Arts Professional Story: Richard Moskal, Director of the Chicago Film Office

Richard Moskal, Director of the Chicago Film Office

I’ve struggled for years to come up with some pithy log line that somehow manages to describe what we do at the Chicago Film Office. Just a sentence or two that captures all the “expediting” and “facilitation” in a way that makes it sound like specially trained forces toiling behind enemy lines, or like skydiving. How dreadful to “attract and make possible the production of…,” when “…liberating your production from the gaping jaws of disaster” sounds so much like fun.

It won’t say so in brochures, but entertaining improbable ideas and standing up as a filmmaker’s advocate in the face of daunting government bureaucracy is what we do best. Film production is hard. Being good at it is harder. If we can troubleshoot the logistics and lend legitimacy to what is often an unorthodox whacked-out enterprise, I’d like to think we’re providing filmmakers with room to work better. If nothing else, having one office, one phone number to call for all in-city concerns (permits, services, public buildings access, community & industry liaison, complaints, etc.) is a valuable navigational tool.It may sound like spokesperson spin, but I honestly believe that Chicago filmmaking is currently enjoying an all-time high. Production revenues were a record smashing $155 million in 2007.

Made-in-Chicago blockbusters like “The Dark Knight” and “Public Enemies” have ignited unprecedented national buzz. Locally produced independent features and documentaries are gaining industry respect and critical acclaim, some finding distribution (given the odds stacked against signing a distribution deal, “some” is actually an accomplishment). And the Illinois Film Tax Credit incentive makes Chicago—a desirable destination ranked by film makers to be rich in production values—that much more attractive and affordable against huge competition.

That said, Chicago filmmaking has seen windfall years before and, unfortunately, they’re often followed by crippling drought. The industry is merciless and competitive and illogically intoxicating, prompting some of our best and brightest screenwriters, directors and producers to split for the coasts. Hollywood is fickle. Our weather is, umm, diverse. And as invincible production centers go, we are far from bulletproof.

But I do sense a growing maturity and confidence among the creatives and business leaders who choose to live and work in Chicago. New technologies have reshaped how films are made today. Where they’re “made” and who is doing the “making” has seen a stratospheric shift. Hollywood, if you even want to call it that, is more a concept than a place, with satellite think tanks around the world.

For our part, we’ve paid close attention to the no-name, no-budget film makers among us, be they student or amateur, new comer or pro. It’s not out of obligation, mind you. It just makes good sense. Many of Chicago’s recent and most notable films have been made by natives with industry clout: Chris Nolan (The Dark Knight, Batman Begins); Vince Vaughn (The Break-Up, Fred Claus); George Tillman & Bob Teitel (Barbershop, Soul Food), Steve Conrad (The Weather Man, The Promotion). John Hughes, Harold Ramis, Steve Jones, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Mann, Andy Davis—these are the founding loyalists who put Chicago on the modern movie making map. But the industry’s next great auteur may be slaving over a Bolex at Columbia College or cooking up some viral animation in a Humboldt Park two-flat.

I originally thought that having a somewhat improbable joint background in both film production and government was proper training for heading the Film Office. Truth is, nothing fully prepared me, except maybe an altar boy upbringing (heavy on punctuality and politeness). Twelve years into it, I’ve come to wear many hats: hall monitor, town crier, apologist, zoo keeper. Strip away the trappings of celebrities and high speed car chases, and it’s all about keeping people happy. And when keeping everyone happy proves to be too difficult, simply not pissing everyone off can be an admirable fall back.

Rich Moskal has been director of the Chicago Film Office since 1996. The Film Office, a division of the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, makes possible the production of feature films, television movies and series, commercials, documentaries and new media. Prior to his position with the city, Moskal was a project manager for the Illinois Film Office as well as a freelance location manager for more than a dozen feature and television productions including “The Fugitive,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” and “To Sir With Love 2” (that’s right!). He was also co-founder and contributing editor of the Chicago FilmLetter and occasional contributor to the Chicago Reader and Chicago Magazine. He’s a Chicago native, a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago, husband to documentary film maker Susanne Suffredin and father of twin sons.