in Film Studio
Studio Suspended.
Driving down Highway 248, you sure don’t miss the new Park City Film Studio’s building. It’s 40 feet tall, framed of steel, and appears to be built to last, at least what’s been completed. What you may miss are the workers that are supposed to be constructing the facility. Where are they? Are they taking a week long lunch break? It’s a ghost town.
Two months ago it was common to see construction on Saturdays, with a big crane lifting steel as high as you could see. Now the only thing moving is a piece of plastic blowing in the wind. What’s going on?
The Park Record is reporting that Greg Ericksen, the Studio’s founder, says that “the pause” is “due to financial questions surrounding future tenants.” Future tenants like Raleigh Studios, the studio that was supposed to headline the establishment but said they would be willing to let some other studio take over if there were any takers? Or Future tenants like … any movie? Either way it doesn’t look good.
We’ve expressed our doubts since our article History says the movie studio will fail was published in May. There were a number of reasons evident in 2012 that should have cast doubt on this project and prevented Park City from approving the studio. At this point we would be remiss if we didn’t remind everyone how your City Council voted on this project:
Andy Beerman – Against
Alex Butwinski – For
Cindy Matsumoto – For
Dick Peek – Against
Liza Simpson – For
The Park City Planning Commission actually voted against it but that didn’t stop the City Council from moving forward. Oops.
Ericksen says this is only a temporary stoppage and that work will begin again in the “next couple weeks”. Let’s just say we are still doubtful that this project will turn into a success.
That leaves us hoping that Park City was smart enough to limit uses for this parcel of land. If the movie studio doesn’t work, it would stand to reason a developer would want to sell it for another use. We hope those possibilities don’t include a Family Dollar, a Motel 6, and a Souper Salad. We won’t hold our breathe, though.
It hasn’t been a good couple of weeks for Park City government. We thank them for the bang up job they are doing and are looking forward to dining at the Sizzler before our next softball game across the street at Quinn’s Junction.
Update: We’ve heard word from a couple of people that the workers were sent home a week or more ago due to lack of funds. The city says work stopped September 9. Why haven’t we heard about this before?
in Film Studio
Should Park City Film Studios Have Been Built in Moab?
Park City Film Studios has arisen from the ground like Godzilla from the sea. Its shadow falls over not only Quinn’s Junction but all of Park City. The hope is that it brings a thriving movie production business to Park City, diversifies our community away from tourism, offer jobs, and becomes wildly successful.
Meanwhile in Detroit, Michigan Motion Picture Studio, a studio that seems to have many things in common with Park City Film Studios (PCFS), has finally started getting a couple major film projects. Three years after Oz the Great and Powerful was being filmed, they are now working on special effects for Batman v. Superman. Before that they worked on Into the Storm.
There are two common threads linking the two movies:
- They both were primarily filmed in downtown Detroit
- They both got big tax incentives from the state
What does that say for Park City’s chances of using it’s movie studio full-time, leading to lots of full-time jobs? It’s likely not good. From speaking with a few people in the movie business, it seems that studios like PCFS are typically used when the majority of filming is done in close proximity to the studio. In the case of the two Michigan films both were being filmed primarily in Detroit. It makes sense that they would want to have special effects handled nearby.
Would it make sense for a large budget movie to be shot primarily in Park City? No, although parts of Dumb and Dumber were filmed here. How about Salt Lake City? There actually have been quite a few films that had some scenes filmed around Salt Lake, including Park Rag’s favorite SLC Punk!. However, many of those just use the Bonneville Salt Flats, with a majority of filming happening in Los Angeles, et al.
Yet films that are primarily shot in Utah are done for the scenery and that scenery is often in southern Utah around Moab. Films like John Carter and Lone Ranger need something that can’t be found elsewhere. If they are doing a majority of filming here, a production studio makes sense… in Moab… but not 5 hours away in Park City.
The other side of the equation that even makes a studio want to film in a certain location are incentives. For instance, Michigan gave $12 million in incentives to Into the Storm and $25 million in incentives to Batman v Superman in order to entice them. Utah provides up to a 25% tax incentive. Yet, other factors are in play:
The total allotted by the state is $6.8 million each year.
The total allotted by the state is $6.8 million each year.
The total allotted by the state is $6.8 million each year.
The total allotted by the state is $6.8 million each year.
The total allotted by the state is $6.8 million each year.
The total allotted by the state is $6.8 million each year.
People with a vested interest have been saying for years that this limit on incentives, which is 1/2 of the money given in Michigan for a movie you’ll never see, must increase. It hasn’t. So, not a lot of movies are going to be filmed in Utah. If some are, not a major portion of the movie will be filmed in Utah. For those that are, the majority will be filmed in southern Utah. And that’s a long way from Park City. That’s a lot of ifs, ands, and buts… and you know how that phrase is finished.
So, we rest our hopes on a TV show, maybe a spinoff of High School Musical 6 in Space that makes sense to film in Salt Lake, and requires some wicked special effects that can only be done at PCFS. Otherwise, it turns into another Osmond Studios, and you REALLY don’t want to know what it’s currently being used for.
