Old Pueblo plays supporting role in two new movies
By M. Scot Skinner
skinner@AZSTARNET.COM
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.25.2009
Shelli Hall, director of the Tucson Film Office, is excited that the two biggest movies filmed in Tucson last year both open this week.
Some scenes in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," the blockbuster sequel that opened Wednesday, were shot last fall at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, better known as the aircraft "Boneyard."
"Away We Go," which opens Friday, features scenes shot last June at a West Side resort.
"We'd prefer that Tucson played a starring role in both of those movies," Hall said the other night, "but we're happy to accept the supporting role — for now."
The Tucson Film Office, a division of the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau, works to lure filmmakers and, once they're here, tries to keep them happy.
"We are cautiously optimistic about the year ahead," said Hall, who never discusses movie projects until they are finalized.
"We have high hopes," she said. "We have a tax credit and incentives that are starting to be used more."
An example, she said, is the Weinstein Co. movie "Piranha 3-D" that's filming now in Lake Havasu City with a cast that includes Richard Dreyfuss and Elisabeth Shue.
"That's a pretty big movie, and they're using the Arizona tax credit," Hall said. "That's one of the main reasons they came here.
"A lot of the crew in Lake Havasu is from Tucson. They get more experience, make more contacts and bring that back to Tucson," she said.
That's important, because the availability of skilled local workers is a factor for production companies considering Tucson.
Arizona has a lot to offer as a location for film work, but the state has a long way to go if it hopes to compete with New Mexico and Connecticut, where most of the new "Transformers" and "Away We Go" were filmed, respectively.
Both of those states have credits that are much friendlier toward movie companies, Hall said. Arizona's package is better than those of most of the 44 states that offer incentives to filmmakers, but it doesn't quite rank in the Top 10, she said.
Making the incentives easier to access is a top priority for the Tucson Film Office in the next legislative season, she said.
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