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Film commissions are quasi-governmental, non-profit, public organizations that attract motion media production crews (including movies, television, and commercials) to shoot on location in their respective localities, and offer support so that productions can accomplish their work smoothly.
Over 1000 such organizations are active in over 100 countries around the world, mostly in the United States, Europe and Asia. Many of them are organized by local government bodies together with not-for-profit organisations and the like, and serve as the administrative window concerned with attracting and supporting the productions that come to their locality, not only from other parts of their own countries, but from abroad, as well. The Association of Film Commissioners International or AFCI is based in Los Angeles. [1] The mission of the AFCI is to be essential to the advancement and promotion of excellence in the global production of media on location, in an ethical and professional manner, and to this end the organization sets standards and provides professional education, training and business services in the field of Film Commissioning.
The European Film Commissions Network or EUFCN www.eufcn.com is based in Bruxelles. The Asian Film Commissions Network or AFCNet www.afcnet.org gathers now film commissions on the Asian continent.
A major industry event and trade show is the Locations Trade Show which is organised by the AFCI. In 2011 the Locations Show was produced in association with the Producers' Guild of America's Produced By Conference.
Film commissions believe that by attracting productions to their area they can provide direct economic benefit through rental of hotel rooms, locations, vehicles, etc., and indirect economic benefit via the increased exposure of appearing in films and television.
"The first Commission was formed in the United States during the late 1940s. This was in response to the need for film companies to have a local government liaison who could coordinate local services such as police, state troopers and highway patrols, road and highway departments, fire departments, park rangers and all of the other essential municipal and government services for shooting a production on location. As more production companies began to look beyond the limits of a regular production center for realistic and varied locations, more cities and states began to see the need for production coordination liaison." [2]
Film commissions can benefit both the production company and the area they decide to shoot at. The production company can potentially save money by shooting out of state and hiring cheaper below-the-line labor, shooting on location as opposed to building a set in a studio, etc. The economy at the location they shoot at can benefit via profits from hotel rooms, food, gas stations, and any other amenities that the above-the-line labor will use throughout the duration of the filming. [3]
However, shooting out of Hollywood does affect those who still work in Hollywood. Below-the-line workers based in Hollywood have a smaller job market because production continues to move out of state.
Film promotion is the practice of promotion specifically in the film industry, and usually occurs in coordination with the process of film distribution. Sometimes this is called the press junket or film junket. Film promotion generally includes press releases, advertising campaigns, merchandising, franchising, media, and interviews with the key people involved in making the film, such as the film's actors and directors. This process is an important part of any release because of the inherent high financial risk; film studios will invest in expensive marketing campaigns to maximize revenue early in the release cycle. Marketing budgets tend to equal about half the production budget. Publicity is generally handled by the distributor and exhibitors.
Entertainment law, also referred to as media law, is legal services provided to the entertainment industry. These services in entertainment law overlap with intellectual property law. Intellectual property has many moving parts that include trademarks, copyright, and the "right of publicity". However, the practice of entertainment law often involves questions of employment law, contract law, torts, labor law, bankruptcy law, immigration, securities law, security interests, agency, right of privacy, defamation, advertising, criminal law, tax law, International law, and insurance law.
An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies. Independent films are sometimes distinguishable by their content and style and how the filmmakers' artistic vision is realized. Sometimes, independent films are made with considerably lower budgets than major studio films.
The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios, has, since the early 20th century, been a significant influence on the global film industry.
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for work or a project such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists who maintain and represent the images of individuals, rather than representing an entire corporation or business. Publicists are also hired by public figures who want to maintain or protect their image. Publicists brand their clients by getting magazine, TV, newspaper, and website coverage. Most top-level publicists work in private practice, handling multiple clients.
A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video. These groups consist of technical staff and members to produce the media, and are often incorporated as a commercial publisher.
The location manager is a member of the film crew responsible for finding and securing locations to be used, obtaining all fire, police and other governmental permits, and coordinating the logistics for the production to complete its work. They are also the public face of the production, and responsible for addressing issues that arise due to the production's impact on the community.
A co-production is a joint venture between two or more different production companies for the purpose of film production, television production, video game development, and so on. In the case of an international co-production, production companies from different countries are working together.
