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Oakland Film Center Axed From Base
by Doniphan Blair
The funky front wall of the Film Center—they didn't want to highlight the housing of thousands of dollars of equipment. photo: D. Blair In early October, members of the Oakland Film Center (OFC), 32 film-related businesses from equipment rental to well-known producers on Oakland's old army base, were informed they were about to be evicted.
Then on October 22, Mayor Jean Quan and the base's new developers, including Oakland real estate king Phil Tagami, signed off on 1,700 pages of legal documents to form a massive public-private partnership. Supposedly, it will revitalize the Port of Oakland, bring in a few thousand jobs and attract companies from across California.
There is also funding for road and rail development, raising ground elevation a couple of feet to accommodate global warming, digging a deeper port and up to five billboards, which alone could generate half-a-million a year for the city as well as anti-advertising blight controversy.
"After a decade of work and delay, this is one of the most important engines for economic growth in Oakland history and will provide 5,000 good jobs," noted Quan in an October 23rd Oakland Tribune article.
At the same time, the project is another step in Oakland's rejection of local filmmaking. Oakland has seen a fifty percent drop in shoot days since it fired film commissioner Ami Zins and closed its film office in 2010. Technically, the office was cut in half and folded it into the convention center. That means a loss of millions a year in fees, taxes, supplies, rentals and wages to local film folk.
"I just got a phone call saying we have to be out in 90 days, it's a drag," said Debbie Brubaker a well-known indie producer. Brubaker just finished working with Woody Allen on his still unnamed summer project shot around the Bay and described the experience as fabulous, if occasionally "odd."
Indie producer extraordinaire Debbie Brubaker went big time this summer handling the still unnamed Woody Allen project. photo: D. Blair "Everyone is going to be miserable about this," she said. " For me it is not as bad as for a place like Freyer Lighting," which has a warehouse full of lighting and grip gear.
"We have seen it coming, the handwriting has been on the wall," she continued in reference to struggles between the city and OFC, notably her colleagues Sean House and Dave Lezynski. They attempted to get the developers to put in writing verbal commitments that the OFC would remain part of the one billion dollar redevelopment plan.
"We haven't been served yet; we have only had a phone call; we are trying to come up with our options," said another Film Center member who preferred not to be named. "I don't think the city or the developer ever intended to have a place for filmmakers out here. The developer's agenda is to use public money for private projects and we are not public."
"If the city is so blind as to loose 32 businesses that shows this city does not support film," he continued. "San Francisco supports film and Oakland does not. Oakland's film days have been cut in half and that is the harsh reality."
Indeed, Wilson Wu, an Oakland-based location scout corroborates that reality with personal experience: "I have a client, Motorola, that wanted to shoot at night in Lakeside Park and was willing to pay a couple of thousand dollars. The spot they would have filmed at was isolated and would have caused no inconvenience to residents or tie up traffic. The film shoot would have employed two Oakland Police at their overtime rate. When I asked the park department for a permit, they replied: 'The rules say no filming at night in the park'. No wonder we are broke!"
"The sad part is everything will just sit out there empty," Brubaker concluded.
Our calls to Oakland Film Office, apparently run by one very busy individual, were not returned.
Meanwhile, local filmmakers remain active. "The Waiting Room" a documentary about the city's infamous Highland Hospital is currently playing in theaters; Lisbon Okafor's long anticipated "Oakville" has just been completed and screened; and this magazine continues pushing its concept of an Oakland film movement.
Called the Oakland Film Stammer, in a tip of the hat to Oakland's Art Murmur and Austin's MumbleCore, it would highlight Oakland's unique character. Famously political, drama-filled and third-world-esque, Oakland co-habitats with her six lovely Sisters By the Bay (SF, Berkeley, Marin, Silicon Valley, etc.), suggesting an identity of "structural ambiguity." In this sense, Oakland personifies California which is still a Garden of Eden and the ninth richest country in the world (after France and before Italy), if it were a country, but which is falling apart.
Alas, Oakland is too confused, misguided or prejudiced against filmmakers (who are supposed to be rich). In any event, the city support is just not there.
Nor has there been mention of the Film Center's tenants finding another warehouse in West Oakland to settle into. Some of them, it seems, are simply fed up. If eviction comes to pass, it would be a serious loss to Oakland filmmaking not to mention CineSource which is just down the street.
