Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission press release: 

The Redwood Region has been open for filming since late June and to date has seen seven completed projects. These projects vary in type and include car commercials, a feature film produced by A24, and a TV show produced by Disney.

From these projects, Humboldt County has seen over $2.3 million in direct spending, with the bulk from the feature “The Sky is Everywhere” aka “Clarinet.” During the seven-week filming, the production spent:

• Local Lodging Costs: ~$750k (including airbnbs and hotels)
• Local Food Spend: ~$23k (not including catering costs because vendor was from out of state)
• Local Vendor Spend: ~$425k
• Local Crew Labor: ~$190k
• Local Background Labor: ~$120k (527 locals hired)
• Total Location Fees Spend: ~$230k (including $22,620 with NHUHSD, and $5,500 with the Eureka City School District)

In addition to the spending, the production also donated to many local entities including:

• Arcata High School’s performing arts dept.
• McKinleyville High School’s performing arts dept.
• Eureka Main Street
• C.A.P.E. (Community Access Project for Eureka)
• Eureka Police Foundation
• Ferndale Chamber of Commerce
• Railroad Grade Association, Fieldbrook
• Crockett Crossing Road Association, Fieldbrook

Del Norte County has received $23,000 in direct dollars. According to the California Film Commission, the economic impact multiplier is $2.95 for every direct dollar spent. This takes into account other expenses, as well as, the money circulating around the county (approximately three times before leaving the area). This makes the total economic benefit for Humboldt at nearly $6.8 million, while Del Norte’s is $67,850, indirectly.

Due to Covid-19, many businesses have had to alter their day to day activities or close temporarily for safety reasons and have had a considerable financial loss due to it. Filming has been one way closed or temporarily closed locations (i.e. school campuses where no students are attending or have limited staff in segregated portion of the school) can supplement their income by renting their locations to productions.

In addition to businesses and schools seeing revenue from renting their locations for filming, some locals rented their residences to the productions. Christine and Gene Callahan’s residence in Fieldbrook became a main location for filming “The Sky is Everywhere.” When asked about the film productions Covid protocols, Christine responded, “That was also a rock-solid part of the whole experience for us. There were the strictest rules in place at all times. We ourselves were tested 6 times in order to be part of the 2 days on set. Every crew member working at our house was completely compliant and all protocols, masks, etc. were maintained. We wouldn’t have done this wild adventure without that certainty. Honestly, we don’t truly know what everyone we worked with for all those months looks like without a mask.”

The Film Commission has been working directly with the local health departments, law enforcement, and the productions to ensure the safety of local residents and the productions’ cast and crew. The industry has been following a twenty-one-page document, drafted by unions, studios, and state health experts, outlining safety measures for filming during the pandemic. All projects have been required to have a compliance officer, safety plan, and follow the state, union, and counties’ guidelines which include being negative before entering the region and testing frequently during production.

The Film Commission has made the determination to pause filming in the Redwood Region immediately due to the rising numbers of Covid-19 cases. At the time of this release, Humboldt County has approved the hiatus, with Del Norte County’s approval pending. Humboldt’s temporary hiatus status has been discussed with the health department and local law enforcement, garnering their full support. All projects that had planned to film in the region will be notified of the hiatus. Protecting the local population and an awareness of the lack of capacity in our local hospitals were the prime considerations when making this determination according to the Film Commissioner, Cassandra Hesseltine. “I feel good about the success and what we were able to accomplish while Covid-19 numbers were low. However, I feel it would be irresponsible to continue filming in the region. We believe it’s best to be proactive and go on hiatus to protect our community at large.”

The Film Commission is aware that two projects have been filmed locally that did not comply with Covid-19 safety plans and filmed without permits. The commission is following up with health officials and law enforcement in regard to illegal productions, permitting issues, and enforcing current health protocols.

The Film Commission is a free service to all productions and can be reached at info@hdnfc.org.