MA Film Industry News Archive (recent stories on top)
Panel gives thumbs down to cutting film tax credit
Boston Herald, March 12, 2010
A legislative panel yesterday all but killed a proposal to roll back the state’s film tax credits to 2006 levels and restore a $7 million-per-film cap. The Joint Committee on Revenue voted to give Rep. Steven D’Amico’s bill a recommendation of “ought not to pass.”[...]
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Bid to ax tax break for films rejected
Boston Globe, March 12, 2010
A legislative committee yesterday unanimously rejected a bill that would have sharply curtailed the state’s tax credit for the film industry, saying the legislation would hurt a thriving industry that is one of the few bright spots in a dour Massachusetts economy.[...]
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Panel rejects film tax credit reduction
Boston Herald, March 11, 2010
Legislation scaling back the state’s tax sweeteners for the film industry received a unanimous thumbs-down today from the Revenue Committee. Joe Maiella, president of the Mass. Production Coalition, applauded the vote saying, “The film industry is outperforming virtually every other sector of the Massachusetts economy during the worst economic recession in living memory. This kind of performance should be protected, not damaged.”
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Op Ed: Film tax credit should stay
Salem News, March 10, 2010
Why cut one of the most successful economic incentive programs we have? People are working, new jobs are being created and existing industries are being bolstered by this program.[...]
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WCVB-TV 5 Survey: 77% Favor Film Tax Credit
WCVB-TV5, March 6, 2010
WCVB-TV 5 and the BostonChannel.com conducted and online survey between March 4th and 8th. Of the more than 5,000 respondents, 77% registered their support of the Massachusetts film tax credit.[...]
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The man behind the camera on SHUTTER ISLAND
American Cinematographer, March 2010
Robert Richardson, ASC delves into darkness for Martin Scorcese's "Shutter Island" which follows a federal investigation into a sinister psychiatric facility.[...]
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Editorial: Tax Credits For Hollywood
WCVB-TV, March 4, 2010
In the last four years, 38 major motion pictures have been shot in the Bay State, including the Scorsese-DiCaprio "Shutter Island" that's currently a box office hit. The main reason for the surge in production is a 25 percent film tax credit that went into effect in 2006. It's generated a billion dollars in economic activity and added jobs in a down economy. For that reason, we believe the credit deserves to stay uncapped.
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Essex official testifies to keep state film credits
Gloucester Times, March 4, 2010
They came to the Statehouse not to shoot a movie, but to try to save tax credits in Massachusetts. Among those testifying against the bill was Essex Selectman Ray Randall. "It is likely, if we were to calculate it, that hundreds of thousands of dollars were brought into the town of Essex because of the spending on the movie 'Grown Ups' last summer," Randall said.[...]
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The Massachusetts film industry finds its voice
WickedLocal.com, March 4, 2010
Supporters swarmed the State House on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to oppose a bill sponsored by Rep. Steve D’Amico to cap the film tax credit. The industry is showing itself to be a bigger force than it was in 2005, when lawmakers first adopted the credits. That’s because the credits are working, and there are plenty of local companies that have been adding many year-round jobs during the worst depths of the recession. D’Amico once told me he hoped that the movie studios that are proposed for Massachusetts would never get built. His reasoning is that such large complexes would create a critical mass of permanent film industry workers in the state, making it politically impossible to take the tax credits away. State lawmakers are finding out that the critical mass is already here. The leaders on Beacon Hill will now need to decide if they want to chase it away.
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Tom Hanks brings ‘The Pacific’ to Boston shores
Boston Herald, March 4, 2010
Hollywood history buff Tom Hanks made a Splash at the JFK Library last night at a screening of his latest World War II epic titled “The Pacific.”
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ECONOMIC STRAITS PLAY SUPPORTING ROLE FOR FILM TAX CREDIT ARGUMENTS
State House News Service, March 3. 2010
The crowd of more than 300 in the capitol’s largest hearing venue was overwhelmingly in favor of the current tax credits.[...]
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Hollywood big ‘Fighter’ for tax breaks
Boston Herald, March 2, 2010
“You can’t opt in and then out of offering film tax credits,” said producer David Hoberman (“The Fighter” and “The Proposal”) referring to Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan to cap the film tax credit at $50 million - down from around $125 million. “If you’re going to stay in the business of making movies, then stay in the business,” said the man behind Disney’s Mandeville Films, who was at Suffolk University yesterday leading a screenwriting workshop for 50 undergrads. “You need to develop infrastructure and talent. It takes time for people to feel secure enough to stay in Massachusetts if they know there’s going to be work,” he said.[...]
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Scorsese’s ‘Shutter Island’ is top film at box office…AGAIN!
Reuters, February 28, 2010
Martin Scorsese's suspense thriller, "Shutter Island," led the North American box office for a second consecutive weekend on Sunday, fending off strong debuts from the comedy "Cop Out" and horror remake "The Crazies." Leonardo DiCaprio, who has collaborated previously with Scorsese, stars in the picture as a federal marshal stranded at a prison hospital for the criminally insane off the coast of Massachusetts in 1954.[...]
