Filming in California
"There's No Place Like Home" for California Filmed Western Drama Starring Randy Travis, Ernest Borgnine and Eric Roberts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
04/23/2001
Contact: Karen Constine
Contact Phone: (323) 860-2960
Independent Production Company Benefits from Film California First Incentive Program
SANTA CLARITA VALLEY -- "That's a wrap!" April 6, 2001 marked the final day of shooting for Rising Star Entertainment's new feature--length Western, The Long Ride Home, which according to producer and set designer Rene Veluzat, "would not have been made possible" without the Film California First (FCF) incentive program.
Inundated with production costs and the constraints of their $1 million budget, producers considered filming in Canada and eliminating about 100 local jobs from their production staff. However, the film was able to stay "home" and retain its production team of 125 after Veluzat discovered the FCF Program while attending a meeting at the Santa Clarita Film and Entertainment Bureau.
Veluzat learned that this new, three year, $45 million program reimburses certain film costs incurred by his production company when filming in California. The California Film Commission administers the Program and works in partnership with Film Liaison in California Statewide (FLICS), including the Santa Clarita Film and Entertainment Bureau, to promote the Program statewide.
The only incentive program of its kind, the FCF Program will reimburse The Long Ride Home's costs for the LA County Fire Safety Officers who were present for 20 days of filming on location in Santa Clarita. In addition, producers will receive rebates for filming on Paramount Ranch, a National Park Service site. Essentially, the Program reimburses the costs of public labor, excluding local police, and greatly reduces location site fees when filming on public property.
Because Paramount Ranch, which has also been the setting for Little House on the Prairie and Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, is included in the FCF Program, Veluzat and his team will be reimbursed for most of their location fee, film permit fee, public equipment fee and public employee personnel costs. To cut down on production costs even more, Rene Veluzat's own property, The Motion Picture Ranch in Santa Clarita, was also used for filming.
Veluzat, who has been in the film industry since 1950, says, "It's a wonderful thing that has happened! Because of the FCF Program, we were able to build bigger and better sets, hire a wonderful director and cast, and give back to our community by staying in California and filming locally."
"The FCF Program has definitely been an asset to this film and to other low budget films like it," agrees Amber Skowronski, film director of the Santa Clarita Film and Entertainment Bureau. "I'm very happy to see that this production company has been able to benefit from this valuable program by lowering their daily costs of production," she adds.
"The program has allowed the movie to become a monumental project and has made it even better than we had anticipated. It's wonderful that Governor Davis realizes that filmmakers are one of the largest money drawers for California," says Veluzat.
Directed by Rob Marcarelli, written by Vaughn Taylor and featuring a song by Randy Travis, this Western drama will makes its feature debut sometime in August of this year. As a result of saving funds, the film will be the first in a trilogy of films released through Metro Media. Depending on their success, the movies may also be turned into a television series.