Posts Tagged ‘ Hollywood ’

Runaway Production vs. Content Theft: Which Is the Bigger Threat to Film Jobs

December 15, 2011

I tend to stay out of the debate about copyright and online piracy.  For the major studios in Hollywood, led by the MPAA, piracy is the monolithic issue, especially because of pending legislation in DC that has pitted Hollywood and Silicon Valley against each other.  Even if the pending legislation is as bad as...

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When it Comes to Runaway Production, California Needs to Get a Clue

September 8, 2011
When it Comes to Runaway Production, California Needs to Get a Clue

It’s time for California to wake up.  California is under attack. In the late 1990′s, Canada devised generous film incentives in the form of tax credits as a weapon to wage economic war on the U.S. in an attempt to capture one of the planet’s most valuable and prized industries: the U.S. motion picture...

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The Economic Impact of One Film In California

August 11, 2011

There is a fantastic post on the Film Works blog that has a fairly detailed breakdown of the major expenditures of a major film production that spent $20.2 million over 93 days shooting in Los Angeles in 2009.  Here is a sample of the itemized expenditures: Hotel room days: 213 $66,061 Car rental days:...

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California Film & TV Tax Credit Proving to be Most Cost Effective Incentive Program in U.S.

June 29, 2011
California Film & TV Tax Credit Proving to be Most Cost Effective Incentive Program in U.S.

Below is the first half of the Film Works campaign’s analysis of the brand new LAEDC study on the economic impact of the California film incentive.  It is quite thorough and is a honest appraisal of the report, which some people are attempting to spin as showing a positive return on investment for the...

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Does Georgia Film Incentive Make State More $$ Than It Costs?? Severely Flawed & Biased Report Says So…

May 17, 2011
Does Georgia Film Incentive Make State More $$ Than It Costs??  Severely Flawed & Biased Report Says So…

If it sounds too good to be true…… The State of Georgia is making money from its film incentive program, according to a February 2011 report published by Vancouver-based (of all places) Meyers Norris Penny (MNP) and Santa Monica-based W2 Entertainment.  They claim that although the tax credits issued from 2005-2010 cost the state...

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Video: CA Caterer Talks Economic Impact of Film Biz in LA; Shows How State Film Incentives Harming National Treasure

May 6, 2011

The brief interview below made me gasp at the end, when I heard how much money this one motion picture catering business in Los Angeles spends at just one of its many vendors, who are also in California.  I think this highlights the very real danger to California from runaway production.  The losses and...

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National U.S. Film Incentive Would Be Effective Weapon Against Runaway Production to Canada

March 25, 2011
National U.S. Film Incentive Would Be Effective Weapon Against Runaway Production to Canada

“Tax incentives are the common currency that draws film and television production to various locations throughout the world. While international competition is intense, the British Columbia tax credit programs – Film Incentive BC and the Production Services Tax Credit – continue to act as the key determinant of film and television production in the...

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100th Site Post, New Site Traffic Record and Time for Turning Attention Back to Canada…

March 24, 2011
100th Site Post, New Site Traffic Record and Time for Turning Attention Back to Canada…

This post marks a new milestone for the site:  this is the 100th entry on the site!  Even better, March 2011 is now the busiest month on record for site traffic!  Thank you readers!  Since this is the 100th post, I thought it was an appropriate time to put some focus back on Canada....

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$45 Million Cap on New Mexico Film Credit May Help Industry, Not Kill It

March 7, 2011
$45 Million Cap on New Mexico Film Credit May Help Industry, Not Kill It

The New Mexico film community really needs to stop all of its over the top drama about how the world will end if their film incentive program gets capped at $45 million each year.  They want to keep it at present levels, which would could mean prisons would have to close, Medicaid spending cut...

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California Film Works Campaign on a Tear in New Offensive Against Runaway Production

March 2, 2011
California Film Works Campaign on a Tear in New Offensive Against Runaway Production

Three recently released articles published by the Film Works L.A. campaign in California are well worth reading…. The first article, Part One: “The Clear and Present Danger” of Runaway Production to California, is the first of a two-part story about the threat of runaway production to California (and therefore the nation in the long run)...

