Winston Azzopardi talks up the prospects for filming in Malta

Article that is featured on 'The Times' 5th January 2007

Coming up with the readies
The advantages of filming in Malta has never been so bright, due to the fiscal incentives that were introduced last year by Minister Austin Gatt who is responsible for the Film Commission.

However, international film production companies are not taking full advantage of the rebates that are being offered by the government. The Treasury still has a surplus of money to dish out to film-makers who choose to film here. But not enough film productions are being shot on our shores.

A film company chooses to shoot in a particular location for a variety of reasons: Top of the list is the creative elements of the film. After which it's all down to logistics and costs.

Malta is a purely location destination and the possibility of a production company coming here to shoot in a studio environment is non-existent - (except for the tanks). Therefore, if Malta does not have the "right look" for a particular film, no amount of incentives can bring the production here. Nonetheless, the situation will undoubtedly improve if we have a fully functional studio.

A low-budget production tends to shoot more on location to save rental charges on sound stages and to avoid costly set building. Larger productions prefer a controlled facility where sets are built to the director's specifications and filming logistics are greatly reduced thus keeping to their tight shooting schedules.

Is it worth investing in fully equipped studios?

Yes, I believe that now is the right time. MFS already has some infrastructure in place with two water tanks; a huge back lot next door (Fort Ricasoli) which could host even the largest sets in the world, qualified crew, especially set builders; fiscal incentives offering up to 20 per cent of the production spend; Malta as a back lot with its locations and surrounding sea; an active Film Commission that markets Malta as a film location.

Our competition today is not only Morocco and Tunisia, but the eastern European countries such as Romania and Hungary who already have sound stages for production.

The Cuidad de la Luz Studios (City of Light) is Spain's answer to Hollywood. It's the brainchild of Luis Garcia Berlanga, a Spanish director, who persuaded Valencia's regional government to invest €275 million in a brand spanking new film studio which boasts state of the art sound stages, plus water tanks. In the process he has created a Spanish film industry from scratch.

If I had to approach the government here asking for money to build a studio and show them the costing of Cuidad de la Luz, I would probably be responsible for someone's death due to excessive laughter. However, to bring our studios to scratch, we need to spend just a fraction of what Spain has ploughed in this studio.

From rough calculations I have made, we could have what Spain has for $12 million. With this amount we could be up there with all the great European studios. Malta would be a force to be reckoned with. A mini Pinewood or Barrandov with the added advantages of the above pros.

Is Malta an expensive filming destination?

No. We are much cheaper than mainland Europe but less competitive than the Eastern European countries. Or are we?

A few weeks ago I compiled a feature film budget for an American production company who want to shoot their up-coming movie either in Malta or Romania. The costing was based on the current pricing of goods and servicing in these countries. The end result favoured Romania as the Maltese costs are 17 per cent higher. However, when you factor in the rebate that the Maltese government is offering, the cost is identical. So yes, we are competitive.

But there is a problem here. Financial institutions in Malta do not offer venture capital. So how can anyone raise money? $12 million is a pittance for a bank but an astronomical amount for a private investor/s. $12 million will kick start a new industry with hundreds of jobs on offer. The multiplier effect is enormous.

So who can come up with the readies?

Source:  The Times

Author Winston Azzopardi