“The iconic filmmaker disputed a trade report that conflated turnover in the visual effects and art departments to paint a picture of a runaway train, using words like “peril,” “ballooning budget,” “crew exodus” and “chaos.”

Coppola acknowledged there has been some turnover, but he believes the high drama has been reserved for what he sees each day in dailies. He has seen budgets balloon on some of his past films, and he once famously replaced Harvey Keitel with Martin Sheen weeks into the production of Apocalypse Now. None of what is happening on Megalopolis meets that category. The elimination of the VFX department during production is something he engineered to keep the film on budget — Coppola is using experimental technology in filming, and decided it was more efficient to service most of those effects in postproduction. The art department left over creative differences involving personnel.”

By Mike Fleming Jr

“As part of the Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act – which was revived by Murphy during his first term – studio partners will be eligible to write off additional “above-the-line” wage and salary costs, which are made to highly paid individuals like directors, producers, writers and performers.

Studio partners can apply for above-the-line wages and tax credits of $15 million, $25 million, $40 million or $60 million, depending on the amount of qualified film production expenses involved in the project. In addition, $100 million of the allocation for film and digital media tax credits is set aside for studio partners, the NJEDA said.

The studio partner designation awarded to Lionsgate is one of only three available under the film and digital media tax incentive program.“

…

“Awarding this designation is a major step in New Jersey’s evolution as a film and television destination,” Murphy said. “Bringing studios like Lionsgate to New Jersey will allow us to attract more and larger productions to our state and will create good, high-paying jobs for our residents.”

By Eric Kiefer

“California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed on Tuesday to make the state’s film and TV tax credit refundable, in a major change to the program that marks a significant benefit to studios.

If approved by the Legislature, the change will allow companies that have little California tax liability — particularly streaming services like Netflix — to nevertheless benefit from the state’s production subsidy.

Newsom has previously said that he supports extending the $330 million program for an additional five years, to 2030, and reiterated that commitment on Tuesday.

Several other states — including major film incentive states like Georgia and New York — already make their tax credits either refundable or transferrable.”

By Gene Maddaus