SHOT IN TEXAS: ‘Dallas’ pilot begins 12-day shoot

My Dallas Morning News column (which actually runs Saturday but is already up on the Web site--oddly minus my byline).--Joe

NOTE: Larry Hagman on Sunday at 8 p.m. will be at the Texas Theatre, where the original Dallas series is being screened two episodes at a time weekly.

SHOT IN TEXAS: ‘Dallas’ pilot begins 12-day shoot here next week

BY JOE O'CONNELL
filmnewsbyjoe@yahoo.com
joeoconnell.com
@joemoconnell on Twitter

The TNT series pilot for Dallas begins a 12-day North Texas shoot next week. The pilot follows the next generation of Ewings led by Jesse Metcalfe, Josh Henderson and Jordana Brewster. Larry Hagman, Charlene Tilton, Steve Kanaly, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy from the original series are also on board.

“Just because a pilot shoots here doesn’t mean it’s going to stay if picked up,” warned Janis Burklund of the Dallas Film Commission. She has seen network shows such as Fox’s Good Guys come and go. Indeed, most of the original Dallas series was shot in Hollywood.

Dallas-set and Dallas-shot ABC pilot GCB, starring Leslie Bibb, Kristin Chenoweth and Annie Potts, recently wrapped production. Word of a series pickup is expected by mid-May.

A couple of canceled series shot in North Texas are also staging small-scale comebacks. The five unaired Chase episodes shot in Dallas will be broadcast beginning Saturday on NBC. And Lone Star creator Kyle Killen is staging a free screening of the fourth through sixth episodes of the canceled Fox series this Sunday in Austin at the Alamo Drafthouse-Ritz.

In 2009, Hagman, Dallas’ J.R. Ewing, wandered the Texas Capitol giving out fake $10,000 bills with his photo on them, successfully prodding legislators to increase filming incentives funding. But incentives are no longer such an easy sell.

With six weeks to go in the session, the Texas Legislature is hashing out the future of a filming incentives program that in 2009 awarded two-year funding of $60 million — with another $2 million for operating expenses and funding of a state film archive. This time the Senate is looking at two-year funding of $10 million, while the House is considering increasing that two-year figure to $30 million plus that spare $2 million for operations and film archive. The decision will likely be up to a House-Senate conference committee.

The industry, in a study expected to be released next week, contends the film, television and video-game industry has had a $1.1 billion impact since incentives were first funded in 2007, and a direct in-state spend of just less than $600 million. The study commissioned by the Texas Association of Business with the help of the University of Texas considers spending through 2010.

“It shows how effective we are at creating jobs,” said Don Stokes, president of the lobbying group Texas Motion Picture Alliance. “It shows the Texas program is the most efficient program out there.”

Competing states also are looking at either cutting back or eliminating filming incentives in this tight budget year. Still, New Mexico is considering a $45 million per year cap, far more than ever offered in Texas.

“Our program was designed from the beginning to be very conservative,” Stokes said, noting Texas’ strengths in trained film crews and varied filming locales. “As other programs across the country pull back and come back into reality, it makes Texas that much more competitive. We hope we end up with enough to keep Texas in the game.”
Burklund agrees. “We all know we’re going to take a cut,” she said. “I’m not panicking about it. We’re doing the best we can given the circumstances.”

Bonus footage

Dallas filmmakers Barak Epstein, Adam Donaghey, Jason Reimer and Eric Steele, working together as Aviation Cinemas, are launching what they term “crowd-funded” indie films and producing them directly from Oak Cliff’s Texas Theatre. The first project is The Verdigris, a music documentary executive-produced by Bradley Beesley (Okie Noodling) and featuring music by Beau Jennings. A donations-only performance by Jennings opened the effort at the Texas Theatre on Friday.

'Chase' stops running, what's next in Texas film/TV?

They've made my SHOT IN TEXAS "premium content" on the Dallas Morning News site, but here it is from today's paper...


'Chase' shuts down after NBC pulls it from schedule

By JOE O’CONNELL

NBC pulled Chase from its schedule just days before production on the show officially ended in North Texas this week. Five episodes remain unaired, and the move means the series probably won’t be back for a second season. The network earlier reduced the episode order from 22 to 18 after poor ratings.

Chase was the last of the major network series shot in Texas to close shop. It follows North Texas-shot Lone Star and The Good Guys, and Austin-shot My Generation and Friday Night Lights. Lights ended it fifth season on DirecTV this week, though the season won’t air on NBC until April.

