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CONTENTS 13

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Oahu’s Advantage: An 29 Hawaiian Media Makers Invaluable Combination of Developing Hawaiian Crew, Equipment, Handbook for Producers Locations and Access

13 Kong Roars to Life 19 Maui County Film Update 22 UTA Indie Starring Matt Dillon and Jim Caviezel Wraps on Hawaii Island

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Behind the scenes of indie film Inquisitor, which filmed on Maui recently. Photos by Brad Starks

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Oahu’s Advantage: An Invaluable Combination of Crew, Equipment, Locations and Access John Goodman on the set of Kong: Skull Island.

eteran location manager Ilt Jones, whose credits include Inception, the Transformer franchise, Iron Man 3, The Dark Knight Rises, Spectral and now Kong: Skull Island, will go to the ends of the earth to find the right locations for a project—stunning locations that weave seamlessly into the fabric of the tale and transport the viewer into another world. I asked him what had him focus on Hawaii for Kong: Skull Island. The answer—

Location manager Ilt Jones at one of the film's featured locations, Kualoa Ranch.

Oahu and Kauai fit the bill perfectly with just the right mix of four critical elements: crew, equipment and stunning locations that are accessible made all the difference. Kong is Jones’ first jungle picture and despite his enviable resume, he had never worked on a film in Hawaii. “When I learned I was going to do a jungle picture, I called [another veteran location manager] Mike

Fantasia, who said, ‘You’ll look all over the world and in the end you’ll end up doing all or most of it in Hawaii’ and he was right,” said Jones. Enumerating the positives, Jones said, “You have great crews, friendly and knowledgeable film commissions, a variety of looks that are easily accessible and are only a short flight from L.A.—it all makes

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Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (left) and the cast prep for a scene in Kong.

Stars Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson on set in Hawaii's jungles.

Emmy Award Winner Sundance Award Winner Billboard Music Award Winner Na Hoku Hanohano Award Winner 2014-2015 AAF Pele Award Winner Hawaii Music Award Winner 2307 WINTER’S DREAM Movie 2016!

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sense.” Couple that with a generous rebate program and you have a good, strong, competitive, winning combination. “As the old saying goes,” said Jones, “we’re not making a movie, we are making a budget.” “The thing that benefits [the industry] greatly on Oahu is that you can get into the jungle. If you scout other places, they look great but when you try getting a large company in there, it is very challenging. Being able to insert 150 people in a jungle setting is easily done on Oahu and Hawaii in general. You can get to places and there are first world facilities minutes away. There are a lot of great looks all around the world, but for it to really work for production, those four critical elements need to be met and Hawaii has all of those things—crew, equipment, looks and access.” Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts wanted an exotic look and Hawaii meshed very well with other exotic locations used in the film. The production crew went on to shoot short bits in Australia and Vietnam. “When it came to finding the locations, we weren’t reinventing the wheel. Just like in Downtown L.A., which is used for a myriad of movies and television, the same thing applies in the jungle; we found our unique angles. We were also able to gain knowledge and experience from the locations themselves. John Morgan at Kualoa Ranch in particular was user-friendly and his extensive knowledge was a huge plus. Dillingham Ranch was the same. Their crews worked with our crew and it helped us tremendously. They were incredibly user-friendly, considering how big we were… there were a number of logistical conundrums that we were able to work through quite successfully thanks to their expertise. And working with key local crew, like veteran local location manager Randy Spangler who has 40 years of experience in Hawaii, was invaluable to understand how to ‘be’ in the jungle—I’m from a small town in Wales where you don’t have a lot of jungles…” Jones quipped. When asked who is Hawaii’s biggest competition, Jones said quickly, “Thailand… but Hawaii comes up to the top because, while Thailand has amazing looks, it is a long, long ways away, there are difficulties from language and cultural differences… There is much

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to commend, but it is more difficult.” And what about Australia? “The really exotic jungle there has many of the world’s most frightening creatures and you just can’t put actors in the water like you can in Vietnam and Hawaii. They do have stage space and that was the reason for us going there, and there is no real barrier with language or culture, but locations are limited.” He continued, “The breadth of choice in Hawaii is astonishing. And you must fill the full range of criteria in order for it to be optimal. I don’t think there is anywhere better to fulfill those criteria as successfully as Hawaii does.” To best build upon that strong foundation, Jones said, “stages would help tremendously. We went to Australia because there were stages available. You need to be able to run to cover and benefit from the economies of scale keeping the same crew and such. I am in Georgia now because of budget. If there was a way to create more

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts on set.

choices of equipment and facilities, and also deepen the already great crews Hawaii has, the more competitive you will become. It all boils down to economics.” Would Jones return to the islands on another project? “100 percent,” he said

enthusiastically. “I learned a lot, including of Hawaii’s user-friendliness. It was an education for me and I echo Mike Fantasia’s sentiments. I don’t know where else in the world you can combine all these things. It was just a great experience for me.” HFV

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KONG

ROARS TO LIFE

A LOCAL’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE HAWAII-SHOT CREATURE FEATURE

Actor Samuel L. Jackson films a scene for the Hawaii-shot blockbuster Kong: Skull Island.

