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SALT LAKE CITY -- The state of Utah has been the backdrop for Hollywood productions for decades. A new book details the history of filmmaking here.
Utah's spectacular scenery enhanced the look and feel of hundreds of Hollywood films. BYU professor Jim D'Arc has written "When Hollywood Came to Town," 30 years of research of many places that no longer look like they did on camera.
"Preserving Hollywood's history of the films shot in Utah unwittingly preserves Utah's topographical and geological history because there are no motion picture films, other than Hollywood movies, of these wonderful areas," D'Arc says.
Preserving Hollywood's history of the films shot in Utah unwittingly preserves Utah's topographical and geological history because there are no motion picture films, other than Hollywood movies, of these wonderful areas.
–Jim D'Arc
Though famous for its desert landscapes, Utah was not just used in westerns. "Drums Along the Mohawk," shot near Cedar Breaks, was supposed to be upstate New York. In "Planet of the Apes," Utah was simply out of this world.
D'Arc says producers and directors loved the people as much as the landscape.
"[Utahns] helped them in any way they could, found the best scenery, that Hollywood came back and back and back again for 45 years to make movies," he says.
That was then, but now, the business of attracting production companies to the state of Utah is an ongoing challenge.
Now you have to offer financial incentives and a rebate in order to compete with other states that are doing the same.
"They have to spend all their money in the state first, hire all our people, use our vendors, stay in our hotels, eat our food," says Marshall Moore, director of the Utah Film Commission. "All that before they then qualify for a rebate. In our case, 20 cents on the dollar is what you'll get from the state of Utah."
In six years, the Utah Film Commission's incentive program helped create 4,000 production jobs and brought more than $150 million to the state.
"We just want everybody to know that it's not 'When Hollywood Came to Town' but Hollywood is still coming to town and we want them to keep coming to town," Moore says.
Films may be entertainment, but they are big business. Many hope Utah's scenery and incentives will keep the cameras rolling for decades.
Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle just completed filming "127 Hours" in Southern Utah. The movie focuses on the real-life drama of hiker Aron Ralston, who amputated his own arm while stuck in a canyon near Moab.
Bloomberg News says that movie and other contributed $30 million to Utah's economy this year -- "127 hours" brought in $14 million alone.
Bloomberg also says tourism and taxes paid by movie makers have cut Utah's projected budget gap by one-fifth.
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Story compiled with contributions from Carole Mikita and Mary Richards.
