A nice ‘Ring’ to it

  • Theresa Goffredo / Herald Writer
  • Tuesday, December 18, 2001 9:00pm
  • Business

By Theresa Goffredo

Herald Writer

EVERETT — If Martin Lumber were to have a customer of the month, director Steven Spielberg would win for December.

And November, too.

In September, DreamWorks Production, Spielberg’s motion picture company, selected Everett as home base for its new $60 million film "Ring," and decided to build the movie’s production headquarters here.

About ‘Ring’

“Ring” is a remake of a 1998 Japanese horror movie. In it, a female journalist discovers a disturbing videotape with a bizarre history: Everyone who has seen its contents has died within seven days.

The $60 million production’s star is up-and-coming Australian actress Naomi Watts, currently starring in David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive.”

“Ring” currently is scheduled for release in August.

And build is the driving word, with DreamWorks’ crews erecting movie sets, creating props and models, and even building a bridge and cabin. All this construction translates into capital for certain local merchants who were bracing for a less than prosperous Christmas.

"They are right up there buying as much as all the resale customers together," said Jeanie Coleman, Martin’s office manager. "Business usually starts slowing down in October, but they kept us up there with summer figures."

Besides building sets, Hollywood crews, sometimes by the dozens, are renting rooms.

"The winter is a slow period for us anyway, and with travel being down, it hit this industry very hard," said Sandy Fisher, director of sales for the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, 3105 Pine St. "We’re competing so much for the same type of business as Seattle, so this has really been a big help. This is seeing us through an extremely tight time, so thank God they were here."

Fisher said Howard Johnson has been renting rooms to anywhere from 10 to 90 "Ring" employees on average per night. Hollywood crews have heightened the cash flow at the hotel by about $90,000, Fisher said.

"They bring in so many people," she said. "They started out with set crews and painters, and then bringing in filming crews, so it’s constantly rotating rooms."

And the stars? Fisher wasn’t sure if they were staying at the Howard Johnson, or if they were there incognito.

At the Inn at Port Gardner, general manager Theresa Harris said she has seen the Hollywood worker bees, not the stars. But that’s OK.

"It was great for us," Harris said. "They had a block of rooms and they stayed consistently through the whole month or so, and they are just a neat group.

"We were scared about people traveling after Sept. 11, so it’s been a huge boost," said Harris, saying the "Ring" has meant a business boost of about 30 percent.

At the Marina Village Inn, 1728 W. Marine View Drive, about 30 crew members have rented rooms, and that has helped with the winter slowdown substantially, said Shellie Miller, who works for guest services.

Aside from renting rooms, DreamWorks has taken over about 36,000 square feet of space in three different warehouses for its sound studios. And creating the sets and models takes lumber and art supplies.

At Art Supply Northwest, 7207 Evergreen Way, DreamWorks has ordered lots of foam board, a material made of foam sandwiched between paper and used in framing and model making.

"Everything helps our business," said Sally Logan, who owns the shop with her husband, David. "It’s hard to tell what kind of increase we’ve seen. We’re a specialty shop and Christmas is definitely a strong season, so we’re doing OK."

DreamWorks expects to be in production of "Ring" until just before Christmas.

Actress Naomi Watts, most recently seen in "Mulholland Drive," and New Zealand actor Martin Henderson are starring in the psycho-thriller, which is being filmed throughout Snohomish County, including Stanwood, Monroe and Silvana.

The production is a remake of the 1998 Japanese film "Ringu." The story is about a journalist who finds mysterious videotape and discovers that everyone who views it dies within seven days.

You can call Herald Writer Theresa Goffredo at 425-339-3097

or send e-mail to goffredo@heraldnet.com.

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