All of the series faced ratings woes while also proving the mettle of Texas crews and bringing money to the state. Each episode is estimated to bring in at least $1 million in local spending.

If North Texas officials get their wish, the television production frenzy will continue.

“We do have projects that are looking,” said Janis Burklund of the Dallas Film Commission. “And that includes television pilots — plural — and features.”

Certainly the possibility with the highest profile is TNT’s modern-day take on Dallas . It was recently announced that Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray have all signed on for the series pilot, which will focus on the original characters’ children.

There was no word at press time that Dallas would shoot in Dallas, but Burklund remains cautiously optimistic. “They’re looking at their options,” she said of TNT reps. “I think we will know fairly soon.”

Also possibly on the horizon is the Dallas-set Good Christian Bitches , based on Kim Gatlin’s book of the same name. ABC has ordered a pilot presentation for the soap-like show from Sex and the City’s Darren Star.

The television floodgates opened after the 2009 Texas Legislature made its filming incentives payment more flexible and upped overall two-year spending to $60 million. The increase was seen as too little to attract a lot of major films, but perfect for network television. The current budget crunch is likely to shrink that amount considerably. An early proposal dropped it to $10 million for the next two years.

This week, Gov. Rick Perry proposed adding another $20 million on top of that for an even $30 million, as well as opening the possibility that additional funds could be added to the program if they could be freed up elsewhere.

The new session also brought a new leader to the Texas Film Commission, Dallas native Evan Fitzmaurice, who is keeping a politically low profile and letting legislators handle the politics of film incentives.

“There’s a process at work, and as a film commission, we are eager to answer their questions as we have in the past,” he said.

Don Stokes, president of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance, said cutting incentive funding now could halt the flow of television series to Texas.

“We’re prepared to look at a smaller appropriation,” he said. “We just feel it merits more than $30 million because of the jobs we bring to the state.”

The film group has commissioned an economic impact study aimed at proving that . The study is due March 1 from the Texas Association of Business.

Bonus footage

Fitzmaurice spent five years in Los Angeles as an entertainment attorney before joining Perry’s legal staff. He’s a graduate of Greenhill School in Addison. While attending the University of Texas, he wrote music reviews for The Daily Texan and played bass in the band Second Season. … When Angels Sing, a Christmas story directed by Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions ) and based on Turk Pipkin’s book, is currently shooting in Austin. The cast includes Harry Connick Jr., Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights ), Willie Nelson , Kris Kristofferson and Lyle Lovett.

'The Good Guys' is gone for good

Fox has not officially canceled Dallas-shot The Good Guys; they just won't order more episodes that the 20 that have already aired. With a reduction in episodes ordered for Chase, the television flurry in Big D looks to be drying up. More from me on this Saturday in The Dallas Morning News.

NBC cuts 'Chase' by four episodes

This just in from The Hollywood Reporter: NBC has opted to reduce the order of Dallas-shot Chase episodes from 22 to 18. It's a dismal sign for a Warner Bros. show that has had some trouble getting viewers.

'Chase' gets new spring time slot

Dallas-shot Chase gets to keep running despite iffy ratings with new Wednesday 8 p.m. CST time slot beginning Jan. 12 on NBC.

That's good news in North Texas which has already lost Lone Star to poor ratings and is wondering about the future of The Good Guys, which is set to air on Dec. 10 the last of the 20 episodes shot amid predictions it will not be renewed.

TV series (even the failures like 'Lone Star') bring bucks to Texas

Here's my latest SHOT IN TEXAS column from The Dallas Morning News with the scoop on television in Texas and its economic impact.

NBC orders full season of Dallas-shot 'Chase'

Lone Star may be gone, but one of its Dallas-shot brethren will live on, at least for a full first season. NBC announced the full season pickup of Chase (which is set in Houston) but wasn't specific on the number of additional episodes. We can assume it's the "back 9" episodes to go with the already-in-production 13.

More on this in my Dallas Morning News column on Friday.

'My Generation' adds to Texas TV jinx

Austin-shot My Generation became the second show of the new TV season to be canceled. The first was Dallas-shot Lone Star. Do we have a Texas TV jinx? At this point Dallas-shot and Texas-set The Good Guys and Chase survive, but neither is pulling in great numbers. It's more likely networks are too quick to pull the trigger and viewers rely on their DVRs and are thus less likely to latch onto a new show.

For my taste, Lone Star was a keeper, but I haven't yet been able to make it through an episode of dull, dull, dull My Generation.

While Dallas-shot Chase is looking like a survivor, The Good Guys (also shot in Big D) is in clear danger. Consider the week two ratings for My Generation: 3.9 million viewers and a 1.1 adults 18-49 rating (whatever that means). The Good Guys' in its second week on Fridays is way down from its summer numbers with 3.2 million, 0.7. Danger! Danger! Warning!

Chaos has to wait; but TV series flood Texas

FYI--A shorter version of this ran on the Dallas Morning News blog today, and a version combined with a DMN writer's feature will appear Thursday. Here's my take from Dallas City Hall on Wednesday afternoon:

North Texas-based 'Chaos' series awaiting CBS confirmation

BY JOE O'CONNELL
filmnewsbyjoe@yahoo.com
on Twitter: joemoconnell
joeoconnell.com

DALLAS—Three television series will shoot simultaneously in North Texas this summer, and a fourth might join them in the fall.

What was to be a major announcement by Gov. Rick Perry and Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert at Dallas City Hall of a fourth television show shooting in North Texas ended up being a “maybe.” Twentieth Century Fox Television execs on Wednesday said they have yet to get confirmation of a pickup by CBS of Chaos, a spy series set to star Stephen Rea (The Crying Game). If picked up, they expect to shoot 13 episodes of the midseason replacement in the fall.

Perry said the flurry of major network television production is a sign Texas has been “established as a preferred location.”

Already shooting in North Texas is The Good Guys for Fox, which recently added seven more episodes to its original 13-episode order. This summer the show is expected to compete with NBC’s Chase and Fox’s Lonestar (former Midland) for North Texas locations and crew. In Austin, the ABC series My Generation is primed to lens this summer as well.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Janis Burklund of the Dallas Film Commission said of the demands on the North Texas crew base. “Yes, it’s going to stretch us a bit, but that’s how we’ll grow.”

North Texas’ television resurgence began when Prison Break shot here for two seasons beginning in 2006, said Twentieth Century Fox vice president Jim Sharp. That led to shooting the short-lived series The Deep End. But the area’s history as a television hub dates back further to Walker, Texas Ranger, a show for which Burklund worked as a location scout.

It’s all part of a trend to shoot network television shows outside of Los Angeles due to that area’s poor incentives and changing physical landscape that has made finding locations more difficult. Texas now hopes to attract some of the longtime California crew members to the Lone Star State.

The Legislature approved in 2009 an increase in state filming incentives funding from a two-year total of $22 million to $62 million and added flexibility in how the funds can be meted out. Perry said since then 206 projects have come to the state, creating 28,500 full-time jobs and attracting in-state spending of $184 million.

On average, each episode of a television series shot should drop more than $1 million in the local economy, Bob Hudgins of the Texas Film Commission said.

Why is Dallas the big winner? Leppert said it’s a mix of great locations and a large pool of talents crew members.

“It means jobs and additional visibility for North Texas, Dallas and all of Texas,” he said.

A key indicator is the current disparity between Dallas and Houston, which was in the 1990s a leading Texas filming location. Fox’s Lonestar is set in both the oil industry of Houston and Midland. Executives are taking what was termed a look at Austin as a filming location on Thursday, but long ago ruled out Houston.

Also set in Houston is Chase, the NBC series from Warner Bros. It also ruled out shooting in Space City. 20th Century Fox had to move quickly on the series, said Garry Brown, the show’s co-executive producer and former Walker, Texas Ranger producer who has been one of the pivotal voices behind the North Texas film resurgence.

“There was more to offer to us immediately here in Dallas,” Brown said. “They (Houston) need to build their crew base up, and they’re working on it.”

During the film industry’s lean years earlier in the mid-2000s when film and television projects were lured to states offering hefty incentives, the Houston film crews dissipated. Dallas, as a center for filming of commercials, industrial films, animation and videos, kept its crews largely in place. Now the problem is making sure there are enough workers here to handle three television shows shooting in North Texas this summer, and Chaos potentially joining this in the fall.

New TV series lensing in Dallas is 'Chaos'

I'm sitting here at Dallas City Hall waiting for Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Texas Gov. Rick Perry to join 20th Century Fox execs in announcing the series Chaos starring Stephen Rea (The Crying Game) will shoot in North Texas this summer, joining The Good Guys, Chase and Lonestar (formerly known as Midland. More in a bit...

