Local film commission

logs best production year since 2002

(Ridgecrest) The Ridgecrest Regional Film Commission recorded more than $4.3 million in revenue from local film, commercial and still photography productions in 2007.

?We were very pleased with the numbers from last year,? said Doug Lueck, who took over as film commissioner just over a year ago. ?2007 was our best year in the last five years and the third best year ever.?

Lueck said it?s tough to beat the $6 million and $7 million years when parts of blockbuster hits like ?Planet of the Apes?, ?Holes? and ?Hidalgo? were filmed here. Last year, the film commission issued nearly 40 permits and logged 110 days of production. March was the top producer with eight different projects around Ridgecrest bringing in $955,000.

The biggest production of the year in Ridgecrest was the feature film ?Iron Man?. Iron Works Productions spent 32 days filming at the Olancha Sand Dunes and generated more than $1.5 million in income for the local area during February, March and April.

The Trona Pinnacles continued to impress location scouts and served as the backdrop for several commercial productions including Hummer, Volkswagen and Kia. The Cuddeback dry lake bed and Jawbone Canyon were also popular spots for still photo shoots and student films as well as some feature films.

?We plan to carry on the success from last year into 2008,? said Lueck, who is currently working with a film company to bring another major production to Ridgecrest this year. ?Despite the writers? strike, we are looking forward to an even better year.?

The Ridgecrest Regional Film Commission is a component of the Ridgecrest Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, a California 501(c)6 non-profit corporation that markets the 10,000 square mile region around Ridgecrest to both