Enid is looking to become more 'film-friendly' awaiting boosts from the state

Apr. 11—Oklahoma's lieutenant governor said he's eager to help Enid get "off to the races" so the area can land a starring role in the story of the state's growing film and TV industry.

The state, most importantly, needs more indoor soundstages on which regular filming can take place — and draw business away from competing New Mexico locations, Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell told city officials visiting Oklahoma City nearly two weeks ago.

Stages exist in other parts of the state, including several in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Guthrie, while Pinnell said Enid is on the shortlist.

"I know Enid is supportive of it, and we want to help Enid get that studio in, as well, so we're still working on that," Pinnell said during the city's annual Day at the Capitol.

Longtime film professional Conte Matal, who lives in Enid, said building a soundstage in Enid would draw in directors and crews of lower-budget films or TV — a good first step for Enid to build a consistent presence in the film industry.

Since moving back to Los Angeles in 2010, all of Matal's work as an assistant director has still been out of state. As a member of the Directors Guild of America, he's had to turn down several job offers in Oklahoma because they weren't union.

"I'd love to be able to get on a movie (in Enid) and just come home at the end of the night," he said.

But so far, lips are still sealed on how — or when — the city of Enid will develop that kind of longer-term infrastructure.

Neither the branch of the state's tourism office the lieutenant governor oversees nor Enid's economic development organization was willing to comment on if plans were underway to build a soundstage in the area.

"While our office is not available to share details about infrastructure development in Enid, Oklahoma, at this time, we cannot speak more highly of our community partners in Enid," Meredith Funkhouser, assistant to Oklahoma Film and Music Office's executive director Tava Sofsky, said in an email Thursday. "Enid continues to be eager to host films of all scale and size and offer invaluable support of industry development in Oklahoma."

The Enid Regional Development Alliance's executive director, Lisa Powell, said in a statement on March 31 that her office is working with around 70 companies of all types considering coming to Enid, which can take years.

"Because relocation decisions can affect shareholders, employees, customers and vendors, companies hold these negotiations in the strictest confidence," Powell said. "As a result, we are unable to comment on any projects we may be working on."

Natal quote

Setting the stage

While the state sees multiple productions filming at the same time, Pinnell said more productions filmed in Oklahoma last year than ever despite the COVID-19 pandemic halting many filming productions worldwide.

Nearly 4,000 full-time and part-time jobs were created for Oklahoma residents in the last fiscal year, according to the Film and Music Office, as Gov. Kevin Stitt deemed motion picture and recording industries essential businesses in his April 2020 executive order.

Many more industry professionals Pinnell called "traveling nomads" came to where the work was in Oklahoma.

Matal said filmmakers like him coming out of state will often bring an inner circle with them. However, they'll also hire lower-level crew members like grips, electricians or sound operators who live all over the state.

"There are people" who work in Oklahoma, he said. "They just aren't concentrated in areas like Los Angeles or Austin, Texas."

Work on the Martin Scorsese film "Killers of the Flower Moon" — the largest film production the state's ever seen — is set to start next week in Northeast Oklahoma.

Production has already spent $100 million in the state, Pinnell said.

Meanwhile, Guthrie runs on the film and TV industry, as well as regular unionized stage productions, and Pinnell said every hotel and food vendor there is full.

"They're popping out a Hallmark movie it seems like every other week there," he said.

In his first legislative session, Pinnell said the rebate offered to film production companies doubled from a $4 million to an $8 million annual rolling cap.

The rebate offers a base percentage of 35% on qualified Oklahoma expenditures. If a minimum of $20,000 is spent on music that has been recorded in Oklahoma by an Oklahoman or on Oklahoma music production costs, an additional 2% is added to the total rebate on qualified Oklahoma expenditures, for a total of 37%.

Five films including Apple Studios' "Killers of the Flower Moon" are currently pre-qualified to utilize the rebate program, according to the film office.

Pinnell said his office was going to "tweak" that incentive this session.

"It's the business side that I don't think gets far enough credit," he said.

The state's separate point of purchase program also exempts productions from paying local sales tax or the state's 4.5% sales tax on property or services related to the film production.

Autry Technology Center Superintendent Brady McCullough said during March's Capitol Day that 15 CareerTech centers — using CARES Act funding from the federal government — have put together a $10 million proposal that would train 12,000 people in growing industries including the film and TV business.

McCullough estimated an economic impact of over $3 million to the state.

While the jury's still out on building a soundstage area, other plans are on the cutting room floor to continue drawing filmmakers to Northwest Oklahoma.

Rob Houston, communications coordinator of the city's tourism office, Visit Enid, is applying for Enid to be designated an Oklahoma Film-Friendly Community — establishing permits and protocols through which communities can assist film and television production companies on a local level.

Visit Enid Director Marcy Jarrett said the Film and Music Office first trained the community on this before director Paul Dano's "Wildlife" came to town in November 2016.

The state's community program, however, picked up speed in fall 2020 as an extension of state workshops the office had begun in 2010.

To qualify as "film-friendly," an applying community such as Enid must complete three criteria: designate a film liaison, showcase local locations and create or establish a film permit process.

Visit Enid has been the city's liaison to film productions since its office opened in 2011, while Houston said he would be adding possible locations to Visit Enid's location directory.

The final criterion is the last on Houston's checklist.

He said the permit would serve as a contract letting potential production companies and filmmakers know infrastructure and city cooperation are available.

Once it's drafted, the permit will be sent to the city of Enid's legal department for review, Houston said.

In the past, Houston said filming in Enid has occurred as the result of verbal agreements with city officials like police or fire supervisors, who know to close a street, change signage or provide available first responders.

"If someone wanted to pursue a film in Enid, even though we're not technically a designated film-friendly (community), that's not going to stop someone from coming here," he said.

Five productions have been filmed in and around Enid since the 1970s — three of which in the last decade.

Jarrett said "Wildlife" became eye-opening for both city officials and its citizens when filming began in late 2016.

Producers told the News & Eagle they were drawn to the area for its "appearance" after production assistants scouted the country for suitable locations (as is typical for a film production).

Enid served as a hub for a portion of the film shot around the region for about a month. Locals filmed as extras or actor stand-ins, provided hairstyling or catering, and offered residences or hotels as either filming locations or temporary homes.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan and Ed Oxenbould, "Wildlife" premiered in 2017 at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

"That was fun, to get everybody to look at their city differently," Jarrett said.

Lane Gavitt, a professional actor from the Enid area who started his film work on the "Wildlife" set, said having an official designation would help Enid's chances of having films begin production here.

Building owners providing their properties as scouted filming locations will both get paid and get publicity in the years to come.

Now working on film sets around the state, Gavitt said the town of Wakita — known globally as a real-life location for the 1996 Oklahoma-set film "Twister" — gets talked about on just every film set in Oklahoma at least once.

"It's still on the map," he said.

While Oklahoma City or Tulsa often feature more contemporary films, Northwest Oklahoma is used mostly for filming period pieces, often because of its wide-open landscape or older architecture and infrastructure, Gavitt said.

"That's probably the biggest thing Northwest Oklahoma has going for it," Gavitt said. "Enid could be a whole lot more if it wanted to."

Ewald is copy editor and city/education reporter for the Enid News & Eagle.

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