Commissioners Excused: Mark Fishkin Peter Bratt

Transcription

1 MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 28, 2016 MEETING - DRAFT 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place City Hall, Room 416 San Francisco, CA CALL TO ORDER President Denise Bradley-Tyson called the meeting to order at 1:02pm. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Denise Bradley-Tyson Marlene Sharon Saritzky Villy Wang Jon Rubin Melanie Blum Matt Stiker Jonathan Moscone Commissioners Excused: Mark Fishkin Peter Bratt APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE DATE MEETING (ACTION ITEM) President Bradley-Tyson asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the November 23, 2015 meeting. Commissioner Stiker made the motion and Commissioner Rubin seconded the motion. President Bradley-Tyson asked for comments and none was given. The minutes were approved. PRESIDENT S REPORT (DISCUSSION ONLY) President Bradley-Tyson began by commending the SF Film Office on a stupendous job in 2015 in all their accomplishments. From the passing of legislation in California for a better tax incentive to the many collaborations throughout the year to promote San Francisco as a filmmaking destination, the office has done a great job. DISCUSSION ON NEW DEVELOPMENT AT CANDLESTICK POINT She continued her report by updating the Commission about a meeting she had with Lennar Urban Development in regards to a new film and art center that is developing as part of a retail district at Candlestick Point. They want the San Francisco Film Commission to be a vital part of the center s civic program and want to provide 600 sq. ft. of office space for potential use for meetings, conferences, small events and screenings. The Film Commission will 1 DR. CARLTON B. GOODLETT PLACE, ROOM 473, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA TEL: (415) FAX: (415)

2 also be able to offer discounts to lease the theater spaces and the rooftop venue a few times a year. Executive Director Robbins stated that this will be a great opportunity for us as we move forward and learn more about the center, we can find some creative uses for the space. A short discussion about the new film center followed about timing as well as commenting on the great opportunity this will create. President Bradley-Tyson asked if the Executive Director Report can be deferred to later in the meeting and have the vote for new Commission President and Vice President now. The Commission agreed and Commissioner Rubin and Wang commended President Bradley-Tyson for her great leadership. President Bradley-Tyson thanked the Commission. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF COMMISSION PRESIDENT (ACTION ITEM) President Bradley-Tyson asked for nominations. Commissioner Saritzky nominated Commissioner Wang and Commissioner Moscone seconded the nomination. Commissioner Saritzky continued by commending Commissioner Wang on her current work with BAYCAT and her multifaceted background all in support of the film community in San Francisco. President Bradley-Tyson asked for Commissioner comments and other nominations there were none. President Bradley-Tyson asked for public comments. Ms. Kathleen Courtney, local production manager in San Francisco, stated that she will be thrilled get to know and work with Commissioner Wang. She will continue to work with the Commission and film community in the coming year and as a representative of the community, she welcomed Commissioner Wang. The Commission took a vote and it was unanimous Commissioner Wang will be the new Commission President. Commissioner Wang thanked the Commission and stated that she is looking forward to her new role in the Commission. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF COMMISSION VICE PRESIDENT (ACTION ITEM) President Bradley-Tyson asked for nominations. Commissioner Blum nominated Commissioner Stiker and Commissioner Moscone seconded the nomination. Commission Blum continued by commending Commissioner Stiker on his efforts already with the Commission and his skills with branding and marketing. Commissioner Stiker and Wang will make a great team. Commissioner Wang stated that she would warmly welcome Commissioner Stiker as Vice President. President Bradley-Tyson asked for public comment. Mr. Frank Simeon, business representative for SAG/DGA-UPM, stated that it has been a pleasure working with Commissioner Stiker as he attended meeting and he supports him 100%. The Commission took a vote and it was unanimous Commissioner Stiker will be the new Commission Vice President. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT (DISCUSSION ONLY)

3 UPDATES ON RECENT FILM PERMITS AND NOTABLE PRODUCTIONS Executive Director Susannah Robbins began her report by providing an update on the number of recent film permits and notable productions. This January, we had 51 permits, 100 shoot days and collected $17,100 in permit fees. A lot of this is due to the upcoming Super Bowl. We are up 26% since December and 88% since November in the number of shooting days; and up 55% in permit fees since December and 106% in fees since November. Notable productions included: 6 days of Birth of a Dragon which shot at the Lincoln Golf Club, Chinatown and the Jerimiah O Brien A number of food-related shows: Diners, Drive-ins & Dives, Food Paradise, and Brothers Green Eats 2 Pottery Barn shot their kids & teens catalogs, logging in a whopping 18 days total Mani & May have done an amazing job, handling so many permits & productions needs. I m sure they will both be glad to get the help of our new Film coordinator, who will be starting February 16 th. UPDATE ON INCOMING STAFF Executive Director Robbins continued her report by updating the Commission on the new 1822 Administrative Analyst/Film Coordinator. Portia Fontes will be starting February 16 th Portia has worked with the Hawaii State Film Office as a Film Coordinator in addition to working as a Locations Assistant on films such as Jurassic World and Mockingjay. She has also worked as an Assistant Production Coordinator on Godzilla and Last Resort, so she brings a great mix of production experience combined with the work we do here in the Film Office. She also helped the Hawaii State Film Office get their permit process online so we are looking forward to bringing her on. UPDATE ON UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS Executive Director Robbins continued her report by talking about upcoming productions slated to shoot this year. The films include: 1. Etruscan Smile, an indie film that starts prepping on January 16 th and starts shooting on February 16 th through March 18 th starring Roseanne Arquette & Brian Cox. Based on the European bestseller "The Etruscan Smile" tells the story of a rugged old man who sees his life transformed during his last days through the encounter with his baby grandson. Bringing out the notion of the child in the man, and the man in the child, the film questions what is truly important and remains forever in our lives. They will be filming at the Presidio stage space and hopefully UCSF it has been tough getting permission to film at an active hospital. 2. Chances, a HULU TV series starring Hugh Laurie. They start prep mid- February and filming for episode 1 starts in April. There will be a one month hiatus and then resume filming nine more episodes starting in June August This show has a two year pick up so it s very important that we find a stage space they are having a hard time finding something that fits. It has to be about 30,000 square feet for two years minimum. 3. When We Rise, an 8 part ABC-TV mini-series with Gus Van Sant directing and written by Dustin Lance Black, who wrote and won the Oscar for MILK. It is filming in Vancouver, and then in San Francisco on location from April 22th May 5 th. They scouted City Hall yesterday. 4. Sense8, the Netflix show Season 2. They are prepping mid-march and start shooting in May. We are not sure of their stage needs yet. 5. Fairyland, a feature film that starts prepping May and will film from June August. They will be using the Presidio stage space. This is a coming of age story based on a memoir set against San Francisco s vibrant cultural scene in the 1970s and 80s, both before and after the AIDS epidemic. This crisis that would later claim the life of Abbott s father, Steve Abbott, a widowed poet and gay activist. It is written by Sophia Coppola and she and Roman Coppola are producing with Andrew Dunham directing.

