C
A
R
I
B
B
E
A
N
C
R
E
A
T
I
V
E
S
Number of days it takes to begin ?lming
Firstly, some commissions encourage the employment of local services but others speci?cally express this obligation and provide incentives based upon the ful?lment of these requirements. The requirement to hire a local production manager who is a Belizean citizen or legal resident indicates a dedication to strengthen the local industry. Jamaica’s ?lm commission mandates the hiring of local production companies in which a list is available on their site: “Overseas companies are expected to source ?lm crews from Jamaica before bringing in personnel from abroad.” (Jamaica Film Commission, 2007). Secondly, The Cayman Islands, Dominica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago require ?lm crews to complete an expenditure report of the goods and services purchased in the country. In The Cayman Islands, the report should detail the number of days spent at the hotel, funds spent on catering, supplies and other services utilised locally. In Dominica, production companies are required to report all funds spent on services and goods in Dominica seven days before departure. Given this requirement, the Dominican government was able to document the revenue from Pirates of the Caribbean. 500 Dominicans were hired which generated US$ 1 million; however, Dominica overall earned US$ 18 million. Speci?cally, US$ 400, 000 was spent on telecommunications, US$ 300, 000 on security forces and a whopping US$ 3.7 million went towards accommodation. (Nurse, 2007). The Puerto Rico budget for ?lming of the Rum Diary was US$19 million, US$901, 050 was spent on accommodation for 6, 007 nights. Puerto Ricans were also employed as creative personnel and for providing other services such as catering; 7, 242 jobs were created. Trinidad has an exhaustive expenditure form that covers a broad range of local services. The enforcement of these requirements in the various countries is debateable. However, the Cayman Islands have developed a system that encourages employment of local services and the submission of a detailed expenditure report. The commission offers ?lm crews a 30% rebate on quali?ed expenditure, provided that a detailed report of the funds paid for local services is presented. Only the commissions in Dominica, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago have requirements like those seen in the Cayman Islands. In order to have consistent responses, ?lm commissions should, in accordance to their country’s international obligations, attach requirements to their incentives. Nonetheless, the approaches by the commissions are forward thinking as it seeks to provide employment and capture the economic impact of each production in their respective country. Most of the regional commissions employ a pull strategy where their services are catered to invite foreign ?lm crews. The ?lm commissions in Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago diverge from this view as they offer considerable ?nancial support to local ?lm producers through production assistance grants and technical assistance. Puerto Rican residents, under the Film Fund, can receive funding for the development of their business and ?nancing for short, feature length ?lms, documentaries and other educational activities related to ?lm. A maximum of US$ 50, 000 is allocated for business development while US$1.2 million or 80% of the ?lm budget can be ?nanced by the commission. Firstly, 60% of the budget for the ?lm can be ?nanced by the commission on the condition that 40% of the project is completed; the 60/40 scheme. Secondly, ?nancing of up to US $10, 000 is available for short ?lms. Alternatively, the ?lm commission would buy the local distribution rights of the short ?lm at no more than US $10, 000. The crews are required to submit an application, a business plan, ?nancial statements and a license to operate as a ?lm company. Open calls are made for interested applicants; the open call in January 2010 attracted 26 ?lmmakers and the commission is now exploring biannual open calls for business development and ?nancing. Additionally, IBERMEDIA, a coalition of Latin American countries, including Spain and Portugal, promotes co-production, funding, distribution and exhibitions amongst the countries. For a period of 13 years, the programme has facilitated ?lming across the region in an attempt to integrate the regional industry. Technical support such as training in the use and development of new techniques and knowledge exchange is also facilitated via the programme. The Trinidad and Tobago Film Company has a production assistance and scriptwriting developing programme for nationals and residents only. An annual award is granted to assist in developing creativity with the overall aim of stimulating employment.
Volume 1 September - November 2010
www.creativeindustriesexchange.org
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