We like to feature user comments that we find particularly interesting on Patch. Sometimes the comments will be thought-provoking and unique and other times they will be funny or creative.
This one, from Ian Arnold, just feels level-headed and reasonable. (View it on the right). The comment was written shortly after the last councilmeeting, when Morning View announced that it has the 300 acres needed to move forward with land purchase agreements. They've since signed letters of intent to purchase more land within the city limits. The city manager and several councilmembers voiced their support for the project at that meeting.
Morning View is being discussed heavily on Dixon Patch these days. That makes total sense, because the proposed $2.8 billion studio project is a huge deal -- very worthy of critique and scrutiny. At the same time, it deserves to be treated fairly, like any other business.
It's easy to take an extreme stance when it comes to big news items like this, especially when it comes to internet commenting. But for the sake of the town, there's value in maintaining context and proceeding accordingly. That goes for both sides of the issue.
In just a few sentences, Arnold strikes that tone, which is why we wanted to share his comment.
The number still seems awfully big, but according to the MPAA, in 2007 the average film cost $65.8M to produce. That helps me put the number into context. The cost over the next couple of years of building, staffing, training and outfitting the studio is about 42.5 times the cost of one of its products. I still look forwarding to more information, but the number doesn't bother me any more--at least not like it did at first.
A fully integrated production campus funded by the independent professionals that are going to use it. Maybe they are tired of reinventing the wheel every time they want to tell a new story. Many aspects of the industry are in trouble…look at VFX for example. Tax incentives have been driving where films are shot…one year it is Vancouver the next Arizona each time the incentives change the hot crews move or new crews are developed only to be shut out a few years later by some state that has a sharper pencil. I believe what we will see is a lineup of well known producers and directors that have scripts that they want to develop and release…not having to bow to one of the big six. Not every story that should be told will be a tent pole…some stories just need to be told. They will also have a list of tent poles (Blockbusters) that they will do….but it is the other stories that they got into the business to tell.
Look around the country and you will see other smaller studios that have been built using tax dollars. These people are asking for none of that….be thankful.
This topic has everything to do with my experience (38 years of commerical big job sub-contracting) and simply cannot be built by January 2015. A realistic timeline would be 5 to 7 years from this date forward. That is of course if the funding is available. The environmental impact study required by the State of California could bring things to a grinding halt indefinitely along with several other hurdles inherent in a project of this scope. City Council meetings are about to get very popular.....dave