Massachusetts may have the fastest growing film industry in America. Tax incentives have helped to bring Hollywood into the state, but local film industry insiders say the state has more to offer than just tax incentives.
By Melissa Unger
4/30/10
Massachusetts has the fastest growing film industry in America, according to Economics Pro. David Terkla, who coauthored the study, "Film and Television production in Massachusetts: An Industry Overview and analysis." Tax incentives have helped to bring Hollywood to the Bay State, but local film industry insiders say the state has more to offer than simply its tax incentives.
John Rule, president of Rule Boston Camera said, "It is not the most extreme tax incentive package out of all the states that compete for that business. It's very reasonable, but combined that incentive with Massachusetts just being a wonderful place to shoot and it makes the whole package really enticing."
Massachusetts' unique look entices filmmakers to come and film in the Bay State. Paul Schneider, Chair of Film & Television at Boston University said, "Filmmakers come to a place very often for a look, and before we had the tax credit here you had occasional films coming in anyway, because New England has a look in its town and cities that, I know cause I have shoot
Dean Egan, who recently graduated from Emerson College and now works in the Boston's Film industry, says "Boondocks Saints II, which is technically supposed to be based in Boston, but they shot in Toronto, and apparently it doesn't look anything like Boston and it just looks terrible. So if you want something to be based in Boston, then you have to shoot here. The red bricks I guess just don't travel well."
"The main reason Hollywood wants to come here is because it is different," said
Other than Boston's distinct look, it is also a place for filmmakers to have fun. "Massachusetts is attractive to people who work in film as a place to visit," Terkla said. "They would like to be here. It is got great restaurants and great cultural stuff so you would want to be there." Brian Malcolm of Rule Boston Camera agreed saying, "You know what is there for me as a director coming from LA going to do with my family? What is going to be a funnier thing? What is going to be a better place for my family to stay for 4 months?"
The film tax credit has helped to bring Hollywood and a boom to Massachusetts' film industry, but the state was also prime location and could handle such a change in its industry. "I'm just saying that the chance it will stick in Massachusetts is higher, than the chance it will stick in Louisiana which has big tax credits or Albuquerque, New Mexico which has big tax credits or even in Michigan which has tried big tax credits, is because we have the technologies and workforce here that are already here doing other things, that are related to film, that the film groups can still use, whereas those places do not," Terkla said.
Massachusetts' success as a film industry can also be attributed to its workforce. Terkla said. He noted that there was a residual workforce present in the state that was primed for such a boom. "I think that some of them were maybe struggling or underemployed or were temporarily in other industries," Terkla said, "but had these skills and didn't want to leave New England, and so you had this residual workforce out here that was ready to jump in once you had the business."
What really sets Massachusetts film industry apart from other states with large film crews is the sense of community that exists among filmmakers in the Bay State. Howard Phillips of C.D.I.A film school explained, "There is a great work ethic everywhere, the east coast, west coast, but there is definitely, maybe because there has been less of that type of work in New England, people
John Rule, president of Rule Boston Camera said "The bond of community seem to be stronger here than in most other places. And being a runner up, sort of brings us altogether a little bit. That was true of Red Sox Nation for 86 years, you know."
At the end of 2009, the state's film tax credit came under fire. This left many filmmakers wondering what will happen if the state tax credit should disappear. Terkla indicated, "There will certainly be a residual of it; there will be a lot of independents and that kind of stuff."
Paul Schneider said, "as long as feature films are coming in and going out it is hard to sustain that. Whereas with television series, especially if you have a hit, that means that you have a permanent group of actors, crew, and support people and all the rest. That is when I think Boston will have turned the corner if they can get some series. I think that will help quite a bit and the fact that there are pilots shooting here is a good sign."
Terkla agreed with Schneider, saying "What would really help it to survive is if they capture one or two television series and started to produce those here because that could employ a lot of these same people on a more regular base and then they could easily handle a big film that comes through once and a while."