2005 - A vibrant year for Malta's film
servicing industry
PCP Christmas Newsletter - Publication date: 20 December 2005
2005 can be described as
a vibrant year for Malta’s film servicing industry, which
recorded a substantial number of shooting days from a
variety of productions rather than a couple long ones. The
frequency of different productions coming to the island has
increased. Such productions include features as Spielberg’s
Munich, Ron Howard’s
The Da Vinci Code, and a number
of smaller TV productions such as
Blackbeard,
Miracles of Jesus,
Ghostboat, and
Godspeed. Producers ranged from
Universal Studios and Dreamworks to the BBC, ITV, The
Discovery Channel and independent European producers.
 
Filming in the water tank at
Mediterranean Film Studios - the busiest year since 2000
Photos by Simon Sansone
This year’s filming
activity is not far off from the type of productions Malta
needs to attract, with budget sizes ranging from low to
medium. The Maltese government recognizes the need for this
variety as an
important key to sustaining the filming activity and
encouraging its economic growth. So much so that Malta has
finally jumped onto the Incentive bandwagon to join several
other countries around the world in offering a cash rebates
to foreign producers.
The rebate consists of
“up to 20%” of local expenditure, with notable exclusions
such as materials which are imported into Malta. Therefore
wood, as an example, needed for construction would be
exempt. So far recent productions have already benefited
from such rebates, certifying for approx 16% of the eligible
costs. Not all of these productions filmed in Malta solely
because of these freshly introduced incentives, but as
Munich’s
co-producer Colin Wilson told Screen International
“Obviously, the financial incentives made Malta a far more
attractive place to shoot," So for now film executives
from Hollywood to Bollywood are learning about Malta’s newly
introduced incentives and at very least producers will be
taking a closer look at the prospect of shooting in Malta.
Productions qualify for
rebates following an application process. The percentage of
the rebate is based on a point-scoring system. The
procedure is not overly beurocratic but it is obvious that
the government has chosen to sway to the side of caution.
The system set up gives politicians the best possible
assurance of money entering the government’s coffers and the
system limits abuse as far as possible before cash is handed
out to foreign producers. Moreover, the point system is
designed in such a way that shoots with a high value-added
to the local economy can qualify for a higher percentage
rebate, thus ensuring that economic activity within the
country and the local industry is encouraged as much as
possible.
Looking at the other side
of the coin, one may argue that Malta is being too overly
cautious and not aggressive enough to beat the competition.
The next 18 months shall be a good test and Malta should be
ready to loosen the belt and be more generous if it does not
want to fall off the bandwagon. Malta may realize that
offering a fixed percentage of for example 20% would be more
attractive and far more rewarding, whilst it could still
have systems in place to limit abuse. Ultimately Malta’s
approach to compete effectively with other countries may
mean taking greater notice of the
multiplier effect
of the film industry on the local economy rather than
focusing solely on what appears to be entering the
government’s coffers at the first instance. (Multiplier
effects occur because an initial injection of expenditure
has ripple effects through increased sales by supplying
industries and increased consumer expenditure arising from
the increased incomes of those benefiting from the direct
and indirect increases in economic activity. The size of the
multiplier is limited by the extent of ’leakages’ to
imports, taxation and savings.).
Malta’s film commission
has become more effective in recent years through its
professional approach to film-makers abroad. Foreign
location researchers regard it as among “the most pro-active
film commissions in the world”. (Australia’s and New
Zealand’s film commissions are presently considered to be on
the forefront.). Another recent ‘growth’ has also occurred
in the local Mediterranean Film Studios which has seen its
busiest year since 2000.
2005 has obviously been a
positive year for Malta’s film servicing industry and the
challenge is now to keep this trend going strong and
stronger. All eyes are now on Malta and how it could
compete financially. This does not only depend on the
government’s ability to provide attractive incentives but a
great responsibility falls also onto suppliers and service
providers. These should never forget that the future of the
island’s film business also relies heavily on their ability
to provide competitive rates, and the attitude of getting
rich quickly while the sun shines would only kill the
business very fast.
Busy time for film industry
Fiona Galea Debono
Publication date: 30 November 2005
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Hurricane scenes shot at the
Mediterranean Film Studios water tanks for the
German TV production Pamir.
Picture: Mark and Simon Sansone |
Since Steven Spielberg's Munich, Malta's movie
industry has not shown any signs of slowing down, with
parts of The Da Vinci Code and the German TV production
Pamir, among other productions, being shot on the
island.
The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard (Cinderalla
Man; A Beautiful Mind), starring two-time Oscar winner
Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan) and based on Dan Brown's
best-selling novel, was filmed in Malta for two days at
the beginning of the month, following six weeks of prep
on the island.
The production's total expenditure here is calculated
to have reached Lm300,000, the Malta Film Commission
said.
Malta was used for flashback scenes and for a scene
set in Spain. Locations included areas in Vittoriosa,
Marsaxlokk and Siggiewi, the commission added.