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WEIGHING THE VALUE OF BAY STATE’S FILM TAX CREDIT
Boston Globe, February 28, 2010
If Professors Fitzgerald and Enrich stepped out of their offices at Northeastern University and sauntered to where wage earners are struggling to meet mortgage payments, they might reassess the value of “transient’’ jobs. In Dorchester and South Boston during the summer production season, on the set of the “The Zookeeper,’’ just one of the movies then in production, they would have seen many employees who were happy with their transient union jobs. At the Franklin Park Zoo set, where I worked, there were more than 100 employees for a number of months. They included carpenters, plasterers, painters, greenspersons, Teamsters, dressers, electricians, and laborers, many who had been laid off from other industries.[...]
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Everything you always wanted to know about the Massachusetts film tax credit
MFO News, February 27, 2010
Our film tax credit law, a bi-partisan initiative, was originally signed by Governor Mitt Romney in 2005 and then significantly upgraded by Governor Deval Patrick in 2007. Though not nearly the most lucrative of credits available to filmmakers at 25% (Connecticut is 30%, Michigan is 40% and Canada is more than 50%), Massachusetts still manages to compete very successfully with those and other locations.[...]
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FILM TAX CREDITS DEFENDED AS REVENUE GENERATORS
State House News Service, February 25, 2010
Joe Maiella, president of the Massachusetts Production Coalition, an unexpected attendee at a State House briefing held by critics of film industry tax breaks, took on the leading opponent, Rep. Steve D’Amico, challenging his facts and offering his version of “what’s true” about film production credits.[...]
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MFO SALUTES “SHUTTER ISLAND”
MFO News, February 25, 2010
The MFO salutes SHUTTER ISLAND, the sixth Massachusetts-made movie since 2007 to win VARIETY's box office title as the NUMBER ONE MOVIE IN AMERICA.[...]
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Matt Damon in Camelot
Boston Herald, February 25, 2010
Word outta Tinseltown is that the Cambridge homey will star as Robert F. Kennedy in a biopic about the slain senator.[...]
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Production designer behind ‘Shutter’
Variety, February 23, 2010
The Dennis Lehane novel on which "Shutter Island" is based takes place in Massachusetts, and the film was shot almost entirely in the Bay State. "We looked at Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island -- searching for incentives so we would get a bang for the buck," says location manager Robin Citrin. "Massachusetts had good ones, plus a lot of abandoned mental hospitals, some of them with incredible architecture."[...]
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The Scenic Route: Harvard filmmaking flourishes despite industry troubles
Harvard Crimson, February 23, 2010
This film presence can offer a myriad of options to VES graduates like Horovitz who decide to remain in the area. Upon graduating, Horovitz became the first Teaching Fellow of VES 50: Fundamentals of Filmmaking. But due to the Massachusetts Film Tax Credit luring major studios to shoot in Boston, he also has had the opportunity to work on commercial film. “It’s great,” said Horowitz. “I’ve TA-ed here, and on Fridays I’ll PA [work as a Production Assistant] on a hundred-million-dollar movie.”[...]
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‘Shutter Island’ on top
Associated Press, February 22, 2010
Massachusetts-made SHUTTER ISLAND is the number one movie in America.[...]
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Editorial: Tax credit for films should be preserved
Newburyport Daily News, February 22, 2010
The growth of the film industry here ought to prompt a wider discussion about general tax policy. It is the film industry that is in focus right now. But it is actually about every industry. It is the private sector that creates the jobs that produce the tax revenue that is the lifeblood of government. If government keeps raising the price of doing business here, it will ultimately collect less and less.[...]
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DeLeo: Film industry tax credit sensible for tough times
Lynn Daily Item, February 22, 2010
It’s nice to spot Leonardo DiCaprio in Nahant or Bruce Willis in Lynn, but Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo said business is the biggest reason to bring Hollywood to the Bay State. His view is underscored by a recent University of Massachusetts study concluding the state’s efforts to lure Hollywood stars has transformed Massachusetts into one of the nation’s fastest-growing locations for film and television production with a 117 percent growth in motion picture and video production jobs in the state between 2005 and 2008.[...]
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MPC rebuts op-ed by Fitzgerald & Enrich
Massachusetts Production Coalition, February 20, 2010
Oddly, Professor Enrich makes no reference to UMass’ recently published, independent, 18 month study on the local economic impact of the MA film industry since 2006. According to that study, nearly 7,000 jobs were created in 2008 alone. Even if you attribute only 75% of those jobs to the credit, the cost-per-job is just $18,000. The professor was correct about one thing, film jobs pay an average annual salary of $68,000. Hardly a “losing bargain.”
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Editorial: Film tax credit boosts state economy
Salem News, February 19, 2010
Just in the past couple of years, the local area has hosted several movie projects. Scenes from "Bride Wars," starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson, were filmed in Salem. Parts of "The Proposal," starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds and Betty White, were filmed in Beverly and Manchester. "The Company Men," starring Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner and Tommy Lee Jones, features scenes shot in Marblehead. Capping the film tax credit isn't so much about making those in the film industry angry. It's about a short-term gain that will very likely create a long-term loss.[...]