The Kong crew constructed a ship on the tarmac of an airfield. The VFX team then created the effect of the ship sailing on the ocean utilizing giant green screens. Photos by Renee Confair

ong: Skull Island was a mega-movie. The 1st Unit crew size in Hawaii was approximately 280 people, plus extras. The 2nd Unit crew was approximately 170, which included many stunt people and very few extras. Skull Island hired hundreds of Hawaii crew and cast, plus worked with many local vendors. I had the opportunity to work as the Production Supervisor for the Hawaii portion. The bulk of the film shot in Hawaii from October 2015 through December 2015. They then moved to Australia in January 2016 to film for a few weeks, and afterwards to Vietnam. We never called the show King Kong, or Skull Island. It was known as Titan. Most

Actor Tom Hiddleston (right) films a scene with the Kong crew. Pictured at far left is director Jordan Vogt-Roberts.

features or TV shows have a working title, probably to ensure secrecy to the project. The VFX department stole the show. Their work was incredible. They created Kong, along with the other giant creatures and many elements that made the

film spectacular. The ‘Athena ship’ was built by construction and riggers on the tarmac of an airfield. The stern deck house of the ship was built with 16 40-foot containers stacked together. VFX put ocean where there was

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Stars Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson.

green screen so you thought you were sailing to the island. One of the pieces of green screen measured 120 feet by 30 feet long. 2nd Unit shot all the action work, including stunts, helicopters, etc. Much of the 2nd Unit team came off of the Fast & Furious 7 production. I renamed this unit the ‘Green Beret, Navy Seal Assault Unit’ because they were a force to be reckoned with under the leadership of 2nd Unit Director Spiro Razatos. Skull Island had five of the best helicopter pilots in the movie business. I remember

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Helicopters fly overhead for a Kong action sequence. Photo by Renee Confair

one day complimenting the lead pilot on remarkable flying, and said, “This must be a normal day to you.” He said that in fact it was “not normal” and indicated the flying maneuvers were quite remarkable. Not all helicopters were based in Hawaii; we had to

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ship them in from Washington, Maui and elsewhere. My memory recalls five helicopters, and then VFX worked their magic to create more. Another spectacular moment was ‘fire lake,’ created at Kualoa Ranch. The SFX Department and the Electric Department were the geniuses behind those scenes. All in all, the film had many memorable moments on and off the screen. It was a pleasure to be part of the production. HFV Kong: Skull Island is currently in theaters.

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Moronai Kanekoa and Vene Chun (of Maui) on the set of Brian Kohne’s Kuleana, filmed on Maui. Photo by Jack Grace

Maui County

Film Update BY TRACY BENNETT Maui County Film Commissioner

016 was a successful year in Maui County, having generated 56 commercial, print ad, reality and TV show shoots.

Our crews had a busy year working on MTV’s Are You the One?, several commercials for Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Tommy Bahama, Chase Bank, HTA, Athleta and HydroFlask, as well as Stefan Schaefer’s comedy pilot Surf Break Hotel and Brian Kohne’s local feature-length film, Kuleana. Kohne is currently finishing post-production on Kuleana and should be making the film festival rounds soon, along with digital distribution. Also ready to go public is Inquisitor, a feature film shot in-part in Maui in 2014. Frequent visitor Hawaii Life on HGTV continues to highlight the islands, and Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network filmed at six different restaurants and food trucks

Scenes from the Maui-shot feature film Inquisitor. Top: Maui actor Richard "Sananda" Teston landed the role of the mysterious Shaman in the action adventure film. Middle: Playing the part of high priest, Brad Starks, along with Maui actors John Henry and Buckey York on location at Old Maui High School. Bottom: Actors Robbie Allen and Jim Oxborrow. Photos by Brad Starks hawaiifilmandvideo.com • ISSUE ONE 2017

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around Maui. While Maui has yet to land a major studio feature film or TV series, we strive to train and vet our crews, and build an infrastructure to be more appealing to the studios. Grip and Lighting company MBS has partnered with Pan Pacific Studios, formerly known as Maui Film Studios, and the 23,000-square-foot soundstage is open for business. Our goal remains to strengthen our crew base and assist in training non-union crews to perfect their craft and become eligible to join the Local 665 and Screen Actors Guild, growing and building membership statewide. HFV

