Three years ago, Steven Spielberg came to Westchester County, N.Y., to shoot part of “War of the Worlds.” This summer, the director was in Connecticut filming the latest Indiana Jones adventure.
Among the stars shooting movies in Connecticut this summer were Robin Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and John Travolta.
They are part of a parade of Hollywood directors, producers and movie stars turning their backs on New York, the No. 2 state for film and TV production behind California, and heading to Connecticut. The Nutmeg State last year enacted a 30 percent movie tax credit that makes it the most generous state in the country for filmmakers.
A lot of money is at stake. Since New York enacted its 10 percent tax credit for filmmakers in 2004, 169 projects have spent $2.7 billion there, according to the state’s tax department. Since Connecticut’s tax credit took effect in July 2006, production companies have spent more than $300 million to make movies, TV shows and commercials in the state. That’s up from just $1 million in the first six months of 2006.
Economic effects
Steven Gorelick, associate director of the Motion Picture and Television Commission of New Jersey, used to hear from location managers seeking interesting or historic sites. Now the calls are coming from producers wanting to know about tax breaks.
“I’m really convinced that if the tax credit were 50 percent on the lunar surface, they would probably film there,” Gorelick said.
Stephen Apkon, executive director of the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, N.Y., said the reality is that producers must choose the best deal.
“It’s very hard to get a film financed these days, and people are watching their budgets very carefully,” he said. “If it makes sense to be in Bucharest or Vancouver or Greenwich, that’s where people will end up.”
Connecticut also hopes that moviemaking will translate to future tourism.
“It’s the ‘Mystic Pizza’ effect,” said Karen Senich, acting executive director of the Film Division of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. “Mystic Pizza is an actual place in Mystic, (Conn.). After the movie, and to this day, people come there because of the movie.”
Not everyone shares that enthusiasm. Nyack, N.Y., Mayor John Shields said no one in his village misses the hubbub of a major movie shoot.
“I get a lot of phone calls complaining when we have filming in the village,” Shields said. “ ‘I can’t walk on the sidewalk.’ ‘They make too much noise.’ ‘They put the ladder against my building.’ No one calls and says, ‘We’re happy this movie is being shot here.’”
Today, at least 35 states have targeted tax incentives for film and TV productions, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
Most of the incentives come with some strings attached. Some states, such as New York, require a certain percentage of production to take place in the state. Others, including Connecticut, set a minimum threshold for spending.
