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The Filming and Marketing of Home Again
Lisa Wickham MBA [email protected]
The footprint, budget and complexity of the ?lm were huge. The operation and discipline, akin to a military camp and the set up, as transient as a circus. In the end, the Canadian ?lm Home Again was perhaps one of the most signi?cant projects in recent times to impact on the ?lm industry in Trinidad and Tobago, and the wider Caribbean. The levels of impact varied and knowledge and money were transferred, with far reaching multiplier e?ects extending way beyond the immediate spend on cast and crew. Crucially, the CDN$4M production demonstrated how Caribbean companies and producers might ?nd creative and mutually bene?cial ways to partner on ?lm projects. In August 2011, lured by an attractive 35% rebate o?ered by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, the Canadian team of Jennifer Holness, Writer-Producer and Sudz Sutherland, Co-Writer and Director, visited the country. Their mission was to determine whether it could pass for Jamaica, the original location for the shoot. The Government rebate was o?ered through the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company, Trinidad doubled for Jamaica (TTFC) and the rest is now a treasured narrative in the recent history of Caribbean ?lm. Home Again , ?lmed in over 20 di?erent locations across Trinidad tells the story of three young people deported from metropolitan cities back to their home country of Jamaica, from Toronto (Tatyana Ali), London (Stephan James) and New York, (Lyriq Bent). The three are landed in Jamaica and must ?nd ways to survive in an environment they no longer understand having all left by the age of 4. The mission began to ?lm the CDN$1.2M/TT$6.4M movie in the twin-isle Republic. The full budget was just under CDN$4M with a CDN$1.2 spend in Trinidad and Tobago. A team of 37 Canadians moved to Trinidad for just over 2 months and a local crew of 100 people was hired. The producers brought in only 8 Principal actors and hired about 80 local ones as day actors or for one-liners. With over 1,000 extras in over 20 locations in the country, the team proceeded to produce a high quality Hollywoodtype ?lm.
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Large sums were pumped into the economy in a concentrated period of time to accommodate the team for 3 months. Other services were provided by both the public and private sectors to keep the production running e?ciently and e?ectively. The Police Service supplied security for the entire production as well as the wrangling of ?rearms during scenes requiring weapons. The Fire Service supervised the use of special e?ects and explosives, which were cleared by Immigration and Customs. Permit fees to City Corporations were paid for the use of public land spaces. The Airport Authority was contracted as the old Piarco International Airport at the South Terminal, was the location for the opening and closing scenes. O?ce space was rented from the private sector. Vehicles, trucks, o?ce furniture and equipment were rented and/ or purchased. Private homes and buildings were leased as sets, their occupants relocated to guesthouses and pets to pet hotels. Locations were painted and then repainted to their original states. Thousands of dollars were spent on dress for the diverse number of sets. Vehicles were rented as picture cars. Animals (goats and dogs) were hired. The production o?ce space had to be wired for telephone lines and the installation of over 24 telephone extensions along with the purchase of as many mobile phones, with accompanying usage fees.
continued on page 31 Volume 5: July - September 2013
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