This is a direct result of having “hosted” films since Universal shot two “silent” films on Oahu back in 1913. Hundreds of films, TV shows and commercials have been shot there over the years ever since (Jurassic Park, From Here to Eternity, Magnum PI, Hawaii Five-0, etc.).

 

As Hawaii is quite unique in having Islands for its real estate, each Island is a County and has its own Mayor and County Office as well as its own Film Office to help with all the issues of filming on that island.

 

The State Film Office is on Oahu, in Honolulu, the state’s Capital. Here’s their website:  http://www.hawaiifilmoffice.com/ & Phone: (808) 586-2572

 

Their site is easy to navigate, very informative and basically gives you all the info you’ll need. Here are the different Film Offices, listed in order of the amount of filming they do:

 

Walea Constantinau
HONOLULU Film Office (Oahu)
530 South King Street, Room 306
Honolulu, HI  96813
Tel: (808) 527-6108
Fax: (808) 527-6102
E-mail:info@filmhonolulu.com

 

Art Umezu
KAUAI Film Commission
4444 Rice Street, Suite 200
Lihue, HI 96766
Tel: (808) 241-4948
Fax: (808) 241-6399
E-mail:info@filmkauai.com

 

John Mason
BIG ISLAND Film Office
75-5706 Kuakini Highway, #103
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Tel: (808) 327-3663
Fax: (808) 327-1632
Email:film@bigisland.com

 

Benita Brazier
MAUI COUNTY Film Commission (Maui, Molokai, Lanai)
One Main Plaza
2200 Main Street Suite 305
Wailuku, HI. 96793
Tel: (808) 270-7415
Fax: (808) 270-7995
E-mail:info@filmmaui.com

 

Having family and old friends who live there and with my being a “seasonal Kamaaina” (meaning a “local” or resident), I can tell you for sure that unless you’ve been there enough to know exactly where you want to shoot, you should invest in hiring an experienced local Location Scout and/or Manager. 

 

This wise investment will save you a tremendous amount of time (money) and will help you navigate the “ins & outs” of dealing with every possible situation you can imagine (and many that you’d never dream could become an issue as well).

 

Other than Scouting the islands for Locations, the only Productions I’ve actually been involved with in Hawaii were on the Big Island (aka the island of Hawaii).

 

The official website says to give the County Film Offices “a week” to process any permit applications, but just to make sure, do all your paperwork as far in advance as possible. Again, this is something a Scout / Manager can advise you on and will do for you.

 

In an effort to attract new productions, the State offers Tax Incentives, so check out their website as it goes into in greater detail. But basically it’s a 15-20% break on any Motion Picture, Digital Media & Film Production tax credit. 

 

It’s 15% on Oahu (home of busy Honolulu & Waikiki beach) which offers you Big City Locations as well as wide expanses of near-deserted “white sand beaches” on the windward side and the world-famous “gigantic surf” on the North Shore.

 

And a 20% break on the “outer islands” which include Kauai (Jurassic Park to South Pacific); Maui; Molokai, Lanai and Hawaii, the Big Island ~ where the active Volcano is (Waterworld, Black Widow & the recent Planet of the Apes). Though “uncredited” for it, many of my “Location Shots” of the Big Island’s “other-worldly lava fields” helped to bring Tim Burton’s production to Hawaii.

 

The Big Island is also unique in that it’s “larger than all of the other islands combined” and has the widest range of Locations and climate zones; having an arid “Palm Springs-like” climate on the “Kona side” and a very tropical “wet” climate on the “Hilo Side.” 

 

The Big Island is divided by the twin (snow capped) 13,000’ mountains (dormant Volcanoes) Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea (home of numerous NASA tracking stations & the Keck Observatory as well as many other major Telescopes).

 

But if your primary interest is in finding a classic “White Sand Beach,” the majority (and best) of those locations will be found on other islands as “Big Island” (with the exception of Kona side) has mostly “black sand” beaches and very rocky shores.

 

For those of us on a “tighter” budget than Mr. Spielberg (who isn’t?), and seeking a tropical rainforest or a dense “Jungle” Location, the Big Island is a far more economical way to go as the Hotels in Hilo are way below the expense of putting up Cast & Crew on Kauai, Oahu or Maui. 

 

They also have the added benefit of numerous rural roads where you can basically park your camera truck or cube van (more reasonable rental rates), open the back, put your Camera on the lift gate and pan left to find yourself in right in the middle of Viet Nam, Cambodia or Jurassic Park (many scenes shot there). 

 

Also, beside the subtantial savings in hotel & food, there are plenty of large retail stores (and services) on the Big Island as well, from Home Depot & Sears to Wal-mart & Costco, etc.

 

Having had numerous big & small shoots over the years, there's a deep pool of experienced Film Crew living there to save on the costs of Per Diem... and if you're really on a tight shoestring budget, Oahu & the Big Island have the added benefit of the U of H (Universities) where you can surely get "interns" to gladly help out as PA's on your shoot.

  

With the help of your Scout, you can easily get a better “rate” on your Hotels. And as the state’s economy is based on tourism (its number one industry with agriculture far behind), you can bet you’ll be treated with lots of “Aloha” in order to make your shoot go well as everybody will want you to come back to film there again… and hire them or use their facilities again in the future.