Hollywood Comes to the Hub

By now, nearly everyone knows that Good Will Hunting, last year's block-buster flick starring Harvard drop-out Matt Damon '92, was filmed in and around Cambridge. But how many people know about the scores of other big pictures, including Amistad and Glory, shot in Beantown?

Did any Harvard undergraduates head down to Landsdowne Street's Karma Club last Christmas to crash the cast party for "A Civil Action"? John Travolta and Robert Duvall star in this Touchstone Pictures production, which tells the true story of an ill-fated law-suit against two corporations accused of dumping carcinogens in Woburn, Mass.

Revenues from projects filmed in the Bay State have mushroomed from about $5 million three-and-a-half years ago to more than $101 million last year from feature films alone, according to Robin E. Dawson, executive director of the Massachusetts Film Office (MFO).

A Chance for Fame

For the ambitious, walk-on parts abound around Boston, where several independent films are currently in the production stage. These include Monument Ave., a picture about Boston's Southies starring Dennis Leary, and The Love Letter, a DreamWorks production featuring Tom Selleck and Ellen DeGeneres.

Those who consider themselves suited for television might call the folks at Fox about a walk-on role in one of the network's newest shows. All exterior footage for the sitcom "Costello," debuting this season with star Sue Costello as a stand-up comedian from South Boston, is shot in the city.

Some thought Boston lost its claim to television fame when the long-running series "Cheers," filmed at the downtown Bull and Finch Pub, aired its last episode in 1993.

But since "Cheers" said good-bye, a raft of new shows have taken up residence in the city.

"Ally McBeal," last season's hit from Fox, chronicles the daily trials of its title character, a Boston attorney and Harvard Law graduate played by Calista Flockhart.

The action in ABC's "The Practice," another law drama, which along with "Ally McBeal" is the brainchild of Boston native David Kelley, also unfolds in the city.

In addition to such current shows, re-runs of NBC's "St. Elsewhere," ABC's "Spenser for Hire" and MTV's "Real World VI" offer viewers glimpses of the Hub.

A Surprising Source of Income

The monetary rewards of playing host to Hollywood have earned the attention of Acting Governor A. Paul Cellucci (R).

Just last week he attended a ceremony honoring the winner of the 5th annual Boston Film Festival screenwriting competition.

Daily Variety, a magazine for entertainment-world insiders, actually dubbed the state leader "Massachusetts' movie enthusiast."

Under his administration, the MFO--established in 1976--has blossomed into a full-service resource for producers.

Currently the office employs seven full-time staffers.

"Governor Cellucci...supports the film office in facilitating film and television industry needs," boasts the MFO web site. "We are at your service with full cooperation from the Commonwealth."

Dawson says the MFO has "made a concerted effort to go after business aggressively."

She says she makes trips to Los Angeles every six to eight weeks to meet with production companies to try to lure their business to the Bay state.

Designed to aid "qualified filmmakers," the MFO publishes guides to scouting and production assistance, local cast and crew, and the procedures for securing municipal permits.

By offering incentives like fee-free locations, the MFO has been particularly successful in attracting business to the state.

The fee-free program provides studios with free production office space as well as the complimentary use of more than 100 state-owned, "architecturally diverse" properties that can be used as sets throughout the state, Dawson says.

John F. Kennedy Park on Memorial Drive is one such site.

Leo R. Romano, a representative of Local 481, the union for motion picture studio mechanics, explains the fee-free concept.

"Producers know it's cheaper to film here only because they can avoid the burden of so many fees and permits," Romano says

In addition to enticing them with cost breaks, the MFO serves filmmakers by compiling information about a wide range of local services.

From a roster of law firms with entertainment expertise to a list of chiropractors in whose hands Hollywood's elites might trust their backs, the MFO has prepared itself for the diversity of requests it receives from producers.

The office of Dr. Georgianna Donadio is one of six chiropractors endorsed by the MFO. Explaining the reason her practice was selected, Donadio describes the hundreds of pictures of film faces that adorn her walls.

"People who come here to make movies wanted my name," Donadio says. "My patients wanted my services covered."

Miles to Go

In spite of all the perks and marketing efforts, Boston lags far behind its southern rival, New York City, in local production.

From New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting comes the startling figure of $2.37 billion in film and television revenues last year. In 1997, 213 films were shot in New York City, compared with only 12 in Boston.

With a relatively skimpy skyline, the Hub must rely on its "unique culture and particular scenery" to draw filmmakers, says film financier and Harvard Business School graduate Jon S. Ein.

Donald K. Baillargeon of the Screen Actors' Guild, which represents 1,300 thespians in Boston, points to the city's unique terrain.

"The lay-out is special," Baillargeon says. "I mean, it's not as dramatic as San Francisco, but it's interesting."

"The fact that Boston has so much old world architecture--especially in the Back Bay and Beacon Hill areas--would make it attractive to filmmakers," Baillargeon adds.

Ein stresses its world-renowned collegiate scenery, which makes the city "pretty film-friendly."

Toronto, which can duplicate many of Boston's looks, may in fact be the Hub's toughest competitor, Dawson says.

Filming in Toronto can save studios $1-2 million per film, Dawson says, because of the Canadian/U.S. exchange rate.

Donadio, a native New Yorker, suggests that the growth of Boston in the 25 years she has lived in the city bodes well for the future.

"I don't think Hollywood has even begun to discover it," Donadio says.

But the economics of producing in Boston may deter filmmakers, particularly those working on low-budget, independent projects.

To obtain the requisite permits for local shooting, producers must provide a minimum $1,000,000 Certificate of Insurance and a bond of $5,000 to the city. Arranging for parking clearance and assistance from the Boston Police and Fire Departments requires additional expenditures.

Romano says his union regularly engages in deferment contracts with independent filmmakers. Such an agreement entitles workers to low wages and benefits with the understanding that they will be fully compensated upon the successful completion of a project--the signing on of a big studio.

While Romano celebrates the New England region for having "a totally different kind of look--one that you can't get in L.A.," major studios tend to do their shooting in California, where sound and technical equipment is readily available.

Ein says that filmmakers are increasingly taking advantage of tax breaks in Canada and Europe, where foreign cities are serving as stand-ins for Boston.

With competition from abroad threatening domestic production, Boston's glory day's as a production site may be coming to an end fast.

But for the moment, plenty of projects remain in the city, and opportunities for bit parts are still available. For information about upcoming films and walk-on roles, call the MFO hotline, updated weekly, at (617) 973-8800, or visit the MFO website at www.state.ma.us.