On Location - August 4, 2004
By Nicole Sperling
Wednesday, August 4 2004
Wednesday, August 4 2004
Published on AllBusiness.com
With its pristine beaches, crystal blue water and lush tropical islands, Fiji might bill itself as a perfect vacation spot, but it has not been known as a perfect shooing location. Not many productions have filmed in the country, which comprises hundreds of islands over an area the size of New Jersey. "The Blue Lagoon" and "Cast Away" are among the few Fijian productions.
That, however, might soon change in the wake of "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid," Screen Gems' sequel to 1997's "Anaconda."
The first movie was shot in Brazil, but the producers were looking to make its sequel less expensively. Australia's Queensland province, whose jungles had been used in such movies as "Sniper" and 1998's "The Thin Red Line," was eyed as a possible location to replicate the movie's Borneo setting. But early last year, the region was mired in a severe drought.
At the same time, Fiji introduced its new tax incentive, which offers producers who spend at least 35% of their total budget in Fiji a 15% tax rebate or credit on production costs incurred in the country. Films with budgets exceeding $13 million qualify for the rebate regardless of what percentage of the budget is spent locally. It wasn't a hard choice for the film's producers to make, and so "Anacondas" became the inaugural film under Fiji's new incentives.
"They threw everything behind it," "Anacondas" unit production manager Mike McLean says of the government support. "So that meant great access for me. I was able to talk to any minister for any something. I could even pick up the phone to talk to the prime minister."
Because the production was shooting in river systems and in the jungle, another benefit became apparent: Fiji has no poisonous snakes, spiders or, for that matter, anacondas.
"It's just one of the places that didn't get all the nasties," McLean says. "So to be able to film at nighttime and walk around in bare feet if you had to with complete immunity is fantastic."
The biggest difficulty in shooting in Fiji proved to be the country's lack of infrastructure.
"We thought we would be able to get more than we were able to get," "Anacondas" producer Verna Harrah says. "Everything had to come from Australia. I mean literally everything. … It's something they've got to work on if they want people to come there because the people were charging so much that is was cheaper to get it from Australia."
And Harrah points out that shooting in the jungle with so much mud was no picnic. "It would take three hours to get a quarter of a mile because of the terrain," Harrah says. "But it was worth it. It just looks spectacular."
McLean is hoping that Fiji attracts not only more film production but a long-running TV show — because that's when infrastructure starts to build.
"Major features are fine, but if you just keep getting major features, people bring everything in, then take it home," McLean says. "Whereas if you have eight months of television, gradually camera houses and all that stuff start to follow."
Wayne Covell of Fiji's Audio Visual Commission is hopeful that "Anacondas" will bring not only more production to the nation but also create a homegrown movie industry. He says that two locals who worked on the horror sequel have gone on to Malaysia and New Zealand to study film and TV. He hopes they will come back in the mold of a certain Kiwi.
"(New Zealand's) Peter Jackson is a good example," Covell says. "He's conquered Hollywood, but he's remained in his homeland. Now we need Fiji's Peter Jackson."
That, however, might soon change in the wake of "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid," Screen Gems' sequel to 1997's "Anaconda."
The first movie was shot in Brazil, but the producers were looking to make its sequel less expensively. Australia's Queensland province, whose jungles had been used in such movies as "Sniper" and 1998's "The Thin Red Line," was eyed as a possible location to replicate the movie's Borneo setting. But early last year, the region was mired in a severe drought.
At the same time, Fiji introduced its new tax incentive, which offers producers who spend at least 35% of their total budget in Fiji a 15% tax rebate or credit on production costs incurred in the country. Films with budgets exceeding $13 million qualify for the rebate regardless of what percentage of the budget is spent locally. It wasn't a hard choice for the film's producers to make, and so "Anacondas" became the inaugural film under Fiji's new incentives.
"They threw everything behind it," "Anacondas" unit production manager Mike McLean says of the government support. "So that meant great access for me. I was able to talk to any minister for any something. I could even pick up the phone to talk to the prime minister."
Because the production was shooting in river systems and in the jungle, another benefit became apparent: Fiji has no poisonous snakes, spiders or, for that matter, anacondas.
"It's just one of the places that didn't get all the nasties," McLean says. "So to be able to film at nighttime and walk around in bare feet if you had to with complete immunity is fantastic."
The biggest difficulty in shooting in Fiji proved to be the country's lack of infrastructure.
"We thought we would be able to get more than we were able to get," "Anacondas" producer Verna Harrah says. "Everything had to come from Australia. I mean literally everything. … It's something they've got to work on if they want people to come there because the people were charging so much that is was cheaper to get it from Australia."
And Harrah points out that shooting in the jungle with so much mud was no picnic. "It would take three hours to get a quarter of a mile because of the terrain," Harrah says. "But it was worth it. It just looks spectacular."
McLean is hoping that Fiji attracts not only more film production but a long-running TV show — because that's when infrastructure starts to build.
"Major features are fine, but if you just keep getting major features, people bring everything in, then take it home," McLean says. "Whereas if you have eight months of television, gradually camera houses and all that stuff start to follow."
Wayne Covell of Fiji's Audio Visual Commission is hopeful that "Anacondas" will bring not only more production to the nation but also create a homegrown movie industry. He says that two locals who worked on the horror sequel have gone on to Malaysia and New Zealand to study film and TV. He hopes they will come back in the mold of a certain Kiwi.
"(New Zealand's) Peter Jackson is a good example," Covell says. "He's conquered Hollywood, but he's remained in his homeland. Now we need Fiji's Peter Jackson."
