OLYMPIA — The state Senate, miffed because the two movies in the “Twilight” saga haven’t been filmed where the saga is based — Forks, LaPush and Port Angeles — sent to Gov. Chris Gregoire a bill designed to make the area more attractive for television and film productions.
The movie “Twilight,” a cinema blockbuster last fall and just released on DVD, was filmed mostly in Oregon. The second film is currently being shot in British Columbia, where the terrain is similar but the economics are more favorable.
Anyone who’s a fan of Stephenie Myers’ best-selling “Twilight” saga knows that the teen vampire novel revolves around the North Olympic Peninsula — where Twilight tourism has boomed.
Speaking in favor of House Bill 2042, Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, said she was disturbed that the second “Twilight” sequel is filming in British Columbia to take advantage of the better deals producers can get there.
The second movie, “New Moon,” is due to be released in theaters in the fall. The third, yet to begin production, is “Eclipse.”
“”This has to do with making our state more competitive in motion picture production,” Kohl-Welles said.
The bill says that the maximum funding assistance can be up to 30 percent of the total money invested by production companies in Washington; previously the maximum was 20 percent.
Kohl-Welles said Washington is competing with at least 40 other states that have similar programs. She said the measure will help brings jobs and investment into Washington, which has seen many films and TV shows shot at least partially in the state.
Those productions include the films “Sleepless in Seattle,” “An Officer and a Gentlemen” (shot in Port Townsend in 1982) and “War Games.” Television shows filmed in the Evergreen State include “Northern Exposure,” “Twin Peaks” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
The measure passed the Senate 44-2.
