Dear Editor,
On Saturday, August 26, location managers and film commissions from all over the world descended on the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, to celebrate the magic of filmmaking and those who find the locations to make it happen. Nominees included “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Oppenheimer,” “True Detective: Night Country” and many others. Film Iceland took home the award for Outstanding Film Commission.
Bega Metzner, with the Moab to Monument Film Commission, sponsored a beautiful clip during the awards to woo more filming to our beautiful hometown. I say “our” because it is my home, it is where I grew up, my parents are still there, as well as my sister and her husband who run a business on Main Street.
A little over a decade ago, “Transformers: Age of Extinction” was filming in the Moab area and I got swept away, literally. I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film industry and I have worked on projects such as: “The Matrix: Resurrections,” “Birds of Prey,” “The Fabelmans,” “Malignant,” “Kong vs Godzilla,” “Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Project,” and most notably “Horizon Part 1.”
Most recently, I have joined a committee within my union (Teamsters, Local 399) to educate state governments on how important film tax incentives are for their regions. The Political and Legislative Committee engages with local officials to bring stories, statistics and the positive effects filming has for local economies and the people who live there. Most of us love to watch movies and TV shows, we love to immerse ourselves in a world that is new to us. From Moab to Montana to Boston to the Carolinas, each region has something to show.
When a film comes to an area, we bring revenue. We are renting hundreds of hotel rooms, our crews are eating out for every meal, they are perusing shops and paying for activities. They are also getting to know the locals, and hiring some of them on the project.
This, to me, is one of the most important contributions films make in far-flung locals. A person could have their life changed by having the opportunity to be a part of the magic. My life certainly was. There is a rhetoric out in the world that allowing filming in your neighborhoods is akin to lining the pockets of Hollywood, and although true for the 1%, I can give you 400 crew members (per film or TV show) that are just like you and me, hardworking, middle class families trying to make a living.
The entertainment industry is in the midst of change right now as the studios tighten their wallets and let less creation flow. Although we all wish we could keep making movies the way we want, that’s not the case and we must adapt. This means playing the game of tax incentives. Studios want to go where they can get the most bang for their buck and I want to keep showing the world every nook and cranny of beautiful destinations that many only get to see through a TV screen.
Although I was not nominated this year for an LMGI award, I was in attendance to support friends and colleagues and catch up with Bega. She is a force and out there hitting the pavement to get more filming to southeastern Utah. When stories come to life on our TVs and in the theaters, they enrich our minds, inspire travel and create excitement. I love my job and where it has taken me, I hope we can continue to show the world, the world.
Thank you,
Alyssa DiMare
* Pictured Alyssa DiMare, Key Assistant Location Coordinator and Bega
Metzner, Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission