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Editorial: State should keep film industry tax credits in place
Gloucester Daily Times, February 19, 2010
This incentive is not just about actors, directors, producers or studio owners who benefit from the program. It's about local businesses and workers, some in sectors that have been particularly hard hit by the recession, such as construction and transportation. Jobs and private-sector economic activity are what produce the long-term, sustainable tax revenue that the state desperately needs. So while Essex reaped $150,000 as a town from "Grown Ups" using Centennial Grove, it's more notable that the summer-long film work injected an estimated $1 million or more into the Essex private-sector economy. It would be foolish, not to mention expensive, to drive that activity to other states.
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Editorial: Film tax credit boosts state’s economy
Lawrence Eagle Tribune, February 18, 2010
A new study from the University of Massachusetts at Boston confirms what local residents have been noticing in recent years: The state is one of the fastest-growing locations for film and television production. So the worst thing government could do is discourage that growth.[...]
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Weymouth officials write script for movie tax credit
WickedLocal.com, February 18, 2010
Local officials fear that Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposal to scale back a tax credit for movie producers to make films in Massachusetts would set back plans for the construction of a $300 million motion picture studio complex at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.[...]
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Massachusetts movies fill up Rolling Stone’s review section this week
WickedLocal.com, February 17, 2010
Here’s a Massachusetts movie sweep that’s probably the first of its kind: I picked up this week’s Rolling Stone (the one with a heavily-tattooed Lil Wayne on the cover), and all of the movie reviews inside were of Massachusetts-set films.[...]
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Rep. deMacedo opposes plan to cap film tax incentives
WickedLocal.com, February 17, 2010
“Just two years ago, the governor expanded the movie tax credit,” deMacedo said. “It’s the inconsistency in tax policy that is most frustrating to business. It sends a terrible message to any industry that we offer tax incentives to.” A UMass Boston study released last week confirms that Massachusetts has one of the fastest growing film industries in the nation. The study notes that jobs in the film industry have increased from 536 in 2006 to 1,807 in 2008.[...]
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Robert DeLeo: Film tax credit plays role in job growth
Boston Herald, February 17, 2010
Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo said it may not be the right time to edit the film-industry tax credit. “I’m very concerned that we’re sending mixed signals to businesses,” he said. “We are talking about increasing jobs, and here we have a credit that puts our residents to work.” DeLeo said lots of folks would be unemployed if it weren’t for the tax break. " I will tell you that the film tax credit is a good investment,” he said.
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Study cites film gains amid tax-break battle
Gloucester Times, February 16, 2010
Massachusetts ranks high among the fastest-growing locations, according to a new study from the University of Massachusetts Boston.[...]
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Editorial: Film tax credit boosts state, shouldn’t be subject to cap
Boston Globe, February 14, 2010
A whopping 38 major films have been shot in Massachusetts, compared to 10 in first seven years of the decade. There should be no question about the value of the film industry to Massachusetts. Among the millions of international moviegoers watching Boston-based films are people looking to locate their businesses, plan major conventions, and book vacations. The people of the Bay State are justly proud of their image. The film credit conveys that image to the world. It gives Boston, in particular, the world-class status it needs and deserves. The film credit has been a success and deserves to continue without a cap. It is plainly worth the money.
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Does the film industry benefit our state?
MFO News, February 13, 2010
In 2010, the University of Massachusetts published the most comprehensive study yet, on the local economic impact of the film industry in the Commonwealth. Here is a representative sample of some editorial commentary on that report, its findings and the industry.[...]
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Hollywood Gives Its Heart to Massachusetts
i-newswire, February 12, 2010
Some lucky youth from The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester and Alternative Learning Program of Harwich High School, will be participating in the movie-making experience with Hollywood HEART, a Los Angeles, CA-based nonprofit organization that serves at-risk youth. The Dorchester Movie Team project will run February 16-19, 2010 at the Paul R. McLaughlin Youth Center and the Cape Cod Movie Team project will run February 22-26, 2010 at the Cape Cod Cultural Center in South Yarmouth.[...]
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Film-industry backers say study shows folly of slashing tax credit
Lowell Sun, February 12, 2010
Since the Legislature adopted a film tax credit in 2005, employment in the film industry has risen 33 percent, from 4,530 jobs to 6,048. That is the largest percentage growth of any state during that time period, according to the study. Deb Belanger, executive director of the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, estimates that Gervais' movie generated $2 million in revenue for Lowell from hotel stays, supplies and food, and local jobs for hairdressers and extras. The city also benefited because the film paid for police details and parking permits.[...]
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Study says films bring jobs, money
MetroWest Daily News, February 12, 2010
The tax credits have drawn a steady stream of film projects to Boston, with some scenes being shot is suburban communities like Sudbury, Southborough, Hopedale and Waltham in recent years. "The filmmakers gave the town $30,000 for being in town for a week. That's not bad," said Southborough selectmen Chairman Sal Giorlandino. In May 2009, Columbia Pictures filmed portions of "Grown Ups," an Adam Sandler film, at a church in Southborough. The shooting lasted six days and the church was paid over $25,000, in addition to the money paid to the town.[...]
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Editorial: Hub’s box office gold
Boston Herald, February 12, 2010
Any way you slice it the effort to boost film production in Massachusetts has been a win for businesses and taxpayers. Critics who question the value of the state’s film tax incentives really ought to read a new study out of UMass-Boston which finds that the Bay State is one of the fastest growing locations for film and TV production in the country. And all of that activity during this recent period of economic decline has meant one thing: Jobs. Now is not the time to walk away.
