The latest version of the Colonial-era romance story "To Have and to Hold" will be filmed in Virginia starting this fall.
Rita McClenny, the director of the Virginia Film Office, made the announcement to a group of Chesterfield County business leaders during an early-morning networking breakfast at CJW Medical Center (Johnston-Willis) on Tuesday. She said the movie, set in Jamestown, had been slated for production in Texas but that Virginia was able to lure it away at the last minute.
The story is based on a 1900 novel written by Mary Johnston, a native of Buchanan. Production will begin about the same time as state-based production on Steven Spielberg's movie on Abraham Lincoln.
The two movies are part of renewed focus on bringing Hollywood-style productions to Virginia.
"It's shaping up to be a great year," she told the crowd at the Chesterfield Business Council's monthly breakfast.
The film industry contributed more than $700 million to the Virginia economy in 2009 and 2010, she said, and an additional $350 million-plus impact is likely this year.
While the state offers a variety of incentives to production companies, the numbers, she said, were real and easy to digest, even on the smallest level.
"In Virginia, no project gets a dime until they spend a dollar in the state," she said.
The 2008 HBO series on John Adams brought with it $80 million in spending, she said, and it wasn't all in movie-specific niches, either. The producers spent $6 million on items for sets, including hiring a Winchester furniture maker to create 50 period chairs, and spent an additional $8 million on construction.
"They're motivated to procure from Virginians and Virginia companies," she said.
She also offered a few tips about negotiating.
- Act fast. Striking a deal up front is key, she said. While the 2007 movie "Evan Almighty" brought with it $14 million in spending, no one thought to ask about state incentives until after production began. By then, it was too late, McClenny said.
- Be persistent. When Sony was looking for incentives for a Garth Brooks film project, McClenny insisted that Brooks come to Virginia and shoot a public service announcement, she said. When the producers announced the day before Brooks' planned visit that the country star wouldn't come after all, McClenny said she reminded them that the deal was contingent on the appearance. He showed up.
- Be flexible. For 2004's "National Treasure," a presidential birthday party scene was written with Monticello in mind. When the people there balked, McClenny's staff worked out a deal to do the filming at another famous presidential home in Virginia, Mount Vernon.
The most important thing, she said, was knowing your strengths and knowing how to market them.
To the film industry, she said, Virginia was strong in two ways: history and customer service.
"We're very particular and very proud of our assets," she said. "But we're also very strident about marketing them."
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