Want a good reason to film in Albuquerque? One need look no further than the city’s film office website, boasting 310 days of sunshine a year (take that Michigan!) And if it’s possible, the days are looking even brighter when it comes to the future of filmmaking in the Duke City; just ask the Mayor and his Film Office liason, Ann Lerner. I’ve known the Mayor for years, but it was my first opportunity to meet Mrs. Lerner, and I liked her right off the bat…and not just because she’s a rabid KU fan like me! I was told that Ann was a really warm and funny personality and she didn’t disappoint; Ann even came prepared with her own prop…a fake concrete block that I am sure she intended to use on the Mayor if he got out of hand during the course of the interview. He did get out of hand, several times, but I am accustomed to dealing with the Mayor over at my radio home, KZRR 94ROCK, so I anticipated this and promised Ann that I would keep some things off the record!

So while the talk did start off with a rousing discussion on the finer points of Blazing Saddles, we did get to lots of serious film stuff in this interview…I promise, but based on the two characters I was speaking with, the entire interview was punctuated with humor and enthusiasm, and I think it was a good metaphor for film in Albuquerque. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, making it easy for filmmakers to feel right at home here, but we’ve also got a reputation for supporting our projects with a loyalty and enthusiastic spirit that is truly New Mexico.

Ann Lerner has that loyalty…she left New Mexico to go to School at the University of Kansas where she earned degrees in elementary education and special education, but she came back to Corrales in 1977 and got involved in film the old-fashioned way: “I slept with the director.” Ann said very matter-of-factly…insert dramatic pause…then she added with a wink and a smile: “The director I slept with was my husband!” The Mayor added a funny line here, questioning: “Just the one director?” but I think that was supposed to be off the record. Ann’s husband had started a production company and she began her foray into film. That led to a more than 20-year background in commercial film production, which eventually led all the way to City Hall. “I have the best job in the city…don’t tell anybody because then they’ll want my job…but one of the reasons why is because Mayor Chavez is so film-friendly. He understands that this is a creative, high-paying, non-polluting industry.”

Ann says it gives native New Mexicans, who are creative by nature, a chance to work in their home state instead of the brain-drain leaving for L.A. Ann mentioned the movie The Game, which was scouting for a large, post-apocalyptic set and they were looking at New Orleans, which was and to some degree is still, post-apocalyptic and perfect for their needs. “But when the producers went to New Orleans, the Film Commissioner was too busy to meet with them so they just gave them a map and they were on their own.” Ann says when those same producers came here, they not only got a meeting with the Film liason but the Mayor was there to greet them as well. “The scene for the film eventually led to 17.2 million dollars spent directly in Albuquerque, and put 90 construction workers on the job.”

That’s why it’s a no-brainer for the Mayor, and he notes one of the main reasons Albuquerque is so successful is because its versatility makes it very attractive to producers. “Albuquerque is unique in the fact that it can look like so many other cities. Architecturally, you can film a lot of different places right here.” The Mayor recalls shooting on Elvis Has Left the Building : “The premise of the film is that they are traveling to Las Vegas and going through many cities to get there. They filmed seven of those cities within five miles of Old Town. That speaks to the profitability of a movie, if you can do all of those locations in one place.” I asked the mayor if that kind of hospitality has translated into any cameo roles for his Mayor-ness; he joked “No, but we’re working on a new Film liason who can get me lots of those cameos.” That got a laugh from his current Film liason (and maybe a swat to the shoulder) and a big laugh from me.

The Mayor says the gem of Albuquerque’s Film Industry is Albuquerque Studios. Located south of town, the 28-acre site contains a 100-million dollar investment of eight soundstages, production office space, mill space and a big backlot. The city’s website sells it as a convenient location for busy film workers, being just a 90-minute flight from LAX and a five-minute drive from the airport once they arrive at Albuquerque’s Sunport. The lot sits on a 9,000 acre development on Albuquerque’s southeast mesa and incorporates the best practices of planned and sustainable urban development, which is also very attractive to many filmmakers. Albuquerque Studios employs hundreds of New Mexicans on productions each year, and continuing to grow that local film workforce is clearly becoming every bit as important as drawing new projects to the state.