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Mass. film industry pushes back on proposed cuts
Associated Press, February 11, 2010
The University of Massachusetts study released Thursday found a 117 percent growth in motion picture and video production jobs in the state between 2005 and 2008. Post-production jobs jumped 126 percent. Those new jobs have helped fill an employment gap at a time when the state's jobless numbers climbed steadily.[...]
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STUDY: BAY STATE GROWING AS FILM INDUSTRY LOCATION, ADDING CONSTRUCTION JOBS
State House News Service, February 11, 2010
Massachusetts ranks high among the fastest growing locations, according to a UMass-Boston study released Thursday. “There is also evidence that some of this job growth has helped to offset job losses in particularly hard hit trades like construction and transportation, as workers from these sectors have found work in film and television production.” the report said.
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Study: Massachusetts movie biz generates jobs, boosts local companies.
Boston Herald, February 11, 2010
The new report suggests that making movies in Massachusetts is a significant boon for local businesses. Even cities, towns and zoos are getting in on the act. When “The Zookeeper” with Kevin James was filmed in the Franklin Park Zoo last year, the production company reportedly gave an undisclosed sum of money to the struggling zoo and an additional $20,000 to the city.[...]
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Film projection
Boston Globe, February 11, 2010
Massachusetts has become one of the nation’s fastest-growing locations for film and television production since 2005, with employment in the industry jumping about 30 percent, according to the UMass study, which estimated that the film industry in 2008 created about $1 billion in economic activity in Massachusetts, as every dollar spent directly generated nearly another dollar in activity.[...]
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MPC lauds UMass report on film industry
Massachusetts Production Coalition, February 11, 2010
The Massachusetts Production Coalition (MPC) today lauded a new report by the University of Massachusetts Boston that finds that the film and television industry is not only growing in Massachusetts, but is having a positive effect on the Commonwealth’s economy, creating jobs during the economic downturn.[...]
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UMASS: Film industry boosts local jobs and businesses
University of Massachusetts, February 11, 2010
A study released today by the University of Massachusetts Boston tracking the growth of the state’s film industry finds that Massachusetts is among the fastest growing locations for film and television production in the United States, experiencing greater growth than some states with more generous tax credit programs. The study also finds that the film industry has created new jobs, while the state and national job base is shrinking, and that it provides new career paths for graduates in this college-rich state.[...]
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Patrick Yells ‘Cut’ To Successful State Film Credits Programs
Banker and Tradesman, February 7, 2010
The Bay State is poised to finally hit the big-time, from a potential Boston-based TV series to budding plans for a studio complex in South Boston. In an era where state and federal governments are desperately shelling out cash to create jobs, one pothole at a time, this relatively low-cost industry incentive looks like a bargain. In fact, it’s a whole lot more justifiable than many. The film tax credit was meant to bring in spending and jobs. On that front, it has succeeded admirably. Spending by film productions in the state soared from $71 million in 2006 to nearly $400 million in 2009. That’s a huge infusion into the local economy over four years, and does not count hundreds of millions in additional indirect spending as well. Over the same period, these productions have also created thousands of jobs. [...]
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Tax-credit cap new studio hurdle
Boston Globe, February 7, 2010
According to the Massachusetts Production Coalition, that tax incentive has helped to generate more than $1 billion in new economic activity. People connected to the film industry say they fear the proposed cap on credits would affect decisions by West Coast producers to work in Massachusetts - and discourage potential investors from the Plymouth studio project.[...]
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Scorsese, DiCaprio and Lehane navigate ‘Shutter Island’s’ rocky shoals
Los Angeles Times, February 7, 2010
"Shutter Island" takes place off the coast of Massachusetts in the 1950s, in and around a hospital for the criminally insane run by an eccentric and possibly dangerous doctor (Ben Kingsley). Shot mostly in and around Boston Harbor, including Peddocks Island) may most closely resemble Scorsese's 1991 "Cape Fear" remake. [...]
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New Mexico Governor slams cap on film credits
New Mexico Independent, February 4, 2010
Needless to say, the governor is not in favor of the film credit cap, writing, "Fewer productions coming here means fewer jobs, less money spent at New Mexico businesses, and less revenue for the state during economic conditions when we can least afford it.”[...]
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Anne Hathaway makes a tasty Hasty gal
Boston Herald, January 29, 2010
Hollywood honey Anne Hathaway took her hazing by Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatrical troupe yesterday with humor, some bad poetry and a great set of pipes![...]
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Anne Hathaway riding high at Harvard
Boston Globe, January 29, 2010
A snowy motorcade through Harvard Square. A bawdy drag queen show. A brass pot to put on the mantel. It all added up to one memorable afternoon for actress Anne Hathaway as she received the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 60th Woman of the Year. In time-honored Pudding tradition, Hathaway, 27, was brought onstage at Harvard’s New College theater for a 30-minute roast hosted by Pudding pooh-bahs Clifford Murray and Derek Mueller.[...]
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Governor’s budget could jeopardize the local film industry
WickedLocal.com, January 28, 2010
A Department of Revenue report that was released last year on this issue has been widely mischaracterized as a scathing assessment of the tax credit. In fact, that report shows that the credit has been a success, conservatively sparking more than $300 million in direct economic activity in Massachusetts in just its first three years (that’s excluding the salaries for out-of-state actors and other crew members).[...]
