Film LA Launches Website To Aid California Filming

On December 13th, FilmL.A. invited a small number of press representatives to join them at L.A. Center Studios onto a bustling production set.  Crew members hustled through the crowd carrying clip boards and barking orders into walkie talkies.  Grips and camera operators quickly set up cranes and a variety of fills around a small stage.  Makeup artists prepped actors, and caterers kept eggs scrambling and coffee flowing as government officials gathered on a stage.

 

The set was an elaborate mock production to announce the launch of "Film Works," a stakeholder-drive marketing campaign designed to promote filming in Los Angeles and give the press a first hand view of the jobs this initiative aims to save.  Conceived by FilmL.A., Film Works is supported by a coalition of entertainment industry, community and government partners.   To date, sponsors of Film Works include City of Los Angeles, History for Hire, IATSE Local 80, Law & Order: Los Angeles, Panavision, Quixote Studios, screen Actors Guild, and Warner Bros., to name a few.

 

Pamm Fair, chair of FilmL.A. as well as an independent political consultant and former deputy national executive director for the Screen Actors Guild, had been monitoring the efforts put forth by different organizations to start a coalition to promote filming in Los Angeles over the past decade.  Early in her tenure, Fair was able to develop a plan that the FilmL.A. board backed, resulting in an 18 month development period leading to the launch of Film Works.

 

"Over the past few years, we've watched as other states have developed incentive programs that lead films away," said Fair.  "Today we are launching the first phase of a campaign.  We want to earn and spend our money in this region.  Most of all we are all consumers, and the area benefits from those spenditures."

 

Film Works aims to employ outdoor, print and web advertising, in-theater advertising and direct outreach through the campaign's newly launched website: www.filmworksla.com to spread the message that all Angelenos need to support filming in Los Angeles.  Included in the message are demographic finds such as "For every direct job, 2.7 other jobs are wholly supported by the strength of L.A.'s local entertainment industry, which means over half a million people in L.A. County need the industry to thrive," and "There are more than 6,600 business establishments in the State of California that service the film, television, and commercial production industry."     After the first wave of advertisement hits billboards and both online and print publications, a second phase which includes thank you messages for supporting communities for welcoming filming will appear on the sides of production vehicles.

 

"Our audience is all of Los Angeles, but our objective is really three-fold," said FilmL.A. President Paul Audley.  "We seek to promote filming in Los Angeles, thank area neighborhoods for hosting filming, and renew local appreciation for filming's economic benefits."

 

FilmL.A. anticipates the duration of the Film Works marketing campaign will last 24 months.  In addition to print and advertising pushes, they are also involving social media and viral videos as well as relying on the participation of as many individuals devoted to the longevity of film production in the Los Angeles area.  In addition to providing education on the www.filmworksla.com webpage, visitors of the site will also have the opportunity to click on the "Take Action" page that will provide suggestions on how to increase visibility as well as submit user-produced content for online display on the Film Works website.

 

"Film Works makes sense for Los Angeles, because in no other place on Earth is the film industry such a pillar f the local economy or bedrock of community life," wrote Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in a press release supporting the event.  "We can keep jobs in Los Angeles if we can find creative ways to keep filming here at home."

To visit the Film Works website, click on the link below:

www.filmworksla.com