A 130-strong foreign crew was brought over for four
days, apart from the local crew employed with the
production, the MFC said, adding that most of the first
unit crew members were here for the shoot, including the
renowned director himself. Out of the principal cast,
however, only Paul Bettany (Wimbledon; Master and
Commander) was involved in the scenes shot in Malta.
The contemporary thriller takes place over one day in
Paris and London and principal photography began in
Paris at the end of June for a few weeks, before moving
to the UK until November, the commission said.
Pamir, the full working title of which is Der
Untergang Die Pamir, meaning The Sinking of Pamir - a
rare type of four-masted sailing boat, or tall ship,
which sank in 1957 - was filmed at the Rinella water
tanks last month.
According to Malta production supervisor Simon
Sansone, Pamir had a budget of about Lm700,000 for the
Malta shoot, which lasted a month and a week.
It was also filmed in Germany and Tenerife on Pamir's
sister ship, built at the same time as the ill-fated
vessel.
The film, a two-part event programme of 90 minutes
each, is based on the true story of the sailing boat,
which had a dual role as a military cadet training
vessel and a merchant ship, Mr Sansone explained.
Pamir sank on its way back from Buenos Aires, where
it was picking up grain. For some reason, it had to
leave port quickly and, due to the captain's
inexperience, the cargo was not stowed properly, causing
an imbalance. As a result, and due also to the weather
conditions - Pamir hit a surprise hurricane - the vessel
sank. Of the 86-strong crew, only six survived.
It is the hurricane scenes that were shot in Malta,
chosen because of the tanks at the Mediterranean Film
Studios. The production designer on U-571, Goetz
Weidner, knew of the tanks and came back to use them
again, Mr Sansone said.
Local film crew totalled 20, including about 10
semi-stunt talent. A considerable construction crew of
about 40 from MFS, and others from Cassar Ship Repair,
were also involved, he added.
MFS construction workers were responsible for
building a large model of Pamir, over 20 metres long, as
well as other props, including a fake shark and the keel
section of the boat.
Cassar Ship Repair built a life-size 70-metre deck,
made of steel and weighing 110 tonnes.
All the special effects, including the capsizing of
the deck section, were carried out by MFS.
"That was one impressive feat... quite a mission...
and an achievement," Mr Sansone maintained.
He quoted director Kaspar Heidelbach as saying that
Malta had a lot of filming potential, adding it was
possible he would work on another production here.
"The incentives have once again encouraged and
greatly helped the production. They helped to secure the
duration of the shooting.
Thanks to the incentives, the production could be
successfully completed without having to reduce local
expenditure. They are also helpful as a source of
encouragement to bring production companies back," Mr
Sansone said, speaking from experience.
Pamir and The Da Vinci Code are among the productions
shot in Malta in 2005 that are benefiting from financial
incentives made available by the government.
The Da Vinci Code has qualified for a 17 per cent
rebate on its local eligible expenditure and Pamir
qualified for a rebate of 15 per cent, the commission
said.
With regard to future projects, the commission said
it is following up on "interest" shown by European and
US production companies, "though it is too early to
speak of individual projects as none of them have not
yet concluded their production budgets and programmes".
It has been said that director Guy Ritchie, who had
filmed Swept Away with his wife Madonna in Malta in
2001, wanted to return to the island to fulfill his
dream Great Siege project.
The commission said it was looking into the
possibilities of the project, "but we do not know that
anything concrete has happened yet".
With regard to a Francis Ford Coppola film that
includes Malta in its storyline, the commission said the
island had been considered as a location for a
low-budget movie he is directing, but the production
decided to shoot in an eastern Europe location.
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German film spends 1.2m Euros in Malta
Fiona
Galea Debono
Publication date: 28 September 2005
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Camera's roll... the movie's director
of photography works from his wheelchair after breaking
his leg. |
The low-budget movie Godspeed, which was shot in Malta
earlier this summer, pumped about €1.2 million into the economy
in the space of eight weeks, the executive producer of the
German production company Orange Pictures, Stephan Barth, told
The Times Malta was chosen for the filming of the entire movie
for one reason alone - the water tanks, he said.
Originally, Orange Pictures was looking at Spain, which is in
the process of building "massive" tanks and sound stages.
"They were cheaper since they are just starting off and are
trying to attract movies. The only problem was that they were
not finished in time - they will be ready by the beginning of
next year," Mr Barth said, warning of the stiff competition
Malta would be facing once they started operating.
"The Spanish are also very aggressive in their marketing and
are getting a lot of money from the government to promote the
movie industry there."
Having said that, Mr Barth strongly praised the facilities at
the Mediterranean Film Studios, describing them as "perfect".
"I came here first in February and was not surprised at what
I saw because I had heard from others who had shot here. This is
a high-tech studio area, with good manpower, boasting lots of
experience. The workers are not afraid to do anything.
"You can do whatever you want here; it is close to the sea;
and you even have a deep-water tank" - which may not have been
functioning for three years but was immediately back in action
when the production needed it at the eleventh hour.
