HALAWA — When filmmakers come to Hawai'i, it's usually for the natural beauty: The balmy tropical backdrop of beaches, blue skies and swaying palms.

But that's what makes aspiring movie moguls Ric Galindez and Roy Tjioe such likable dreamers. The founders of Island Film Group believe they can convince filmmakers shooting on location in Hawai'i to come indoors.

Their carrot is a pair of soundproofed stages tucked into a warehouse a few blocks from the Halawa Community Correctional Center.

Although small — the larger of the two soundstages is 5,000-square-feet — the facility is the only other studio locally available besides the state-run facility at Diamond Head, which is leased to ABC's "Lost" until 2010.

But the pair, who are finishing work on their first major picture, "Princess Kaiulani," have a second idea worthy of a summer blockbuster: They want to build a $100 million studio on 22 acres in Kapolei. It would feature four 15,000-square-foot soundstages, 60,000 square feet of office space and a back lot.

They still need financing, though. "It is still in the works, but the idea is, build it and they will come," Tjioe said.

Filming in Hawai'i is a Catch-22, the pair say. Because studio space is limited and empty warehouses for short-term leases are scarce, filmmakers typically choose to shoot exteriors here and then move everyone back to the Mainland.

It's bad business, Galindez said. Not only does that increase production costs, it also means that Hawai'i's film industry can only expect about 10 percent of a film's budget, he said.

"That is not going to build our industry if all we do is play tour guide to some folks with some cameras and then send them on their way," Galindez said. "We can't just sit here and wait for the studios to decide to come and do a movie here, because then we are just sitting around twiddling our thumbs while someone is deciding if they want to film here or Australia."

The pair, who describe themselves as "recovering attorneys," used to handle entertainment law at Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel. They formed Island Film Group in 2004 but did not leave the firm until January 2007.

They opened their Halawa facility last October after forging a partnership with Hawaii Media, a grip and electronic equipment provider for films and TV.

Both men, who thought about moviemaking careers when they were younger and went to law school instead, were inspired by a merging of art and opportunity. They admired recent films that featured indigenous voices, such as "Whale Rider" and "Once Were Warriors," and they liked Hawai'i's improving climate of tax credits for filmmakers.

So Galindez, a 45-year-old Enchanted Lake resident, and Tjioe, a 44-year-old Hawai'i Kai resident, made a midlife career change.

"It was scary because I had been at that firm for 19 years," said Tjioe, who has acted in stage productions and independent films and written screenplays.

"I was very used to a very certain way of living and budgeting," he said. "I don't know if it is carpe diem, or not, but in talking to Ric, we decided it was the time to make a go of it."

Island Film Group also wants to create its own movies. So far, the $9 million "Princess Kaiulani" is the studio's biggest production; but the outfit also has been involved with "Beyond the Break," a teen surf drama for the N network, and a pair of movies for Lifetime, "Special Delivery" and "Flirting With 40."

The studio has also been used for a handful of national and local TV commercials.

Donne Dawson, state film commissioner, said independent film studios are "critically important" to the health of the local film industry.

"When we have a production at the Hawai'i Film Studio and the facility is locked down, we have very limited options," she said. "That in some respects can be a disincentive to come here. People don't come to Hawai'i to shoot on a soundstage, but it is a necessity for most productions to provide a controlled environment to shoot interior sets."

The shortage of studio space surfaced dramatically in early 2004 when three network series sought to film in Hawai'i — ABC's "Lost," NBC's "Hawaii" and Fox's "North Shore." Fox got the greenlight first and secured use of the state facility, leaving ABC and NBC searching for warehouse space, Dawson said.

Dawson estimated that it cost the networks more than $100,000 to create usable studios in the empty Hopaco warehouse in Mapunapuna and the old Xerox offices on Nimitz Highway. In fact, "Lost" nearly lost the lease before it got there because the owners of the Xerox offices wanted to use it for retail space.

"We had to go to them and essentially beg them to consider allowing 'Lost' in there," Dawson said.

"Lost" is the only production still filming, and its $37,500-a-month lease with the state keeps the Diamond Head studio shuttered when not in use for the ABC drama.

But even though their shows ultimately failed, Fox and NBC spent more than $70 million in the Islands, Dawson said.

"Any private-sector studio that comes up now is going to be a huge asset for our industry," Dawson said.

When they first began reading scripts, Galindez and Tjioe read a lot of great stories set in Hawai'i, but they wondered how they would attract audiences who were unfamiliar with the Islands.

It's still a concern, although the men are convinced they can produce successful films about the Japanese-American soldiers with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a 19th-century Kaua'i folk hero with Hansen's disease and the Massie rape case of the early 1930s.

Their ability to do that will depend on the success of "Princess Kaiulani," a movie created with mainstream audiences in mind. If it does well, they might do future films in Hawaiian with English subtitles.

"To the extent that we can develop projects that are theatrical projects the world sees, that will help build an industry that is self-sustaining," Galindez said. "And the more we do, the more we build, the more we produce."

Somehow, he can see this in a soundstage filled with stored electrical cord, discarded props and more than its share of echoes. There isn't any balmy beauty in here.

"It doesn't look like much," Galindez said.

Unless you have a dream.