San Diego revives push to lure film crews
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San Diego wants more Leo locally. Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
San Diego County is hoping to capitalize on the success of "One Battle After Another" to bring more filming to the region.
Why it matters: Shooting movies and commercials here creates jobs and boosts the local economy, according to county officials, so they're trying to make it as easy as possible.
Catch up quick: The Oscar-buzzy "One Battle" was shot in the East Village, The Westgate Hotel, Otay Mesa, county parks and areas near the U.S.-Mexico border. Warner Bros. spent about $7 million here while filming, according to the county.
- If the movie wins big this weekend at the Oscars, the hope is it'll attract more studios, Steve Lockett, deputy director of economic development and prosperity, told Axios.
"It's an inflection point for us, where I think there's a lot of momentum coming, where we can drive some stuff forward," he said.
Flashback: San Diego had a Film Commission, but it closed back in 2013.
- The county set up the Office of Economic Development and Government Affairs in 2022, and one of its focuses has been the arts, especially film, Lockett said.
- At first, the idea was to create another formal film office, but Lockett said he decided it was better to go the informal route.
"We have a monthly meeting of jurisdictions that are involved, where we share information about what inquiries we've gotten, what projects we're working on," he said.
How it works: In the last few years, this informal film team has driven people from studios around in buses to show them options for shooting.
- The message is: Think beyond just beaches.
- "We have everything that LA County has, from water to beaches to deserts to mountains, cityscapes to cool, weird little streets that are fun to film on," Lockett said.
- Then they tout that the county's permitting system is easy and straightforward.
- "You can literally reach me on the phone anytime," Lockett said.
- They haven't changed any rules to make permitting easier, but work to be as helpful as possible to coordinate among the county, city, fire departments, sheriff, or any other jurisdictions that might be involved, he said.
What's next: The county is also working on putting together a virtual map of location sites around the county that would allow film scouts to see photos and videos and also the permitting requirements for those places.
- "You might click there and be like, 'OK, there's a cool spot to film there, if I want to close off a road, I need an encroachment permit from here, or if I'm going to be in a county park, I need to fill out this form,'" Lockett said.
State of play: Lockett credits this work for the county landing "One Battle After Another."
- The production team originally wanted to film a scene at some adobes in a county park, but decided it wasn't quite right.
- The film team eventually decided to shoot other scenes in Anza-Borrego, by the border and in the city.
- Since the movie came out, Lockett has received more filming requests, including for three car commercials and an athletic wear commercial.
What they're saying: "We're easier to work with than LA, we're quicker to reach, and our permits are quicker and cheaper," Lockett said.