My latest SHOT IN TEXAS column

Most of this has been covered already in the blog, but here's my latest SHOT IN TEXAS column in the Dallas Morning News about three TV series shooting in Dallas, one in Austin and True Grit in Granger. Enjoy.

Three TV series to shoot at once in Dallas

Yes, we have confirmation that both Chase and Midland (possibly retitled Lone Star) will shoot in Dallas starting in mid-July. The Good Guys will get an additional seven (at least-expect nine in the end) episodes. More about this in my SHOT IN TEXAS column in the Dallas Morning News on Friday. It's the best news to come out of the Dallas film/television scene in years.

NBC picks up Dallas-shot 'Chase'

The pilot for Chase shot in Dallas. No official word if the series will as well, but it look likely. HINT: They are currently--as in right now, today--scouting locations.


Here's the press release from NBC:

Drama Becomes NBC's Fifth New Scripted Series Announced for New Season

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - May 10, 2010 - NBC has picked up its fifth scripted series pilot for the 2010-11 season in "Chase," a new drama from Emmy Award-winning executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("CSI" franchise, "The Amazing Race," "Pirates of the Caribbean" films) and executive producer Jennifer Johnson ("Cold Case").

The announcement was made by Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios.

"Chase" joins previously announced "Undercovers," "The Event," "Love Bites," and "Outsourced" as the fifth new scripted series currently announced for NBC's new season with additional pickups yet to be announced.

"'Chase' has all the undeniable elements of a thrill ride that you would expect from a Jerry Bruckheimer action series," said Bromstad. "Equally important, it also features a great cast. Kelli Giddish is a breakout star as the lead."
"Chase" is a fast-paced drama that drops viewers smack into the middle of a game of cat-and-mouse as a team of U.S. marshals hunts down America's most dangerous fugitives. Kelli Giddish ("Past Life") stars as U.S. Marshal Annie Frost, a cowboy boot-wearing deputy whose sharp mind and unique Texas upbringing help her track down the violent criminals on the run.

Cole Hauser ("K-Ville"), Amaury Nolasco ("Prison Break"), Rose Rollins ("The L Word") and Jesse Metcalfe ("Desperate Housewives") also star as members of Frost's elite team.

"Chase" is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc., in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television. Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman ("CSI" franchise, "The Amazing Race," "Cold Case") and Johnson serve as executive producers, while KristieAnne Reed is co-executive producer. David Nutter ("The Mentalist," "Without a Trace" "The X-Files") directed and is executive producer of the pilot which was written by Johnson.

Extras casting for 'Chase,' 'Code 58'

Just because everyone seems to want to know, here's the extras casting info for the two television shows shooting in Dallas:

Chase

Non-speaking talent needed for new Jerry Bruckheimer pilot that will begin filming the first part of March and will continue filming until the end of the month. The Extras Casting Department will be casting all non-speaking talent of all ages and diversified ethnicity for stand-ins, photo doubles, regular background and action extras. Please email headshot or a recent photo to cache.casting@gmail.com.

On opening page of email please have the following information:

1. Name
2. All contact info
3. Availability
4. Automobile type (ie: color/year/model)
5. Are you a Texas Resident (Texas residency required)
6. Student or home school minor
7. Wardrobe sizes Men - height - weight - waist-inseam-jacket-shirt(sleeve/neck) shoe and hat Women - height -weight-dress-blouse-slacks-jeans-bust-waist-hips-shoe-hat

Make sure the above info is on opening page of email or the attachments will not be opened and saved on file. If you or a family member emailed or mailed a headshot previously for “The Deep End” please do not resubmit. Do not submit a photo if you want a speaking part we only cast non-speaking roles. Pay will be 64/8 for extras and 120/12 for stand-ins.

Code 58 (formerly Jack And Dan)

We will soon be casting Paid EXTRAS for the FOX television series “Code 58” starring Colin Hanks to be filmed in the DALLAS, TX area starting on 1/26/10 for approximately 13 episodes.

We will be looking for ALL types, ALL ages of local Dallas/Fort Worth area talent to work on this project. NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE REQUIRED!!!

**If you are already registered with us (On Location Casting) - please DO NOT fill out another profile, you will automatically be considered for this project! However, please be sure that your OLC profile and contact information is up to date.

