Luring film production to one’s state is difficult. In a furious race to the bottom, states pass larger and larger film incentives. And the laws for film incentives are always in flux, not just in the U.S., but around the world.
Help has arrived!
Movie Tax Credit Report is run by Ed Metz, a thirty year vetran of the film and video production business. Mr. Metz works for a production company in New Orleans, La, and his site has been up since February. It has lots of news stories about incentive programs and one of the best (and there only a few) databases covering incentives in each state
Entertainment Partners is based in Burbank, CA, and offers a range of services for film productions, which now include advising them of film incentives. You can request a free copy of “The Essential Guide To U.S. & International Production Incentives.” The guide is very up to date and reprinted throughout the year to reflect changes. Their current guide is their first 2009 edition–I have already requested mine.
Finally, there is Tax Credits LLC, which focuses only on states with tradable tax credits. Essentially, they are brokers, but they have an excellent comparison chart for the states that have tradable credits.
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving this article, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.