Hammond On Cannes: Suspense Builds To Sunday’s Palme … 
Record-Breaking Memorial Weekend 2013! ‘Fast & … 
Cannes: Un Certain Regard Winners Include ‘The … 
SAG-AFTRA Sued For Witholding Foreign Residuals And … 
Harvey Weinstein Closes Prolific Cannes With Deals For … 
Cannes: Competition Movies Divide Critics; How Much Do … 
Zach Braff Ends $3+M Kickstarter Campaign 
Fox Unscripted TV Czar Mike Darnell To Exit 
NBC Sets Oklahoma Tornado Benefit Concert For May 29 
Cannes: Directors’ Fortnight Honors ‘Les … 
SHOCKER: Tom Cruise Exits ‘Man From … 
A+E Rebuild: BBC’s Jana Bennett To Run Bio And LMN … 
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Hannibal’ Hits Low, … 
‘Katie’ Shakeup: Rachel Miskowiec Replaces … 
Hammond On Cannes: French Hero Jerry Lewis On His Return To … 
Cannes: Another Jewelry Heist? $2.6M Necklace Missing After … 
Hammond On Cannes: Leo DiCaprio’s Moon Trip Tops … 
Specialty B.O. Preview: ‘Before Midnight’, … 
2012-2013 Season Network Rankings: CBS Sweeps In Final … 
Full 2012-2013 TV Season Series Rankings 
TOLDJA! Paramount Pocketing $190M From Disney For Marvel … 
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles City Council today adopted a package of incentives to keep productions in and bring more filming to Los Angeles. These incentives include assistance with identifying parking and with reducing parking costs, the installation of utility nodes in frequently used locations to eliminate the need for generators, and taking the next
steps toward implementing a business tax break for productions.The incentives were recommended in a report requested by Council President Eric Garcetti after the television show Ugly Betty moved its production from Los Angeles to New York. The report included an analysis by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation that concluded a one-hour television program generates more than 180 direct jobs and supports 540 indirect jobs as well as generates $2.2 million in state income taxes and $880,000 in state sales taxes.
“The entertainment industry is a key economic driver for Los Angeles, and we need to do what we can to keep production where it belongs – in the entertainment capital of the world. This study quantifies what we have always known to be true – runaway production means fewer middle class jobs for Angelenos and hurts our economy. Today we move forward with providing real incentives to keep filming here and to address barriers to production like the need for better access to parking and utilities,” said Council President Garcetti.
Based on the City Council’s vote today, the recommendations in the report will be transmitted to the appropriate City Council Committee or City Agency for implementation. The Office of Finance, Chief Legislative Analyst, and Chief Administrative Office will study the business tax incentive and develop a proposal that will be submitted to the City Council for review and approval. Recognizing the importance of tax incentives to stopping runaway production, the California State budget also includes a $500 million tax incentive over the next five years.
A copy of the full report is available online.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
Loading ...
Is LAPD Police Chief Bratton still, trying to get rid of the retired cops, that handle location work?
Active duty LAPD will be much more expensive than the retired veterans. The retired LAPD officers do a great job.
If it ain’t broke…
once again. thanks eric garcetti. we need to bring hollywood home.
thats great. now get the producers & SAG to get thier shit together so we can all get back to work on the pile of features stacking up.
I’m happy that the workers in L.A. will be able to benefit from this incentive. Though it still drives me NUTS that you’d cry outrage over a show whose pilot was SHOT in NY, then “ran away” to LA, only to come back to where it should’ve been in the first place!! Is California the ONLY place that deserves work?! Is it fair that CSI:NY, Without A Trace and countless others over the years (NYPD Blue,Seinfeld,Friends) come to shoot NY “pickups” for a week, then go back to L.A. for several months to complete and fake the rest?! Again, i am all for the film community in California getting and keeping as much work as possible (especially from Canada & Australia), but dubbing this as a “response to ugly betty” is retarded, because it promotes the idea (at least outside of L.A.) that no matter where a film/show takes place, L.A. and it’s industry workers are more important. By all means keep the stuff that yours, but when i have to watch an L.A. “N.Y’ exterior with steam coming from everywhere but the characters asses, it makes my blood crawl.
This is just another government falling for the scam that lower taxes & special bonuses will lure or keep businesses in town.
It’s just a race to the bottom!
Too little…too late. It’s sad, really.
I like how these retired cops tried to strong arm our production into hiring them, even though our location permit specified we did not need police on set. A little mafia-esque if you ask me.
It’s about time. As I sit here reading this Blog in my hotel room in Boston making a pilot for ABC.
FILMMAKER-
That’s the most retarded statement I’ve read in a long time.
Bill Brzeski, congrats on working on Bunker Hill…hope it get’s picked up. It is TNT so it probably will even though Lie to Me was cancelled.
Well why you say about time, I saw what a waste of time to film principal photography outside of LA. It cost way to much money if every studio moved it’s location to where the production is “suppose to be from” The relocation expense alone would be 20 percent of the budget for that year. If you were a studio exec who has more to think about and control…trust me you would not want to waste the money either.
every time I read this kind of thing I lament that people are not seeing the forest for the trees.
