By Gavin Boyle
Texas lawmakers have signed a bill to sweeten the deal for production companies looking to shoot in the state, expanding its annual movie credit fund to $300 million.
“The idea is that Texas doesn’t have to be the end all, just not lose productions that want to shoot here,” said Grant Wood, co-founder of Media For Texas, a group that has been pushing for better tax incentives for filmmakers.”
“Georgia gives billions [of] dollars a year [in tax credits]. New York is at $700 million. We really need something that’s going to at least give us a seat at the table so we can stop our Texas stories from going to New Mexico, Louisiana, Georgia. That’s our biggest issue. It’s not even attracting or competing to get all the production that we possibly can in Texas. It’s just to stop the Texas stories from leaving,” added Media For Texas co-founder Chase Musslewhite.
The bill, which has still has to pass the state senate before heading to the governor’s desk, would provide up to a 25% grant based on in-state spending, along with subcategory expansions which include incentives for faith-based movies, movies that employ veterans, movies shot in rural counties and movies that promote Texas heritage.
The movie credit expansion would come as competition for production heats up across the U.S. As Musselwhite noted, numerous states have budgeted out enormous sums for movie tax credits due to the rising costs of production in California. This has created a diaspora from the state as studios have found lower costs of production across both the country and the world.
“I had to shoot a film for one day in L.A., and it was cheaper for me to take the whole crew and fly them to Europe and shoot for three days, lodge them, fly them everything, than it was to shoot one day just down the road,” Mel Gibson told Fox News Digital earlier this year. “So, there’s something really wrong there.”
California, however, is not giving up without a fight, though some experts fear it may already be too late for L.A. to retain its spot as the movie production capital of the world.
“This is not hyperbole to say that if we don’t act, the California film and TV industry will become the next Detroit auto,” said Noelle Stehman, a member of the “Stay in L.A.” campaign.
The next couple of years may define where a new production capital is established. While Texas isn’t trying become the No. 1 location to film, it is certainly fighting for a piece of the pie.
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