Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/100015
FILM OFFICES OUTLOOK BY RA N D I ALT MA N 26 SHOOT HERE! Film and TV production is no longer only happening in Hollywood. Thanks to many states stepping up and offering tax incentives for production and post production, television shows and feature films have been taking advantage of not only a cost savings, but locations they might not have considered before. A couple of TV���s hottest new shows ��� Showtime���s Homeland and NBC���s Revolution ��� are currently being shot in North Carolina. New York City doubles for The Good Wife���s Chicago and also hosts CBS���s Person of Interest. New Mexico, where much of the The Avengers was shot, is currently hosting Breaking Bad���s final season as well as the western Longmire. Quentin Tarantino���s Django Unchained was shot in Louisiana, along with two HBO series, True Blood and Treme. It���s up to the film offices to make their state or city inviting enough for productions to come, and stay. the future of where everything is going, and I want New Mexico to have its piece of the pie. I am hiring someone full-time to deal with emerging media and to help create an environment where these companies can thrive. It���s another way to incentivize companies to start up or expand here. This is where the opportunities exist in all states.��� THREATS: ���One is, how is your economy? Is your state in a deficit or surplus? Then it���s just the temperature of the legislature and gover- NICK MANIATIS Director New Mexico Film Office www.nmfilm.com Santa Fe The New Mexico film office offers a 25 percent incentive (which includes post) with a 50-million-dollar rolling cap. Projects shot in the state include Breaking Bad, The Lone Ranger,Two Guns and Longmire. STRENGTHS: ���In addition to our 25 percent rebate we have other incentives, like our Film Crew Advancement program and our Pre-Employment Training program, that are helpful to the film industry. Additionally, when you have a script that you might want to shoot in New Mexico, we���ll break it down for locations and send you packages of photos of suitable locations in the state. We have other advantages that some states don���t, for instance, we are an 1.45 hour flight to Los Angeles. We have a huge number of sunny days here as well as areas where you can shoot 360-degree shots without getting telephone poles and buildings in your shot. ���For states that have incentives, a film office is crucial. There is a whole process that productions have to go through, and you need someone who can guide you through that process. In our state, the Department of Taxation and Revenue is the final arbiter of what amount you get, but you need to have a point of contact that can help you wade through processes involved.��� WEAKNESSES: ���The weakness is, we don���t have a vote. We are administering a law that the legislature votes on and the governor approves. We do our best to make the incentives better and can make processes easier, and we do that, but ultimately it���s up to the legislature. If I lose something to Georgia or another state, we���ll get it the next time. We show ourselves in the best possible light and let them make the decision based on what is best for their production.��� OPPORTUNITIES: ���For our film office, the initiative I am pushing is emerging media ��� app creation, videogame creation. All of that falls under our purview, and can qualify for the tax credit. We haven���t pushed in that area because we have been focused on film and TV, but I think that���s Post���������December���2012��� www.postmagazine.com The A&E series Longmire takes advantage of New Mexico���s Western locales. nor, and how they feel about tax incentives in general. The issue we and other states have, and this is fairly universal, is there are some that are philosophically against tax incentives for any industry. We are in a state where tax incentives are important. The issue is how high do you go, how far does this race take you? In Vancouver you can get up to 50 percent back on post production on certain talent. There is no way we could do that. So what���s the number that hits the sweet spot? Where you are getting the economic benefit back to the to the state, but not giving away so much that the cost for that benefit is too high. I don���t know where that number is, but I hope we���re close.��� OUTLOOK FOR 2013: ���I���m always loath to make predictions, but we feel like we are looking good for 2013. We have had a lot of scouts on the ground and people in talks with our office. But these things change quickly, we just never know. I do think that 2013 will be better than 2012 and I think that will be the case for other states as well.��� AARON SYRETT Director North Carolina Film Office www.ncfilm.com Raleigh The North Carolina Film Office was formed to create high-quality jobs for North Carolina film professionals. They offer an established infrastructure, trained crews, incentives (which includes post production) and varied locations.