An Idea I have. Urban Movie Studio. (San Antonio, Austin: movies, school)

[lemonfresh]

Ok, let me first ask that you all respect this thread and only discuss the idea I am presenting, The pros and cons, logistics, financing such a project, etc. Anything that isn't topic related I ask be deleted.

Ok. So here it is.

This is something I have thought about for some time.

A urban movie studio complex just northwest of downtown.

The site, bounded by Culebra to the north, Laredo to the east, 35 to the south and west.

Click for a map:
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/74/moviestudiomi0.png

The site location is perfect, the grid is perfect and the lots are perfect for a movie studio. It's also perfectly convenient to the freeways and to downtown.

Not only that but it's fairly close to SAC which could partner with the studio to offer classes, etc on film and have students work on the sets, etc. You could completely rebrand and grow SAC into a premier film school.

This site is also in the WDC which would help them out.

I know that funding something like this would cost a lot. But call me crazy but I think it could be done and successed.

Ok, done.

[petrockmedia]

I will second the idea of having a successful movie studio, however a project like this would in fact take time. With Austin just right up the road, and Robert Rodriguez big studio up there as well, San Antonio will have their hands full attracting new clients. Having said that, I strongly believe there is a want for something like this in San Antonio. Me being a former film student, and multimedia major, I have worked with some very skilled people in this town, that have the gift, just not the piece of paper saying so. I think it could work, just takes determination and the right minds to get it off the ground. For media editing, there is a place called match frame that has done major Hollywood movie editing for some years now. We have the capability . just talking about it makes me want to film again

[mpd33]

I think it's a great idea. Wish I had some extra money to throw at the idea Off-hand I thought about the San Antonio Christian Film Festival which is (obviously) held here every year. That attracts a few thousand at least. It would be a good place to advertise, I would think.

[Bowie]

Sounds a little bit like the project discussed in the thread below.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-a...n-antonio.html

[TexasNick]

It's hard. Texas is losing movie productions to other states like Louisiana and New Mexico because the incentives are so much better there (tax breaks, rebates, etc). Notice we haven't had anything major since they filmed The Alamo outside of Austin? We almost lost that one to Canada! San Antonio was the spot for Hollywood before it moved to California and became Hollywood. Look up the Star Film Ranch history and you'll be blown away--San Antonio could've been the Hollywood that we know today. All those big films were shot here in town in the early 1900s: WINGS, THE ROUGH RIDERS, WEST POINT OF THE AIR, 1000s OF ALAMO MOVIES, etc.

It just doesn't make sense to have a major film studio here since Austin is so close..and even Austin's movie production is not as vibrant as it once was. The traditional studio as we know it today is downsizing because everything can practically be created via computers. Even Steve Spielberg can't get funding for his own movie studio these days [link].

Trust me, I'd love to have a major studio here..it would bring jobs to those of us in the creative industry that are tired of just making TV commercials. But, I don't see it being much of a success here locally.

[lemonfresh]

TexasNick, that Spielberg article you linked has nothing to do with any film studio he's trying to build.

"The director and his advisers have been trying to secure funding and distribution for a new independent film company."

Basically he's looking for a studio to distrute his DreamWorks movies. SA would have a leg up if a studio were built on the site I identified because of its urban location. How many urban movie studios are there outside of LA, NY and possibly Toronto?

Also, looking at it as only a studio for American movies is short sighted. It could be a place for Mexican film makers as well. They could use sound stages for filming Mexican television shows, etc.

[adtobias]

San Antonio should tap in to the "Mexican" or "Spanish" film industry.

[CelesteDF]

Originally Posted by lemonfresh

Also, looking at it as only a studio for American movies is short sighted. It could be a place for Mexican film makers as well. They could use sound stages for filming Mexican television shows, etc.

Originally Posted by adtobias

San Antonio should tap in to the "Mexican" or "Spanish" film industry.

Do you have any understanding of the economics of the film industry? It is 10x as cheap to shoot film and television in Latin America as it is here in the US. I've worked in advertising for years and we'd take all our clients to Latin America to shoot spots - you can shoot an entire campaign down there for what it costs to do a single spot here. The creative production down there is as good or better as here, and if you need English speaking talent with no accents it's cheaper to just fly them down there. San Antonio does not have any advantage over most of the film production facilities in Mexico or Latin America, and unless Texas decides to significantly increase its incentives for the film industry, there will not be enough need/demand for another production facility locally.

This is not to say that that area isn't good for some kind of development, but a film studio would be an extremely unlikely option. If you're trying to encourage development, why don't you coordinate with WDC and the economic development departments at Bexar County and CoSA to identify an industry that would benefit from additional facilities in SA?