The movie's original budget was around €2 million, which is
"nothing" for a cinema movie, Mr Barth said.
But that figure was heavily increased because of the hiccups
the production encountered - mainly due to the fact that its
director of photography, Bernhard Jasper, broke his leg two
weeks into shooting.
Nevertheless, the show did go on and even though the incident
brought about delays, caused logistical complications, ruined
plans and pumped up the budget, the film was completed - with
the director of photography working from a wheelchair.
"In a low-budget project, you have to follow certain rules;
you have to stick to the exact schedule even if you have bad
weather; you can never postpone anything. In our case, we went
over the schedule by two weeks, which is not very good."
Although Mr Barth is pleased with the end result, the making
of Godspeed was not free of problems. One of the main ones was
the fact that it was shooting at the same time as Steven
Spielberg's Munich and, therefore, all the resources were
blocked.
However, this situation is not unique to Malta and happens in
other countries, where there is only one "A" crew, Mr Barth
specified.
"Then again, Prague and even Lithuania, for example, have
come a long way, and several movies can now be made
simultaneously. They worked on it; they have good film schools
and took trainees onto productions to learn from experience.
"But it is your typical vicious circle: you need to have
several movies to train people and you need to have trained
people to attract movies."
Prices are another problem, according to Mr Barth, who admits
that the German way is to "make big movies with little money...
In the end, it is always a question of price and Malta is more
expensive than Lithuania and Prague".
Labour and equipment are limited in Malta and, in some cases,
it makes more sense to bring them from overseas, even cost-wise,
Mr Barth continued.
The quality of the workers is good but they are limited and
expensive, he said, understanding that "they cost more because
they do not know if they will have another job in the course of
the year.
"When more movies start coming to Malta, things will change.
It is yet another vicious circle."
The only prop used in Godspeed was a €4million, high-tech,
60-foot yacht which, due to the director of photography's
mishap, had to be transported and moved around more than planned
- from the open sea to the shallow-water tank, into the deep
tank and back again.
"To transport a vessel 10 kilometres, or 600 metres, requires
the same procedure. In Malta, unfortunately, there is only one
300-ton crane, which was necessary for the operation. That means
you have to pay whatever the owners want.
"The thing is they do not think ahead but just take what they
can get, without considering the long term," he said.
Godspeed was eligible for the financial incentives,
introduced recently by the government, in the form of a cash
rebate of up to 20 per cent on its expenditure in Malta.
But Mr Barth was hoping things would not get complicated.
"What we know is that we spent the money very quickly and we
expect to get it back quickly too," Mr Barth said.
Mr Barth praised the Film Commission for being "very helpful
and showing us around the locations, saving us a lot of time. In
the space of a week, during the recce, it was very clear what
Orange Pictures could and could not do in Malta and, with the
Film Commissioner's hands-on approach, it seemed everything was
possible," he said.
As regards the overall experience, Mr Barth said the crew had
a good time in Malta: "The weather is warm; there is a good
atmosphere and lots to do in the evening. It is relaxing and the
people are very nice. But," he added, "sometimes they can have a
'pirate' mentality when it comes to money and they need to work
on that. If they know you are under pressure and desperate, they
can kill you".
The movie
Godspeed is a thriller that is destined to keep viewers on
the edge of their seats. It tells the story of six young
friends, played by young, up-and-coming, American actors, who
are invited on a yacht.
The scary part starts when they all end up in the water and,
after frolicking about and having fun, they realize they forgot
to put down the ladder.
And the worst part is that a baby is left behind on board.
One by one, the friends start dying off, unable to climb onto
the yacht, which is a mere 1.6 metres above the water line.
"That's all it takes to make it impossible for someone to get
up," Mr Barth said.
This kind of tragedy occurs frequently everywhere, "wherever
you find a boat out at sea, with no one on board, you can be
sure this is probably what happened.
"The situation is so frustrating because you can touch the
boat, but you cannot get up; it is so easy to jump off a boat
and go back up on a ladder, and yet..." the consequences are
tragic if you forget to put it down.
Do they all die? "Yes," he says, appearing to give the story
away. But there's always a twist. The last scene depicts a
fishing boat sailing into the frame in the open sea, with a
fisherman calling out. The cameras turn onto the yacht and the
baby is heard and then seen crying...
Between them, the six American actors clocked 3,000 hours in
the water, each spending about 10 hours a day in the tanks or
the sea.
In order to do that, they were put through severe training by
a German stunt coordinator, who instructed them on how to move
in the water, how to stay afloat, how to preserve energy, what
to do if they were getting cold, what to eat and what sort of
exercises to do on their own.
"That is why all actors managed to shoot until the end, with
no injuries," Mr Barth pointed out.
Godspeed was shot in English because it is destined for
worldwide release, scheduled for spring, or summer of 2006.
In it, Malta acts as Mexico - yet another country in its vast
portfolio of guises.
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