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Film biz blasts move to cut tax break
Boston Herald, January 28, 2010
The Bay State film industry is giving a thumbs down to Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan to slash the tax credit that helped create more than $1 billion in economic activity. “The film tax credit costs only one dime for every $1 it creates in jobs and economic growth,” said Mary Fifield, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Production Coalition, a group of companies that make films in the region.[...]
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Film Tax Credit: Fact vs Fiction
Massachusetts Production Coalition, January 27, 2010
The Massachusetts Production Coalition answers critics of the film tax credit.[...]
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Newton Fashionistas Wow Esquire
Esquire, January 22, 2010
Newton natives Eli Roth and John Krasinski impressed Esquire's fashion police on the Red Carpet at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards.[...]
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10 Best Cities To Live, Work & Make Movies in 2010
MovieMaker Magazine, January 21, 2010
For the past decade, MovieMaker’s editors have paid careful attention to location trends. From recent financial incentives to new soundstages, we have tracked these developments. Here, then, is MM’s 10th annual ranking of the country’s best cities in which to be an independent moviemaker: Albuquerque, NM; Los Angeles, CA; Shreveport, LA; New York, NY; Austin, TX; Stamford, CT; Boston, MA
; Detroit, MI; Philadelphia, PA; Seattle, WA
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Filled with glee
Boston Globe, January 20, 2010
The Globe caught up with Newton-bred “Glee’’ creator Brad Falchuk on the West Coast the other day, shortly after he picked up the Golden Globe for best comedy or musical series. “To be totally honest with you, you don’t think you care until you get there and then it’s like, I kind of care, I kind of want to win.’’ [...]
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Hogwarts on the Charles!
Museum of Science, January 19, 2010
Harry Potter comes to the Museum of Science! Exhibition departs on February 21st.[...]
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Tax Incentives: Commonwealth to spend $1.7B on luring, retaining businesses
Worcester Business Journal, January 18, 2010
Industries, individual firms, neighborhoods and low income residents are benefitting from the state’s tax incentive programs. And in some cases, the state benefits as well. Both State Senator Ben Downing and Boston Fed policy analyst Jennifer Weiner point to the film tax credit as a success. “A strong argument can be made that were it not for that credit, none of those movies would have been filmed here,” Downing said. Those movies include “Gone Baby Gone” as well as films such as Bruce Willis’ “The Surrogates,” which filmed in part in Worcester. And Weiner noted that states like Connecticut and Michigan have jumped into the film tax credit pool, as well. Michigan’s film credit is even more generous than Massachusetts’, she said.[...]
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Officials say film incentives are working for Bay State
Boston Business Journal, January 15, 2010
According to the DOR report, between 2006 and 2009, direct new spending in the state as a result of movie production topped an estimated $1 billion and led to more than 3,000 new direct and indirect jobs.[...]
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Oscar-nominated actress Anne Hathaway named Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year
Associated Press, January 14, 2010
Oscar-nominated actress Anne Hathaway can add another honor to her list: a Hasty Pudding award.
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‘American Idol’ Boston Premiere Opens To Huge Ratings
Access Hollywood, January 13, 2010
The ninth season of “American Idol,” the final of the series’ star judge Simon Cowell, debuted last night on FOX to boffo ratings. The show opened its first half hour of its Boston auditions with Victoria Beckham serving as a guest judge for the departed Paula Abdul with 26 million viewers and grew through the 9 PM half-hour. It peaked at 9 PM with 32 million viewers. [...]
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Massachusetts-made movies and their release dates for 2009 and 2010
MFO NEWS, December 31, 2009
Here is a list of movies that have been made in Massachusetts since 2007, along with their 2009-2010 release dates. [...]
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CONGRATULATIONS BUBS!
MFO News, December 22, 2009
THE BEELZEBUBS of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts were edged out last night by Puerto Rico’s NOTA for NBC’s Sing-Off Championship. While the BUBS didn’t take home the prize money ($100K) or the Sony Music recording contract, they won the hearts and votes of millions of new fans across America who chose them as one of the two best a cappella groups in the country. NBC’s The Sing-Off was Executive Produced by Newton filmmaker Sam Weisman.
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Oscar buzz for Cape-made flick
Boston Herald, December 20, 2009
“The Lightkeepers,” the made-on-Cape Cod flick about a pair of women-hating old salts, is a dark-horse candidate for Oscar bling. So says none other than the Hollywood Reporter, which declares that Cape director Dan Adams’ flick gives Richard Dreyfuss his “showiest lead performance since 1995’s ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus.’ ”[...]
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Hollywood is booming in Berkshires
Berkshire Eagle, December 20, 2009
For more than 30 years, Berkshire County has been a favored location for an impressive list of big-screen movies. Our Gilded Age mansions and bucolic scenery are likely to be even more attractive now that the state dangles tax-credit carrots and other incentives.[...]
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Hollywood glamor, at thrift store price
Boston Globe, December 19, 2009
Headed to the movies anytime soon? If the film was shot in Massachusetts, take a closer look at the armoire in that one bedroom scene or maybe the desk in the main character’s office. Either may soon appear at a neighborhood Goodwill - a bit of Hollywood glam for a thrift store price.[...]
