CineMontage

Fall 2015

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78 CINEMONTAGE / FALL 2015 compiled by Jeff Burman I n September, the California Film Commission unveiled its first round of feature films to receive incentives under the state's expanded tax credit program. Producers are saying that the new scheme is an "anti-runaway success," writes Dave McNary in Variety. The tax credit of up to 25 percent is designed to keep productions in California, despite more lucrative government incentives elsewhere. Like many other producers, Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson of the upcoming Chicken Soup for the Soul, acknowledge the high level of industry support as being a key factor for staying local. "We're looking forward to working with the greatest crews and top facilities, as well as the convenience of managing this project close to home," the two told Variety. The state's new incentive program stipulates that tax credits are based on each project's "jobs ratio score," which provides a ranking drawn from wages paid to below-the-line workers and qualified spending for equipment vendors. WEST COAST IATSE RATIFIES DEAL WITH STUDIOS The 13 Hollywood IATSE locals ratified a three-year deal in August with the AMPTP, representing studios and producers. The agreement provides 3 percent annual wage and pension increases, and no cuts or increased costs to the participants in the health plan, plus what the IA calls "substantial improvements in working conditions" for new media productions. The new Basic Agreement includes a total additional employer-paid contribution amount of $86.4 million during the term of the contract. There is also an additional yearly contribution into the Pension Plan of $0.18 per hour, and active members will see a 10 percent increase to their pension plans, provided that there are at least eight months of reserves in the Active and Retiree Health Plans. The affected locals represent over 43,000 members. The agreement relates to work performed in 13 western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. "The new contract represents significant gains and continued security for the welfare and livelihood of the members it covers," said IATSE international president Matthew Loeb. The new agreement was retroactive to August 1, the day after the previous Basic Agreement expired. MAINSTREAM MEDIA DOES NOT 'FEEL THE BERN' Andrew Tyndall monitored broadcast news from ABC, NBC and CBS towards the end of the summer and found that of the 504 minutes devoted to the presidential race, Donald Trump was given a staggering 145 minutes — nearly 30 percent of airtime, according to Story Hinckley in The Christian Science Monitor. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign was given 82 minutes. Just to be fair, you can add another 83 minutes if you want to count the time exclusively devoted to Clinton's e-mail scandal. Shockingly, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) has only gotten a total of eight minutes on network news — or about 1.5 percent of the time given to all candidates. This is equal to the amount of time the news has given to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (who is polling under four percent) and far less than the 43 minutes of coverage devoted to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who is polling less than 10 percent. Over the same three months, Sanders raised about $26 million, close to Clinton's $28 million for the same time period. Sanders' funds have come LABOR MAT TERS CA Production Tax Credit Strikes Gold

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