Making movies: Film production grows in Hudson Valley
With it's beautiful scenery, strong creative spirit and closeness to New York City, the mid-Hudson Valley has long drawn artists to the region. In the last decade, the mid-Hudson Valley has been attracting more and more film and television crews, as well. From Academy Award-winning directors and actors to filmmakers looking to depict East Texas, the region has become a magnet for movies, television shows and documentaries.
Film and television production in the Hudson Valley has been growing at a steady clip. And stars such as Tom Cruise, Don Johnson of "Miami Vice" fame, Tina Louise of "Gilligan's Island" and Academy Award-nominee Catherine Keener have spent time in front of the camera here. Their films help drive the economy by creating a demand for accommodations, catering, restaurants and an experienced workforce — actors, musicians and others. The reach of film production has also extended into tourism.
The number of feature films shot in the mid-Hudson Valley has grown by 600 percent from 2003 to 2013, according to Woodstock-based Hudson Valley Film Commission, which works with production companies looking to film in the region. The amount those film crews spent locally grew by nearly 700 percent to almost $8 million in 2013.
Director Jim Mickle shot "Cold in July" in Kingston, Woodstock, Esopus and other locations in Ulster County last year. The film featured Johnson, Michael C. Hall and Sam Shephard and was nearly filmed in Texas.
"My whole pitch, when we optioned this film was, we were going to make it as authentic as possible," said Mickle, who lives in Delaware County. "We were going to depict East Texas. I went to scout there — West Louisiana and East Texas. I kept coming away saying, 'We came all this way and here it looks like upstate New York.' East Texas is very thick with pine trees; it's thick with pine forest; it has a bayou feel. It's got a wet feel and look, specifically the little town at the center of it, Nacogdoches. It sort of has this frozen-in-time feel, like the Stockade district in Kingston."
Regarding Kingston, Mickle said, "I loved the area. I loved shooting there. We didn't want to go somewhere else to recreate this."
Stephen Boone of the City of Poughkeepsie believes film production is an asset to the community.
"This area needs a lot of help," he said. "We need the money and the revenue and everything here. We could use a big shot in the arm."
At the same time, taxpayers are playing roles, although not on the screen. Film production companies, including those that shoot locally, have been taking advantage of a $420 million state tax credit. The state boasted that in 2012, 133 projects that applied for tax breaks were expected to create 126,150 jobs and $2.2 billion in new spending.
Asked for his thoughts on the tax credit, Boone said, "You have to give to get."
Public officials in Dutchess County have recognized the economic impact that film production can have. The Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency, at the recommendation of County Executive Marc Molinaro with Dutchess Tourism, allocated $15,000 annually in 2013 and 2014 to the Hudson Valley Film Commission.
HVFC Director Laurent Rejto said the financial and artistic successes of locally shot films have been achieved despite an extremely competitive industry. The film commission works to attract film production to Dutchess, Ulster, Greene, Columbia, Orange and Delaware counties.
"The fact is, everyone wants a film for their area," Rejto said. "Rochester wants films. Buffalo wants films. Everyone wants the films."
In 2003, the HVFC worked with seven films, with three feature films shot in our region. That year, film production accounted for $1 million in spending. In 2013, the HVFC worked with 112 films, with 21 feature films ending up shot in the Hudson Valley. That year, film production accounted for $7.8 million in spending — with about $4 million of that spent in Dutchess. As of July 20, the HVFC had worked with 84 films, with nine feature films shot in the region this year.
Films shot in the Hudson Valley over that 10-year time span include "War of the Worlds" with Cruise, "Peace, Love & Misunderstanding" with Jane Fonda and Keener and "Taking Woodstock," directed by Ang Lee.
Not to be left out of the picture, television production has also left its mark on the region. Lena Dunham, the creator and star of HBO's "Girls," was in New Paltz in July to film an episode. And filming throughout the Hudson Valley of "Hidden Memories" and "Pawnbroker," for German television, has generated more than $12 million in the region over five years, according to the film commission's figures. The German production company Network Productions based itself in Poughkeepsie.
In 2013, Dutchess County assisted with 31 film projects, according to County Executive Marc Molinaro. For 2014, that figure was 18 by the end of June.
Molinaro said inquiries from filmmakers have routinely followed the launch of new tourism campaigns.
"With film production, with TV production," Molinaro said, "comes not only the attention to the community, the branding, but also the production crews and all those affiliated with production who are staying in hotels, visiting restaurants and, if they had a great experience here, they're going back to their families and colleagues and saying, 'Hey, this place is worth a visit to.' "
According to the film commission, Network Productions has logged thousands of nights staying at the Residence Inn Marriott on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie. And according to Izzac Rabadi, manager for Table Talk Diner on Route 9, which sits a short walk from the Marriott, members of the Network Productions crew have eaten many, many times at his dining establishment. At times, 15-20 people could show up for a single meal.
"It's good for business; it's good for everybody," Rabadi said. "It's good for the whole area."
On the artistic side, five films shot in the Husdon Valley made their debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Among them was "I Origins," parts of which were filmed in Rhinebeck, and "Jamie Marks is Dead," which stars Liv Tyler and was filmed partly in New Hamburg.
A New York City resident at the time, filmmaker David Becker attended his first Woodstock Film Festival in 2006.
Becker, who was looking to move, liked the Hudson Valley so much on that visit to Woodstock, with its proximity to New York City and artistic talent. Within two years he relocated to Saugerties.
In the coming weeks, many will see his recently-completed documentary, "To Be Forever Wild," when it is shown on WMHT in Albany and WNET in Manhattan. The movie's cinematographer, Kazio Sosnowski, graduated from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson and several musicians whose work is featured in the film are Bard graduates.
Originally from Ohio and a graduate of the film school at New York University, Becker embodies many of the traits that have fueled the film industry in the Hudson Valley. His links to New York City, professional training in filmmaking, affection for the natural beauty of our region, on both personal and professional levels, and his use of local film talent all parallel factors that are driving the growth of the film industry in Dutchess and Ulster counties and beyond.
Underscoring a lot for Becker, and his fellow filmmakers, is the Hudson's Valley rich arts legacy, which includes the Hudson River school of art, Byrdcliffe Arts Colony and Woodstock Music and Art Fair. In recent years, that legacy has expanded to include Oscar-winners Lee, Fonda and Paul Newman have traveled to the Hudson Valley to make movies.
"I definitely feel inspired by all of that and just how strong of an artistic community it is," Becker said. "The arts and culture and music are such a part of the way of life up here. You can see so many other independent artists do their thing and learn from them, even if they're not filmmakers."
John W. Barry:jobarry@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4822; Twitter: @JohnBarryPoJo
Feature films shot in the Hudson Valley
9 : 2014, as of July 20
21: 2013
12: 2012
12: 2011
8: 2010
6: 2009
3: 2008
3: 2007
3: 2006
4: 2005
5: 2004
3: 2003
Source: Hudson Valley Film Commission
Film production in the Hudson Valley
Number of films with which the Hudson Valley Film Commission has worked
84: 2014, as of July 20
112: 2013
63: 2012
42: 2011
46: 2010
30: 2009
31: 2008
20: 2007
21: 2006
39: 2005
21: 2004
7: 2003
Source: Hudson Valley Film Commission