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Editorial: Waffling hurts state’s ability to woo employers
Patriot Ledger, December 19, 2009
As long as the tax incentives debate continues--If the state isn’t careful--whether it’s Plymouth or the group planning to come to SouthField in Weymouth, Massachusetts will seem like a less-than-reliable partner not only in the eyes of film executives but in the eyes of other industries, which are being wooed in hopes they will bring the jobs Massachusetts needs to thrive.
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Bullock nomination spurs interest in Rockport
Gloucester Times, December 19, 2009
"We had many visitors who came to Rockport this past season, at least in part, because of the movie," said Rockport Chamber of Commerce manager Peter Webber. "Several visitors with whom I spoke at the information booth mentioned seeing Sandra Bullock on either the (David) Letterman Show or Regis (Philbin) and Kelly (Ripa) speak in glowing terms about Rockport and with her experience here while filming the movie."
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Two Golden Globe nominees have Mass appeal
MFO News, December 17, 2009
Bay State entries at the 2009 Golden Globes: Matt Damon & Sandra Bullock.[...]
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Star crazy
Boston Sunday Globe Magazine, December 13, 2009
Take a lesson, people, and toughen up. If we want Hollywood to respect us in the morning, we need to treat the movie biz with casual disdain, just like the folks in LA.[...]
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COMPANY MEN premieres at Coolidge in January
Boston Herald, December 11, 2009
The Sundance Film Festival takes its show on the road.[...]
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Domestic box office up 8% in 2009
Variety, December 1, 2009
Domestic ticket sales are up a healthy 8% over 2008, with the box office only days away from eclipsing 2008's record-breaking haul of $9.64 billion in ticket sales.[...]
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Damon to shoot in Massachusetts again?
Boston Herald, November 23, 2009
Matt Damon wishes he could work in Boston again. Ben Affleck has just made two back-to-back flicks in Boston: “The Company Men” with Kevin Costner and Tommy Lee Jones and “The Town” with Jon Hamm and Blake Lively, which he is directing and taking the lead role. “I’m very jealous and I’m planning my countermeasures as we speak,” Damon declared, adding that the Massachusetts tax incentives that have lured lots of big-budget flicks to the Bay State will help make his countermeasures a reality. "You ask the Teamsters in New York and that’s what they tell you, everything’s happening in Boston.” Damon said he believes the incentives are a no-brainer for the state. “The movie business is a light-footprint industry,” he said. “It doesn’t pollute. We don’t knock down trees. We just turn on our cameras and leave behind piles of cash.”[...]
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Hollywood casts wide shadow on Bay State
Boston Herald, November 22, 2009
“It’s an explosion of work and the future is incredibly bright,” said Dona Sommers, executive director of the New England office of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild, which manages more than 2,500 union actors within the region. Local movie studio development may be struggling, but for those in the casting business, the story of film in Beantown remains a feel-good blockbuster. “The local acting community has never had so many opportunities for work before, and I can only see that growing with every passing year,” said Sommers.[...]
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Editorial: State was wise to avoid Hollywood dream in Plymouth
Boston Globe, November 22, 2009
The backers of Plymouth Rock sincerely want to build a studio in Massachusetts. And in a better economy, they might have an easier time lining up investors. But while proponents of the studio deserve credit for their imagination, they should build their dream with private money. [...]
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Tom Cruise thanks Hub for royal treatment
Boston Herald, November 21, 2009
“Knight & Day” leading man Tom Cruise took to his Web page yesterday to thank the “wonderful people of Boston” for rolling out the red carpet for his cast and crew. “My family and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your warmth and hospitality during our incredible stay here,” wrote Cruise, who began filming “Knight & Day” (then called ‘Wichita’) with Cameron Diaz on Sept. 15 in Worcester. “We absolutely love Boston and will treasure our memories of the Freedom Trail, the Duck Tours, the museums, restaurants, and gorgeous parks. It was an autumn to remember!”[...]
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Melrose staffers shine at cutting-edge TV production biz
WickedLocal.com, November 19, 2009
Now in its 15th year, Powderhouse Productions, located in Somerville’s Davis Square, develops and creates “dazzlingly original, award-winning factual and alternative entertainment for television and emerging media,” according to the company’s tagline, shown on cable channels such as PBS, TLC, Discovery, History, National Geographic and Animal Planet across the country and around the world.[...]
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Weymouth’s SouthField project still stuck on the runway
Quincy Patriot Ledger, November 16, 2009
State Rep. Ronald Mariano said the current situation is regrettable, but he’s optimistic. “Tri-Town is doing as well now as it’s ever done,” the Quincy Democrat said. “Have we had missteps and setbacks? Absolutely. It was trial-and-error for a while there. But I think we’re on the right track."[...]
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A grand studio dream runs headlong into reality
Boston Globe, November 15, 2009
“It’s certainly a bump in the road,’’ said David Kirkpatrick about the Prosperity debacle. And then Kirkpatrick returned his attention to the most critical remaining task. He’s trying once again to find the money to build his studio. “We’re going to try to persist and drive through this,’’ he said. “We do have some alternatives that we’re looking at right now. And we are hopeful and optimistic that those might emerge.’’[...]
