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As COVID-19 Mostly Halted Filming In The U.S., Movie Magic Forged Ahead In Bulgaria

(npr.org)

SOFIA, Bulgaria — There are signs that film production in the U.S. is coming back after being dark for nearly a year.

But movie magic has found shelter in one small corner of Eastern Europe during these tough times — Sofia, Bulgaria — where Nu Boyana Film Studios sits on the edge of Vitosha mountain overlooking the city.

The studio was state-owned during communism in the 1960s — but for the past 20 years, it’s been the site of action, drama and horror films. It’s home to The Expendables franchise and the biggest box office hit to be filmed here – 300: Rise of an Empire. Sylvester Stallone has made five movies at Nu Boyana, including Rambo: Last Blood.

By: Meghan Collins Sullivan

Continue Reading at npr.org

Film tax credit enhancement good news for Cochrane

(cochranenow.com)

Enhancements to the Alberta Film and Television Tax Credit are expected to attract more medium and big-budget productions to the province, and that’s good news for the Cochrane area.

To build on the success of a tax credit program launched in January 2020, the Alberta government has removed the $10-million per project cap in hopes of making the province an even more desirable location for larger film productions.

Jobs, Economy, and Innovation minister Doug Schweitzer says the change also creates more flexibility for the province to respond to future growth in this sector and to encourage the development of production studios here in Alberta.

Natalie Germann, the community event administrator, leads the town’s film initiative. She believes it’s a positive addition to existing incentives for coming here.

“We already have some great incentives. We are, in fact, a province that doesn’t have a sales tax, We have all this beautiful scenery. Calgary has some very experienced people, and they also have the Calgary Film Centre, which is there really to help production companies get things done.”

“Any additional incentives we can add will always be helpful. This is moving the right direction.”

The Cochrane area continues to be an attractive location for large and small productions alike, and the town is ready to assist all of them.

Germann says the town was proactive even before the announcement of the tax incentives.

“We’ve been working really, really hard to build those relationships so that we’re always front of mind when they’re looking for a location. We have a really simple permit process that’s not incredibly expensive. We try to be as friendly as possible, so when they come to town, we’re always here to help.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, the town launched a webpage called Watch Cochrane that lists several of the films shot here. It also includes appropriate links to related sites.

“Our goal there was to stay front of mind of those companies so that when things started opening up again they would remember us and come back here first. I can tell you that that definitely worked because I know that at least two companies got their first revenue from production companies when things started opening up again.”

“That’s huge, and that’s what we want to see going forward.”

Germann says they have had some meetings with production companies looking for locations this summer and hope they may come to fruition.

She’s a strong advocate of attracting film production here to further diversify our economy.

“When Tin Star came to town a couple of years ago, we know their direct spend in the area was over a half-million dollars. We know that when Let Him Go came to the area, that direct spend was $353,000.”

She says Luke Azevedo, commissioner of Film, Television & Creative Industries, Calgary Economic Development, believes this area could see around $750 million in film production spending in the next five to seven years.

By: Noel Edey

Continue Reading at cochranenow.com

Film stimulus would position Minnesota to capitalize on pent-up demand for new TV, movie production

(workdayminnesota.org)

Two things our country learned over the past devastating 12 months are that the American worker is the backbone of our economy, and we love to be told stories through movies and TV shows.

The pandemic forced this country to realize that day-to-day, week-to-week labor is what keeps our economy running strong. The success of our economy is not determined by what companies are being invested in or traded. It is determined by the labor that goes into the products and services those companies produce, but more importantly the health and safety of those doing the work. Take them out of the equation, and it all falls to pieces. Keep them healthy, safe and paid fairly, and they go out and keep the economy churning along by putting their hard-earned pay back into the system.

Americans have learned how to do some of our work remotely, but the strength of our success comes from people being able to come together safely to get the jobs done, be it in teaching, construction, transportation, food service or health care.

The other thing we all experienced together during our time apart was the joy and sense of normalcy we experienced watching movies and TV. Everyone’s got their preferences while they pass the time, escape reality, laugh or cry or feel everything in between, or learn about themselves or something new. The past year we’ve used these stories to help keep us sane, either watching them ourselves or plopping the little ones down in front of the box so we could get work or something else done. Entertainment has helped keep us going.

By: Casey Lewis

Continue Reading at workdayminnesota.org

Hollywood Seeks to Be Film King Again With Expanded Tax Breaks

(news.bloomberglaw.com)

Frustrated at losing movie and television production to other states with rich tax breaks, California is looking to expand its own incentives to keep its flagship industry at home.

Lawmakers are considering four bills—and more could be coming—that push against the limits of California’s 10-year-old film and television tax credit program and stay competitive with more generous breaks in states including Georgia, which has overtaken California as the top movie-production state, and New Mexico, which used incentives to land a Netflix Inc. production hub.

More than 30 other states use tax breaks to poach productions, with Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, and West Virginia weighing bills this year to renew or expand their programs.

Entertainment studios, hit hard by production shutdowns and closed movie theaters during the Covid-19 pandemic, are poised to benefit from the proposals as they race to meet demand for content on streaming services like Disney+, HBOMax, Netflix, Paramount+, and Peacock. They’re part of the discussions but aren’t weighing in publicly yet on the bills.

“Do you want studios to continue to do well but expand in places other than California?” said Thomas Davis, president of the California Council of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and business manager for IATSE Local 80. “More studios in Atlanta doesn’t help people in California.”

More tax incentives would be welcome news for studios leaning heavily into streaming, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Industry Analyst Geetha Ranganathan said.

“This could certainly spur more local investment especially as traditional studios face intense competition from the likes of Netflix and Amazon,” she said.

By: Laura Mahoney

Continue Reading at new.bloomberglaw.com

Lawmakers Look To Attract More Film Productions To Montana

(mtrp.org)

As film and TV-show production become more common in Montana, lawmakers are already seeking to expand a new tax incentive and encourage the industry to plant firmer roots in the state.

Paramount’s Yellowstone, the most famous recent production out of Montana, is an example of what legislators hope to see more of. The show was mostly shot elsewhere until last summer when the new tax incentives kicked in.

The Montana Department of Commerce has given tax breaks to 26 productions since 2019, when the Montana Legislature passed the MEDIA Act. The law gives media and film companies a 20% tax credit on their production spendings, with additional credits in some situations.

Montana Film Commissioner Allison Whitmer said the incentive draws film crews for movies, television series and commercials to the state.

“We have things like Yellowstone, which is contemporary westerns, but we also have reality shows and we have shows about dinosaurs,” she explained. “We have shows about people going into the woods and learning about flora and fauna.”

Supporters of the tax credit say it is a worthy trade-off that should be taken step further — the state loses a few million dollars a year in tax revenue at the outset but adds more economic development over the long term.

“I’ll leave it to the proponents to go through the numbers to show what a wild success it was,” said Wylie Galt.

By: Megan Myscofski

Continue Reading at mtpr.org