Online film resource ready for next step

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Hollywood is no longer the sole source of movie production. With the advent of the Internet and digital video technology, the art of feature film making is coming into the hands of more people, even in Missouri.|ret||ret||tab|

For Springfield native Joe Melfi and his Web site Movie partners.com, that trend is taking shape. The site is a free resource of information on all aspects of filmmaking, from writing screenplays and getting the right kind of production equipment to legal contracts and an online forum where people can exchange ideas.|ret||ret||tab|

Melfi, who now resides in Los Angeles, said the site is intended to help people get off to the right start with their cinematic projects, no matter where they are located.|ret||ret||tab|

"Most people don't even know how to raise capital for a project," Melfi said. "(Moviepartners.com) can help them get the marketing aspect together."|ret||ret||tab|

Launched in January 1998, the site "is an incubation center" for independent film projects, Melfi said. |ret||ret||tab|

It draws approximately 3,000 unique visitors per day, he said. Hollywood, long perceived as the cradle of film production, is being superceded by the Age of Information and the Internet. |ret||ret||tab|

"The Internet has been empowering people since day one," Melfi said. "With that and digital photography, anyone can (make films) it has really leveled the playing field."|ret||ret||tab|

Melfi, and a partnership of film professionals and Internet programmers, are trying to get the Web site into its next stage of development by attracting more people who are willing to invest time and money into the project.|ret||ret||tab|

"Investors are hard to come by," Melfi said. "A lot of people think that the Internet gold rush is over, but we are ripe and ready to do something."|ret||ret||tab|

Moviepartners.com is a for-profit operation, currently supported through banner advertising and sponsorships. A board of directors works with Melfi to help the operation grow. One notable member is Louise Levison, the founder of Los Angeles-based Business Strategies, a consulting firm that specializes in writing business plans for film, Internet and other entertainment-related companies developing corporate strategies and guiding entrepreneurs in working with equity financing. |ret||ret||tab|

Her most recent clients include Haxan Films ("The Blair Witch Project"), The Pamplin-Fisher Company ("Michael Winslow Live" and "Hoover" starring Ernest Borgnine), and the Moviemakers Company, a multi-million dollar film and television production company in Bridgeport, Conn. Levison is developing business for Moviepartners.com, Melfi said.|ret||ret||tab|

"The next step for the online resource is to go public," Melfi said. "I am seeking funding to get an audit and pay legal fees. We need that full disclosure before we can go public."|ret||ret||tab|

With the boost of publicly traded stock, Melfi said he can further his objective: to aid the independent filmmaker.|ret||ret||tab|

"A lot of these people are like me," Melfi said. "They have an idea, but they need help to make it big."|ret||ret||tab|

Melfi already has experience with successful film projects. He served as the associate producer for "Park Day,"an independent film shot in the summer of 1998 in Springfield. The film is on the shelves of local Blockbuster video stores.|ret||ret||tab|

The fact that the film industry has moved beyond Hollywood is not new, according to Jerry Jones, director of the Missouri Film Commission.|ret||ret||tab|

The first state film commission was formed in the 1960s in the state of Colorado as a way of attracting film productions and the economic impact they have, Jones said. Since that time, a film commission has been created in every state.|ret||ret||tab|

Filmmakers "Come in, spend a lot of money, and we don't have to invest a lot in them," Jones said. "Those productions also generate a lot of publicity which we could never afford, let alone buy."|ret||ret||tab|

Like other similar government bodies, the Missouri Film Commission aids local film productions by offering assistance and professional references in setting up film locations, and even tax credits for the money spent locally for the production.|ret||ret||tab|

"It's not just films," Jones said. "It's also commercials. (Producers) buy local products and employ local people."|ret||ret||tab|

A study by the Missouri Department of Economic Development compared tourism's economic impact to that of film production. For every dollar spent by tourists, the impact on the local economy is multiplied 3 1/2 times, Jones said. Every dollar spent by film producers is multiplied 5 1/2 times.|ret||ret||tab|

"Ride With the Devil," a Civil War film shot in northwest Missouri and released in late 1999, had a production budget of $35 million, Jones said. "With the portion of that budget spent in Missouri, the Department of Economic Development calculated that approximately $44 million went into the local economy."[[In-content Ad]]