Filming info for HSM3 – dates & location

The Salt Lake Tribune had and interesting article about HSM3 on 15 December 2007 (only available to subscribers now). Here’s a summary of the interesting info:

• Filming will take place in Utah from 21 April – 13 June 2008
• One filming location will be again the East High School in Salt Lake City
• They will have 41 filming days
• They will get a $2 million incentive from the state of Utah for filming there

Here’s the article (thanks to M-Chel @ Fanforum):

Another encore for ‘High School Musical’

The teen heartthrobs of “High School Musical” will dance and sing their way back to Utah to film the third installment of the blockbuster Disney franchise, it was confirmed Friday.

Shooting begins April 21 and is expected to wrap June 13, according to documents filed with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development board (GOED). While the first two films premiered on the Disney Channel television network, the new movie, scheduled for release in the second half of 2008, will debut in movie theaters.

“[The third] ‘High School Musical’ will be officially shooting in Utah,” Lisa Roskelley, spokeswoman for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., said Friday.

To help lure the production back to where it began – at Salt Lake City’s East High School – the GOED board Friday approved a maximum $2 million incentive for the production, the largest ever given to entice a filmmaker to Utah.

Disney officials and Don Schain, the Salt Lake City-based producer of the first two films, declined to comment Friday.

But East High School Principal Paul Sagers said he and Salt Lake City School District officials have been meeting with Disney executives about renting the East High building for filming. Shooting is scheduled for 41 days, longer than the first two movies.

“At least verbally we all committed to doing that,” he said. “They’ve basically asked to use the classrooms, the halls, the gyms . . . and the commons area [the lunch room].”

Though filmmakers are tight-lipped about the script, sources said the third movie has the singing Wildcat seniors – including the gushing Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) – graduating from high school. A fourth movie, called “Haunted High School Musical,” also is planned.

The first two movies have been a gold mine for Disney, generating merchandising that includes dolls, videos, and a national concert tour. The films have been seen by more than 160 million people in the U.S. and dozens of foreign countries.

Utah provided $263,000 and $500,000 in incentives for the first two films, respectively, to get them produced here. The incentives come in the form of a 15 percent rebate on what the production spends in Utah. In documents filed with the state, Disney officials said the production company would spend an estimated $13.3 million in Utah on HSM3.

“Each one has gradually become more prestigious after the success of the first one,” said Marshall Moore, director of the Utah Film Commission. “And going from a cable release to a theatrical release certainly solidifies its position as a franchise.”

In related news, there is also an interesting article in the Desert Morning News about the paid incentive:

Utah offering $2M incentive for ‘Musical 3’
Incentive$ pay dividend$

With the first two “High School Musical” productions proving to be big hits, a state board is putting out a $2 million incentive to make sure a third installment also is shot in Utah.

Meeting in Price, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Board approved several economic development incentives Friday, including the package for High School Musical 3 Productions Inc.

If the film company selects Utah, it would receive the state’s biggest production incentive ever. An offer of $263,000 was approved for “High School Musical” and another for $500,000 was earmarked for the sequel.

According to board documents, the film’s budget is $13.3 million, and 99 percent of that would be spent in Utah.

The production would involve 190 crew positions at $1,875 per week; plus $58,498 for stunt performers; $15,000 for Utah casting directors; and $472,640 for about 4,000 Utah extras.

The production would take place over 41 days, starting April 21.

Popularity of both “High School Musical” films has prompted people from across the country to visit East High School to see where the films were made.

To capitalize further on that fame, East High students put on several sold-out performances of the “High School Musical” play as their fall musical. The production’s popularity was expected to gross more than $25,000 for the school. The school’s popularity rose sharply following the second film’s release to the public. School leaders estimated over the summer 40 to 50 people would wander the building to see areas where the movies had been filmed.

[article continues about other projects]