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Editorial: Find a new script
Boston Herald, November 14, 2009
It’s a pity the developers of a major film soundstage project planned for Plymouth have lost their financing, just as the commonwealth’s profile as a go-to state for movie productions is on the rise. But neither the developers nor their supporters on Beacon Hill ought to get any ideas about taxpayers stepping into the breach. This project has terrific potential and we wish the developers well in putting a deal together. But by heavily subsidizing film production costs, the taxpayers are already doing their fair share.[...]
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Ads reap tax credit benefits, too
METRO - Boston, November 12, 2009
"You’d be amazed at the number of people who are involved in the production of a 30 second commercial. We hire dozens of people, and there are also the local services that we purchase, such as transportation and supplies. Not to mention all the restaurants, hotels, and tourist destinations that get extra business." said Jim Bacharach of John Hancock. "I think that looking ahead we will always think of Massachusetts first for shooting our commercials.
"[...]
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SENATE PREZ CALLS STUDIO TROUBLES ‘DISAPPOINTING,’ REITERATES SUPPORT
State House News Service, November 12, 2009
“Like any development project, it is a difficult process,” Murray said. “And it is up to the studio now to go out and find other financing. With the possibility of the economy improving, and the project’s ability to generate short-term and long-term jobs, the community remains hopeful that there are other lenders who will see the great value of this project.”[...]
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‘Hollywood East’ nixes loan deal
Boston Herald, November 12, 2009
“It definitely slows the project down a bit,” said Kevin O’Reilly, a spokesman for the project. “One of the good things is that the principals have been talking to other lenders and they’re hoping that something will materialize.”[...]
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Plymouth studios project on hold
Boston Globe, November 11, 2009
The studio said it is now attempting to arrange alternate funding and suggested that the improving economy might enable them to make a better deal. “With the current economic indicators showing improvement, our decision is in the long-term interest of the project, our shareholders, our strategic partners, and our many other constituents, including the town of Plymouth and the Commonwealth,’’ [...]
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Film studio executives making progress
The Boston Globe, October 31, 2009
State Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles notified Plymouth Rock officials yesterday that their exhaustive Environmental Impact Report for the studio project - a required permitting step - has been approved. Bowles also noted “the studio would represent a major step forward for the growing film industry in Massachusetts,’’ and added “the project has the potential to create a major economic engine for the southeast region,’’ generating more than 3,000 jobs.[...]
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Gov. Deval Patrick won’t cut films’ tax credit
Boston Herald, October 28, 2009
Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Bob Deleo also signaled strong support for the film tax credit. Murray, speaking at Patrick’s economic summit yesterday in downtown Boston, said the credit has brought scores of movie productions to Massachusetts over the past few years - and it’s on the verge of paying huge dividends if new studios are built here.[...]
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He’s set on Boston
Boston Globe, October 28, 2009
Producer Todd Garner said big-budget movies are undoubtedly good for the local economy. “A lot of people come in and there’s work on a lot of different levels, from hotels and restaurants to dry cleaners to nanny services,’’ he said. [...]
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Essex still reaping benefits from filming of ‘Grown Ups’
Gloucester Daily Times, October 27, 2009
The production crew built two new basketball courts; the parking lot has been fixed up, and the local Field of Dreams has been reseeded. Beyond the $150,000 the town received, many local officials and business owners say the movie has pumped close to $1 million into the local economy during this recession. Antique stores, restaurants, local builders and saw mills all benefitted from having the production company's presence in town. Manchester Essex Little League was given $25,000; the Essex Musical Festival took in $6,000; and the Essex Youth Commission got a $3,000 donation. "It wasn't just the frosting on the cake," said local businessman Bob Coviello, "it was the cake."
[...]
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TRAFFIC UPDATES FOR CRUISE/DIAZ FILMING
MFO News, October 25, 2009
20th Century Fox is paying $199,000 in location fees to the Pike and Massport to cover the cost of closing the roads and paying staff and police details at the movie shoots, officials said. Massport collected another $145,000 to cover costs for filming at Hanscom Field, Worcester Regional Airport and at the Tobin Bridge maintenance garage in Chelsea."[...]
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City Council eyes Boston studio
Boston Herald, October 25, 2009
Councilors Stephen Murphy and Bill Linehan want the city to reap more benefits from the state’s growing movie industry business that’s so far generated an estimated $700 million in spending since state tax incentives took effect in 2006.[...]
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CGI Studio: Film Credit Change Could Generate Jobs
iBerkshires.com, October 23, 2009
The tax credits have been a rousing success, bringing in $3.6 million more in revenue than they cost and generating from $500 million to $900 million in ancillary revenue and thousands of jobs, according to the state Department of Revenue.[...]
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John Hancock signs its name to the state’s film industry tax credits
WickedLocal.com, October 15, 2009
Long time Boston institution John Hancock Insurance Co. recently decided to shoot its TV commercials here, partly because of the tax credit and partly because the company wants to support other local businesses, according to Jim Bacharach, vice president of brand communications and creative services.[...]
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House speaker: Jobs from gambling, movies are key to helping state
Quincy Patriot Ledger, October 14, 2009
The answer to the state’s budget woes is job creation according to House Speaker Robert DeLeo. He said the film tax credit is a “good investment” for the state. He recalled visiting a TV shoot at the State House earlier this year and learning that most workers on the film crew were from Massachusetts. When asked what else they would be doing, he said many told him they would otherwise be unemployed.[...]
