SALT LAKE CITY — Hollywood has a rich history in Utah.
From the red rocks that were as much of a main character in the old Western movies to more modern day films in our cities and mountains, on the Bonneville Salt Flats and beyond.
Now, thanks to a recent incentive that offers rebates to movies that film a certain amount in more rural areas of the state, business seems to be picking up again.
"California has officially invaded and taken over a small portion of Kane County," said Kelly Stowell with the Kane County Film Commission.
Stowell spoke from a remote location where a major production was wrapping up after nearly a week of daily shoots and months of preparation.
"It's been sanctioned and they've spent a lot of money to be here and we are really appreciative of their interest and all the business that they're bringing to us," Stowell said.
While he couldn't comment further, Stowell said the production involved big name celebrities.
"It's going to be a big deal when it comes out!" he added.
Virginia Pearce, the director of the Utah Film Commission, walked through some of the history and highlights of Utah's major role as one of the main characters in the movies.
"They're now shooting 'High School Musical 4'," shared Pearce, director of the commission. "That, I would say, is a worldwide one that people recognize the most."
In the film commission's office, posters of famous movies made in Utah line the halls. Movies like "127 Hours," "Easy Rider," "Thelma and Louise," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "The Last Indian," "GalaxyQuest," "Dumb and Dumber" and so many more.
Pearce pointed out Utah's original role was as the main backdrop to the Westerns that started here in 1924 with the movie "The Covered Wagon".
"That really brought Utah's landscapes to mainstream America through Hollywood. It really put us on the map. That was kind of the first time that people had really seen the West," she said.
Since then, there have been hundreds, even thousands of movies made in Utah, and production lately seems to really be picking up. Pearce believes that's thanks in part to a new rural incentive passed in this year's state legislative session, one that offers a rebate essentially to productions that spend money and a certain amount in areas outside of the major metropolitan areas.
"It's been great," said Moab Mayor Joette Langianese of the incentive. "I mean, you know, our area is just the most beautiful place to make a movie or make a commercial. And so those incentives have really kind of bumped up the game for the industry wanting to come to Utah, in general, but particularly in Grand county and Moab."
Kevin Costner is currently filming his new Western series "Horizon" in Moab and the surrounding area.
"It's been great," Langianese said. "I just had a great opportunity recently to meet with him and to provide him with the key to the city because of his outstanding contribution to our community."
She says the few hundred people involved in the production eat at their restaurants and stay in their hotels, and they hope to have them shooting in Moab and other southern Utah areas for at least the next 3 years.
Costner was a big proponent of Senate Bill 49, the bill which eventually passed through the legislature. It all came about after the hit Paramount series "Yellowstone" left Utah for Montana, a state which offered additional resources, Pearce says, meaning it was simply better for their production's bottom line.
"We were so sorry to see them go," Pearce said, "But there are many more projects out there."
Langianese says she doesn't think Costner's latest project, with a budget estimated at over $50 million, would be in the state without the recent incentive.
And in Kanab, Stowell agrees, "Especially in the rural communities, the impacts are highly visible. It seems to be booming right now. And it seems like the whole state is busy."
Some argued the incentive is a Hollywood handout, but Stowell said he sees the positive impact of it in his community as large projects bring with them all kinds of opportunities for work.
"We love the money that they leave and the pictures that they take," he said.
Stowell acknowledged not everyone in a small town appreciated all the added commotion a big picture or commercial shoot brings.
"I think it's been a little bit of a disruption for some folks who live nearby who are used to having their privacy," he admitted.
But he says, for the most part, locals welcome the productions and appreciate the economic boost they bring, especially in many small towns with economies that relied on tourism that fell sharply during the pandemic.
Stowell hopes to see business continue to boom and believes it's Utah's geologic diversity and workforce that have filmmakers wanting to make their movies here.
"Everything from sand dunes that look like the Sahara desert to the high mountain country of the Swiss Alps or Montana, or the Wind Rivers and the cityscapes of our large metropolitan areas, as well. We really have everything in Utah. That all makes us competitive, but we need the incentive to help push us over the top and that's why it's important," he explained.
Utah's incentive is conservative compared to many other states. For comparison, Utah's is about $8 million, while neighboring the state of New Mexico has $110 million and California recently doubled theirs to $660 million.
Pearce shared that anyone looking at getting into the movie business can CLICK HERE to learn more and find postings for extras.
