“For example, when Jeff Daniels shot Super Sucker in Jackson in 2001, city officials estimated a $2 million impact on the city from that movie,” Lockwood said. Many of those economic impact numbers come from the individual communities that host the production companies. Lockwood said it will be a while before the film office can measure the exact economic stimulus from the influx of movies being filmed here. Approximately 75 percent of the film projects are expected to be filmed in metro Detroit and southeast Michigan. Movie shooting schedules can last up to eight weeks for big budget movies. A lot of them will certainly be recruited from Michigan, but others will need hotel rooms and spend a lot of money right here in the state,” Lockwood said. Crews for the larger shoots can include up to 100 people. The American film industry is very healthy. She said New Mexico and Louisiana and other states are aggressively courting movie studios. Lockwood, who joined the film office in 1992, is the second longest serving film commissioner in the country. The film office employs five full-time state employees and three contractors. It also promotes the growth of the indigenous film industry. The Michigan Film Office was created in 1979 to assist and attract incoming production companies in the entertainment industry, including film, TV and music. When it comes to cash back no one beats Michigan,” said Janet Lockwood, director of the Michigan Film Office. And we now have the most generous refundable tax credit program in America. The production companies are looking at the bottom line: the money. “Right now, as a result of the new incentives, we are just sitting here and they are coming. Some of the proposed movie projects will cost ten million dollars or more to shoot. The film office has received nearly 80 applications for projects since April. Officials with the Michigan Film Office say the in-state movie business immediately took off once the incentives were passed. That could translate into millions of dollars of savings on big budget movies, including Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino, which began filming in the metro Detroit area this summer. The new film incentive package gives film production companies rebates of up to 42 percent of their in-state production costs and another 25 percent discount on infrastructure expenses. Jennifer Granholm in April signed legislation aimed at boosting the state’s role in the film industry, Hollywood producers have fixed their attention on the state and the tax benefits it provides. The total 42-percent film subsidy was by far the largest offered in the United States at the time, and intended to draw movie productions to Michigan.Ever since Gov. The workforce development incentive also provided a credit of 50 percent for on the job training expenses of Michigan residents. The construction industry could also receive a 25 percent subsidy for capital improvements for the creation of new film industry-related facilities, capped at $20 million. Below line staff, such as craftsmen, technicians and engineers, received a 40 percent credit if they were Michigan residents, or 30 percent for non-residents. In their original forms, the new laws included a 40-percent subsidy for covered personnel expenses, with an additional 2 percent available for projects located in one of Michigan's 103 “core communities.” Above line staff, such as directors, writers and producers, were eligible for a 40 percent credit on salaries regardless of Michigan residency. The Michigan Film and Digital Media Incentive consisted of a package of dozens of bills that culminated in Public Acts 74 through 87 of 2008.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |