Rocky Hill-based media producer Andrew Gernhard shot three different movies during the first half of this year. There was “Where Are You, Christmas?” and “Mystic Christmas,” both shot in Mystic in March through June. Then he went overseas to shoot “A Merry Scottish Christmas.” Each film had a multimillion-dollar budget. Gernhard, owner of Synthetic Cinema International, […]
Rocky Hill-based media producer Andrew Gernhard shot three different movies during the first half of this year.
There was “Where Are You, Christmas?” and “Mystic Christmas,” both shot in Mystic in March through June. Then he went overseas to shoot “A Merry Scottish Christmas.”
Each film had a multimillion-dollar budget.
Gernhard, owner of Synthetic Cinema International, said his plans to produce additional movies in Connecticut this year are likely off the table, or at least severely curbed, by the ongoing strikes by actors and screenwriters.
Connecticut may seem far removed from Hollywood, but the ongoing strikes shutting down television and movie productions will take an economic bite locally.
“It is only July, and typically I probably would have had two to three more movies before year’s end,” said Gernhard.
Now, Gerhard believes he will, at most, be able to produce one more film in Connecticut if the strikes wrap relatively quickly.
Gernhard said his films typically have budgets of $3 million to $5 million, which is spent on payroll, hotels, catering, equipment, vehicle rentals and more.
The productions feature about 10 primary actors and hundreds of background actors, with main production crews of 50 to 75 people, he said.
“That’s pretty significant for Connecticut,” he said.
A significant industry
Movie and television productions have a considerable presence in Connecticut, fostered in part by tax credits of up to 30%.
According to a 2022 study for the state Office of Film, TV & Digital Media by London-based entertainment consultant Olsberg SPI, a state tax credit designed to incentivize productions resulted in the equivalent of 2,978 full-time jobs in Connecticut in fiscal 2020.
State incentives for building production infrastructure and to subsidize productions resulted in $358.7 million in new economic value in Connecticut in fiscal 2020, according to the study.
There has been debate about the economic effectiveness of the state’s film tax credit program, which has awarded over $1.5 billion to the film, television and digital media industry since its inception in 2007.
Television and film writers in The Writers Guild of America went on strike against major studios in May. Actors in SAG-AFTRA followed suit this month, with major points of contention including ongoing payment from streaming platforms and the use of artificial intelligence in productions.
George Norfleet, director of the Connecticut Office of Film, TV & Digital Media, said the strikes are so new, the true economic impacts for Connecticut aren’t yet known. Norfleet said the strikes have already halted three productions in Connecticut and could dry up the development pipeline that would bring future projects to the state.
While it is too early to gauge the economic impact, “we are not immune by any stretch of the imagination,” Norfleet said.
