After learning about Armanda Costanza Inc. opening a branch office in Montgomery, I wondered what might be going on in the world of film-making to spur such a move. After doing a bit of research, I’ve concluded that I need to start lobbying for matching incentives here in our state. We have more to offer and could be reaping millions of dollars in industry spending & employment opportunities!
If you’re an Alabama resident, shoot off a quick email and link this post!
If your elected official makes their email address public, you might find your Alabama senator or representative here or here.
Here’s what I found:
Alabama:
From the News portion of the Alabama Film Office’s website:
Tonya S. Holly, a film director based in northwest Alabama, who shot her feature film “When I Find the Ocean” all over the state in 2005, has said she feels compelled to shoot most of her upcoming movie about Depression-era bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in Louisiana.
“I would shoot as much as I could in Alabama, but the Louisiana incentives are amazing,” Holly told the Press-Register last year. “There’s no denying them. They have several things. They have the 25-percent tax credit, and they have an additional 10 percent for every single Louisiana hire. It can be 35 percent of your film.”
Golson said Mobile lost out on some major money when producers of “The Guardian,” the big-budget feature film starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, decided to shoot in New Orleans rather than the U.S. Coast Guard station on Mobile Bay in 2005.
“They very much liked our Coast Guard base, and our Coast Guard people were really wanting them to come here,” Golson said. “It was a good match, but we didn’t have the incentives.”
When Hurricane Katrina made it impossible for “The Guardian” to continue filming in New Orleans, Golson said, the production chose to build sets from scratch in Shreveport, La., rather than relocate to the ready-made Coast Guard facility in Mobile.
(written Monday, April 16, 2007 By MIKE BRANTLEY)
Louisiana:
Employment in Louisiana’s film industry has grown 23 percent per year since 2001 the highest in the nation.
The Louisiana industry supported 5,437 jobs in 2003. By 2005, an additional 13,445 jobs were created.
Wages have increased more than 31 percent each year.
In the United States, Louisiana ranks third in the number of films produced. This is the result of the state’s incentives programs geared to the industry. (source )
Florida:
Florida offers a 10 to 22% cash rebate for filming costs associated with production in Florida. Their “What’s Shooting” list is longer than Louisiana’s, but probably due to the industry presence in the Miami/Orlando area.
Georgia:
Movies, videos and commercials contributed $448 million in economic impact and put 7,870 people to work — “a record-breaking year,” according to Bill Thompson, director of the state’s film, video and music division. (source)
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