Saturday Film Incentive News Roundup...

It’s Saturday, which means it’s time for our weekly look at some of the news about film incentive programs around the country.  Now, you know the focus of this site is Oregon’s film and TV industry, and its effect on the state’s economy.  It’s important to keep an eye on trends nationwide, though.  The film and TV industry is an interdependent organism; what happens around the country affects Oregon’s industry, and what happens in Oregon affects the rest of the country as well.  You might have noticed the part other states’ programs played in yesterday’s post about why the new Twilight movie, Eclipse wasn’t shot here.

While each state’s incentive program is different, it’s important to see the “big picture” by looking keeping an eye on the choices other states have made – to learn from their successes and mistakes.

So, with that…

You might remember that we reported last week on North Carolina’s efforts to raise their film incentive program so the state could stay competitive with other programs in their region.  We came across this map in some supporting documents delivered to the state House of Representatives in North Carolina… The first page of the map is specific to the state, and shows areas where filming has occurred in the state, major cities, and areas with film programs.  The second page, however, is of particular interst to us in Oregon as we look at how our film incentive program stacks up to other states.  It’s worth taking a look at.

Meanwhile, in neighboring South Carolina the state’s legislature recently voted to override Governor Mark Sanford’s veto of a bill that would raise their film incentives to more a more competitive level. 

Other states recently starting or increasing their film incentive programs include Delaware (which currently has no incentive program,) Kentucky (which raised its incentive cap to $5 million this year, and $7.5 million for the 2012 fiscal year) and Florida (scroll to the bottom of the article to find out more about their incentive program, which provides for $242 million over the next five years.)

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