Article

Massachusetts-made SHUTTER ISLAND is the number one movie in America.

The growth of the film industry here ought to prompt a wider discussion about general tax policy. It is the film industry that is in focus right now. But it is actually about every industry. It is the private sector that creates the jobs that produce the tax revenue that is the lifeblood of government. If government keeps raising the price of doing business here, it will ultimately collect less and less.

It’s nice to spot Leonardo DiCaprio in Nahant or Bruce Willis in Lynn, but Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo said business is the biggest reason to bring Hollywood to the Bay State. His view is underscored by a recent University of Massachusetts study concluding the state’s efforts to lure Hollywood stars has transformed Massachusetts into one of the nation’s fastest-growing locations for film and television production with a 117 percent growth in motion picture and video production jobs in the state between 2005 and 2008.

Oddly, Professor Enrich makes no reference to UMass’ recently published, independent, 18 month study on the local economic impact of the MA film industry since 2006. According to that study, nearly 7,000 jobs were created in 2008 alone. Even if you attribute only 75% of those jobs to the credit, the cost-per-job is just $18,000. The professor was correct about one thing, film jobs pay an average annual salary of $68,000. Hardly a “losing bargain.”

Just in the past couple of years, the local area has hosted several movie projects. Scenes from “Bride Wars,” starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson, were filmed in Salem. Parts of “The Proposal,” starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds and Betty White, were filmed in Beverly and Manchester. “The Company Men,” starring Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner and Tommy Lee Jones, features scenes shot in Marblehead. Capping the film tax credit isn’t so much about making those in the film industry angry. It’s about a short-term gain that will very likely create a long-term loss.

This incentive is not just about actors, directors, producers or studio owners who benefit from the program. It’s about local businesses and workers, some in sectors that have been particularly hard hit by the recession, such as construction and transportation. Jobs and private-sector economic activity are what produce the long-term, sustainable tax revenue that the state desperately needs. So while Essex reaped $150,000 as a town from “Grown Ups” using Centennial Grove, it’s more notable that the summer-long film work injected an estimated $1 million or more into the Essex private-sector economy. It would be foolish, not to mention expensive, to drive that activity to other states.

A new study from the University of Massachusetts at Boston confirms what local residents have been noticing in recent years: The state is one of the fastest-growing locations for film and television production. So the worst thing government could do is discourage that growth.

Local officials fear that Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposal to scale back a tax credit for movie producers to make films in Massachusetts would set back plans for the construction of a $300 million motion picture studio complex at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.

Here’s a Massachusetts movie sweep that’s probably the first of its kind: I picked up this week’s Rolling Stone (the one with a heavily-tattooed Lil Wayne on the cover), and all of the movie reviews inside were of Massachusetts-set films.

“Just two years ago, the governor expanded the movie tax credit,” deMacedo said. “It’s the inconsistency in tax policy that is most frustrating to business. It sends a terrible message to any industry that we offer tax incentives to.” A UMass Boston study released last week confirms that Massachusetts has one of the fastest growing film industries in the nation. The study notes that jobs in the film industry have increased from 536 in 2006 to 1,807 in 2008.

Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo said it may not be the right time to edit the film-industry tax credit. “I’m very concerned that we’re sending mixed signals to businesses,” he said. “We are talking about increasing jobs, and here we have a credit that puts our residents to work.” DeLeo said lots of folks would be unemployed if it weren’t for the tax break. ” I will tell you that the film tax credit is a good investment,” he said.

Massachusetts ranks high among the fastest-growing locations, according to a new study from the University of Massachusetts Boston.

A whopping 38 major films have been shot in Massachusetts, compared to 10 in first seven years of the decade. There should be no question about the value of the film industry to Massachusetts. Among the millions of international moviegoers watching Boston-based films are people looking to locate their businesses, plan major conventions, and book vacations. The people of the Bay State are justly proud of their image. The film credit conveys that image to the world. It gives Boston, in particular, the world-class status it needs and deserves. The film credit has been a success and deserves to continue without a cap. It is plainly worth the money.

Some lucky youth from The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester and Alternative Learning Program of Harwich High School, will be participating in the movie-making experience with Hollywood HEART, a Los Angeles, CA-based nonprofit organization that serves at-risk youth. The Dorchester Movie Team project will run February 16-19, 2010 at the Paul R. McLaughlin Youth Center and the Cape Cod Movie Team project will run February 22-26, 2010 at the Cape Cod Cultural Center in South Yarmouth.

Since the Legislature adopted a film tax credit in 2005, employment in the film industry has risen 33 percent, from 4,530 jobs to 6,048. That is the largest percentage growth of any state during that time period, according to the study. Deb Belanger, executive director of the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, estimates that Gervais’ movie generated $2 million in revenue for Lowell from hotel stays, supplies and food, and local jobs for hairdressers and extras. The city also benefited because the film paid for police details and parking permits.

The tax credits have drawn a steady stream of film projects to Boston, with some scenes being shot is suburban communities like Sudbury, Southborough, Hopedale and Waltham in recent years. “The filmmakers gave the town $30,000 for being in town for a week. That’s not bad,” said Southborough selectmen Chairman Sal Giorlandino. In May 2009, Columbia Pictures filmed portions of “Grown Ups,” an Adam Sandler film, at a church in Southborough. The shooting lasted six days and the church was paid over $25,000, in addition to the money paid to the town.

Any way you slice it the effort to boost film production in Massachusetts has been a win for businesses and taxpayers. Critics who question the value of the state’s film tax incentives really ought to read a new study out of UMass-Boston which finds that the Bay State is one of the fastest growing locations for film and TV production in the country. And all of that activity during this recent period of economic decline has meant one thing: Jobs. Now is not the time to walk away.

The University of Massachusetts study released Thursday found a 117 percent growth in motion picture and video production jobs in the state between 2005 and 2008. Post-production jobs jumped 126 percent. Those new jobs have helped fill an employment gap at a time when the state’s jobless numbers climbed steadily.

Massachusetts ranks high among the fastest growing locations, according to a UMass-Boston study released Thursday. “There is also evidence that some of this job growth has helped to offset job losses in particularly hard hit trades like construction and transportation, as workers from these sectors have found work in film and television production.” the report said.

The new report suggests that making movies in Massachusetts is a significant boon for local businesses. Even cities, towns and zoos are getting in on the act. When “The Zookeeper” with Kevin James was filmed in the Franklin Park Zoo last year, the production company reportedly gave an undisclosed sum of money to the struggling zoo and an additional $20,000 to the city.