4 6. Murder in the First, the TNT TV series is rumored to return for two weeks filming in the spring. All filming will be on-location in San Francisco. There are also possibly a small indie or 2 filming sometime this summer due to connections made at Sundance Film Festival. Executive Director Robbins then gives a small report about this year s Sundance Film Festival. It was overall a good experience and people seem to be more interested in filming in San Francisco. She was able to visit the new stage space at Park City, Utah, which was very impressive, and received advice about how to create a stage space in San Francisco which she will share with developers. UPDATE ON SUBMISSION OF FIVE YEAR PLAN TO MAYOR Executive Director Robbins started her update by reporting that she had sent the five year plan to Steve Kawa and Mayor Lee on December 18 th, but have not heard back from them to discuss it. She wanted to thank all the Commissioners who had assisted. She thanked Commissioner Mark Fishkin for helping to come up with a format he kindly offered to share how CFI does their plan, which was really helpful to use as a guideline. She also thanked Commissioners Stiker, Wang & President Bradley-Tyson for feedback and input. This is supposed to be a living / breathing / changing document so at a later date, Executive Director Robbins would like to schedule a small retreat for the Commission to delve more deeply into this, to get more input and to find out where each Commissioner feels they would like to contribute to help make the goals happen. So often, the office is tied down and get lost in the day to day so we need all the assistance we can. She proposes that the retreat can happen in March. COMMISSIONER QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Rubin asked about the films at Sundance and a short discussion ensued. Commissioner Stiker commented that this year s San Francisco Visitors Planning Guide, they have a section about filming in the City a good connection between the film and travel industries. He also asked if there were any updates on the new Film Commissioners. Executive Director Robbins states that there were none. Commissioner Stiker commented that because the Film Office had seen positive economic impact due to the Super Bowl, it could be a good media opportunity for us as well as for the Mayor. Executive Director Robbins agreed and said she will follow up. Commissioner Blum asked if the Film Office could charge a premium for all the extra work due to events like the Super Bowl. There was a short discussion about the possibility of doing something like this for special events and the impact for filming if prices were raised for permits. Commissioner Moscone added to comments made my Commissioner Stiker by saying that we should look at and talk more carefully about what is important to us as the Film Commission to help the City at a time when the City is giving so much how do we add the much needed narrative of why this is important for us as a Commission and as a City. Commissioner Stiker agreed with his point and added that there are multiple ways of framing the story. Commissioner Wang also made comments about the narrative that the Film Commission can portray during this time and connecting it to the discussion about pricing for permits and the five year plan. Commissioner Rubin added a comment about the impact of raising prices to the reputation of filming in San Francisco and that if the prices were raised, the process could be more streamlined. Commissioner Stiker asked about if the office is able to utilize film clips to promote filming in San Francisco. Executive Director Robbins said she had not because we still do not have a City Attorney assigned to our office

5 but will follow up with someone. Commissioner Stiker contextualized his question by explaining that he had seen other cities use film clips of movies filmed on location to help promote filming in their city Commissioner Stiker wanted to see if this is something the San Francisco Film Commission can do. Commissioner Blum asked if SF Travel would want to partner with us in this endeavor. There was a short discussion on bringing this up to them. Executive Director Robbins added that ever since SF Travel started to allow filming in their offices, many have taken the opportunity to do so. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT (DISCUSSION ONLY) President Bradley-Tyson asked if there were any additional public comments. Ms. Kathleen Courtney, Production Manager of Chance and Vice-Chair of the local DGA, spoke about the dire situation of the production needing stage and office space in San Francisco so they can film the series here. There could be a possibility that if this is not found in San Francisco, it may leave for Oakland or Los Angeles. They have engaged with real estate agents in the area who have found some things, but nothing has come up that really fit. They are looking for 20,000 square feet of stage space and can be creative and flexible with how to get this in the City. She described how great it would be for her and the local film community if this series is able to film here. The Commission thanks Ms. Courtney for her comments. Mr. Frank Simeon added that due to Birth of the Dragon, the production was able to hire 336 SAG actors which is great news. Mr. Simeon spoke with the producer of the movie who said with all the incentives in California, they can come to film more often. He is excited for the upcoming year. The Commission thanks Mr. Simeon for his comments. ADJOURNMENT (ACTION ITEM) President Bradley-Tyson asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting and the meeting was adjourned at 2:00 pm.