Bring Film Work Back to the United States!

It’s strange to think how much United States exports; even the film industry has always found a cheaper home outside American territory. With so many people looking for work along with the beautiful terrain which allows so many different shooting styles our country offers us it is strange to think we don’t take advantage of these things and use it to pump dollars back into the economy. For those that aren’t familiar production companies choose to shoot where they can find the higher tax incentive, that is, the money they receive back if they meet the minimum requirement of that location for expenditures, crews, equipment, etc.   Many ask, “Why travel so far to shoot a movie, wouldn’t that cost more?”  The answer is no if they find the right location with the right tax rebate and utilize locals for the cheaper cost which benefits both parties; the producer spends less to make the film and local crews get work which pumps the dollar back into that particular state’s economy. So why wouldn’t more states jump on the bandwagon? The reason isn’t so clear. What is clear is that Canada seems to be raking all the benefits for US productions.

“Ontario’s film and TV sector racked up $964.3 million in overall production activity in 2010, up from a year-earlier $946.4 million and $671.2 million spent locally in 2008 when Hollywood studios pulled back amid the 2008-09 market meltdown. British Columbia continues to attract the bulk of foreign location shooting and service work nationwide, with Hollywood production in and around Vancouver last year clocking in at $485 million, up sharply from $248 million in 2009.”

How can US state governments not want a piece of this lucrative pie? Maybe they are not seeing these numbers and don’t realize what a great Film incentive can do for their state.  I urge any readers to petition their governments for film incentives to bring the US film industry back to the United States!

Vlessing, Eaton. (18 February 2011). U.S. Tax Credit  Chill Sends Hollywood To Canada.

Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/us-tax-credit-chill-sends-101503

Interesting Articles for the 1st week of February

          I read a couple of interesting articles this week, the first of which is about the American Humane Association taking legal action against the Oscar nominated film, "The King's Speech."
What I always took as a free phrase at the end of films or as one to ensure safety on set is actually trademarked. In order to use the phrase NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED® you have to have work with the AHA. This was interesting to read because I had no realization of this fact.  Neither did producer Emile Sherman who just wanted to ensure the public that every safety precaution was taken to make sure the animals were not harmed. To further this fact he released a statement verifying that he is a director of an animal protection agency called Voiceless. So as a warning to future producers, always make sure that you are not using a trademarked phrase and are going by the books so as to avoid a costly lawsuit. 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/thr-esq/kings-speech-threatened-legal-action-96849
Image Courtesy of http://www.americanhumane.org/

         Another article I read is called, "Hulu Pays at Least $40 Million to Get John Stewart Back." This was an interesting read because the article talks about how Hulu CEO Jason Kilar's head may be getting to big for his trousers. In a blog post where he announces "The Daily Show" content will return to Hulu he also made insinuations that his business model may be better than that of ABC, NBC, and Viacom.  While he may be correct he should not be making claims about a business model that is directly affected by the content that is given to him by those major media corporations. He also claims that his 2011 year could be the most profitable year ever giving his shareholders a number of $500 million to salivate for by the year's end.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hulu-pays-40-million-jon-96361
http://www.hulu.com/
http://blog.hulu.com/

          The final article for this week is titled, "Sony Profit Declines 8.6% in Latest Quarter." It states that for the 2011 year, "Sony recorded a quarterly profit of $893 million. Operating profit fell 5.9 percent to $1.70 billion. Revenue came in 1.4 percent lower at $27.24 billion, or 2.2 trillion yen. However, in local currency terms, revenue grew 6 percent as the yen had appreciated 8.7 percent against the dollar and 18.5 percent against the euro over the year-ago period."  Companies across the board are experiencing huge hits in their home entertainment division as DVD sales have continued to drop. There is no exception for Sony however they have succeeded in other divisions. Their video game market has continued to hold a strong profit for five years as well as the sale of their Playstations.  They've seen a drop in their LCD TV's as well but only because of the drop in prices with the release of 3d TV technology. What is good about Sony is that, "Kato said Sony was taking a “conservative” view and not raising its overall full-year operating profit forecast." This is good because they may see a good 2011 profit year since they are keeping their profit forecast down. This conservative approach may help Sony in the end. 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-profit-declines-86-latest-96215
http://www.sony.com/index.php