• Kaua’i movies Kaua’i movies The ongoing lull in feature film production using Kaua’i locations is a let down for the island after years of having Hollywood feature films made here. The list from the 1990s includes the blockbuster Jurassic
• Kaua’i movies
Kaua’i movies
The ongoing lull in feature film production using Kaua’i locations is a let down for the island after years of having Hollywood feature films made here. The list from the 1990s includes the blockbuster Jurassic Park plus popular movies like George of the Jungle, Lilo & Stich, Six Days/Seven Nights, Outbreak and others.
Part of the decline is the reaction of the film world to the terrorist attacks on America in 2001. Other factors include the loss of locations on Kaua’i like Papa’a Bay and others that either have new owners unwilling to use their property for filmmaking or places that are now built up like sections of the South Shore. The wonder of digital filmmaking techniques is also taking its toll on location filming, not just on Kaua’i but across the globe.
Attracting filmmakers takes more than having majestic scenery. The filmmakers need to know their multi-million dollar investment in location filming is being done at a place where risks are minimized through proper coordination with local authorities.
Over the years the Kaua’i film commissioners office has built up its abilities in the area of marketing Kaua’i as a filming location, and in its knowledge of which locations are available and who to contact to use various locations. This includes an award-winning Web site, beautiful glossy publications that show off the island and its movie heritage, a data base of locations with photos and a Kaua’i film production guide that lists dozens of businesses and individuals ready to work with filmmakers.
This list of assets still needs to be put into motion to have a successful local film industry. The efforts of the county film commissioners office over the past year have followed a track set down over the past decade, with visits to the Sundance Festival in Utah and other events that attract serious filmmakers.
However, with the downturn in film revenues, which are expected to be a fraction for 2003 compared to the glory years when Jurassic Park and other features were filmed, its time for a special initiative aimed at bringing major feature filmmaking back to Kaua’i.
O’ahu now has the hold on Hawai’i feature filmmaking, a title that was once Kaua’i’s, with an Elmore Leonard-written movie filmed at Hale’iwa and Waialua on O’ahu’s North Shore being released this weekend. Kaua’i locations could have worked for the film, and it would have been interesting to see Kaua’i play itself in a feature film.
There is some hope. Internet movie Web sites show that another sequel to Jurassic Park is being developed, and it’s likely that Kaua’i may host location filming.
Major Hollywood feature filmmaking on Kaua’i has a heritage that goes back to Pagan Love Song in 1950, with a decade-by-decade record of feature film shoots up to this decade. Let’s hope this popular tradition doesn’t dissolve into a niche industry that’s limited to minor-league TV shows and commercials.