Inquisitor director Harry Locke IV (right) and director of photography Sean Addo. Photo by Brad Starks

For more information, visit www.filmmaui.com. On the set of Inquisitor . Photo by Brad Starks

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UTA Indie Starring Matt Dillon and Jim Caviezel Wraps on Hawaii Island BY JUSTIN FINESTONE Hawaii Island Film Commissioner

ilmmaker David L. Cunningham (To End All Wars, Path to 9/11, The Seeker) knows Hawaii Island features some amazing locations because he grew up here. “Hawaii Island has the potential to be a thriving film hub,” he explained. “It has 11 of the 13 climate zones for every type of look, significant tax rebates and growing local crew and facilities.” In fact, Cunningham wrapped principal photography here in November of his indie feature Jo, The Medicine Runner. “We are thrilled that Jo demonstrates

Hawaii Island filmmaker David L. Cunningham (left) with actors Matt Dillon and Jim Caviezel on the set of Jo, The Medicine Runner.

the viability of homegrown Hawaii Island filmmaking,” Cunningham added. More than 60 percent of the crew of 75 were from Hawaii Island, with almost

Jumanji filmed at this Hilo-area location in November, pumping dollars into the local economy.

With 11 climate zones spread over 4,028 square miles, the

perfect locations await you on Hawai‘i Island.

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200 people on set for the largest day. In fact, all development and production was done on the island and all post-production will continue locally, as well. Helmed by Cunningham and produced with producer Edwin Marshall (After.Life, To End All Wars, After…), Jo, The Medicine Runner is set in the Kona coffee belt of Hawaii’s segregated 1920s plantation era. Jo, a homeless orphan of mixed race, is taken in by the newly arrived doctor played by Oscar-nominated Matt Dillon (Crash, There’s Something About Mary, The Outsiders). Ryan Potter of Big Hero 6 plays Jo, who must compete for the love of the plantation owner’s daughter with the rival doctor Reyes, played by Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line, The Passion, Person of Interest). The film features locations in both east and west Hawaii, including Kealakekua, Captain Cook, Hilo, Wailea Town and Honua Studios in Kona. United Talent Agency’s Independent division packaged the film and represents sales. Casting director is Beverly Holloway. Christian Parkes wrote the original screenplay, with Cunningham adapting

it for Hawaii. Jo, The Medicine Runner is the second successful Hawaii-based feature film or TV project from the GVS Accelerator, led by Cunningham. The public/private partnership is funded by the state, County of Hawaii and private investors (www. gvsaccelerator.com). With a multi-million-dollar budget spent on Hawaii Island, the film highlights the positive impact the industry has on the local economy. The production created a total of 175 jobs and supported an esti-

mated 875 more. Also in November, Jumanji (starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black) spent time filming north of Hilo, just a few miles from the set of Jo, The Medicine Runner, bringing more dollars to the island’s economy. These are just two successful examples of why Hawaii Island is a premier production location. To find out more, visit us at www.hawaiiislandfilm.com, or look for us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. HFV Jo, The Medicine Runner< filmed all over Hawaii Island, creating 175 jobs and making a positive impact on the local economy.

With 11 climate zones spread over 4,028 square miles, the

perfect locations await you on Hawai‘i Island.

hawaiiislandfilm.com (808) 961-8366 hawaiiislandfilm

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Locations/Production Management Production Coordinator Features • Commercials • T.V. Music Videos

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Casting*Kauai Angela Tillson PO Box 1405 Kapaa, HI 96746-7405 (808)823-0105 Phone • (808)635-3710 Cell E-mail: angela@aloha.net

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Kauai Blossoms with Film Activity

The Inaugural Neighbor Island Transmedia Ideation Weekend held on Kauai at the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club. (l to r) Michael Palmieri, Executive Director – Creative Labs Hawaii; Randy Francisco; Sue Kanoho, Kauai Visitors Bureau; Georja Skinner, Chief, Creative Industries Branch – Hawaii Film Office; and Neal Shusterman, Jeff Gomez and Steve Fisher, Presenters, TIW.

