The California Film Commission (CFC) was founded in 1985 by then California Governor George Deukmejian to act in an economic development capacity for the state. It is a part of the California Trade and Commerce Agency, formerly the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency. Its purpose is to enhance California's position as the location of choice for motion picture, television and commercial production. The board is made up of 26 members, appointed by the governor, the Senate Committee on Rules, and the Speaker of the Assembly, as well as ''ex officio'' membership. The commission has two programs: Film California First and Star Program. The former, founded in 2000 by then Governor

Gray Davis Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and remov ...

, refunds location costs to filmmakers for certain locations and expenses. The later offers certain state owned properties for free to filmmakers. There are over 50 local film commissions known as FLICS (Film Locations in California, Statewide) associated with CFC that provide local support for filmmakers and facilitate with the permit process. The current director of the California Film Commission is Colleen Bell. Previous directors included Amy Lemisch, Lisa Rawlins, and Karen Constine. The California Film Commission administers the Film & Television Tax Credit Program which provides tax credits based on qualified expenditures for eligible productions that are produced in California. 3.0 is the most recent iteration of the tax credit program.

Library

In 1993,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...

signed an agreement to develop an online reference system for the CFC's Location Resource Library. The Electronic Production Resource Library Information Database would be a catalog for the more than 200,000 location photographs that the CFC had at the time. The project, undertaken by

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

who manages the JPL for NASA, and the California Trade and Commerce Agency, aims to assist with the screening process for potential production locations through the use of new technology. The library is the world's largest of its kind, housing hundreds of thousands of images of California. The website CinemaScout helps production scouts review locations and plan a shoot. Subject categories include Towns and Communities; Residential; Commercial and Retail; Public/Government/Municipal; Educational and Religious; Industrial; Parks and Recreation Areas; Ranches, Farms and Agriculture; Transportation; Water and Coastal Area; and Geography/Geology.

Awards

CFC and FLICS are hosts of the California On Location Awards which include the Location Professional of the Year Award and the Robin Eickman Memorial Mentorship Award. At the 2009 Locations Trade Show, attended by 180 film commissions and others representing more than 30 countries, the CFC's pavilion received 2nd Prize for "Most Informative Booth".

References

External links

California Film Commission
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

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Film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

Government agencies established in 1985 Film commissions in the United States 1985 establishments in California Film production companies of the United States