Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1111954
02.05.19 3 NEWS FROM PAGE 1 e competition from desti- nations such as Morocco, Jor- dan, Bulgaria and Hungary has also intensified and the reason is not only linked to tax advan- tages. A film producer said more had to be done to ensure a sup- ply of skilled professionals. "If a production company comes to Malta and has to bring over all its technical staff it would defeat the whole scope but they have to be sure that the skills set they need is available here," he said. e producer noted that competition from eastern European countries was a tough reality the country had to contend with. "e impact of ongo- ing construction may be a problem for specific pro- jects that would require cer- tain locations but it is not an issue for all productions. e lack of a skilled workforce was a bigger worry," he added. His views were reflected by a veteran film producer, who also acts as an agent for foreign filmmakers. He told Business Today ex- tensive construction across the islands was only the tip of the iceberg. "Finding film extras is rela- tively easy but there is a lack of production experts, such as sound and light technicians, professional riggers, video ed- itors and studio assistants," he lamented. is failing, he noted, would force a foreign production company to bring over more professionals instead of pool- ing locals to fill certain roles. And a more recent prob- lem is the higher rents being charged. Most companies are hesitant to agree to long- term rentals in popular areas at what have become accept- ed standard prices in the past couple of years. "It is important to under- stand that when these com- panies send representatives to scout for locations for an upcoming movie, they have to consider everything, down to the last dollar," the producer said. ese companies will always seek the most advantageous destination that provides the best service, quality person- nel, real value for money and a quick turnaround solution, he added. Another filmmaker said that Malta's charm as a filming lo- cation was being impacted by the building boom. He said the continuous de- velopment triggered in recent years was slowly changing the island's appeal to international filmmakers. "e current building boom is affecting Malta's allure as an ideal filming location. At the same time, logistics-wise, it's not ideal right now, since practically huge infrastruc- tural projects all over the is- land are underway, including a large portion of residential roads," the source said. e island has for some time failed to attract a Hollywood blockbuster movie but another film- maker said this was also dependent on the type of script. "Basically, the island as a film location has to fit the underlying script. But it's very dif- ficult for us to compete for that middle east sce- nario with countries such as Morocco and Jordan," he acknowledged. 'The sound stage is a brilliant idea' e industry sources, how- ever, welcomed plans to create a sound stage at the Ricasoli Film Facility. is facility is expected to be an added incentive to the in- dustry because feature films can be completed in their en- tirety on the island. e industry leaders de- scribed the soundstage pro- ject as a "brilliant idea", which according to them will most definitely help us secure more project in the future. "Soundstage is a brilliant idea. In previous years, we had to resort to empty warehouses which would be transformed into sound stages. Recently it was becoming very difficult to find an empty warehouse, due to the economic state of the country," they said. Malta remains an ideal film location When contacted, Film Com- missioner Johann Grech dis- missed the criticism, insisting that Malta remained an ideal film location, especially with the recent changes to the tax rebates offered to production companies. "We never had a government as committed as the present to make Malta the top of the line film location in the world. Till now I must have met with over 400 producers and none have mentioned such shortcom- ings," Grech said. e Film Commissioner also rebuked claims that high rents and lack of skilled profession- als in the industry are two big concerns for international film-makers. He said that when the third series of Fox's Queen of the South was being filmed in Malta, the production compa- ny brought over a team of only 10 people, the rest, about 140 professionals, were all locals. "We established a directo- ry of local industry workers which is then passed on to every producer. It's very clear to producers that they must employ and train locals to be then eligible for cash rebates," Grech said. e Malta Film Commission recently revised incentives, which will see productions earning a cash rebate of up to 40% for expenses incurred in Malta. Prior to these revi- sions, productions shot on the islands were entitled to a 27% cash rebate. "Together with Minister Konrad Mizzi, we worked on a strategy to ensure that Mal- ta remains competitive in the global film market. With our 40% cash rebate, today, Malta is offering a strong proposition to studios and independent filmmakers to choose Malta for their project. Today Malta is offering 40% on TV series, feature films, documentaries, pilots, scripted and unscript- ed reality shows, animation and also post-production and VFX," Grech said. But Malta's proposition to filmmakers is not based only on the cash rebate, he added. Malta offers a versatile loca- tion, unique water tanks, ex- perienced crew and the ability to double for various different countries, Grech insisted. 'Tourism Minister dismisses claims of shortcomings' Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi also dismissed the crit- icism. He said the building boom impact on Malta's film indus- try was exaggerated because most of the productions are produced in designated closed places such as the Ricasoli Film Studios. "Filming usually takes place in a number of designated areas around the island such as the Ricasoli Film Facili- ties, stakeholders have never lamented about the building boom effect on film produc- tions," Mizzi said, adding that three separate international productions will be filming in Malta in the coming days, in- cluding an MTV reality show. 'Higher tax rebates make Malta even more attractive to filmmakers' Film commissioner Johann Grech Gladiator, featuring Russell Crowe, was partially filmed in Malta