Film commissioner reports slow comeback, but a ‘lackluster’ film year
CoVid policies continue to impact film industry
A number of factors contributed to another “lackluster” year of filming movies, commercials and television in Inyo County. However, the slow pace of film work in 2021-22 marked a noted improvement over the past two years when COVID shutdowns and strict film industry COVID safety standards sharply reduced filming in the county, according to the yearly report by Inyo County
Film Commissioner Chris Langley.
The past year “was kind of disappointing” when it came to the number, size and economic impact of film and TV work in the county, Langley told the Inyo County Board of Supervisors at its June 28 meeting. There were some bright spots, however, with Inyo County and the Eastern Sierra starring in Super Bowl commercials and attracting at least one new television series.
Langley tracks film permits issued by the Bureau of Land Management, the Inyo National Forest and the U.S. Park Service issued for film shoots on public land in Inyo
County. His written report noted there were about 28 permitted film project during 2021-22, which pumped roughly $5 million directly into the local economy. That is a far cry from some of the economic impact generated in prepandemic years, he noted. Plus, “we did not have any big Marvel monsters filming locally, which would be large budgeted worldwide money makers,” he reported. Those big-budget films can bring hundreds of staff and crew plus stars to the area.
While most of the nation has lifted or scaled back COVID-era protections and protocols, the film industry still has a number of COVID polices still in place. Those range from ongoing COVID testing, social distancing and other policies. Those policies were created with input from the numerous industry unions and studios. For example, Langley noted that crew members must drive their own cars to the location site to limit exposure. That can create a real problem even for smaller productions since few location sites have the space for 20-30 cars, plus production vehicles.
However, any activity is welcome after the 2020 COVID shutdowns that essentially stopped all film projects in their tracks, and strict COVID protocols in 2021 that also limited production, he said. Of course, the entire film industry and television have seen massive changes in their business models due to COVID and the rise of streaming services, so the industry as a whole has not come back to where it was in the preCOVID era.
More recently, the current economic situation, featuring high inflation, high gas prices and general economic uncertainty, is not encouraging when it comes to film and television production, Langley said.
the comeback
But there are some good things happening. A nice-sized car commercial with about 30 crew was recently shot in the area, he noted. Plus, scouting and then shooting that took place in late 2021
has seen the light of day in the form of the new Jeff Bridges series, “The Old Man,” he noted.
Then there were the 2022 Super Bowl commercials. Residents of Inyo and Mono counties were not surprised to see the local Eastern Sierra scenery star as the backdrop of those expensive and highly creative commercials. But no one seemed to remember seeing the stars, such as McMatthew McConaughy, who “dropped” out of a balloon into the Alabama Hills, and Tommy Lee Jones who roared around the Eastern Sierra in a truck.
Langley explained that the commercials were shot in the area, but the actors were then inserted in the studio during the post-production work. Unfortunately for local movie and television fans, costs and logistics could mean such sleight-of-hand might become more common, which would limit the chances of seeing familiar actors in the flesh.
Filming permits
Langley and his counterparts in Mono County continued to work closely with the permitting groups at the BLM and Inyo National Forest. Those federal agencies faced their own staffing challenges, Langley noted, but did work well with incoming film projects. One change in the permitting scene is that the BLM, nationwide, has decided it won’t require film permits for small shoots (total cast and crew of 15 or less) if the work does not harm the “resources” on public land.
He added that the Alabama Hills Stewardship Group continues to work with the BLM to implement the new management plan in the hills. That plan moves all dispersed camping east of Movie Road, which creates clear views of the Sierra, limits camping to just about 50 sites, and other measures.
The new management plan does not curtail film work, and Langley said the changes in the Hills will improve the area for visitors and the film industry as a location.
Inyo remains the ‘star’
As is typical of film work, Langley related tales of working for days and often longer with location scouts, producers and others on potential projects, from movies to TV series to commercials, only to see the project get delayed, get moved to another area, or simply just disappear. He noted that even when projects don’t pan out, the time and effort translates into more relationships, more contacts and more ideas for future work.
And of course, Inyo’s setting is still the biggest selling point. As his report noted, “Inyo still has the great locations made familiar and famous by a century of popular movies that still bring in the crowds even when they are not great works of art. We are blessed by our varied landscapes that stop directors and art designers in their tracks when they see the snow topped mountains, the rolling ochre hills and green pastures for the first time.”