No Place Like Home

Coming to a theatre near you; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role of a lifetime. From the man who saved the world from evil robots hell-bent on human extinction and brought you the current California budget crisis comes his latest effort to save the entertainment industry and in turn, the economy.

With California on the brink of diving $20 billion in debt, Schwarzenegger continues his desperate scramble to once again become the hero and find a solution that will work.

The California film industry has fallen victim to "runaway productions," - when a film or TV series leaves the country or state to shoot elsewhere. Most recently, shows such as 'Ugly Betty' and 'Fringe' have left California for states with better filming incentives such as New York and New Mexico.

In a state that relies so heavily on this industry, studio executives hurt local businesses as well as cause money and job losses when they move productions away. Studios no longer rent from local equipment companies or patronize surrounding businesses.

"We got to take care of our own," said Valley College Media Arts Department Chair and filmmaker, Eric Swelstad. "California has to start thinking about how to help Californians get jobs here locally."

Since his 2003 election, Schwarzenegger has tried to raise incentives for films and T.V. to keep Los Angeles the epicenter of the entertainment industry. However, the state legislature continues to reject Schwarzenegger's proposals, and the majority of Hollywood has grown tired of the fight.

According to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., the film and television industry generates $30 billion statewide yearly and creates 928 direct and indirect jobs on large budget films ($70 million or more).

Big-named-actors are not the ones harmed; it is the supporting cast and those behind-the-scene people that are affected. In a business filled with excess and fueled by greed, studio executives will do what it takes to spend the least amount of money.

Shows like 'Friday Night Lights,' which films in Texas, only take with them the series regulars, producers, directors and other key figures. The rest of the crew is hired locally, costing the studio less than flying cast and crew to their location and paying for their living expenses required by the unions.

"The problem is, when you don't hire a lighting person or say a craft services person because you're going out of state, then that person is going to have to find a job somewhere else, and it just keeps adding up," Swelstad said.

For a state as entertainment oriented as California there is no excuse for allowing that integral part of our economy to leave for other states. It is ignorant on the part of politicians and if they plan to save the states economy they must heed Schwarzenegger's warnings before major budget cuts are implemented and schools, hospitals and other state funded programs collapse.