June 10 2010 Postage Stamps issued by Hawai'i Post

Three stamps and a minisheet were issued on June 10th 2010 depicting Hawai'i on film.

The $2.50 stamp (above left) pays for extra charges, such as additional weight. It shows a pirate ship and a Jolly Roger (skull and crossbones flag) with the caption "Pirate Ship Adventures". Disney Studios new movie "Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides" is being shot on Kauai as we write this webpage. The pirate ship shown is a photo of one depicted in previous "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.

The $6 stamp (above middle) prepays the Overnight rate. The caption reads "Plane crash at Mokule'ia Beach". This beach was one of the places where the Emmy-award winning ABC television series "Lost" was filmed for 6 seasons in Hawai'i. The stunning pristine beach is located on the north shore of O'ahu, a few miles west of the town of Hale'iwa. Some background actors remarked that between takes, you could see turtles swimming in the crystal clear ocean waters.

The $9 stamp (above right) prepays the Same Day rate. It shows a "Honolulu Police" squad car and a police barrier outside a bank in Honolulu with the caption "Crime drama" . CBS is currently remaking the "Hawaii Five-O" television series which is being shot on the island of O'ahu in many different locations.

The $9 minisheet (above) prepays the Same Day rate. It shows the entrance to the Hawai'i Film Studio at the foot of Diamond Head, O'ahu. This Film Studio is state-owned and leased to production companies - most recently to ABC for the "Lost" television series. It is now the home of a new ABC television series called "Off the Map" which has not aired yet. The new show is about a group of U.S. doctors practicing medicine in the Amazon jungle in South America.

Movies have been made in Hawai’i almost since the the beginning of the motion picture industry. The CBS “Hawaii Five-O” television series which ran from 1968-80 was one of the most successful and put Hawai’i firmly on the map. This was followed by “Magnum P. I.” from 1980-88 and later the Emmy award-winning ABC televison series “Lost” which ran for six seasons. Large budget movies shot in Hawai’i include “Waterworld”, “Windtalkers”, “Pearl Harbor” and many others. There has been a flurry of new activity in 2010 with the remake of the “Hawaii Five-O” television series being shot on O’ahu. Also, the Disney movie “Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides”, the fourth in the series, George Clooney’s “The Descendants” and Adam Sandler’s “Just Go With It”.

With its tropical interior and beaches, Hawai’i has doubled for Brazil in “The Rundown” and the Caribbean in “Pirates 4”. Downtown Honolulu with its high rise buildings and busy streets has doubled for many cities across the world. Hawai’i is the only place in the USA where you can shoot a movie in a tropical jungle! The Hawai’i Film Studio (on the minisheet) located at the foot of Diamond Head has been the sound stage for many movies & television shows, most recently ABC TV‘s “Lost” and now the new series "Off The Map".

Technical details of the stamps and mini-sheet:
Colors: $2.50, $6 & $9 stamps and $9 mini-sheet - Multicolored
Size: Stamps - 32mm x 44mm. Minisheet - 64mm x 45mm.
Stamps sheet size: 30 (6 across, 5 down). .
Perforation: Stamps - perf 12. Mini-sheet - imperforate.
Stamps and Mini-sheet design: Enelani.
Layout & Pre-press: Enelani.
Printer: Hawai'i Security Printers, Honolulu, Hawai'i.
Printing Method: 4-color (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) printing process.
Sheet margin markings: HAWAI'I POST (top middle), "Traffic Light" showing 4 colors used in printing (lower left side), © 2010 Hawai'i Post (lower right side) & Hawai'i Security Printers, Honolulu, Hawai'i. (bottom middle)
Paper: GPA coated white stock with water-activated gum on the back.