Written by new-contact on Nov 6, 2013. Posted in On Location

East Coast-set TV productions win California On Location Awards

Location professionals from TV productions set on the East Coast but filmed in Los Angeles took the big prizes at this year’s California On Location Awards (COLAs), held at the weekend. Work on The Hangover III and Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra was also recognised.

Gregory Alpert won Location Professional of the Year in the Studio Feature Film category for his work on The Hangover III, which was mainly filmed in the Los Angeles area. Caleb Duffy took the prize in the Independent Feature Film category for his work on Behind the Candelabra.

David Doumeng won Location Manager of the Year in the Commercials category for his work on the Nike campaign Just Do It – Possibilities.

Timothy Hillmann was recognised in the TV Episodic Body of Work category for now-cancelled crime drama CSI: NY, which was filmed in California despite the New York setting. Veronique Vowell won the Single or Season TV award for Scandal, a California-filmed political drama set in Washington, DC.

Location filming in California rose by almost 10% in the third quarter of 2013, with commercial shooting up by 18% and feature production increasing by nearly 20%.

“Any increase in local production is cause for celebration, as long as we don’t lose sight of the big picture,” said FilmLA President Paul Audley recently: “California has yet to match and overcome out-of-state competition for this business. For feature film production to be where it once was and should be in LA, production would need to increase by 125%. Until Sacramento acts to level the playing field, we won’t see the kind of growth and prosperity that California families are counting on.”

Any increase in local production is cause for celebration, as long as we don’t lose sight of the big picture.

Paul Audley, FilmLA

California has a long-term runaway production problem as it faces intense filming incentive competition from the likes of New York, Louisiana and North Carolina. New Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has appointed former studio executive Tom Sherak as a new film ‘czar’, who is responsible for lobbying Sacramento for improved filming incentives.

Here's a selected list of this year’s COLA winners:

Location Manager of the Year (Commercials)

David Doumeng - Nike

Location Professional of the Year (TV Episodic, Body of Work)

Timothy Hillman - CSI: NY

Location Professional of the Year (TV Episodic, Single or Season)

Veronique Vowell - Scandal

Location Professional of the Year (Independent Feature)

Caleb Duffy - Behind the Candelabra

Location Professional of the Year (Studio Feature)

Gregory Alpert - The Hangover Part III

Location Team of the Year (TV Episodic, Body of Work)

NCIS – CBS Studios

Location Team of the Year (TV Episodic, Single or Season)

The Bridge – Concord Productions