CHANNEL FOUR TOED FOOT -- Revamp Coming Soon!: A Look at LOST's Impact on Hawaii, Plus Photos and Info of Cast on the Island

June 12, 2010

A Look at LOST's Impact on Hawaii, Plus Photos and Info of Cast on the Island

Greetings LOST Maniacs!

Recently I was fortunate enough to befriend Tina Lau, a fellow graphic designer, photographer, and LOSTie who lives in Hawaii (where we all know LOST was filmed). Tina has been working in and around the entertainment industry for most of her life and has acquired countless backstage passes and contacts that get her access to movie and TV productions taking place around the state.

One of her specialties is shooting awesome photographs of the celebrities she encounters. Tina's photos are often sold through an agency. One of her recent pics of Evangeline Lilly at the LOST Season Six Premiere Event in Oahu even sold to a few magazines.

In fact, her photos are unlike many of the ones you may have seen from this event, as she had a great perspective at the beginning of the red carpet right as the cast members were getting out of their cars. As Tina put it, "By the time they got to the "official" spot, their excitement had died down."

Lately Tina has been writing for a local Cable company about her experiences with the entertainment world in Hawaii. Her most recent article, "Lost Leaves Its Footprint" is a really insightful peek into the cast members' lives while they were there, and the overall impact of the filming of the show on the island. She told me, "For this article, I wrote from the perspective of what I wanted to know about the show, then researched the facts."

Here's an excerpt:

Lost injected an estimated $400 million into Hawaii’s economy. In 2009 alone, Lost spent $78 million on season five and part of season six, employed 2,025 local people, generated $7 million in tax revenue and had a total output for the year of $121 million, according to state data.

Over 1,000 local vendors were used to supply the production with just about everything you could imagine, from all the props you see on TV to two meals daily for over 100 people. Guest characters were flown in from the mainland and put up at hotels in Waikiki to the tune of 5,000 to 6,000 guest nights per season.

A large percentage of the episodes showcased Hawaii in ways the Hawaii Tourism Authority could never afford. Scenes featuring our beautiful beaches, waterfalls, and landscapes have increased Hawaii’s popularity as a tourist destination and given rise to tours designed to show you the various shooting locations of the popular series. The official wrap party for the show’s cast and crew was a spectacular event held at the Kahala Hotel that demonstrated the friendships the mainland stars had formed with many of the local folks involved with the show.

Please visit http://www.aroundhawaii.com/entertainment/entertainment/2010-06-lost-leaves-its-footprint.html to read the full article. In addition you will get to see more of her amazing photographs that you wont see anywhere else, such as the one below of the author herself, along with Emmy-award winner, Terry O'Quinn.