Written by new-contact on Jan 6, 2015. Posted in Incentive News

North Carolina downgrades filming incentive to grant programme

North Carolina has downgraded its filming incentive to a grant programme worth USD 10 million a year. Drama series Under the Dome has claimed half the fund for this year, but a regional film commission says production interest in the area is declining.

“A lot of shows will have to look forward into the future and see how long they can do shows here with only USD 5 million in the fund, then it doesn't give them the ability to stay here very long,” said Johnny Griffin, director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, in comments to TWC News.

“We could probably accommodate one to two more shows, but the response has been very lukewarm at this point.”

North Carolina has offered a generous 25% filming incentive for the past few years and hosted major features like Iron Man 3 and the first Hunger Games film. Political opposition to the programme forced a rethink and the tax credit ended in December.

The new grant means producers must now spend more money to get less support. Some in North Carolina's production industry are more optimistic about the region's filming future, but it's likely the state will struggle to attract high-profile features and TV shows.

New York, Louisiana, Georgia and California remain the primary production hubs in the US. California in particular could find it’s able to attract more big-budget features when it boosts its filming incentive in the next few months.

The change in California could impact western hubs like New Mexico and British Columbia. However, Los Angeles faces stiff competition from rival cities that have developed world-class production infrastructure in just a few years.