(The Center Square) – Wenatchee is ready for its close-up, thanks to Washington Filmworks’ support for movie-making in rural counties. If producers Mark and Shelby Smeltzer are successful, their new venture may unlock their vision of Wenatchee as the place to be for creative Christian filmmakers.
Bipartisan legislation in 2022 – Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1914 – expanded funding of Washington Filmworks’ incentive program from $3.5 million annually to $15 million. It was part of a broader effort to strengthen the state’s film industry.
After completing a project, Washington Filmworks reimburses production companies based on eligible expenditures in Washington. The reimbursement covers qualified in-state spending, which includes costs such as locations, crew wages and benefits, food and lodging, and other production-related expenses.
Incentives are capped at $500,000 for full-length movies, with enhancements for various factors.
Some legislators raised concerns when the bill was passed, including fears about the program’s potential for insufficient results. They worried that the film incentive program might not generate the desired level of economic benefit and return on investment.
A 2020 cost-benefit analysis across states revealed that movie incentive programs can negatively impact state revenue. The analysis found the average return to be 27 cents per dollar of state expenditure for all states.
The Smeltzers envision developing Wenatchee as a center for high-quality Christian movies and attracting and keeping talent in eastern Washington. They are in the pre-production phase of a new movie, “Baby Shower,” written by comedian Thor Ramsey.
“Baby Shower” tackles the tough subject of abortion with humor and a good story, according to the Smeltzers. The synopsis from the movie website reads, “Alyce’s son visits from heaven 21 years after he was aborted… and that’s not good news because she’s the president of Planned Parenthood.”
“If you’re interested in hearing or seeing more about a pro-life, satirical comedy that is not making fun of abortion but is humanizing the baby, making the concept funny, and changing hearts and minds and lives, then check out babyshowerthemovie.com,” Mark said.
The project budget is $5 million for production and $19 million for marketing.
“A majority of the budget we’re raising is going to be for advertising, because if nobody sees it, no butts in seats, you’re not making a return. You’re not making profits or meeting a purpose,” Mark said. “We’re already in talks with people on Meta advertising. The only problem with a lot of online advertising is their algorithms will purposefully snuff things if you have trigger words in the algorithm.”
The team is also talking to major film distributors on the best strategy to “get butts in seats.”
“We’re hoping we can spearhead more Christian films coming out of the state,” Mark said. “This isn’t the only one we’ve got in the pipeline. We’ve got several others on the slate that we’re developing.”
Shelby appreciates the incentives and the space in eastern Washington compared to Hollywood.
“They’re running out of space to put more studios, and it’s very expensive to film there,” she said. “We’d love to bring more money to Washington, and film can really do that. You have huge production crews who are drinking coffee every day, eating food, needing to stay in hotels, needing to pay for gas, rent trucks, tons of different locations.”
Ramsey has contributed work to the satirical Babylon Bee website. He most recently wrote and starred in the 2021 movie “Church People,” directed by Christopher Shawn Shaw. Shaw is on board with “Baby Shower” in the same role.
“I like to tell people that no matter where you are on your faith or nonfaith journey, there is a character in ‘Church People’ you’ll be able to relate to,” Shaw said.
“That’s something that really caught my attention about ‘Baby Shower’ with Thor’s writing specifically,” Shelby noted. “He is not preachy. He’s not making a Christian conservative film to convert you. He’s just making good, funny movies where you can check out; it is just entertainment.”
