Filming and photo shoots pumped an estimated ,37 million into Santa Barbara County/s economy and ,46 million into the combined economies of the county and city of Santa Barbara.

That/s the greatest financial impact since 2003, when the popular film &#8220SidewaysC was filmed almost exclusively in the county.

The movie industry pumping money into the local economy is a long-time legacy 7 one that started in 1910 7 as producers and directors are drawn to the area/s many amenities.

&#8220We have great-looking, remote, untouched country with no telephone wires, little housing and no tall buildings,C said Martine White, Santa Barbara County film commissioner.

&#8220There/s our proximity 7 we/re only 90 minutes from Los Angeles,C she continued. &#8220We have great tools 7 a location library they can peruse 24/7.

&#8220We have a traditional style and the political power to keep it that way.C

Economic boost

The direct economic impact of the filming in 2006 is estimated at more than ,14.6 million for the county and nearly ,18.3 million for the city and county combined, according to figures from the Santa Barbara County Film Commission.

Direct impact is based upon film-related jobs for everyone from electricians and carpenters, animal trainers and helicopter pilots to homeowners, caterers and restaurateurs.

What/s called the &#8220ripple-down effectC led to the estimates of ,37 million for the county and ,46 million for the city and county combined.

That/s money spent on film, hardware, props, plants, steel, lumber, paint, furniture, portable dressing rooms, toilets, generators, clothing, makeup, sound and lighting equipment, food and gasoline.

In addition, a very few movies can have a longer-lasting effect by stimulating tourism.

The figures are based on a total of 147 productions that spent 476 days filming movies, TV shows and commercials and doing still-photo shoots for such things as catalogues and print advertising.

A big chunk of the economic impact came from just one movie.

&#8220>Grindhouse/ spent two months filming here and spent over ,4 million,C White said. &#8220>Pirates (of the Caribbean III)/ filmed here four days and >There Will Be Blood/ was here three days.C

Had the weather cooperated, the economic impact from filming could have been even higher last year.

&#8220We had gray weather from February through May, and that took about ,1 million off the city of Santa Barbara/s income,C White said. &#8220They usually realized about ,5 million, and last year it was about ,3 1/2 million.C

Extended impacts

Previously, the highest economic impact in the county was recorded in 2003, when the direct economic impact was just under ,13.6 million and to the city and county combined was just over ,18.2 million.

Factoring in the &#8220ripple-down effect,C the impact that year was ,34 million to the county and ,46 million to the city and county combined.

Much of that impact came from the quirky film &#8220Sideways.C In fall 2003, when Fox Searchlight spent 47 days filming the movie in Santa Barbara County wine country, the production company spent more than ,4 million.

But the movie was an unexpected hit that had a much longer-lasting impact. Released in 2004, it drew a crush of tourists to the area eager to taste the wines and visit the locations featured in the film.

When in 2005 it was awarded an Oscar for best adapted screenplay 7 after also being nominated for best picture, best supporting actor and best supporting actress 7 it triggered another flood of tourism.

And when it was released on DVD later that year, yet another crush of tourists descended on Lompoc, Buellton, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos and the surrounding areas where segments were filmed.

White said she doesn/t expect to see such an extended economic impact from the movie &#8220Alpha Dog,C part of which was filmed in 2004 here where the real-life incidents behind it actually took place.

She noted most of the movie, released last year, was filmed elsewhere, and the rather dubious publicity of its story line 7 drugs, kidnapping and murder 7 are not likely to spur much tourism.

Why here?

The biggest movies filmed in the county in 2006 7 &#8220Grindhouse,C &#8220Pirates of the Caribbean III,C &#8220Searching for Mickey Fish,C &#8220Let/s Go to PrisonC and &#8220There Will Be BloodC 7 also won/t draw tourists because they weren/t set in this area.

Few movies are made about specific areas, White noted, unless they are travelogues or reality-based shows focusing on an area or local person.

Instead, crews come here for other reasons, such as a locale that re-creates the area where the movie is supposedly set, is close to the studio/s home base and offers a good support system.

&#8220They/re looking for a match 7 for >Hidalgo,/ they were matching to Morocco,C White explained, referring to the movie filmed here in 2003. &#8220Santa Barbara can be matched to Spain, Guadalupe can be matched to Mexico and small-town America.C

They may be looking to match an idea 7 finding a location that fits an image envisioned by an artist or writer 7 within a certain radius of the studio/s home base.

Santa Barbara County also offers a wide range of locales. While movie crews will search for scenery to match a film/s setting, catalogue photographers favor such areas as Santa Barbara/s city parks, mansions, beaches, courthouse and State Street.

Commercials may be shot along some of the area/s rural roadways, like Jalama and Figueroa Mountain roads and others in rural Santa Maria.

Places such as Gainey Ranch, wineries in the North County, Mission La Purisima and the Guadalupe Dunes are popular with television crews.

All elements combined, the county provides almost idea shooting locations.

&#8220We offer a great package,C White said.

Mike Hodgson can be reached at 739-2221 or mhodgson@ santamariatimes.com.

April 29, 2007