“Do you have filmable locations?” “How many stages are available?” “What’s the labor pool?” These are just a few questions movie producers ask before filming in a location. Financial incentives, a strong labor pool, and a variety of location “looks” help bring movies to New Mexico. The City of Albuquerque and The Albuquerque Film Office are investing in the future of the film industry by supporting local industry workers. Albuquerque Film Liaison Cyndy McCrossen says, "The Albuquerque Film Office is here to preserve and protect Albuquerque as a viable filming site. We serve a two-sided mission to support the industry and support the community in their access and understanding of the film industry.”
Keeping employees safe while working on movie sets is another big priority for the film office. McCrossen says, “We spend a lot of time visiting the sets that we have permitted to make sure they are adhering to their production guidelines and their permit expectations.”
The state has a large variety of technical and creative film industry jobs. Improving the labor pool is essential for each production's success. The Albuquerque Film Office partners with CNM and UNM film programs to help students find hands-on experience. Having those qualified workers makes New Mexico even more appealing to moviemakers. Programs like CNM’s Film Technician Training and UNM’s Film and Digital Arts program help residents get the training they need to work in the industry. CNM’s program is well recognized for its technical training. UNM’s Department of Film and Digital Arts is now one of the fastest-growing programs at the university.
“Albuquerque has a hand in about 85 percent of productions that land in the state.” Santa Fe also has a “lion’s share of productions,” and the rest are scattered throughout the state. Albuquerque “is the main airport hub, and the vast majority of our labor lives in Albuquerque, “says McCrossen.
Production facilities in Albuquerque include Netflix, NBC, and the new Cinelease Studios. Locally, there are a variety of “other swing spaces that can host a production company,” says McCrossen.
Long-running Albuquerque-based shows like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul have helped build the local labor pool. McCrossen says, “What Vince Gilligan did was he built a franchise between the two episodics and a movie that lasted 15 years. Job continuity for 15 years… that builds houses, that births babies, and does spinoff businesses. It’s all this sort of ripple effect of having such a huge, long-lasting franchise. We don’t always get that as gig workers. It really impacted our labor pool.” With continuous work, employees could hone their skills and even move up the ladder in the film industry. “That’s what our goal is really is to build departments in our labor force here.”
Having worked as a location scout, McCrossen knows firsthand about the film industry. She says, “Productions need labor. We help young people access the industry. We want our citizens to have jobs so they can stay home and they don’t have to go to Hollywood. They can stay here and keep their money at home, visit grandma, and all that fun stuff.”
Film workers are typically contracted to work at least a 60-hour work week. “It’s a volatile industry. It’s a different kind of labor, we don’t go to the office nine to five,” says McCrossen. While the hours are long, the pay can be high. The average is “over 35 dollars an hour in a clean industry.”
The Albuquerque Film Office, the Small Business Office, and the Minority Business Office also work with vendors to get them “film-ready.” McCrossen says, “There are a good handful of labor unions that are represented on any given film,” so the office also works as a labor liaison. For every dollar productions spend on New Mexico goods and services, the state reimburses them 25 cents. She says, “Producers chase money and want as much money on the screen as possible.” With proper training and local support, New Mexicans want to work on as many movies as possible.
Productions need labor. We help young people access the industry. We want our citizens to have jobs so they can stay home and they don’t have to go to Hollywood. They can stay here and keep their money at home, visit grandma, and all that fun stuff.