Some specific types of Extras we will need include:
-Uniform Police Officers: male and female, clean cut, athletic, prefer previous law enforcement experience
-CSI Agents: male and female, clean cut, professional types
-Detectives: male and female, professional types with suits
-Civilian Office Workers: secretarial types with business attire
-Airline Pilots
-Flight Attendants
-Extras with cars that are NOT red, white or black (please put your car year, make, model & color in your talent profile under special skills)
-PERUVIAN Men, Women and Children
-Bikers with tattooes and motorcycles
-Exotic Dancers/Strippers/Burlesque Dancers
-Drug Dealer and Criminal types
-Businessmen with suits
-Seedy Character types (extreme interesting character faces, all ages)
-"smoking hot” gorgeous MODELS
-Homeless types
-African American Men and Women
-Asian Men and Women
-EXPERIENCED Standins & Photos Doubles for several lead actors (please list Stand-in experience on online resume)
-Plus many other General Extra roles.

All Extra roles are PAID. NON-UNION Extras Rate of $64.00 for 8 hours ($8/hr) plus overtime. Stand-in rate is $120.00 for 12 hours ($10/hr) plus overtime.

In order to be considered for EXTRA work, you will need to visit our company website at http://www.onlocationcasting.net and complete a TALENT Application. Please make sure to upload 1-2 photos to your talent profile. It is FREE to be in our talent files. The optional upgrade offered to an Active Agency Pro account brings you many additional marketing benefits and website services, however please note that the optional upgrades are NOT REQUIRED in order to work on “Code 58” or any other OLC project. You are automatically ‘active’ in our talent database as soon as your account is approved.

*TEXAS Residents ONLY! We will NOT pay for your travel/accomodations to/in Dallas and you MUST have valid proof of Texas residency (Drivers License, Voter Registration Card or Full-time College ID Card)

If you have further questions - you can reach us via email at: onlocationcasting@yahoo.com

We will NOT be handling the principal (speaking role) casting for this project.

Make that three TV pilots shooting in Texas soon

This will run in tomorrow's Dallas Morning News:

Three television pilots set to shoot in Texas: two in Dallas, one in Austin

BY JOE O’CONNELL

Two major network television pilots are expected to shoot in North Texas this spring and a third is headed to Austin, offering clear indications that television production is the big prize from recent increases in the state’s filming incentives program.

Midland, a drama for the Fox network will shoot here March 16 to April 1, Janis Burklund, head of the Dallas Film Commission, confirmed in a Facebook posting that called for potential crew members to email resumes to dallas.film@dallascityhall.com. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show is “a soap set against the backdrop of an oil business that centers on a polygamist living a double life.”
The pilot will be directed by Marc Webb—who will also helm the next Spider-man film—from a script by The Beaver screenwriter Kyle Killen. No cast has been announced.

Also shooting here in March is the NBC pilot Chase from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, which the network describes as about “a crucial fugitive apprehension team comprised of U.S. Marshals that tracks down the nation's most notorious criminals.” Reports have Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives) portraying a preppy marshal.

In Austin, Generation Y, the documentary-style story of a group of twentysomethings that flashes back to their high school days 10 year earlier, is set to shoot for ABC in March, said Bob Hudgins, head of the Texas Film Commission.

Hudgins said the sudden onslaught of television production can be credited largely to the influcnce of producers Garry Brown and Nan Burnstein. Brown worked on Walker, Texas Ranger, and was instrumental in bringing Prison Break, The Deep End and currently shooting Code 58 (formerly known as Jack and Dan) to North Texas. He will also produce Chase, but not Midland. Burnstein produces Austin-shot Friday Night Lights, which begins filming a fifth season there in April. Neither could be reached for comment at press time.

“These things don’t happen by accident,” Hudgins said. “It’s really those line producers who are our biggest advocates right now.”

Gen Y was strongly considering a North Carolina shoot before Burnstein’s advice and assistance turned the tide, Hudgins said.

The Texas Legislature in 2009 increased the size of financial rebates given to filmmakers based either on total in-state spending or as a percentage of wages paid to cast and crew who are Texas residents. Texas offers up to 15 percent of in-state spending or up to 25 percent of wages, with both figures increased slightly for filming in areas deemed underutilized. Previously, the state offered 5 percent rebates.

“It’s because we have an incentive that these things are falling into place,” Hudgins said. “They know we have the crews and we have the capacity to get these things done.”