Earlier this winter, the State announced classroom initiatives that are already benefitting Albuquerque’s classrooms. The idea is, if you keep kids interested longer, they stay in school longer…our graduation rates improve, and so do our numbers for skilled film workers sustaining the industry from within. In addition to the state initiatives, Ann says the Albuquerque Film office has a list and is in constant contact with schools and teachers who specifically work in film or digital media. They send film industry professionals to the schools to talk to kids about real-life film jobs and they notify the district of new plans with e-mail blasts to keep kids up-to-date with upcoming opportunities. The Albuquerque Film Office is also involved with the 505 Festival, which is a city-sponsored Film Festival just for high school students held at the historic Kimo Theater. The Mayor talked about a 12-minute DVD that the city sponsored and submitted to the World Leadership Awards in London, where it didn’t win but it did make the finals. The DVD details the progression of how Albuquerque students will learn the business and art of filmmaking to prepare them for future careers here at home. “These are the opportunities that maybe some kids…maybe in L.A. had, but no one else in America will have these kinds of opportunities for their kids. It’s mind-boggling.” Ann mentions that many of these school film programs have agreements with CNM so the transition to vocational and technical training is easier for kids leaving high school but not so sure they want to go to a four-year college. Ann says “The below-the line film crew are really blue-collar jobs…you can wear whatever you want…you don’t have to dress up in a fancy suit and you make 50- to 100-thousand dollars a year here.” That’s just not possible in a lot of other blue-collar industries.” Ann adds it’s important to note that the hours for film workers are long, but you have the option to take time off between films.

Helping to bring in big films also carries with it the tedious job of having to meet and thank movie stars. Fortunately, our Mayor is up to the task. He’s met lots of big names visiting the movie sets to personally thank the producers and actors for choosing to spend their time here. I asked him who he’s met and he said : ”Gosh, I’ve met Kevin Kline, Joe Pesci; yesterday we were on the set of “In Plain Sight” and Mary McCormack wouldn’t come say ‘hi’ to me.” He seemed a little hurt so Ann stepped in to massage the ego by saying “No, the guy said when she was done with that scene she ran after you to say ‘hi’ but you’d already left.” Then the three of us mused on how attractive Mary McCormack is, and then that led to talking about how pretty Charlize Theron is. “I was really impressed meeting Charlize…I always thought she was attractive but in person, it’s like, pick your tongue up off the ground! She’s just gorgeous.” I told him I understood because I had the same reaction when I met Steven Segal. That was a joke, by the way. I also told the mayor I suspect maybe that’s why he supports Albuquerque film so much, if it means bringing the most gorgeous women in the world to our city on a regular basis.

Ann said its projects like “In Plain Sight” and “Breaking Bad” that are also getting Albuquerque’s name out there, because each show is set in Albuquerque. Ann says with “In Plain Sight” they spend about a million dollars per episode in Albuquerque and about 90-percent of the crew are New Mexican. “The economic impact of 3-5 million viewers watching each week is immeasurable. And they’re showing the city off in a good way.” She mentions the last episode which featured the Kimo, Nob Hill, and even Lindy’s Restaurant. The Mayor mentioned the CSI franchise and says New York has one, Las Vegas has one and Miami has one, but Albuquerque has two T.V. shows set and filmed right here. Crash is also a T.V. series being filmed here, although the series is set in L.A.

And that’s not all Albuquerque’s got on the horizon: The Reelz Channel is a cable-channel that recently set up shop at Albuquerque Studios and they hired between 80-100 New Mexicans. UNM is building a film school. There are numerous film festivals, including the Duke City Shootout, the Italian Filmfest and the 505 Youth Film Festival. Add to that the overwhelming support from local and state government, and it’s hard to imagine there would be any detractors. And the Mayor says while you can still find them, their legislative threats just aren’t taken seriously. “A legislator from Deming tried to squash the film incentives, but that’s where they filmed the last Indiana Jones. I don’t think those efforts are serious. The evidence is just compelling that the incentives are good.” Ann adds, “And I think we need to get the word out across the state about how much filming is done around the state, and not just in Albuquerque. So some of these films might be based in Albuquerque but they might be out filming for a week in Edgewood or Carrizozo, so it’s really statewide.” And the Mayor wants to support all types of projects…not just the blockbusters, he says if a 2-million dollar production comes in, that’s REAL money being spent here and it all benefits New Mexicans.

The mayor says one of the reasons he believes Albuquerque is faring well or better than some other cities is directly related to film activity. Albuquerque had 19 film credits in 2008, including Saint John of Las Vegas, Love Ranch, and Terminator Salvation. And when it comes to the incentives, the Mayor says he thinks we ought to sweeten the pot. ”We really ought to go up a few percent at the state level because these incentives can be replicated anywhere.” Research by Ernst & Young shows that for every dollar New Mexico spends on film, we get $1.50 back. Mayor Chavez says other towns are looking at our model to try to take some of the market, but he adds “We have taken the incentives and built out the rest of the infrastructure with post-production facilities, and the digital capacity is as good here as anywhere in the world now. So we hook them with the incentives but we keep them with the rest of it.”

Ann says you can’t overlook quality of life is a big seller too. ”Would you rather shoot here in January or in Michigan?” I’m sorry Michigan, no offense, but that’s an easy answer for most. And let’s hope for the Mayor’s sake that it’s an easy choice for Charlize Theron too.

by Senior Reporter

Erica Viking

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