Incentives have very little to do with it. It is cheaper to fly every man, woman and child to Rome to film than to film in Los Angeles. IATSE Post-60′s are a BIG consideration as is using SAG actors. If it wasn’t cheaper to film overseas, they wouldn’t do it.
Instead of unions holding out for more (and screwing an industry), they should look at themselves. First class everywhere? JEEZ. Going non-SAG for as many players as you can will result in big savings just from a T&E standpoint. Not hiring Los Angeles IA members will save BIG BUCKS in residuals.
Tax incentives are barely relevant in the face of the “union taxes” levied on shooting here.
Bill Bretski is one of the most talented production designers in the business. He made the Great Wall in the Santa Monica Mts, the Taj Mayhal in Altedena, If he felt he couldnt construct Boston for the money they had..you gotta go where you gotta go,,,robbie goldstein
Sorry, but if it was so cheap to shoot in Los Angeles it wouldn’t matter what the incentive, production wouldn’t move – be it NY or Canada or Eastern Europe.
I’m not as angry about all the shows set in NY that don’t shoot here as DGA Member. I mean who cares where Friends or Seinfeld were shot. Seriously, they could have been shot in LA, NY or even a warehouse in Kansas and they would have looked the same. But shows that leave their studios and have New York in the title have no business being shot in Los Angeles.
If a show called LA Nightlife was shot in Vancouver or Toronto or New York or Albuquerque with stock establishing shots of Los Angeles you all would be livid. Sort of like I was when recently CSI:NY (please note the name of the city in the title) used an obvious California surburban street with not a building over two stories high and lawns everywhere as somewhere in Manhattan. There is being frugal and there is being stupid and insulting. And every show set in NY that isn’t shot there gets it that wrong. Frankly Ugly Betty looks better this season because of the constant use of real locations.
I believe in the American film and television industry. And I want my fellow entertainment union members in California working. But those of us in NY that work in this business work as hard, are as talented, have the same hopes and the same concerns. We deserve the same respect and consideration.
For instance, stop thinking that you deserve to have a show set in NY shoot in LA, or that you can do it better then we can. You don’t and you can’t. Many things will determine where the shoot takes place like incentives, producer preferences, creative contracts, etc. For most of us (including those of you in LA) it is just great when it shoots where you are.
I want us all working. Please return the favor.
Clearingstuffup is going to be attacked like mad for telling the truth.
“Recognizing the importance of tax incentives to stopping runaway production, the California State budget also includes a $500 million tax incentive over the next five years.”
And a sub-standard contract like the I.A. just past is the death of Hollywood unions.
Let’s look at the facts:
Most of the other state’s tax incentive ran out of money.
Some Hollywood unions supported a tax incentive and all they got in return was a sub-standard contract and/or where put into a position where the AMPTP would not even negotiate with the very unions that pushed for the tax incentive.
Last year was the highest grossing year for the studios.
“The installation of utility nodes in frequently used locations to eliminate the need for generators,” While I understand the need to be green, I also understand that another IBEW union member will be put out of work.
“$500 million tax incentive over the next five years.” would go a long way towards healthcare, keeping hospitals open or re-open hospitals, retaining teachers to educate our children, pay down the state deficit or help our disabled vets who are returning from Iraq.
There is No Union requirement on production receiving such tax incentives. Yes…can you say Ooopppsss.
It’s your tax dollars at work.
Sounds like AIG all over again.
Remember…..Fear promotes stupidity
Ugly Betty is the wrong example.
The show should be shot in NYC. They used a lot of exterior shots that looked fake when they shot it in L.A.
I don’t get why CSI:NY is shot in L.A. either. That make no sense. Friends and other multi camera shows, like Everybody Loves Raymond…it doesn’t make a big difference but for the one hour/single camera shows with lot of exteriors…different story.
Isn’t gonna work. With the tax base leaving the state (law-abiding taxpayers) in droves to escape the high taxes and illegals, the state is targeting the remaining cash cows to milk them for more social engineering money. Watch for moves from the Assembly to gig the film industry, which will ultimately (and wisely) move them out of the state where they belong.
re: THE QUESTIONER
Lie to me was cancelled??
No it wasn’t.
clearingstuffup
first class everywhere means “an airplane” otherwise they would send us on a boat, or train or donkey cart. I’ve stayed in motels with blood on the floor, rooms without windows, oh they had the hole in the wall for one, they just never put one in, fleas so bad I had over 80 bites on my legs after an hour in a room.
it’s cheaper to take us overseas because they don’t follow the contract once they leave CONUS, don’t believe me? find the waiver they made everyone sign for POC2&3. there is also no sixth day pay “on location”
The reason we have a union is to supposedly guarantee we have certain amenities, like running water, and windows.
Bottom line
You don’t know what you are talking about so just shut your hole.