Saturday, March 15, 2014
Hollywood Continues to Flee California at Alarming Rate
Variety: The trend has been mounting for high-profile films set in the Golden State to be filmed almost entirely outside California, due to lucrative tax breaks elsewhere that producers can’t turn down. One key component of new legislation to strengthen California’s incentive program, introduced Feb. 19, would raise to $100 million the current budget cap of $75 million on eligible productions.
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4 comments:
So, I know I'm usually out of the loop when it comes to a lot of things, I really need to change that. But, this, although news to me, isn't that surprising at all. I mean, I've always sort of known California is expensive in many ways, so it makes sense for producers to avoid filming in California as much as possible. But if Hollywood really became like Detroit, now that would be a shock! California really should find a way to match incentives or provide better ones. Although, I am saying what California needs to do, as a moviegoer, it really doesn't make that much of difference to me if I can't tell when watching.
As someone who is hoping to live and work in LA this story is rather depressing. Hollywood is supposed to be where all the feature films are made and it is ridiculous that the movies are being filmed elsewhere just because LA wont give high enough tax breaks to production companies. I realize that California is in a constant state of super debt but It wont get any money from movies unless it gives higher tax breaks.
I agree with Hunter in that as someone who is hoping to work in LA this news is concerning. On the designing end of this though, it might not be such an issue since design happens before production. On the production end and by the workers in LA this is indeed an issue. The incentives benefit the production companies and the city equally, so why would California not make the cuts? Also, as I was reading this I was considering the idea that location choice might also be a design choice. Why does the set have to be the LA or San Francisco that everyone recognizes rather than be one for the world of the film? Still, more business will likely come in if incentives are given.
Yeah, lately it seems that California has been fairly inhospitable to big business in general. This is not the first, nor the last article detailing how corporations and other ventures are leaving California to base their operations elsewhere. Simply too many taxes in California whereas other states are aggressively looking to attract investment. It's too bad that this unfortunate trend also is damaging the prospects of film companies hoping to work in California.
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