FUN Arts & Culture

film is expected to set up shop in September, and “it’s quite the thriller.”

It’s Rice’s job to help any companies interested in filming TV shows, movies or commercials get the necessary City permits or paperwork from whatever other agencies might be involved. Prescott permits are only required when crews are using public streets, sidewalks or buildings, but she appreciates being notified when actors and cameras show up elsewhere in town, “so if I get phone calls saying ‘Hey, we have people out here who are doing what appears to be a shootout,’ then I’ll have the answers.”

Rice is getting a lot of help on that front from local filmmakers, many of them recent arrivals from California, who’ve coalesced into a group with an email list of about 70 that meets every month to brief each other on upcoming productions and offer up their skills, advice or contacts to help each other out.

Yavapai College also is participating in an Arizona Commerce Authority initiative offering a week of free production assistant training at several community college campuses. One was held at YC in April and another will be later this year.