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Film Production Studio At Logan Square-Avondale Border Would Bring Needed Jobs, Supporters Say, But Some Feel Shut Out Of Process (blockclubchicago.org)

AVONDALE — The developer behind The Fields, a massive retail/residential development at the Logan Square/Avondale border, is looking to open a film production studio, a project that could transform the area.

But the developer could face an obstacle in its quest to bring Hollywood to the Northwest Side: Some community leaders, including State Rep. Will Guzzardi, are sounding the alarm over what they call an opaque community process. The leaders said they’re worried the developer and Ald. Felix Cardona Jr. (31st), who represents the site, haven’t solicited enough community feedback.

“A development of this magnitude … is going to have far-reaching implications” for residents of the area, said Guzzardi, who represents Logan Square, Avondale, Hermosa and Belmont Cragin, the neighborhoods around the site.

“The community needs to have a voice in what happens there. If there’s a robust process engaging the community and they decide they want it there, then I’m all for it. It’s not clear that’s happened yet,” he said.

New York-based developer Knickpoint Ventures wants to convert part of The Fields campus at 4000 W. Diversey Ave. into a film production studio as part of its redevelopment of the 22-acre property. The studio would be similar to the West Side’s Cinespace in that TV shows and movies would be filmed and produced there, according to the Tribune, which first reported the news.

By: Mina Bloom

Continue Reading at blockclubchicago.org

Film Tax Credit 2020 Quarterly Reports (esd.ny.gov)

Empire State Development oversees administration of the film production and post-production tax credits. These reports reflect program activity during the first and second quarters of 2020. The information presented includes projected spending, hires, and estimated credits for film and post-production projects deemed eligible to participate in the program, and, pursuant to new reporting requirements, actual spending, hires and credits issued to projects that have been completed and audited.

Continue Reading at esd.ny.gov

COVID supervisors on the challenges of trying to keep Canadian film and TV sets safe (airdrietoday.com)

TORONTO — On set they called her “COVID Cathy,” or “CC” for short.

As the COVID-19 supervisor on the new Toronto-shot CBC series “Pretty Hard Cases,” Catherine Lang had to not only help develop pandemic protocols for the production, but also keep a close eye on the cast and crew to ensure they were following them. 

It can be a tricky position, having to police everyone while trying to prevent positive cases, but Lang says she was determined to keep the mood upbeat.

“What I found the hardest about COVID supervising was that it’s hard to spend 100 per cent of your day worrying about people’s health. And unfortunately, I’m a bit of a worrier,” Lang says.

“Eating, breathing, sleeping — 24-7 — I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Because at the beginning all I could think was, ‘What if I do something or don’t do something and somebody gets sick?’ And that was quite a large stress for me.”

Lang’s position, which is also sometimes called a COVID compliance officer, is a now common one on Canadian film and TV sets. And it’s one she predicts will be around for another year or so.

By: Canadian Press

Continue Reading at airdrietoday.com

Spend $20 to make $80? The Utah film industry asks the state to get competitive (abc4.com)

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – COVID is not the only thing that knocked Utah’s film industry for a loop. Recently, large productions have chosen other states rather than Utah because it can’t compete with what other places are offering the film industry.

In 2021, the State Legislature is presenting Senate Bill 167, otherwise known as SB0167, to try and make Utah more competitive.

They’re called film incentives, or post-spend rebates, and they have become a major part of the film industry, television, web media, and virtual reality financing.

Simply put, a film would carry out their full production in Utah, keep every receipt for everything they spend from crew, to fuel, to gear, exhibit how much money was put into the local economy, and then a third party auditor sifts through the information and determines how much of a rebate – or film incentive – the production is qualified to receive.

By: Tracy Smith

Continue Reading at abc4.com

Georgia film industry bouncing back nicely from COVID-19 hiatus (rockdalenewtoncitizen.com)

ATLANTA — Georgia’s film industry has recovered from the coronavirus pandemic and then some.

Film and TV producers currently are working on 37 projects in the Peach State, up from 23 at this time last year, Lee Thomas, the state Department of Economic Development’s deputy commissioner for film, music and digital entertainment, told members of a Georgia House committee Monday.

“In spite of all that’s happened, we’re up considerably now from where we were last year,” she said.

By: Dave Williams

Continue Reading at rockdalenewtoncitizen.com