Film in the Berkshires
›› Film as an art form and a commercial endeavor has flourished under the radar in the Berkshires for nearly 40 years. More than likely, you’ve seen an award-winning independent film or an emotionally moving video at a local fundraiser without realizing it was made right here by members of a thriving community of filmmakers—directors, cinematographers, actors, screenwriters, and production professionals, all of whom call the Berkshires home.
This community began when visual effects wizard Douglas Trumbull moved here from Los Angeles in the 1980s. Hordes of Hollywood FX experts followed, lured by the prospect of leading a lucrative, creative life in a beautiful, tranquil setting. I was among them and cofounded Mass.Illusion, the company behind groundbreaking, award-winning visual effects for films like Die Hard with a Vengeance, What Dreams May Come, and The Matrix. I witnessed the film industry’s impact on the local economy, including home rentals, food service, and large purchases at hardware stores and lumber yards. Our crews frequented theaters, restaurants, and stores.
I also saw the passage of a lucrative tax incentive program that brought even more productions to Massachusetts. In 2009, we established Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative (BFMC) to bring some of that revenue here through sourcing crew, locations, catering, and housing. We offer workforce development courses, networking events, and industry conferences.
Then the pandemic hit. While the world binged TV shows, our industry went into hyper speed. Forced to cancel their galas, nonprofits became desperate to reach donors. Local businesses needed to reach customers. Theaters needed to create both live and prerecorded performances, readings, and workshops. Our community was ready to meet the high demand. Instead of holding a catered dinner for 300, organizations were able to reach 3,000 potential donors around the world through streaming. The landscape of digital media changed forever.
During this time, BFMC and Shakespeare & Company laid the groundwork for Kemble Street Studios (KSS), an international film education center to be created on the S&Co campus in Lenox. KSS will be a mixed studio/lab/classroom/production facility dedicated to education in the art and craft of filmmaking and responsible media messaging. Featuring state-of-the-art live and virtual production and the full gamut of post-production services, it will be instrumental in streaming original Berkshires content to the world. KSS will also train and develop a diverse, skilled workforce to attract more production to the area, host residencies with professionals from around the globe, provide internship opportunities to local students, and offer scholarships to encourage the best and brightest voices to create films here. KSS will establish the Berkshires as an international film destination, and our venerable theater companies. It’s time for film and media to take its place in the Berkshire creative economy—as a nexus of art, education and technology.
BFMC is now in the process of conducting a feasibility study for KSS, funded in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilities Fund. The focus of this study, however, is not if we should build the studio, but rather to identify the best revenue streams and partnerships to ensure its success.
BFMC is now working with the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and The Civic Life Project to lead a Film Youth Challenge, asking young people to share their views on the issues creating divisions and inequities. We’re hosting production seminars conducted by local filmmakers and providing resources such as cameras, culminating in screening the winning films. This is one of many ways the Berkshire filmmaking industry can finally emerge from the shadows. We already create films of every kind here in the Berkshires. It’s time now to educate the next generation of filmmakers.
—Diane Pearlman, executive director of the Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative, is a member of the 1Berkshire Foundation Board of Directors.