Cinema International Corporation (CIC) was a film distribution company started by Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures in the early 1970s to distribute the two studios' films outside the United States – it even operated in Canada before it was considered part of the "domestic" market. During the 1970s, CIC was the "most important agent of overseas distribution" for American films. In 1981, CIC merged with United Artists' international units and became United International Pictures. The formation of CIC, and the profit-sharing arrangement that made it work, has been described as the product of "revolutionary thinking".
The New Hampshire Film and Television Office is a government agency of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is a member of the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI). The office existed as early as 1983, but was then dormant for over a decade until being revived in 1998.
The film industry in Connecticut, which previously consisted of small production companies making commercials, industrial films and some television programs, began growing dramatically as a state tax credit went into effect in 2006, attracting numerous filmmakers to shoot on location in the state.
Manitoba Film and Music (MFM), officially Manitoba Film & Sound Recording Development Corporation, is the primary support for the film and television sector of Manitoba, and runs the provincial film commission. As a Crown corporation, it is funded by the provincial government through the Department of Sport, Culture and Heritage.
Ancillary markets are non-theatrical markets for feature films, like home video, television, Pay Per View, VOD, Internet streaming, airlines and others.
A script market is the system in which a screenwriter and producer engage in the buying and selling of a script for the film and television industries. The process of selling a script may begin with the pitch, however since the end of the 1980s the ability to pitch a film to producers has greatly depended on the notoriety of the screenwriter. One reason attributed to this effect is that studios are looking for the next big hit, but scared to take a chance on a script that doesn’t meet a pre-established formula guaranteed to make money since no one knows what will work. The majority of scripts are read by studio interns and others, who give the scripts a “consider”, “pass”, or “recommend” status, with most scripts receiving a “pass” rating. However, an agent who's signed the Artists-Managers Agreement drawn up by the Writers Guild of America can submit scripts to producers directly. Agents try to create buzz in the script market using spec script. With everyone in the entertainment industry trying to pursue the million-dollar dream, and Hollywood so desperate for new material ideas, the script market functions and business practices have been pursued in the spec script manner.
Association of Film Commissioners International(AFCI) is worldwide network of more than 360 commissions from 40 countries on every continent except Antarctica. The AFCI represents trained, experienced and professional Film Commissioners and their offices and staff, sets standards and provides professional education, offers training and business services in the field of Film Commissioning, and provides regular marketing and network opportunities in Hollywood and around the world for Film Commissions.
The Royal Film Commission – Jordan (RFC) was established to develop an internationally competitive Jordanian film industry.
The Vienna Film Commission is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the local film industry. As a free of charge service by the City of Vienna it supports national and international film and TV productions that aim to shoot feature films, TV shows, documentaries, commercials or student films in Vienna.
The Thailand Film Office is a Thai government agency that supports and facilitates foreign film production teams in Thailand and acts as an information center for foreign film production crew. The TFO's main objectives are as follows:
The Malta Film Commission is a quasi-governmental, non-profit, public organization based in Malta. Their primary purpose is to attract film productions to come to Malta for the benefit of the maltese economy. Its offices are located at the Malta Film Studios in Kalkara. The first proposal for a film commission was lobbied by Malcolm Scerri-Ferrante in 1997. The commission was then created as a film liaison office in 1999. Over the 22 years it has been operating, numerous financing incentives have been presented in 2005, 2008 and in 2014. The current film commissioner is Johann Grech. The implementation of new strategy has led to a large growth in the industry, with over 50 productions filmed in Malta resulting in more than €200 million being injected into Malta's economy via these incentives. The Film Commission also provides support for smaller film services within the country. Recently, the commission have organized the first edition of the Malta Film Awards. They were held on the 29th January 2022.
The film industry of Malta consists primarily of location shooting for larger foreign productions. The Maltese landscape has portrayed several different regions of the world, and the Maltese government provides incentives for foreign productions to operate in Malta. The prevalence of location shooting in the country has created a large film tourism industry. Malta has also had a limited number of local productions of Maltese films.
The following are websites that aggregate film commissions 1,100+ film commissions.