Thanks in part to a surge of startups and tech companies, Utah now presents an ideal atmosphere for a thriving film industry.
In 2015, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation ranked Utah first in the nation for innovation and entrepreneurship. In the same study, Utah impressively took second in the category of high-tech performance, and third in economic performance.
This means big opportunities for media productions companies, and specifically filmmakers. For an inside perspective on the experience and outlook of film production in Utah, three local filmmakers, each either a graduate of or current student at Brigham Young University, shared their stories.
Benton Paul is CEO of Big Door, a production company with locations in Salt Lake City and the heart of Provo. “Big Door is a niche ad agency that focuses solely on writing, directing, producing and editing commercials for funded startups and cool tech companies," he said. Big Door’s clients can use these videos as quick sales pitches on their websites or viral social media campaigns.
Business at Big Door is prosperous and demand is high, Paul said. Even with all the buzz, he said the company’s focus is still on “quality rather than quantity,” a statement that demonstrates confidence and optimism in the stability and growth of Big Door and Utah’s film industry in general.
Paul noted a number of significant factors in Utah that contribute to the growth of the state's film industry, including “tax benefits for feature films, Sundance Film Festival for travelers, and lower cost of living and operating for companies like our own that will continue to help grow the industry.”
Big Door does "face a lot of the same challenges other startups face of getting our portfolio where we want it to be and ironing out the general operations of the business, but it's growing fast and we're having a lot of fun,” he said.
Paul did not start out working in film production. After graduating from BYU he was a full-time singer/songwriter for several years and started his own music company, an experience he said taught him “a lot of entrepreneurial skills,” as well as “a lot about marketing and how to create and promote a brand.”
Eventually Paul was drawn to film because of the various creative opportunities it provides, something he appreciated while taking film classes at BYU.
“I love how inclusive it was to all creative types: directors, designers, actors, artists and even musicians,” he said. “I helped found and develop Big Door as a brand and company that believes in creative people and the creative process.”
Hunter Phillips is a BYU graduate and co-founder of a new Provo production house called The Plains. He described his experience as a relative newcomer to the film scene.
“We're a three-man operation," Phillips said. "We're smaller than a lot of production houses, but we're also more efficient than we would be as freelancers. Right now we sort of bridge the gap between those two things, so we'll do projects that would be very large for a freelancer but rather small for big houses.”
The Plains has mostly done documentary work, but Phillips and his partners plan to move into commercial production and eventually make feature films.
On the future of the industry in Utah, Phillips said, “We're really optimistic about the local business. We think there's lots of room to keep growing, and we have no interest in leaving. We want to see Utah, and especially the valley, become ultra-competitive and churn out material that's on par with the bigger markets.”
His business fits into this bigger picture as the growth occurs around the valley and the state. “It's fun to be doing this in an emerging market, where there aren't so many expectations but there's a high ceiling for ideas and investment,” he said.
According to Phillips, in Utah there is a “sincere interest from clients in wanting to have fantastic content,” so there is demand for his services.
Helen Butcher is a current BYU film student who has found her niche in documentary filmmaking. “Most of the films I’ve made deal with social issues like gender, race, disability and economic disparity,” she said.
Her most recent documentary, "The Coal Minority," examines the hardships female coal miners face as their industry dies.
In addition to documentary work, and to supplement her income, Butcher has also done a good deal of freelance work for local businesses and musicians. “I shoot interviews and testimonials for businesses that want to put a human face on the work they do,” she explained.
Butcher said one particular challenge faced by aspiring filmmakers and other artists relates to getting paid for their efforts early on: “Unfortunately, many filmmakers get stuck in a rut creating media on promises of exposure and don’t actually make any money. When we don’t compensate artists, we devalue art and stifle independent artists who have incredible talents to share.”
Just as Paul and Phillips observed, Butcher emphasized promising opportunities for filmmakers, specifically in Utah.
“The film industry-related laws in Utah make it easy for anyone to pick up a camera and create something," she said. "The state government has allowed an environment ripe for independent filmmaking. Filming permits are reasonably accessible.”
These opportunities are partially due to state government organizations such as the Utah Film Commission, which, according to its mission statement, “markets the entire state of Utah for film, television and commercial production by promoting the use of local professional cast and crew, support services, locations and the Motion Picture Incentive Program.”
The Motion Picture Incentive promotes the “use of Utah crew, talent, support services and locations for the production of motion pictures, television series and other qualified productions.”
“Many major films in the last century have found the Utah landscape to be the perfect backdrop,” Butcher said. Some of these include “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Planet of the Apes,” “127 Hours” and the television series “Westworld.”
Like Paul and Phillips, Butcher also is optimistic about the increasingly important role of filmmakers among Utah’s innovators and entrepreneurs.
“I certainly see a rise in media production that correlates with the rise of startups in Provo," she said. "I probably don’t know a filmmaker who hasn’t shot a Kickstarter or two. Or 10.”
Butcher said a thriving film industry fits right in to the other creative endeavors in the area and benefits the community.
“Utah Valley has a vibrant music scene, and I’ve noticed more and more filmmakers collaborating with musicians to create music videos and experimental media," she said. "I believe this sort of interdisciplinary collaboration benefits the community generally; passionate creatives work together, mentor less experienced artists, and combine their talents to create innovate multimedia works that all can enjoy.”