Building any sort of studio in Utah is at a best a crap shoot. At least building a production studio in Moab or St George has some logic behind it.
in Vail
Park City Was Already Vail — It Just Didn’t Have the Name
In the wake of Vail’s takeover of PCMR, there was a common reaction, “this isn’t going to be the Park City we used to know anymore.” It was lamented that Big Corporate Vail was going to strip the essence of the Park City and replace it with resorts for the rich, expensive homes, celebrity-only events, and lots of outsiders. Ummm…
The truth is that this already isn’t the Park City that mine workers remember from the 1960’s, or the Main Street from the 1980’s, or the run up to the Olympics of the early 2000’s. Park City was already Vail, it just didn’t have the name. It’s funny, if we would have paid attention to what has been going on around us for years, we would already know that. There is no better way to illustrate that than with the Sundance Film Festival.
Sundance, or as it was called at the time, The Utah/US Film festival, began in 1978 in Salt Lake with the Robert Redford and the Utah Film Commission behind it. “The goal of the festival was to showcase strictly American-made films, highlight the potential of independent film, and to increase visibility for filmmaking in Utah.” Films like Deliverance, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Midnight Cowboy were inaugural films in the festival. In 1981 it moved to Park City and officially became Sundance in 1984. By 2010 critics were charging that the festival was no longer about small-budget, independent creations from outside the Hollywood system but instead was a media extravaganza for Hollywood celebrity actors, paparazzi, and luxury lounges set up by companies not affiliated with Sundance.
Much like Sundance, Park City had become unweidly. No longer was it about the Utah Film Festival or about promiting Utah films, it was about seeing Van Wilder Ryan Reynolds ride his scooter to Silver. It was about which celebrity did you see. It was about parties you could never get into. It was a place for the rich and famous from LA to vacation for a couple of days with their cohorts. That’s all fine, but it is not the Park City that people remember.
Then in 2010 Banksy, a renowned graffiti artist, came to town. He had a film called Exit Through the Gift Shop playing Sundance. Banksy has a way of telling it like it is. He is famous for quotes like “We can’t do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves.” When his film was nominated for an Oscar he noted, “This is a big surprise… I don’t agree with the concept of award ceremonies, but I’m prepared to make an exception for the ones I’m nominated for. The last time there was a naked man covered in gold paint in my house, it was me.” It’s all tongue and cheek but yet telling.
During Sundance 2010 Banksy spent his time tagging 10 sites in Park City and SLC with graffiti. That is what he does. Park City was doing what it does and was on its way to becoming Little-Vail. By then Sundance was bringining in $65 million per year into local economies. Within days of the graffiti, two things happened. The Park City you used to know and love did what you would imagine it would do, and cleaned and painted over the graffiti found on some of its walls. The new Park City was ready to exploit the opportunity. One of the Egytian Theater’s doors was tagged with an image of a rat. They took the door down and put it in storage.
Three years later, they lauched a Save Our Banksy intiative where they want $3 million from Park City locals and Banksy Lovers so they don’t have to auction the art off to a wealthy art collector. What would Banksy probably have preferred? Just leave the door on the wall and let people enjoy it as long as it lasts.
Others would say, “But what if it gets vandalized? What if someone spray paints it?” That’s just what happened to a couple of pieces that had graffiti put on top of Banksy’s graffiti art. Summit County then spent months tracking the man down and has ultimately had a judge rule that the vandal must pay $13,000 in restitution. I can only image Banksy saying “How is my graffiti right but his is wrong… except that his lacks complete talent.” The time and effort spent on finding the man and trying him could have been used in so many other ways. Yet, since Park City is what it is now, there was little choice.
As we look back on what Park city has become, it is no longer what may people remember. Robert Redford agrees. This no longer is the little film festival Robert Redford dreamed of. This year Redford said, “How can I not be satisfied about a success? But those earlier years felt best. They’re taking away some of the textures and qualities that were here that gave it a kind of intimacy. It’s no longer the place it was. I don’t like what’s happened.”
He summed up Park City perfectly. Park City hasn’t been what it once was for a long time. It’s now a town with a $125 million movie studio, $2600 per night hotel rooms, and California-style traffic. Vail didn’t bring this on us, it has been headed our direction like a freight train from Coalville. If we would have paid a little more attention maybe we could have decided to take a different path. At this point, maybe we should just try to be the best Little-Vail we can be.
in Art
The Guy Who Graffitied Banksy’s Graffiti Can Avoid Jail By Paying Restitution
Guy who defaced Banksy graffiti near Main Street can pay $13,000 in restitution to avoid jail time. I know time changes things, but I don’t think the government workers that first painted over some of the original Banksy “art works” around town had to pay anything.
http://www.bnd.com/2014/09/15/3402963_13k-restitution-ordered-in-banksy.html?sp=/99/673/138/&rh=1
in Vail
Wondering how Vail’s Buyout Compares to Other Mountain Purchases. Go Back 30 Year Using this Fabulous Tool…
This view from saminfo.com is chock full of great information. Just scroll back to the left on the graphic to go back in time:
Also, be sure to check out, Ski Area Ownership who is created this awesome view. It looks to be a great resource of data:
http://www.saminfo.com/ski-area-ownership-timeline
Local Sheep Issue Not That Different From Global Warming
Big horn sheep have a problem. They are getting pneumonia from domestic sheep and dying. This will likely lead to 14 permits for grazing terminated in Summit County.
