California Soundstage Boom Could Ease State’s Post-Strike Concerns
07.03.2024 - 20:11
/ variety.com
Todd Longwell Producer William Selig and director Francis Boggs came west from Chicago in 1909 to establish the first Los Angeles-based movie studio in a neighborhood that is today known as Echo Park. By 1916, 60% of the films made in the U.S.
were shot in Los Angeles. More than a century later, the city and, by extension, the state of California remain at the top of the country’s film and TV production heap.
According to a February 2023 report by California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, the state boasts roughly 125,000 industry jobs, more than twice as many as its closest domestic competitor, New York. A big part of California’s allure then and now is its warm weather, wealth of natural light (an average of 284 sunny days a year), and, perhaps most of all, diverse topography, which encompasses mountains, deserts, coastlines and flatlands.
“If there’s some specific thing you really need that you can’t shoot [in Los Angeles], you may be able to drive there in an hour or two,” says producer Steven J. Wolfe, whose credits include such California-shot features as the 2020 remake of “Valley Girl” and the upcoming comedy-thriller “The Prank.” California’s abundance of attractive locations, its concentration of above the line talent and below the line crew, and a deep well of equipment vendors and other support services, all represent a savings of both cost and convenience.
These savings, which offer a base tax credit of 20% for features and 25% for independent films and relocating TV series, may not show up on a spreadsheet when comparing the state’s production incentive to places like Georgia, where projects can easily qualify for a 30% refundable tax credit, but they are very real. “We can get people to come
.