SAN MARCOS ---- While many residents and city officials are hoping two developers can land a movie studio for San Marcos, industry watchers said this week the task is not as easy as lights, camera, action.

There is fierce competition among cities, states and even countries to attract film studios because of the prestige and money they bring, said professionals, lobbyists and academics in recent interviews.

"You are not just competing against Los Angeles, you are competing against the rest of the world," said John DeBello, a San Diego producer, writer and director.

DeBello is one of several locals in the film industry who said he has heard about plans to turn a vacant trash recycling center in southwest San Marcos into a movie studio.

At the empty recycling plant last week, site manager Leslie Greve was ventilating the facility.

"We're just waiting for someone to sign on the dotted line and turn this into the next Universal Studios," said Greve.

John Baldwin, one of the two San Diego developers who owns the 15-acre site on San Elijo Road, has said he was negotiating with a "qualified and significant Hollywood group that would like to see a movie studio come to fruition."

While the owners couldn't be reached for comment for this story, city officials said they had heard the owners were pursuing a movie studio after ending negotiations with a company interested in creating a sports complex on the site.

The City Council designated the site for a movie studio in April 2004 when a production company showed interest ---- before it broke off a deal with previous owners.

Many residents in San Elijo Hills have expressed support for a studio near their upscale master planned community, but they are not the only ones interested in bringing the film industry into their community.

"They all know it will enhance the local economy and make the location recognizable worldwide," said Michael Taylor, chair of production at the USC School of Cinema-Television. "I think the film industry always has a positive effect on the economy."

Benefits of film industry
Taylor said it takes between 100 and 200 people to shoot a movie, and all of those people buy food and supplies from local businesses.

The money the filming industry spends amounts to more than $100 million in San Diego County each year, said Cathy Anderson, the chief executive officer of the San Diego Film Commission.

Anderson said Stu Segall Productions on Ruffin Road is the only permanent studio in the county, but that business alone has brought more than $700 million into the community in the last 15 years.

"We have been hearing about the possibility of a studio in San Marcos," Anderson said. "We are very excited about attracting more work to the area."

Anderson said the seven Film Commission employees work "24 hours a day, seven days a week" trying to convince makers of television series, movies and commercials that San Diego has great locations for filming.

"Anchorman ---- The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Bruce Almighty," "Traffic" and "Pearl Harbor" are a few of the more notable movies that have been shot in San Diego in the last few years, but most of the work in the area is in filming television series, Anderson said.

She said that the UPN television series "Veronica Mars" is currently being shot in San Diego, and that each of the 22 episodes generates about $2 million for the local economy.

Anderson said most of the money stays within a 30-mile radius of a studio, and a facility in San Marcos would benefit the entire North County region, said Gary Knight, the head of the San Diego North Economic Development Council.

"This would give a unique lift to San Marcos and the entire area," Knight said. "Any time there is a new business you end up having lots of supporting businesses around it."

Knight said having a studio in San Marcos could attract businesses such as film processors to the area, and the facility could create partnerships with the local colleges and Cal State San Marcos.

Jacob Angelo, who works for the technology department at Cal State San Marcos, said many students would be interested in working with the studio.

"This would definitely open the door for a lot of new possibilities for students," Angelo said. "It could be a great opportunity for many people."

Competition to host films
The economic benefits and glamour of filming have led more than 15 states to create lucrative incentives to attract the filming industry, said Amy Lemisch, the director of the California Film Commission.

She said Louisiana is one of the most aggressive states, and that it offered a 25 percent tax credit on spending, 10 percent tax credit on payroll for residents, and a 4 percent sales and use tax exclusion.

"Louisiana was really booming until the storm (Hurricane Katrina) hit," Lemisch said. "It's a win, win for other states, and there has been a steady flow of productions out of California since about 2000."

Just last year, the makers of "The Longest Yard" decided to film in New Mexico instead of San Diego after the local film commission spent six months preparing for the production, Anderson said.

She said the movie left because it was cheaper to film in New Mexico.

"You need to produce films as cheaply as possible, and the location all comes down to the costs," said DeBello during a phone interview as he took a break from shooting a documentary about aircraft carriers in Virginia. "Work that used to be done in Los Angeles now goes overseas because the labor costs are cheaper."

Canada, Australia, Fiji, Ireland and South Africa are a few of the countries offering incentives for the film industry, according to the California Film Commission.

To prevent films from leaving California, the commission is working with Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, on a bill to provide tax credits on the cost of wages and equipment for productions made in California.

State film director Lemisch said they didn't drum up enough support for the bill during the last legislative session, but they plan to continue to push it forward this coming year.

North County Assemblyman Mark Wyland said he didn't remember the particular bill, but said the high cost of labor and energy in California hurts all businesses including the film industry.

"I'm a strong believer in trying to retain all business in California including the film industry," Wyland said. "We need to make sure businesses have a reason to stay in California."

Creating a successful studio
California is the center of the filming industry, but a majority of the talent and facilities are concentrated in Los Angeles, said Nanci Washburn, a San Diego agent for actors.

"Any studio in San Diego has got to give (productions) a reason to come here," Washburn said. "'Why would you want to shoot in San Diego rather than Los Angeles?' That's always the question.

"You need contacts, that is how anything in this business succeeds."

A studio will only be as successful as the films, television series and commercials filmed in the building, said Washburn.

To attract more people to San Marcos, Taylor said whoever runs a studio here should consider offering features not common in Los Angeles such as a tank to shoot underwater scenes.

"It's (the San Marcos plant) a really great space for someone to mold into something unique," Anderson said. "Obviously it will bring more production to San Diego."

With the limited number of productions in San Diego, the area has a small core of highly qualified people, said DeBello.

He said the talent pool is not extremely deep, and for a new studio to succeed the amount of skilled technicians would have to continue to develop.

But Washburn said finding people with the proper skills is not easy, and that succeeding in the entertainment industry is very difficult.

"It is not just a glamorous business," Washburn said. "It's not all red carpet."