Below is an excerpt from the Winter 2010 DGA Quarterly article that I have permission to repost from James Greenberg who is the Editor In Chief of The DGA Quarterly Magazine.

I also want to give credit to Margy Rochlin who interviewed Jon and wrote this great article.

One of the many things that  Shootmoviesincalifornia.com is trying to do is to also bring awareness of how it is  so important not just for the California economy but also for family life. It’s great if we do not have to miss our kids events and be able to tuck them in bed and read them a story.

Here is the excerpt of the article, below is the link to the entire article by Margy.

“One other crucial lesson Favreau learned from Elf, which was shot almost entirely on location in Manhattan, was what it felt like to spend six months away from his family in Los Angeles. “Part of what makes my movies work is who I am and [being home] is part of that,” says Favreau, 43, who has three children under the age of 8 and now includes a special “let’s-keep-it-local” rider in all of his contracts. “My way is if I can shoot it here, I want to because it’s better for the movie. The crews are great and everyone is sleeping in their own beds. You’ve got the whole film industry here.”

Having seen how rebates and tax credits offered by other states have hurt production in Los Angeles, Favreau also convinced Marvel Studios to let him make Iron Man 2, which is budgeted at a reported $140 million, on his home turf. While he makes sure to acknowledge the effort California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently put into establishing the state’s first-ever 20 percent-25 percent tax credit, he adds, “It’s very small compared to other states.”

Because he’s concerned about Los Angeles losing its luster as a filmmaking mecca, Favreau has also turned into a runaway production activist. “I loved coming here 15 years ago, and walking on the backlots and watching people make movies and the development and the talent that’s here,” says Favreau, sounding once again like that awestruck teenager on the bridge. “It was mind-blowing to me. So I want to try to preserve that in whatever way I can in California.”

You can click on this link to see the entire article.

http://www.dgaquarterly.org/BACKISSUES/Winter2010/DirectorProfileJonFavreau.aspx

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