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New Mexico Writer Admits to Stealing Film Industry, Claims New Mexico “Deserves” It and Complains of Non-Existant Culture War…Before Starting One

February 28, 2011

Enacted in 2002, New Mexico’s film incentive program, along with Louisiana, was the first significant film incentive in the United States on par with those offered in Canada.  It was often lauded as a model program that emphasized using in-state labor, building infrastructure and fostering talent in community college programs.  When it began, the...

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Michigan Film Program Moving Toward Transparency

December 16, 2010
Michigan Film Program Moving Toward Transparency

It’s always nice to see an editorial board get it right.  This week, that honor belongs to The Grand Rapids Free Press.  Apparently, Michigan’s troubled film incentive is about to get more transparent and the paper, not to mention myself, could not be more pleased: Shining a light on the details of the tax...

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L.A. ABC 7′s News Report of the “Film Works” Launch

December 14, 2010
L.A. ABC 7′s News Report of the “Film Works” Launch

The following video is from the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles that covered the Film Works launch event.

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Los Angeles & California Get Serious About Fighting Runaway Production, Launch “FILM WORKS” Campaign

December 13, 2010
Los Angeles & California Get Serious About Fighting Runaway Production, Launch “FILM WORKS” Campaign

It’s about time.  And the timing could not be better.  As state film incentives across the nation begin to recede and California’s own incenitve shows more proof that filmmakers prefer to stay in California to take advantage of its overwhelming talent base and infrastructure if they have the chance comes this unveiling today….”Film Works...

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UPenn To Publish “Down the Rabbit Hole: The Madness of State Film Incentives as a ‘Solution’ to Runaway Produciton”

November 28, 2010
UPenn To Publish “Down the Rabbit Hole: The  Madness of State Film Incentives as a ‘Solution’ to Runaway Produciton”

I am very happy to announce that The University of Pennsylvania Law School’s Journal of Business and Labor Law (formerly the Journal of Labor and Employment Law) has accepted my recent law review article and will be publishing sometime early summer.  The article, “Down the Rabbit Hole: The Madness of State Film Incentives as...

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No More ‘Unhappy Californians’ About ‘Happy California Cows’–State Ads “MUST” Film in CA

August 30, 2010
No More ‘Unhappy Californians’ About ‘Happy California Cows’–State Ads “MUST” Film in CA

Thanks to politically active Santa Barbara doctoral student Lauren Copeland for sending the following story about the “California Cows” commercial controversy, which I covered HERE and HERE.  In what should have been a “no-duh”, California is about to pass a bill that requires state tourism and agriculture commercials to shoot in California.  Why is...

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“USA Today” Article re Louisiana Film Biz: Actual Journalism or Factually Incorrect Propaganda?

August 10, 2010

I’ve never had much respect for USA Today, but their August 2 article about the film industry in Louisiana made me cringe.  It’s rife with problems…. Let’s start with the article’s second & third sentences: In the 1990s, filmmakers often traveled to Canada.  But that eventually became less fashionable, and these days the industry...

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Milken Institute Report: California’s Failure to Stem Runaway Production Cost State 36,000 Jobs, Billions in Lost Wages & Output

July 28, 2010

The Santa Monica-based Milken Institute, an “independent economic think tank”, released an excellent “must read” report on how runaway production is impacting California called “Film Flight: Lost Production and its Economic Impact on California”.  The 46-page report has been added to the Report Library HERE.  I thought the report was excellent and well worth...

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California Strikes Back! “Heart of Hollywood” Radio Show Airs Can’t Miss Discussion About Runaway Production

July 19, 2010
California Strikes Back! “Heart of Hollywood” Radio Show Airs Can’t Miss Discussion About Runaway Production

Over the weekend, Joe Sutton’s radio show in Los Angeles, “The Heart of Hollywood” (on AM 1260 KGIL), featured a can’t miss hour-long discussion about runaway production, the importance of Hollywood to California and L.A., and efforts to keep the industry from leaving California.  It’s a wonderful exchange loaded with very thoughtful discussion from...

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FilmL.A.: 1 in 4 Days of On-Location Shooting in L.A. Region Tied to CA Film Incentive

July 19, 2010
FilmL.A.: 1 in 4 Days of On-Location Shooting in L.A. Region Tied to CA Film Incentive

There was a significant report released last week by FilmL.A.  First, I want to say a few things about FilmL.A.  As far as I am concerned, they are the gold standard for how industry-community relations should be handled.  The film production reports produced by FilmL.A. are an exquisite source of information, the accuracy of...

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