Post Magazine

"We come up with targeted marketing campaigns for each production, so there might be a variety of things we can do with them pertaining to the subject matter. We also get involved in charitable initiatives with the production when appropriate." The film office is also offering Made in NY dis- count cards to members of each production shoot- ing in the city. Says Oliver, "We have identified the businesses the enter tainment industr y would use when they are shooting here and have asked them to offer a discount of 10 percent or more on their services. All companies are listed on our Website." More than 800 vendors in the five boroughs are par ticipating. "It's wonderful for the ancillar y busi- nesses — about 4,000 of them in all of New York City — to get an introduction to the film industry." In addition to restaurants, florists, dr y cleaners, health clubs, coffee shops, hardware stores, etc., there are post facilities who are offering discounts as well. This list grows monthly and over 100 compa- nies were added last year. Oliver points out that post production done in New York is a qualified cost on the "Made in NY" tax credit. "We are constantly tr ying to promote that and we encourage the 17 shows shooting here to post here as well, so they should be taking advan- tage of the credit." Deluxe, which has studios all over the world, opened a large facility downtown last year."We are thrilled that Deluxe has opened on Hudson Street," she says. "That made a major statement about their investment in this city. The industr y is growing and Deluxe felt there was a business opportunity here." Emphasizing the office's commitment to post, Oliver says her office par ticipated in a two-day ca- reer panel promoting below-the-line oppor tunities in post production — "we have so many facilities here that are expanding." The "Made in NY" tax incentive program was signed into law by Mayor Bloomberg in Januar y 2005. "There are cer tain qualifications," repor ts Oliver. "It's for feature films and episodic television series only, and there are certain criteria they have to meet.You have to do 75 percent of your stage work here at a qualified facility or do 75 percent of your location work here." Qualified productions receive five percent from the city and 30 percent from the state in a refundable credit for their New York spend. See details at www.nyc.gov/film. And the incentives are working. In addition to the many episodics shooting here, the feature film side of the coin is also bustling. "We have a lot of films that are shooting now and will continue through the sum- mer," she says. "We have really enjoyed an increase in business in the last few years." There are also more than 100 television shows that shoot on a regular basis in New York. All of the morning news shows, four soap operas, plus talk shows, game shows and evening magazine programs. In 2002, after Mayor Bloomberg was elected, the city star ted working to bring productions back into New York."We had only one television show in town back then, the original Law & Order, explains Oliver. "Productions were going to Canada and faking New York, so we came up with a shor t-term and long- term strategy for bringing this business back." For those looking to set up film-related businesses in the city, the film office works with sister agency Small Business Services, which is dedicated to helping these types of businesses get off the ground. "We also work closely with Economic Development Cor- poration in the city of New York," explains Oliver. "EDC is a quasi-private-sector entity that works on real estate development deals for the city." For example, when Steiner Studios wanted to de- velop its facility at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the EDC was involved and helped secure city monies for the expansion and development of that par ticular site. The EDC will work with both large and small entities. Oliver is hopeful that the positive trend of shoot- ing in New York continues despite the rough econ- omy. "The enter tainment industry is one of the few sectors that is really thriving in New York right now," she says."We are seeing constant work; we are busier than ever. Now that the state has extended the tax credit for another year, that will encourage produc- tions to keep their work in our city and in our state." O P P O RT U N I T I E S & V E S N E Rhino (www.rhinofx.com) creative director/direc- tor "Vico" has been finding that the bad economy is actually providing him and the studio with more op- por tunities than before. "When appropriate, clients are looking for a company to produce more than just visual effects, they are requesting for us to direct the spots too," he says."They realize there are advan- tages and more options with a one-stop solution — greater flexibility, balancing what can be achieved in- camera as opposed to digitally, where to spend, where to shoot, whether to utilize the Flame or not, or some other digital option. The end result is much easier to achieve when the director is looking through the lens while knowing what the finished shot has to look like in a few weeks, and how that will be accomplished." ' At press time, Vico was directing GE spots for BBDO and a car shoot for Mercedes. And when Vico isn't directing spots, he is helping to start up a Northeast chapter of the Visual Effects Society. While many visual effects artists in New York City are members of the VES — which has sections in LA, San Francisco, Vancouver, London and Sydney — there is no official presence in the Northeast US. "I have been a member of the VES since 2004," he says. "I love the community, the people and the events that are available through the organization, but such a huge city like New York doesn't have the structure for its visual effects community. We get in- vites to events in other VES cities, but nothing in New York. In talking to the other members, they too were frustrated that there was no activity for a sec- tion on the East Coast." www.postmagazine.com May 2009 • Post 37 Rhino provided VFX for these Mercedes spots out of Merkley & Partners. "Vico" was a creative director on the 2008 campaign. Rather than looking at the current economic state and retracting, we have chosen to focus on in-house growth and development that will pay off in the long term.We built out our offices and hired lead talent in order to house full-service audio, effects and finishing departments.This expansion not only helps us accommodate larger jobs, but also allows us to be more flexible when it comes to pricing." Nancy Shames, partner/executive producer, Crew Cuts, New York

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