BY RANDY FRANCISCO Creative Industries (Film) Specialist, County of Kauai

loha from the Garden Island of Kauai! Stop by at Booth 601 at this year’s AFCI Global Finance & Trade Show in L.A. (where you can smell the aroma of freshly brewed Hawaiian coffees)! 2016-2017 Data Update The Garden Island enjoyed a good year of film-related activity in the first nine months of the current fiscal year that began July 1, 2016, and ends on June 30, 2017. Through March, there were 18 proj-

ects including 80 production days and 75 Kauai professionals hired out of 221 total production crew (34%). This resulted in $1,287,800 of County of Kauai approved film permits with an Economic Multiplier of $23,051 (1.79% of $1,287,800). The permits divided into the following categories: 1 Feature Film; 1 Television Show/ Series; 7 (34%) Commercial/Print Ads; 5 (14%) Documentaries; 3 Travel; and 1 Sports production. This is in comparison to all of fiscal year 2016, when there were 28 projects that had 161 production days, 92 Kauai local crew, and $886,000 in approved film permits issued by the County of Kauai. These figures do not include State of Hawaii Film Office approved film permits and private sector

locations use. Kauai Film Industry Networking Event at Kauai Community College & Creative Media Program Update An industry meeting and networking event held at the end of February co-hosted by Kauai Community College provided attendees updates and information about the industry. Dr. Helen Cox, Chancellor of KCC, provided a very warm welcome to attendees and emphasized the importance of partnerships and collaboration between the college and industry, and the larger goal of providing students opportunities to become the next generation of professionals in the sector. Stephen Watkins, instructor and new full-time faculty member, was also intro-

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duced. He presented the college’s newest Associate of Science Degree program in Creative Media, which officially begins in fall 2017, in addition to the current Certificate programs. Afterwards, he led a tour of the new Creative Media Lab & Classroom located in the Art and Humanities Building. Stephen also introduced Serge Marcil and Gary Ellwood as other affiliate lecturer members in the department. Visit the website at www. kauai.hawaii.edu/creativemedia to learn more about the program. Creative Lab Hawaii’s (CLH) Transmedia Ideation Weekend – Kauai This first neighbor island initiative launched on the weekend of March 10-11, designed and customized for individuals who have an idea, concept, a fully developed story, script or other content (a book, a play, a pitch, etc.). As part of the State’s outreach efforts to the neighbor islands, it was specifically for attendees who were interested in taking the next steps in having their intellectual property developed, produced, sold or distributed across multiple platforms (motion pictures, television,

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games, web-series, publishing, etc.). The CLH Weekend was an intensive, curated, two-day “boot camp” at the beautiful Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club for 30 creative entrepreneurs who are dedicated to furthering their craft and taking it to the production phase. The event was a partnership of the State of Hawaii – Department of Business Economic Development & Tourism: Creative Industries Branch, Kauai Economic Development Board, Kauai Visitors Bureau, Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club, and County of Kauai, and was led by Michael Andres Palmieri, Executive Director of CLH. November 2016 Garden Island Film Festival The goal of the festival was to showcase Kauai and Hawaii filmmakers’ projects that highlighted Hawaii and related experiences as seen through the lens and stories of each filmmaker. The festival also encouraged the use of video-digital technology as a means of storytelling and as a valuable tool of sharing island culture and customs. Additionally, six locations throughout Kauai were used to screen the films and thus held

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Mayor Carvalho and The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort team at the launch of the 2016 Garden Island Film Festival hosted by the Westin.

for the convenience of the attendees in their local community. The locations were a result of partnerships with business and community groups. The audience at each screening also had the opportunity to meet and interact first-hand with filmmakers, directors, writers and producers, and ask questions about their project. Filmmakers included Stephanie Castillo, Teresa Tico, Elliot Lucas, Gloria Borland and the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye’s son, Daniel Ken Inouye, Jr. HFV Visit www.filmkauai.com for more information.

Hawaiian Media Makers

Developing Hawaiian Handbook for Producers

Molokai filmmaker Matt Yamashita shooting Greg Solatorio for his film Sons of Halawa. Photo by Mickey Pauole

On set at Kukaniloko, the royal birthing stones outside Wahiawa, Oahu for the film Piko. Photo by Pita Gurr Jr.

BY LEANNE KA‘IULANI FERRER Executive Director, Pacific Islanders in Communications

he biggest initiative to come out of the Hawaiian Media Makers Conference (HMMC) this past November was the blueprint for the first ever Hawaiian Handbook: A Cultural Protocol Guide for Media Makers in the Hawaiian Islands. The first HMMC that was held in November 2014 included a large delegation of Maori filmmakers and television producers from Aotearoa, to collaborate with our Hawaiian media professionals. These Maori filmmakers shared with us their success in developing a very effective production tool, a producer’s cultural and protocol guide from a native perspective called The Brown Book that has been championed and distributed by the New Zealand Film Commission and used throughout Aotearoa by producers from around the world. Our reason for developing a comparable handbook to the New Zealand model is simple: the more producers know about Hawaii, its culture, its people and its environment, the more successful their experiences are going to be and the more authentic their projects will become. The Hawaii media industry recognizes the tremendous economic opportunity for Hawaii when films and other media content are produced in our islands.

