Making movies in New Mexico: Is it worth the headache?

November 4, 6:49 AMAlbuquerque Pop Culture ExaminerCarla Bastos

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Albuquerque Pop Culture Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Robert Downey, Jr. stars in Due Date

There's been much hype over the past couple of years about the many advantages of a growing film industry in New Mexico.  But, after the last three weeks of road closures, traffic jams and other issues, many residents are wondering if it's all worth it.

Filming is wrapping up on the movie "Due Date," starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx.  The production required daily closures of stretches of U.S. Hwy. 70 for nearly a month.

An overnight closure on I-25 scheduled for last night was cancelled, but a stretch of I-40 will be closed tonight for yet another shoot.  Eastbound lanes from 98th to Unser will be inaccessible from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Many commuters were outraged by the U.S. 70 closures, which lasted 12 hours each night in the early days of shooting.  After a barrage of complaints, film crews shortened schedules to six or seven hours a night.  According to reports on KOAT.com, tonight's planned shoot also has commuters concerned.  But, representatives from the State Film Division said the inconvenience will be worth it. 

"I'm not sure if people realize how many New Mexicans are employed on these movies," said Ann Lerner of the SFD. "I don't know what the percentage is for 'Due Date', but for 'Crash' that just wrapped, it was 90 percent New Mexican crew-based."

The City of Albuquerque has its own guidelines for filming, and the State Dept. of Transportation is required to take into account commuters' rush hour schedules and ease of accessing detours when planning and granting permits for movie shoots. 

Those rules are little consolation to drivers whose daily lives are turned upside down.  The Las Cruces Sun News reported a flood of angry comments from motorists during the U.S. 70 closures:

"East Mesa resident Stanford Locke said he doubted that the revenue generated by the filming made up for the value of lost work time, as employees and small-business owners were delayed because of traffic backlogs. He said the closings amount to a 'constitutional violation' because the state took residents' time to benefit a private company.

"There are at least 10,000 households that have been adversely affected by this," he said. "How can these bureaucrats say it's OK for 10,000 people to sacrifice so that Hollywood can glorify itself?"