Stop the presses… the fossil fuel industry Utah Wool Grower’s Association says there is no scientific proof of this happening. Yet, the National Forest Service seems to think this is real. If this were global warming would I trust the oil industry or would I look at the research? A recent study out of the University of Washington points to domestic sheep as the cause of outbreaks in the western U.S.
The Utah Wool Grower’s Association is asking the Summit County Council to take a position in the fight, expend personnel time, and likely help them fight the issue to allow grazing to continue.
While we understand that the Wool Grower’s Association’s job is to promote sheep, this shouldn’t be at the expense of endangering other wildlife. Parkrag wants all sheep, big horn and domestic to live their life to the fullest. However, just because it impacts sheep farmers, the citizens of Summit County shouldn’t throw caution AND SCIENCE to the wind and harm the big horn sheep. As stewards of the land, it is our job to protect our wildlife, even if it may have uncomfortable consequences.
in Food
A Brewery Across From Burt Brothers?
Not much info, but we saw a building permit submitted for an establishment called “Park City Brewing” at 2720 Rasmussen. That would be in the old Enterprise Rental location that is across from Burt Brothers, near Jeremy Ranch. There are no details whether this would serve customers directly or have food.
If it really happens, it can’t be more nondescript than Billy Blanco’s. Hopefully the beer will be drinkable and the food won’t taste like rubber. That will put it in the top 2 in the neighborhood.
Update: Well it looks like something is happening for sure… www.parkcitybrewery.com
in Real Estate
You Should Have Bought on Wednesday
We are hearing rumors that The Colony raised their real estate prices today. Word from a few local real estate agents is that their phones are ringing off the hook with people wanting to buy near PCMR and Canyons.
Cue the music…happy days are here again!
in Skiing
Deer Valley You Better Up Your Game Because Vail is Good
I am doing research on how taxes are handled by Vail for the Epic Pass, so I start the checkout process but didn’t complete it. 20 minutes later this email comes in. Man are they good at marketing…
in Taxes
So Who Will Get Screwed out of Vail Sales Tax Revenue? Park City or Summit County.
You, me, and half of Park City are buying our Epic Passes right now. If the rain we’ve seen recently continues into Winter, it’s going to be a hell of a ski year. It might also be a hell of a year for our local governments to figure out whether they received the proper sales tax dollars from Vail.
When you buy your Epic Pass, Vail has to remit a portion of the sale (the sales tax) to Utah since they have operations here. The state then keeps 4.7% of that and sends the rest to the locality where the operations are. The city or county gets then gets their portion of the money. Sales tax makes localities very happy. 😉
Well, not always. Last year there was an issue where some businesses outside of Park City city limits (i.e. in Kimball Junction) had incorrectly said they were in Park City. Their sales tax dollars went to the Park City instead of Summit County. As dumb luck would have it, a Park City Municipal employee was eating lunch in Kimball Junction and got charged the Park City rate and said “uh, this doesn’t look right”. Summit County filed some paperwork and received about a million dollars in tax revenue they were owed. What we learned out of that process is that the tax collection process is hard… and it’s about to get harder.
This brings us back to the Epic Pass, PCMR, Canyons, Park City, and Summit County. When you buy your Epic Pass, you never see the taxes. They are baked into the price, but they are there. 4.7% of the purchase price goes to Utah. The rest goes to the locality, either Park City or Summit County. The tricky issue is that Vail has operations in both Park City and Summit County. It gets harder yet because the tax rates are different. Park City has a 7.95% base rate. Summit County has a 6.05% base rate. Let’s make it even trickier, since Park City has the right (as a city) to charge resort taxes. That is an extra 6.35% tax owed to them. So you buy your Epic Pass, where and how much taxes are going to who? Great question.
If you go to Jan’s and buy skis for $600, you are charged the Park City rate (7.95%), they add $48 to your bill, and that money goes to Park City. Now you are buying the full Epic Pass online for $750, where the tax is some portion of that $750, with operations in two separate localities, where you never see the tax or tax rate, and Vail is going to remit some money to someone.
From a pure business standpoint Vail would be better off trying to run that all through the Canyons, since they would pay less tax. They are charging a flat $569 for the Epic Local Pass and I’m sure they would rather remit less money out of that to Summit County than remit more money to Park City, since Park City taxes are higher. That being said Vail is very good and this isn’t their first rodeo. Perhaps they have it all figured out.
I hope Summit County and Park City are just as good and ensure that the way Vail has it figured matches their figures. If not, somebody is going to get screwed.
h/t to JLM for this idea
Parkrag
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