Push is on to raise Ohio film tax incentive to $100 million

'The Avengers' films in downtown Cleveland

There’s a bill before the Ohio General Assembly poised to more than double the Motion Picture Tax Credit, lifting the benefit from $40 million per fiscal year to $100 million. The goal is to expand the state’s budding film industry by attracting more film, television and theater production.

The tax credit played a pivotal role in the state landing bigger budget films, like The Avengers, Alex Cross, and Captain America: Winter Soldier. In recent years, however, states with larger tax incentives have lured those productions away.

Georgia, for example, offers a 20 percent tax credit for companies that spend $500,000 or more on production and post-production, throwing in another 10 percent if the film includes the state’s logo in its end credits. Broderick Johnson, producer of The Blind Side, referred to the credit as “one of the best, if not the best, in the country,” in an interview with Variety. There appears to be no cap, which is why the state has become the Hollywood of the East.

Competing for more film production

Raising Ohio’s cap to $100 million would boost the state’s ability to compete for productions and, according to Ivan Schwarz, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, via cleveland.com, it may give the state one of the “best incentives in the United States, which will make us more competitive than anybody.”

“The incentive is applied to the film’s budget line and, in turn, the incentive is then spent in Ohio,” Schwarz explained to Midwest Movie Maker previously. “That money never leaves the state. It’s spent on local crews and cast, locations, local vendors, hotels, restaurants, shops and so on.”

The goal, as always, is to encourage the evolution of a permanent production economy in Ohio.

Broadway joins the club

If passed, the incentive would include Broadway theater productions. Plays and musicals that run in Ohio for at least five weeks, with at least six performances a week, would qualify. Off-Broadway adaptive versions would be eligible as well. Only New York, Chicago and New Hampshire provide tax benefits to Broadway productions.

The theater incentive could be a boon for Cleveland, home to one of the country’s largest theater districts, second only to New York.

Comments

Everything we know about ‘Superman’ filming in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio

The iconic Daily Planet globe on set in Cleveland, Ohio >> Superman , under the guise of Genesis , was among the films awarded 2024 film tax incentives by the Ohio Department of Development. The Warner Bros. movie was one of 23 film, television, and theater projects awarded incentives through the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program. Superman, formally titled Superman: Legacy , kicks off writer/director James Gunn’s DC Universe . Here’s everything we know about the production. Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, caricatured by Shuster Superman will film on location in Cleveland and Cincinnati Superman will film in Cleveland and Cincinnati, according to OhioData . On-location work in Cleveland is expected to start June 17 and last through July 16, according to an April 23 casting call from Angela Boehm Casting. Neither Warner Bros. , the Greater Cleveland Film Commission (GCFC), nor Film Cincinnati have issued an official announcement regarding the movie. Howe

Home, Sweetest Day, Home: On location in Warren, Ohio, with 'Sweetest Day'

Nate Boyer as the Sheriff, preparing for a scene in 'Sweetest Day' On a cold night in November 2023, I find myself in Warren, Ohio, about an hour east of Cleveland. It’s quiet in the small town, save for a handful of filmmakers carrying equipment and thumbing through scripts as they hurry from their Best Western basecamp to the rustic diner around the corner, The Saratoga . There, fellow crew members are crowding around a booth near the cash register, adjusting lights, checking sound, and peering at monitors to make sure the scene they’re about to film is framed just right. Seated on one side is actor Nate Boyer , dressed as a sheriff. Across from him sits actress Morgana Shaw , easing into her character. When the camera rolls, Shaw’s character lays into the Sheriff, warning him of dire things to come this Sweetest Day , if he doesn’t take things seriously. It’s a pivotal scene that plays out before a handful of curious diners, likely unaware they’d be treated to a show this e

Two Disney films - 'Ella McCay,' 'Eenie Meanie' - and M. Night Shyamalan feature ‘Trap’ among Ohio Film Credit award recipients

Samara Weaving will star in 'Eenie Meanie,' shooting in Cleveland > > > Two Disney films, Ella McCa y and Eenie Meanie , and M. Night Shyamalan’s next feature film, Trap , were among eight recipients of Ohio’s Motion Picture Tax Credit program, announced at the end of July. Projects selected by Ohio’s Motion Picture Tax Credit program receive a refundable tax credit of 30% on production cast and crew wages, as well as other in-state expenditures. The eligibility criteria encompass a wide spectrum of creative endeavors, including feature-length films, documentaries, pre-Broadway productions, miniseries, video games, and music videos. Four other projects, encompassing an array of genres and narratives, were awarded production tax credits, as well. The program’s goal is to act as a powerful catalyst, encouraging both in-state and out-of-state filmmakers to choose Ohio as the canvas for their artistic endeavors. All eight awardees include: Samara Weaving in 'Ready or

Midwest Movie Maker

Search This Blog