The local film industry nearly faded from the scene starting eight years ago when part of Old Tucson, including the sound stage, burned down.
Now, Old Tucson is in discussions with a movie production company to build two new 15,000-square-foot sound stages onsite. Since the fire, Old Tucson has been marketed as a tourist attraction and theme park only.
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Reinventing the site as a full-production studio could begin as early as November if the current deal goes through, Mangelsdorf said. After the infrastructure is in place, he said more skilled technicians will be trained at Pima Community College and the University of Arizona to be the "producers of tomorrow."
Progress with low-budget films
The climb uphill has been hard, according to locals in the movie business, but they can see progress.
The Tucson Film Office puts the economic impact of film in Tucson at about $6 million annually.
Tucson has been the setting of two independent feature films this year. Film office director Shelli Hall said the city got about $2 million from a feature film project called "Spin," about an orphaned boy raised by a Hispanic family in the 1950s, which is expected to debut at the Sundance Film Festival this year.
Local writer and director Mark Russell is working on his first feature-length film, called "Viva America" now in Tucson. The story features two Mexican brothers who immigrate to the United States, discover the magic of Krispy Kreme donuts and later return home to save their family bakery using the patented pastries.
Russell, who is shooting the low-budget movie using digital technology, said Tucson is friendlier to independent film makers than other cities. The film office scouted locations and helped him with paperwork to get necessary permits from the city. Russell shot scenes at local business Small World Bakery, in the Fourth Avenue district, downtown and at a nearby ranch.
Russell said a bigger film office would mean more promotions and more business.
"They're doing a great job, but it's more than just helping with locations," Russell said while taking a break on the set. "They need to do more to promote for big producers."
Showbusiness part of tourism
The film office, which is part of the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau, has put movie making alongside tourism for economic development purposes.
Ray Padilla, a business agent for Arizona for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees who was doing sound work on the movie set, said business is slow for film companies because Tucson isn't as movie friendly as it was when it had Old Tucson as a sound stage and set.
He said Old Tucson was rebuilt for tourism, and that's not what movie makers are looking for.
"The best way to do it would be to privatize it or semi-privatize the film office," Padilla said. Rubbing elbows is the way to go, and you have to be in the business to talk the talk, he said. "They're spending money and spinning their wheels," he said of the film office.
Padilla also suggested Arizona model its tax incentives on New Mexico packages. That state also offers interest-free loans to moviemakers.
Padilla said he and some other locals from show business will try again at the state level to get attention drawn to southern Arizona for film.
"That means getting in and kicking tires in L.A.," Padilla explained. Recruiting big-name movie makers will be necessary as the whole industry moves to lower budget productions.
"These lower budget shows are going to happen more and more, but that doesn't help our Tucson economy," Padilla said. Money for the local economy comes from building sets or hiring a lot of people, he said.
Mangelsdorf said the key is getting the state to apply the business incentives it has to the film industry. He said he is working with the state and has had county supervisor Ramon Valadez on his steering committee to help win county support.
The county declared Old Tucson had defaulted on its lease after two years of missed rent payments. Since then, the county has renegotiated the lease and has received three payments from Old Tucson.
Becky Pallack may be reached at bpallack@azbiz.com or (520) 295-4239.
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