Louisiana has begun a review of its location filming incentive. The state offers an uncapped 30% filming tax credit that's helped attract movies on the scale of Ender's Game, but the programme is expensive and there’s pressure to redirect funds elsewhere.
New England Studios has opened for business in Devens, near Boston in Massachusetts. The studio managers plan to use the facility to drive a location filming boost in the state and attract more productions on the scale of David O Russell’s Oscar-winning The Fighter.
New Hampshire in the north-east US is considering launching a filming incentive to attract middle-budgeted movies. Authorities are concerned they are missing out on direct production spending and tourism dollars as one of only a handful of US states that lack filming incentives.
Louisiana is doubling for Kansas and Massachusetts in two separate productions. Charlize Theron is among the stars heading to Shreveport for new Kansas-set thriller Dark Places, while TV series Salem, based on the 17th Century witch hunts in Massachusetts, is also filming in Shreveport.
Tom Hanks is an executive producer on new HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge, which begins filming this week on Massachusett’s North Shore. The four-part series is based on a collection of stories by author Elizabeth Strout following the Maine-based family of protagonist Olive Kitteridge.
Comedian Larry David has filmed his new cable feature Clear History mostly on location in and around Boston, doubling the region for the affluent island of Martha’s Vineyard in southern Massachusetts.
A report from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) shows the success of filming incentives in Massachusetts. For every dollar issued in tax credits, the state made ten back in 2011 and films like The Fighter have increased production employment by nearly 50% since 2006.
The Massachusetts Film Office is anticipating the start of a full-time production industry for the state when New England Studios opens in Devens in the next few months. It’s a development that could help attract more productions like Oscar-winning feature The Fighter.