San Diego Film Commission

Director Werner Herzog, nominated for his directing talent for an Academy Award in a documentary in 2008, knows how important location is to the storyline of a script.

But just as important is the bottom line, because if the cost of the location is prohibitive and limits the time the location can be used, or completely eliminates the location altogether, then the vision of the story is at risk.

Equally important is the film-friendly atmosphere of communities that must exist under the impact of filming. Directors are the creative drive behind matching locations with the storyline. Although Herzog wanted to film his feature here in San Diego, there was a lot of work to be done before that decision could be finalized.

The first call was to the San Diego Film Commission because it was imperative to get perspective on just what it is like to film in San Diego. One of the biggest issues for on-location film production can be the air traffic that is prominent in many areas of San Diego. The wait due to airplane traffic between "takes" can cost valuable time and therefore money. Herzog was brilliant in his ability to work with the sound challenges by incorporating the noise into the scenes. This created a less stressful environment that did nothing but spur creativity.

The San Diego Film Commission had its challenges, too. A variety of diverse locations and a schedule to meet, not to mention budget concerns to worry about, kept director of features, Kathy McCurdy, on her toes. Prior to working at the film commission, McCurdy was a location manager in San Diego and so she is no stranger to this industry. Her abilities saved Werner a great deal of money in his budget and we can only hope that will drive another project back to San Diego one day. As McCurdy worked daily on this project, she had to be proactive to avoid problems and anticipate how best to serve Herzog. Understanding the script and the relation of the storyline to locations is a daunting job.

The script was inspired by the true story of Mark Yavorsky, who murdered his mother. Herzog's story depicts the character's spiral into insanity. The film is executive-produced by David Lynch and stars Michael Shannon, Willem Dafoe and Chloe Sevigny. Each production set develops a personality and Herzog's had an unusual one. There was such respect and confidence in his ability and talent that his set was quiet and productive. He inspires his crew and talent with such passion and esteem that his sets are alive with the storyline.

He had thought out things to such a degree that very few "takes" were needed putting him ahead of schedule. This alone is unheard of in this industry. Film sets are usually organized chaos. Concentration is key to getting something accomplished and Herzog was a genius at exhibiting his ability to focus and perform.

Although the filming took nearly a month in San Diego, there was over a month of preparation prior to shooting the film including scouting, finding hotels that can host the crew and talent, securing locations, community support, permits, traffic control and plans, as well as notification for affected neighborhoods and business.

The film commission works on all facets of the organizing and planning the filming as well as regulating and giving oversight. Locations used by the project included Balboa Park, Point Loma, National City and San Ysidro. The San Diego Film Commission permits city, unincorporated county properties and port properties, and we will work with other incorporated cities to help promote a film-friendly attitude. Film projects have been lost because some cities over tax and charge arbitrary fees.

The benefits of filming are what make this an economic development program. Local people are hired to work on the production and local businesses, vendors and suppliers are used for everything from wardrobe items to paint to bags of ice. There were three hotels used to house the actors and crew: Best Western Island Palms, Humphreys Half Moon Inn and the Kona Kai all on Shelter Island to keep everyone close to the shooting location in Point Loma.

A well-known character actor in the film, Udo Kier, spent hundreds of dollars at Goodwill stores in San Diego on vintage clothing. Crew people enjoyed local restaurants including Miguel's, Uni Sushi, the Brigantine Oyster Bar and Phil's BBQ. The production bought a 42-inch plasma screen television set at Best Buy for editing, and five printers were purchased at Staples to outfit the hotel-based production offices. This production company spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in San Diego. In addition the story is written as San Diego, which is a marketing opportunity that has historically driven tourism.

As Kathy McCurdy is putting closure to the filming, such as making sure locations have been restored, she comes across more stories from production people about their time here. There are stories of favorite restaurants, late nights at local bars for debriefing, shopping excursions and plans for return trips to San Diego.