Posted on Oct 26, 2012 - 01:30 PM
by Doniphan Blair
The funky front wall of the Film Center—they didn't want to highlight the housing of thousands of dollars of equipment. photo: D. Blair Then on October 22, Mayor Jean Quan and the base's new developers, including Oakland real estate king Phil Tagami, signed off on 1,700 pages of legal documents to form a massive public-private partnership. Supposedly, it will revitalize the Port of Oakland, bring in a few thousand jobs and attract companies from across California.
There is also funding for road and rail development, raising ground elevation a couple of feet to accommodate global warming, digging a deeper port and up to five billboards, which alone could generate half-a-million a year for the city as well as anti-advertising blight controversy.
"After a decade of work and delay, this is one of the most important engines for economic growth in Oakland history and will provide 5,000 good jobs," noted Quan in an October 23rd Oakland Tribune article.
At the same time, the project is another step in Oakland's rejection of local filmmaking. Oakland has seen a fifty percent drop in shoot days since it fired film commissioner Ami Zins and closed its film office in 2010. Technically, the office was cut in half and folded it into the convention center. That means a loss of millions a year in fees, taxes, supplies, rentals and wages to local film folk.
"I just got a phone call saying we have to be out in 90 days, it's a drag," said Debbie Brubaker a well-known indie producer. Brubaker just finished working with Woody Allen on his still unnamed summer project shot around the Bay and described the experience as fabulous, if occasionally "odd."
Indie producer extraordinaire Debbie Brubaker went big time this summer handling the still unnamed Woody Allen project. photo: D. Blair "We have seen it coming, the handwriting has been on the wall," she continued in reference to struggles between the city and OFC, notably her colleagues Sean House and Dave Lezynski. They attempted to get the developers to put in writing verbal commitments that the OFC would remain part of the one billion dollar redevelopment plan.
"We haven't been served yet; we have only had a phone call; we are trying to come up with our options," said another Film Center member who preferred not to be named. "I don't think the city or the developer ever intended to have a place for filmmakers out here. The developer's agenda is to use public money for private projects and we are not public."
"If the city is so blind as to loose 32 businesses that shows this city does not support film," he continued. "San Francisco supports film and Oakland does not. Oakland's film days have been cut in half and that is the harsh reality."
Indeed, Wilson Wu, an Oakland-based location scout corroborates that reality with personal experience: "I have a client, Motorola, that wanted to shoot at night in Lakeside Park and was willing to pay a couple of thousand dollars. The spot they would have filmed at was isolated and would have caused no inconvenience to residents or tie up traffic. The film shoot would have employed two Oakland Police at their overtime rate. When I asked the park department for a permit, they replied: 'The rules say no filming at night in the park'. No wonder we are broke!"
"The sad part is everything will just sit out there empty," Brubaker concluded.
Our calls to Oakland Film Office, apparently run by one very busy individual, were not returned.
Meanwhile, local filmmakers remain active. "The Waiting Room" a documentary about the city's infamous Highland Hospital is currently playing in theaters; Lisbon Okafor's long anticipated "Oakville" has just been completed and screened; and this magazine continues pushing its concept of an Oakland film movement.
Called the Oakland Film Stammer, in a tip of the hat to Oakland's Art Murmur and Austin's MumbleCore, it would highlight Oakland's unique character. Famously political, drama-filled and third-world-esque, Oakland co-habitats with her six lovely Sisters By the Bay (SF, Berkeley, Marin, Silicon Valley, etc.), suggesting an identity of "structural ambiguity." In this sense, Oakland personifies California which is still a Garden of Eden and the ninth richest country in the world (after France and before Italy), if it were a country, but which is falling apart.
Alas, Oakland is too confused, misguided or prejudiced against filmmakers (who are supposed to be rich). In any event, the city support is just not there.
Nor has there been mention of the Film Center's tenants finding another warehouse in West Oakland to settle into. Some of them, it seems, are simply fed up. If eviction comes to pass, it would be a serious loss to Oakland filmmaking not to mention CineSource which is just down the street.
Posted on Oct 26, 2012 - 01:30 PM
