The best movies retain their hold on the imagination long after the final credit has vanished from the screen. Often the most vivid memory is of the setting or scenery around which the drama is played out. So powerful may be the impact that we want to experience the location
first-hand. For the country which attracts major film-makers, that spells tourism dollars, a lucrative add-on to the money already spent making the movie there.
It is little wonder, therefore, that Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey and his Wellington counterpart hope to convince Hollywood movie moguls to shoot Star Wars III in New Zealand. Their enticements are the low cost of making films here and the wealth of spectacular locations.
The rewards for this country can easily be demonstrated by reference to the British Isles. Ireland was one of the first countries to benefit from offering incentives to filmmakers. Now the tourism industry in Britain places a strong emphasis on the allure of film. Movie Map, a guide to film locations, is one of the British Tourist Authority's most popular publications. Villages fortunate enough to have been chosen as settings for the likes of Last of the Summer Wine have had their economies transformed by an influx of tourists.
Bath, famed for its elegant Georgian housing and Roman bath, has attracted about $9 million of production spending. The city's tourism officials say film has been more effective in drawing attention to Bath than traditional marketing and communication channels.
Bath has made a determined effort to entice film-makers. The Bath Film Office, funded by the local council, offers free advice on locations, crew and facilities. It has even drawn up a film-makers' code of conduct to minimise inconvenience to residents.
Compared to that, New Zealand's efforts, such as the present mayoral deputation, have a decidedly scatter-gun appearance. If the marketing were more focused, and coordinated in this area, perhaps by the Auckland Regional Council, the results would surely improve.
Coordination would also bring a greater control. New Zealand, and Karekare beach in particular, has had a small taste of the power of film through The Piano. Yet the magnetism of such scenic splendour, and this country's geographic diversity, can present a potential pitfall.
The footsteps of tourists will disfigure nature's work far more quickly than they ruin an English castle or cathedral. We need a systematic approach to ensure that despoilation is not the ultimate consequence of films showcasing our scenery.
The prospect of luring film-makers here has improved with the pool of skilled labour created by the filming of the likes of Xena: Warrior Princess. A recent survey found that annual screen production spending in New Zealand is already more than $307 million. Foreign exchange earnings of $155 million exceed those of the wine and venison industries. Significantly, that survey did not include The Lord of the Rings, a $360-million production that has begun shooting.
Film production, alone, appears well on the way to becoming a billion-dollar industry. The flow-on could reward New Zealand even more, both in tourist spending and jobs.
With so much at stake, sporadic deputations have their value. But a concerted and coordinated approach would pay far better dividends.
The best movies retain their hold on the imagination long after the final credit has vanished from the screen. Often the most vivid memory is of the setting or scenery around which the drama is played out. So powerful may be the impact that we want to experience the location
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