The Norwegian government will commission a report to assess the impact of location filming incentive programmes around the world. It’s a move that could eventually lead to filming incentives being launched in Norway.
Maryland has extended its location filming incentive in a move that should keep high-end TV shows House of Cards and Veep in the state. In addition the film fund has been boosted from USD7.5 million to USD25 million, although this is a short-term measure that will expire after 12 months.
A candidate for the premiership of British Columbia has pledged to increase location filming incentives if he wins the upcoming election. Adrian Dix heads the New Democratic Party in the western Canadian province and said he will increase the filming tax credit to 40% of labour costs.
International producers have said Thailand could secure its production future by launching location filming incentives. Filmmakers raised the issue during a seminar held as part of the Thailand International Film Destination Festival in Bangkok, which runs until Wednesday this week (10 April 2013).
The Governor of New Mexico has approved a larger TV location filming incentive after initially vetoing the bill. On the other side of the US, Maryland could more than triple the annual fund for its own location filming incentive.
The UK’s TV filming tax credit will be launched on 1 April 2013 and is designed to bring more high-end TV productions to Britain, while also keeping shows like Game of Thrones. Productions spending at least GBP1 million for each hour of television will be eligible for a 25% credit.
New York may be targeting NBC’s flagship Tonight Show with a new filming incentive designed to attract established TV programmes to the Empire State. The Tonight Show has been based in Los Angeles since the early 1970s but a major reformat could mean the show switches to New York.
Surprise hit The Call, a small-scale thriller starring Halle Berry, made the unusual move of switching filming locations at the last minute from Ontario to California. An earlier rejection for filming incentive support in Los Angeles was overturned and prompted the change.