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Overhauling the Alaska film industry: Is that Alaska or California?

by Megan Baldino
Monday, November 09, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- If you've ever seen the movies “Mystery, Alaska,” “The Proposal,” or “Insomnia,” then you know they all have one thing in common: They were set in Alaska, but not filmed here.

It's a trend the state has battled for years, and now it seems things are beginning to change.

Last Friday night in Anchorage, a new movie release drew a big crowd.

The film, “The Fourth Kind,” is supposedly set in Nome, Alaska.

But any Alaskan can tell you that it is not Nome.

“Absolutely nothing. All of it seemed kind of ridiculous,” said Hazel Amarock, who lives in Anchorage.

“It does kind of scare me, but it was silly,” she said.

“It was placed in October and there was no snow whatsoever and none of them wore any jackets,” said Ryan Majeski, also of Anchorage.

The two were observing a common trend in Hollywood: Set the story in Alaska, but don't film it here.

“It’s been a real challenge to get people to come up here and film,” said Bob Crockett, president of the Alaska Film Group.

“We've been pushing this rock uphill for a lot of years, and most of the time with the feature film side we've seen second-unit establishing shots for movies, things like that, where we get a few days of work out of the process,” Crockett said.

When “The Proposal,” was released, Ryan Reynolds' character's hometown was Sitka, Alaska, a beautiful Alaskan city with a rich history, quaint buildings and lovely scenery.

But you won’t see it in the movie. You will, however, see Massachusetts.

“The Alaskan can pick out the fake situation, but a lot of other people are fooled,” said state Sen. Johnny Ellis.

It's a tale nearly as old as our state.

John Wayne's “North to Alaska,” in 1960-- filmed in California.

“Mystery, Alaska,”-- filmed on location in Alberta, Canada.

“Insomnia,”-- filmed in British Columbia.

The list of films set in Alaska, but not filmed here, is long.

“Costs are a little bit higher here as everybody in Alaska knows, because everything has to be brought up here by barge or on an airplane or whatever,” said Mike Devlin of Evergreen Films.

Evergreen Films is a new film company based in Anchorage and Los Angeles. Devlin says cost is one issue, logistics another, not to mention weather.

“I think it's the distance. Like every industry there is a center of mass for certain locations around Los Angeles and Hollywood for the film industry and it is just a different environment to come all the way up here, and it may seem a little more primitive to some of those people,” Devlin said.

Someone who wasn't afraid to come north: Sean Penn, who filmed “Into the Wild” in Cantwell and Denali in 2006 and 2007.

For Cantwell and the Denali Borough, the filming brought a welcome financial boost to the economy.

It's something Ellis wants to see more of.

“Alaska has amazing natural advantages and so I wanted to give Alaskans a fair shot at these jobs and business opportunities,” he said.

Ellis was successful in getting a film tax incentive bill passed in the legislature and signed into law in 2008.

Those in the industry say it’s already working.

Add to that Devlin’s film company, renewed interest in Alaska because of successful reality TV shows and former Gov. Palin's run at vice president, and some say it’s a perfect storm.

“I would consider this a new era for film and television in Alaska,” Crockett said.

Contact Megan Baldino at mbaldino@ktuu.com