Contributed photos
LEFT: Sean Connery playing the iconic role of Ian Fleming's James Bond. He appeared in 'Dr No', filmed in Jamaica.
RIGHT: Whoopi Goldberg has made the Jamaican trek for 'Clara's Heart'.Krista Henry, Staff Reporter
Film Commissioner Dell Crooks' story about how the movie Perfect Getaway, which was shot in Negril, came to be filmed in Jamaica, is instructive.
She explained that "the movie was being filmed in Puerto Rico and we got a call from a friend over there saying they're having bad weather and needed some beautiful caves. So I sent her the photographs and they came here to film. When they were done the man in charge said 'we should have done the entire movie in Jamaica'".
It would not, of course, have been the first. And most of the movies made in the land of wood, water and variety have been filmed according to plan, not the vagaries of the weather.
The stunning beauty of Jamaica's vast and varied terrain has been a regular feature in international film productions for more than 50 years.
That Jamaica is a cultural Mecca has been well established - and not only for music, dance and lifestyle. Jamaica as a location for breathtaking shots, rough mountainous terrain and serene beauty has been used in countless films, TV shows and music videos.
According to www.jamaicafilm.com, "international filmmakers have been coming to the island since the early 1900s. During the 1980s there was a drastic increase in the number and types of film projects shot here.
Since the establishment of the Jamaican Film Commission in 1984 we have serviced over 3,000 film projects, ranging from the traditional full-length feature film to the rapidly growing documentary and everything in between. Over 150 films are shot in Jamaica annually."
Film Commissioner Dell Crooks told The Sunday Gleaner that Jamaica as a film destination is popular for a number of reasons. "The location is a very diverse one. We're an island, but a very large island which has what we're known for, the beaches and beautiful locations, but rugged terrain as well. So you can find different locations. So when we filmed Instinct here we doubled for the African terrain," she said.
"Overall, there are also trained and talented persons here, so you don't have to bring in all the crew. You can find them here," Crooks said.
The internationally noted hotels and airports Crooks cited are also another draw for Jamaica as a film-makers dream destination.
Jamaica has served as a shooting location for many of Hollywood's biggest movies, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), A High Wind in Jamaica (1965), All The Brothers Were Valiant (1953), Dr No featuring Sean Connery (1962), Live and Let Die (1973), Children of Babylon (1979), The Blue Lagoon (1980), Eureka (1981), Clara's Heart featuring Whoopi Goldberg (1985), Club Paradise (1985), In Like Flynn (1985), Return to Treasure Island (1985), The Mighty Quinn with Denzel Washington (1989), Cocktail (1988), Hammerhead (1988), Marked for Death (1990), Lord of the Flies (1990), Prelude to a Kiss (1991), Cool Runnings (1993), Wide Sargasso Sea (1993) and Legends of the Fall with Brad Pitt (1993).
There is also the ABC TV Series Going to Extremes (1993), The Man Who Knew Too Little with Bill Murray (1997), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Belly (1998) and Instinct with Anthony Hopkins (1998). More recently there were License To Wed starring Robin Willams.
While it would appear that the majority of films done in Jamaica were shot in the '80s and '90s, according to Crooks the number has not decreased over time. Crooks told The Sunday Gleaner that 'film industry' does not mean feature movies alone, but includes music videos, reality shows, documentaries, still shoots and commercials.
Reality shows
Jamaica has served as a location for a number of reality shows, including The Biggest Loser, MTV Road Rules Challenge (shot in Montego Bay), The Girls Next Door featuring Playboy owner Hugh Heffner's girlfriends, America's Next Top Model, Wild on E!, The Next Big Thing, My Super Sweet 18 on MTV, Amazing Journey and The Big 40.
In April this year Jamaica's position as a prime location for films and the benefits of the Co-Production Treaty with the United Kingdom were highlighted at a special information reception for UK film producers at the Jamaican High Commission in London.
The UK-Jamaica Co-Production Treaty was signed in April last year in Kingston and the UK Parliament ratified the agreement last November. The treaty provides a number of advantages and productions are eligible for UK Film Council funding and the benefits of the UK's tax relief system. Films made as official co-productions are not required to pass the cultural test for British Films.
Maturity
Trade Commissioner Laurence Jones told the film producers that the island's indigenous film industry has matured in recent years and that there were a number of experienced production houses that offered a wide range of services. "Since the establishment of the Jamaica Film Commission in 1984 we have serviced over 3,000 film products, ranging from full-length films to TV documentaries. Producers interested in doing projects in Jamaica will be assisted by the Film Commissioner from the integral stages of production to wrap. Jamaica has the resources you require to make successful films at relatively low costs in a business friendly environment," Mr Jones said.
According to High Commissioner Burchell Whiteman, Jamaica has had a long history of working with international film producers and an existing shorter history of home-grown Jamaican creators of film, who have been training and developing in the country the range of skilled technicians and support staff that the industry needs.
Crooks agreed that the Co-production Treaty was important to Jamaican film producers. She stated that filming in Jamaica was good for an inflow of foreign exchange, as well as for the hotel, catering and technical equipment industries.
krista.henry@gleanerjm.com
