Author: Eric Porterfield
Since arriving in Buffalo three years ago to start Buffalo Film League, there has been a lot of talk about the future of the film industry in WNY. From Ninja Turtles to small indie projects, the sparks of opportunity have been there, but have yet to stay aflame.
I have a great many friends in other parts of the country who look at Buffalo and believe – rightfully so – that the city’s affordability, creativity, middle class lifestyle, youthful population, remarkable locations and untapped potential make this one of the best places to live and work as a filmmaker.
And they are right. So what’s the real issue? Why don’t they bring the work here? It’s not the cold, as some claim. (Filmmakers will live anywhere the work is. Hell, some even live in Hollywood.) It’s not the lack of a glamorous lifestyle. (Most filmmakers own one nice dress or suit, and it is usually from Goodwill and more than ten years old.)
No, it is the lack of a core industry represented by people. People they can talk to about jobs daily. (Most film folks are freelance, so this is critical.) People they can argue for hours with over the virtues of C-mounts versus PL-mounts, 4k versus film. People they can come to know professionally so when it comes time to do the work, they can easily assess who to recommend and who to not recommend.
Film is all about the people doing 99% of the work.
You see, film is all about the people doing 99% of the work. Not the tax credits. Not the movie stars. Not Ryan Seacrest. It is about who you know. Go figure.
But what about the tax credits? Aren’t they important? Won’t they reel in the projects from California and New York? Maybe. Maybe not.
Tax credits are fine, in the short-term, but their lasting value has come under harsh scrutiny and criticism in places like Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Alaska and Nova Scotia – hotbeds for small and large productions. In fact, in the past five years, they have all reined in, or eliminated entirely, their tax credit programs. Why? Because tax credits alone are a panacea. They mean little or nothing if there is no coordination with the labor force.
I mention all of this because the minute my wife and I arrived here, we saw what many others did in our field. A place surrounded by water, seasons, wonderful and diverse architecture, parks, and a city with some attitude. We were certain this was the biggest back lot in America. So, why don’t more features and TV pilots shoot in Buffalo and hire locals to work on these productions?
Buffalo needs to invest in the great wealth of talent it has in its own backyard.
Because producers gravitate to affordable cities that reduce their costs and the time it takes to identify highly-qualified production resources – mostly labor. Cities that cater to smaller films ($250k-$1M+) need to do a lot more than provide hotels, restaurants, and people who can do more than carry their bags or deliver their food or drive them around.
In short, Buffalo needs to invest in the great wealth of talent it has in its own backyard. Sure, it needs a real soundstage or two as well, but how often do smaller films use soundstages? Rarely.
When we started Buffalo Film League, we asked a fundamental question: Who is going to be the hero of the story about Buffalo’s film renaissance? Who is going to convince the guy they meet on a plane or on a shoot in Halifax to come to Buffalo and make their next film?
You got it. The hero of this story will be that man or woman who is flying home to Buffalo on a red-eye – wondering why they just spent a month away from their kid or boyfriend in the Hollywood jungle – and knows exactly what I am saying.
The film industry is more diverse and less problematic than it has ever been. More small films are making it to the big screen, and more second-tier cities are participating in a generational opportunity to create strong and lasting film enterprises in their own back yard.
And because some of the most talented people in the industry (from directors to DPs, musicians to artists) live right here in WNY, it might just be time to formally call a meeting, hand out some pitchforks and blazing torches, deputize some scary looking folks with really scary looking tattoos, drag in some HDMI lights, fire up the cameras and shoot the first scene of our own rags-to-riches story.
It all starts with people. People who will fight to bring the work here – one of the greatest cities in America. People who dream for a living and then bring those dreams to life.
Yes indeed, the heroes of Buffalo’s film renaissance are ready for their close-up.
Eric Porterfield is a Emmy-nominated writer/director and a founder of Buffalo Film League – a film consortium located in The Wurlitzer Building in North Tonawanda and company behind “Buffalo Hates You Too: A Love Story.” For more information about Buffalo Film League, email kelly@buffalofilmleague.com or visit www.buffalofilmleague.com.