Martin Cuff was film commissioner of the State of Colorado and the acting director of the Cape Film Commission. A film commission specialist, he has worked on film commissions at national, state, provincial and city levels and is currently the only person globally to have helped establish commissions on three different continents.

He is also a member of The Association of Film Commissioners International’s (AFCI) Professional Development panel that sets the qualifications for film commissioners internationally.

Given the uncertain future of our film commissions (see opposite), we asked him to give us an international perspective on why we need them.

Martin says:
There are some 300 registered film commissions and film offices from more than 30 countries on every continent.  As film-specific SPVs (special purpose vehicles), film commissions proactively contribute to the development of buoyant, competitive, sustainable local economies through the development of the film industry and of film-related activities in a specific region. They create jobs and opportunities for local businesses out of an industry that is already looking to travel.

Film commissions are set up by cities, counties, states / provinces or federal governments, and are generally operated and funded by various agencies of government, such as the governor’s office, the mayor’s office, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors’ bureaus, tourism offices, or business and economic development departments.

AFCI is the global body representing film commissioners, their education and their activities. Results from a 2005 AFCI survey showed:
• 75% of film offices are government agencies; 24% are non-profit organisations. In the USA the split is closer: 51% to 45%.

• 45% of all commissions are managed by boards of directors
• 30% are direct government offices.

• 74% of film commissions are small one   person offices with operations budgets of less than $50 000 per  annum (approximately R500 000).
• 8-10% of all film commissions conduct their own fundraising.

The primary goal is to attract film and video production to an area in order to accrue locally-realised benefits from hiring local crews and talent, renting local equipment, and using hotel rooms, rental cars, catering services, or any number of goods and services supplied on location.

In other words, film offices attract film and TV productions to their locations, and then ensure that the location capitalises on that production activity.

Most film commissions undertake a standard set of activities for production, including:

• Marketing locations
• Marketing local crew, equipment and expertise
• Creating incentives packages
• Scouting support services
• Assisting inbound productions / troubleshooting production problems
• Building a film-ready workforce and community.

In response to the growth of on-location filming, the services provided by film commissions have expanded dramatically.

Today they provide a gamut of free services, from scouting locations within their area to trouble-shooting with local officials and helping cut through paperwork and bureaucratic red tape.

Some also provide hard economic incentives, such as tax rebates and hotel discounts for location scouts.

Others offer a variety of essential free services, like research for screenwriters or liaison work with local government agencies.

More recently, progressive film commissions around the world have begun developing an even broader scope for their activities – not merely addressing Hollywood, but by becoming the hub and thrust of all film-related activity within a jurisdiction.

The role of this new generation of offices often includes encouraging the development and distribution of local productions; increasing audiences for film product, particularly via film festivals; encouraging the study of film and the acquisition of film-related skills; and supporting a climate of entrepreneurship. WHY WE NEED FILM COMMISSIONS
Internationally, a film commission typically offers:

Leadership
The absence of a central office to co-ordinate film and television related activities results in a fragmented and silo-ed industry without clear goals, direction or deliverables. Film commissions provide this leadership.

Vision
Without the central coordination of a film commission, there is additionally no commonly-held vision of what the film industry could be, and how it could impact on the economy of the jurisdiction.

Professionalism
In the absence of a central office, there is no concerted effort to raise the bar and improve standards in all aspects of the business. A film commission encourages greater professionalism and a drive towards best practice.

Integrity
A central tenet of any film commission is that it operates with integrity and impartiality. Without a film commission, potential clients cannot access impartial information about the industry, and that is very bad for business.

Facilitation
One of a film commission’s most important roles is to facilitate collaborative solutions from the entire industry. Generally speaking, film commissions have no power but exert an awful lot of influence. This way they are able to bring together like-minded groups and individuals, and create practical and pragmatic solutions where (hopefully) everybody wins.

Film friendly environment
A major function of every film commission is to ensure a welcoming and efficient environment for production. This means that film commissions need to ensure that filming in general has the buy-in and support of government departments, local business, affected communities and other stakeholders on an on-going basis, as well as troubleshooting with affected stakeholders when productions get into difficulty. Obviously the more local PR and marketing, the less need for troubleshooting.

Opportunity cost
The costs of setting up and running a film commission are sometimes seen as being prohibitive. This need not be the case. Furthermore, the opportunity cost of not having a film commission can have a negative impact on economic sustainability for an entire economy.

What’s in a name?
Film commissions don’t normally commission productions. So how did the name come about? The first film commissions were formed in the United States during the late 1940s in response to the need for film companies to have a local government liaison who could co-ordinate local services such as police, state troopers and highway patrols, road and highway departments, fire departments, park rangers and all of the other essential municipal and government services for shooting a production on location.

The term “film commission” came about because these offices emerged from a form of municipal government that was once common in the United States known as “city commission government.”

In a city commission government, voters elected a small team of commissioners who, as a group, were responsible for taxation, appropriations, ordinances, and other general functions. As individuals, the same commissioners were also assigned responsibility for a specific aspect of municipal affairs, such as public works, finance, or public safety (remember police commissioner Gordon in Batman?).

Once film was accepted as a municipal responsibility, one of the commissioners became “the film commissioner,” and the relative department became “the film commission.” That term has subsequently become the standard operating name of the vehicle worldwide. However, for non-city commission governments, the term film office was utilised.

FILM OFFICE VS. FILM COMMISSION
The terms “film office” and “film commission” have become increasingly interchangeable over the last few years globally. Many cities run film offices that handle permit issuance, as well as some marketing activities to promote the use of city resources. However, when there are larger jurisdictions (eg. provincial, state, etc.) involving multiple permit issuing departments, it’s less likely for permitting processes to be centrally managed.
Martin Cuff