The new Chula Vista Entertainment Complex is underway in the South Bay and hopes to draw film production away from Los Angeles. But Kearny Mesa already has an active studio space where the feature film "Concert Heroes" just completed shooting.
Steven Mark was born in New York but grew up in San Diego. In 2008, he wrote the book "No Air Guitar Allowed" (under the name Steve Weinberger), which took a humorous look at the local concert scene and introduced readers to the characters you would encounter at every show: groupies, partiers, ticket scalpers, the unauthorized T-shirt guy, people screaming out of limos and the bands.
When the book sold well at Comic-Con, it changed Mark's life. He gave up teaching and started on a path to becoming a filmmaker. He has now shot a trio of films in San Diego and decided to turn his 2008 book into the new film "Concert Heroes."
"It's a San Diego story," Mark said. "It's basically about two filmmakers who get hired to do a documentary about a classic rock band coming back to their hometown, and things go haywire."
Mark wanted to shoot here, and not just because it’s where the story takes place.
"Promoting the San Diego film community is so important to me," Mark added. "So that was another big reason (for) shooting here."
So he filmed at a few locations in San Diego, with the bulk of the production at Encore Event Center and Spark Studio, the old XETV buildings owned by Leo Kats.
"The entire property is two acres with two buildings," Kats explained. "One is just a full-on event center, and then the the other building is primarily used as a studio, rentable studio production space. It's a three-story building with actually the only rentable double-wall studio in San Diego. We have a 500-person auditorium for presentations and film screenings. And then a lot of other spaces where we've had various films shot."
Mark and his crew made use of every inch of space.
"So they were able to take scenes that would otherwise have to be filmed in probably a dozen different places, and they found spots on the property that they could film here," Kats said. "I believe it's a pretty abbreviated shoot. They're doing, I think, 10 pages a day, which is probably twice as much as any traditional film shoot."
And that’s because Kats tries to keep his building as flexible and accommodating as possible. Even the hallways and elevators can be locations. For Mark, there are other benefits to shooting here instead of L.A.
"It's much easier when you have all your crew and some actors here that are in your backyard," Mark said. "Plus, I know a lot of people here, having grown up here, and as a producer you have to ask favors — going to restaurants, asking the owners if you can use those places, using people's houses, using people's apartments, using people's garages. People are happy and excited when you're invading their space. They're very welcoming. In Los Angeles, it's a hundred percent different vibe there. They either want money for you to film there, or the permit situation is much harder."
Kats is working to make shooting in San Diego even easier.
"There's actually a bill that's here in San Diego that we are participating in to bring in rebates, state rebates, for independent film productions," Kats said.
But getting L.A.-based productions to use everything San Diego offers is still a challenge.
"A lot of times, if they need to come down here to film, they are bringing their crew and their equipment, but we actually have everything here," Kats added. "Not just in the facility, but our colleagues, our production people, people that rent equipment."
Kats wants L.A. productions to realize San Diego has more than beautiful beaches and great weather.
"They love the scenery of San Diego, but then they go back up to L.A. to do the inside shots and things in the soundstage. But we have a soundstage that people can rent," Kats said.
Carolyn Hennesy plays Irma in "Concert Heroes" but is probably most famous for her years on "General Hospital." She applauds what San Diego has to offer.
"I would love it if this became Hollywood South," Hennesy said.
Mark already understands the perks of shooting in San Diego. His "Concert Heroes" recently wrapped and is hoping for a release in the near future.