Because there is ongoing concern about the accurate portrayal of Native Hawaiians, as well as culturally appropriate behaviors of producers Leanne Ferrer and crews while working in Hawaii, the Hawaiian Handbook will provide outside producers with local resources and information to increase understanding of cultural protocols and Hawaii’s storied past. Knowledge gathered from Hawaiian cultural experts will convey what is Hawaii and what is Hawaiian. This will yield a more accurate portrayal of Hawaiians and Hawaiian culture in media. We plan to work together to establish guidelines and protocols for doing work in a culturally appropriate way when filming or producing here in Hawaii. The project is a grassroots manifestation of community members collaborating over issues of importance to Native Hawaiian culture and media, and seeks to advance the community of Hawaiian media makers to help inspire pride and self-determination within the Native Hawaiian community. The greater community of Hawaii will only benefit from this. The Hawaiian Handbook will be a comprehensive guide from the kanaka maoli perspective offering information on Native Hawaiian cultural context, wise practices, appropriate approvals, culturally based protocol, and an overall better understand-

ing of why Hawaii is so unique. We established four important goals for the Hawaiian Handbook: 1. Create a reference guide for Native Hawaiian media makers to collaborate and share best practices for engaging culturally accurate content. 2. Work together to establish guidelines and protocols for doing work in a culturally appropriate way when filming or producing here in Hawaii. 3. Collaborate with community members and stakeholders to promote the industry as a whole and capture larger opportunities to bring back to Hawaii. 4. Provide a means to identify and list a collective of Hawaiian media makers for industry use as a go-to guide for media aggregators and producers. Our intent for the handbook is to be inclusive. We plan to use it as a protocol guide for all filmmakers, visiting and locally based, to understand how to work appropriately with the people and culture of Hawaii, so it is a treasured and valuable resource for everyone making media in Hawaii. We also plan to use the handbook to develop curriculum for media students from secondary to university levels. To demonstrate the importance of this issue, for the first time this Legislative session a bill was introduced that speaks specifically to the need for cultural and environmental sensitivity and ties that mandate to the production’s ability to claim the tax credit. Among the key points made in the proposed language:

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• Provide evidence of ability to understand and navigate cultural and environmental sensitivities unique to Hawaii; • Provide evidence of recognition of cultural and environmental sensitivities, including those regarding: a) Public lands adjacent to communities who have concerns about using the area for filming; b) Nature preserves, wildlife sanctuaries, or areas that are homes to endangered marine life; c) Ancient burial sites; d) Forested areas containing ancient taro terraces, religious temples, or other

Family Ingredients Host Chef Ed Kenney (front R) share their family favorite, poi and poke, with his mom Beverly Noa (front L). Photo by Heather Giugni

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archaeological sites; e) Natural area reserves, marine reserves, Iolani Palace, Washington Place, Mauna Ala, the King Kamehameha statue in Honolulu, and Ali‘iolani Hale; and f) Endangered marine mammals and other species; • Provide evidence of reasonable efforts to comply with the guidelines for filming in sensitive locations established by the Hawaii Film Office; • Employ or contract for the services of cultural resources or historical, cultural, or language experts to advise the production. In an effort to take advantage of the hard work of scholars and experts who have already developed culturally relevant sources, we plan to use existing documents such as the Paoakalani Declaration, developed by the Pa‘i Foundation; the Ma‘e Ma‘e project, developed by the Hawaii Tourism Authority; Huki Like ‘Ana, A Call To Action, a project developed by the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association; and participation from many other Hawaiian cultural practitioners, language and history experts. The backbone of the project will be a digital platform so producers can glean

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(L-R) Ikaika Ito, Rebecca Soon, Donne Dawson (Hawaii State Film Commissioner) and Dr. Kawika Tengan following a panel on Hawaiian Culture in Film at the 2016 Hawaiian Media Makers Conference. Photo by Ashley Smith Photo

the essential information they need to move forward on a given production and possibly dig deeper into certain subjects via digital links to comprehensive cultural and historical information about Hawaii. HFV Leanne Ka‘iulani Ferrer has over 30 years of experience in the film and television industry. She is an award-winning filmmaker who previously worked for Disney Films, PBS Hawaii, and 1013 Integrated, Hawaii’s longest running full-service production company.