crew often has challenges and time constraints and need to move like a well-oiled machine. No one person can throw that machine off kilter.
Productions come to the region for our locations first. But then they need to know if we have crew, talent, equipment houses, and/or a covered set for rainy days. Again, we aren’t a big city with a plethora of these things. And though I wish we had equipment houses and a more designated studio for productions to film in during bad weather days, I am more than pleased that we have local crew and talent that arises to the occasion of professionalism and represents the area with glee. Needless to say, this helps bring and keeps production here. It helps aid in the attraction which in the end helps stimulate the economy with temporary infused dollars. Thank you to redwood region individuals who help make that happen!
Cassandra Hesseltine is the film commissioner for Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. In her spare time, she loves acting and directing for Redwood Curtain Theater as well as being on the board of directors for AJ’s Living (a transitional living center).
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November 24, 2019 at 02:10PM
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Business Sense: ‘Do you have crew?’ - Eureka Times-Standard
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