LOCAL ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT | FILM INDUSTRY

Fiscal woes hurt Texas film production

By SHERYL JEAN
Staff Writer sjean@dallasnews.com

TOM SETZER
Staff Artist tsetzer@dallasnews.com

Texas may be best known for the Dallas television series the old one and the new one. But the states film industry, which dates to 1910, is much more diverse. While Texas film roots are in Westerns shot in San Antonio and West Texas, Dallas has become a hot spot for TV shows and commercials. Thirteen popular feature films and TV shows were filmed in the Dallas area last year. Dallas was the start of two new TV shows Dallas and GCB but it really got a boost from reality TV shows.

Texas media impact

The state has seen dramatic growth in spending and jobs related to film projects in the last decade, but growth slowed last year due to a weak national economy and state budget constraints. Texas legislative appropriations for film incentives were cut in half to $30 million for Sept. 1, 2011, through Aug. 31, 2013, from $60 million for the previous two-year period.
2009 Production spending $105.6 million Production jobs Full-time jobs Project applicants State grants 7,779 1,486 97 $11.6 million 2010 2011 $233 million $145.4 million 19,265 3,013 118 $31.6 million 18,961 1,672 114 $18.4 million

Dallas-area filming by type for fiscal 2011

TV generates the most direct spending and economic impact in the Dallas area. Ten episodes filmed of the TV show Chase made up the biggest local project in fiscal year 2011, ended Sept. 30, with each episode costing an estimated $1.5 million to $2 million.
Project type Total filming TV shows and series Video games Commercials Feature films Reality and documentary TV Still photo shoots Other** Number of projects 292 27 12 81 19 55 41 57 Economic impact* $227.9 million $84.5 million $60.6 million $30.5 million $28 million $17 million $1.5 million $5.8 million

NOTES: All figures are for calendar years. Data are only for projects that applied for state incentives. SOURCE: Texas Film Commission

*The economic impact is typically 2.3 times the direct spending figure. **Other includes public service announcements, music videos and corporate work. SOURCE: Dallas Film Commission

Regional film production spending, jobs in 2011

The Dallas area surpassed Austin in total production spending in 2010 and remains in the lead statewide. However, spending in the Dallas area fell 40 percent in 2011 (from $115.9 million in 2010) because of the economy and the loss of three TV shows Chase, The Good Guys and Lone Star.

I Total production spending I State grant amount

Dallas-Fort Worth Austin Houston San Antonio $70.2 million $9 million $59.6 million $8 million $13 million $972,927 $2.5 million $308,920 $196,942 $14,771

Fort Worth

Dallas Other

TEXAS
Austin Houston Dallas-Fort Worth San Antonio Austin Houston San Antonio

I Production jobs I Full-time jobs

10,834 748 6,733 731 635 163 720 30 39 1

NOTES: All figures are for calendar years. Data are only for projects that applied for state incentives. SOURCES: Dallas Film Commission; Texas Film Commission

Other

Top five state film grants to Texas-based companies in 2011

Texas awarded incentive grants to 177 companies in 2011. Nearly two-thirds went to five companies based in the Los Angeles area. Of the total, $4.6 million (19 percent) went to 144 Texas-based companies mostly for feature films and video games.
Project title Bernie Seven Days in Utopia TG9 (working title) The Sims 3 Meet Jane Project type Feature film Feature film Video game Video game TV program Grant amount $609,914 $353,878 $347,671 $238,788 $343,112 Recipient location Austin Weatherford Sugar Land Austin Austin

Top five state film grants to companies based in the Dallas area in 2011
Of Texas total film incentive grants awarded in 2011, $1.3 million (5.3 percent) went to 97 Dallas-area companies mostly for TV commercials for companies such as Hasbro, Sony and Whataburger.
Project title Tweaker (or Rapstar) Cheaters (season 10) Mongolian Death Worm The Bite (2009) Project type Video game Reality TV Feature film TV program Grant amount $129,470 $100,082 $47,338 $44,077 $24,384 Recipient location Irving Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas

TXU Energy Tynan TV TV commercial

NOTES: All figures are for calendar years. SOURCE: Texas Film Commission

NOTES: All figures are for calendar years. SOURCE: Texas Film Commission

The bottom line

Our goal as an industry is to get back to the success we had in 2010. We must continue to grow native filmmakers and keep them from leaving the state to work on other projects. We need to make an aggressive case that the program needs enhanced funding to bring projects and jobs to Texas. Don Stokes, CEO of Post Asylum Inc. in Dallas and past president of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance Im really looking forward to having Dallas on the air. It will start airing either in late June or early July. I think people will find that this is the best marketing tool that we could hope for. Theres some of the old Southfork stuff, but it also shows the new Dallas. Film spending in Dallas and Texas declined dramatically last year because of the economy and reduced appropriations in the last state legislative session. Texas has a lot to offer in terms of diverse landscapes and a skilled labor force, which should attract new filming as the economy improves. Sheryl Jean, staff writer, The Dallas Morning News

Janis Burklund, director of the Dallas Film Commission