Does Las Vegas have a film board for TV shows and movies being filmed here?

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 | 2 a.m.

When Hollywood calls — and that happens frequently, considering 400 to 500 productions film here each year — it’s usually Dody Bateson or Sherri Powell who answers. Bateson, who works in Las Vegas’ Public Works Department, and Powell, a Clark County management analyst, help filmmakers cut through the red tape.

And there’s quite a bit of it. Whether singer Katy Perry is shooting a video on Fremont Street or Disney is filming scenes for its “Race to Witch Mountain” near the Strip, producers must obtain a permit to film on public property and $1 million in insurance. They also must agree to indemnify the county or city in case of mishaps and hire police if more than five people are involved in the filming.

“We coordinate a lot of efforts to make the filming process go smoothly,” Powell said.

The county, city and state also try to cultivate relationships with production companies to get them to return. The Nevada Film Office publishes a directory of services available here and offers a location library on its Web site.

Charlie Geocaris, director of the Nevada Film Office, said Nevada remains among the top five states for productions, but the competition has intensified in recent years.

“It’s state versus state,” Geocaris said.

Questions for Mr. Sun should be sent to page8@lasvegassun.com.