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Film industry gives local businesses a boost
The Huntington News, October 8, 2009
Dave Talamas, owner of Talamas Broadcast Equipment Inc. in Newton, said his business has nearly quadrupled since the tax credit went into effect by supplying two-way radios, monitors, props, and other audio and visual equipment to films.
“We’ve become the go-to people for two-way radios,” Talamas said. “It’s also increased our business in general production because word gets around.”
[...]
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Brigham Road in Waltham the scene of Cameron Diaz movie
Waltham Daily News Tribune, October 7, 2009
Officer Joseph Guigno, who is also a neighbor, said the production is good for the neighborhood, the city, and the economy in general.
Crew members, who all hit up D’Angelo’s for lunch yesterday, have been using a lot of the local facilities and restaurants, he noted. Tom Keene, who lives across the street at 110 Main St., opined that the production would likely be good for future home sales as well. [...]
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Tom Cruises into lecture at Harvard Law
Boston Herald, October 7, 2009
Tom Cruise isn’t an attorney, but he’s played one on the big screen and the other day the Hollywood heavy was in Cambridge auditing a class at Harvard Law School!
[...]
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Editorial: Roll film
The Berkshire Eagle, October 6, 2009
According to the state Department of Revenue, productions of film, and also television, have tangible financial benefits. Since 2006, that production has generated $676 million in revenue, with another $200 million generated in spin-offs, such as the purchase of state goods and services by film crews. The report found that the state collected $3.6 million more in taxes than it paid out in tax credits to the industry, with that money paying immediate dividends because filmmakers must spend the money first before they can receive credits. Film production also generates publicity for a locale, a benefit that is difficult to measure in dollars and cents but is real nonetheless.[...]
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Support for film industry still strong on Beacon Hill
Quincy Patriot Ledger, October 5, 2009
Senate President Therese Murray has been a strong supporter of the industry and the program remains a popular one, with a recent poll showing that about two-thirds of Massachusetts residents support it.[...]
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Film panel names leader
The Berkshire Eagle, October 5, 2009
The Board of Directors of the Berkshire Film and Media Commission announced that they have appointed Diane Pearlman as its new executive director.[...]
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Surrogates Step by Step
Millimeter, September 25, 2009
Massachusetts effects company shares a SURROGATES secret. "They look human on the outside, but are mechanical underneath," says Synthespian Visual Effects Supervisor Jeff Kleiser. "Our goal was to get the audience to believe that these surrogates are actually robots and not just actors pretending to be robots."[...]
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Lining up for Ricky
Boston Globe, September 27, 2009
Rob Lowe, one of the stars of “The Invention of Lying,’’ which opens Friday, couldn’t say enough in favor of Gervais during the filming in Lowell. “Ricky has a distinct philosophy on how he wants to shoot. It’s quick, it’s short. He’s got some of the best people in the world who just knock the ball out of the park. No one’s out there finding their character or struggling.’’[...]
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Tax credit critic: Voters are “uninformed people”
Boston Herald, September 27, 2009
64 percent of Bay Staters think tax breaks for movie producers are good for the economy. But state Rep. Matthew Patrick isn’t a huge fan. “If this was a sampling of the public,” Patrick sniped. “it is based on opinions of uninformed people.”[...]
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Bridgewater watched lights, camera, and explosive action
Boston Globe, September 27, 2009
Anyone who was awake near dawn in Bridgewater yesterday may have noticed a boom, followed by a giant shooting fireball over one of the town’s cornfields. Not to worry. The dismantled 727 aircraft had not crashed or blown up, despite the 200-foot-tall mushroom cloud that rose above it.[...]
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Lights, camera, boom!
Boston Herald, September 27, 2009
Yesterday morning’s staged aircraft explosion in Bridgewater attracted its share of eager would-be spectators hoping for a show of Hollywood magic. By 5am, the few bystanders with star-powered stamina were jarred out of semiconsciousness with a glowing fireball and thunderclap followed by a mushroom cloud of smoke, all highly visible from a field off Summer Street. “Awesome,” said John Falvey, 39, of West Bridgewater, who had just gotten off work as a trucker. “I expected it to be more of a cheesy gasoline fireball. It was a legitimate explosion. Very intense.”
[...]
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Stoughton, Brockton businessmen go Hollywood
Brockton Enterprise, September 25, 2009
It isn't just a Bridgewater cornfield that's been transformed for the new movie starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. A garage in Chelsea, an elderly housing complex in Boston and a kiosk in Woburn have been made over as well, thanks to businessmen Michael Cohen of Stoughton and Steve Fishman of Brockton.[...]
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Studio project secures big loan
Boston Globe, September 25, 2009
A team of California film executives who came to Plymouth two years ago with a plan to build the first full-fledged production studio on the East Coast announced yesterday that they have secured a $550 million loan to begin construction on Plymouth Rock Studios later this year.[...]
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Studio scores $550M loan
Boston Herald, September 25, 2009
Plymouth Rock Studios reached a milestone yesterday with a $550 million construction loan for its proposed $1 billion film, television and digital studio campus in Plymouth.[...]
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Hollywood action to roll in Bridgewater cornfield
Boston Globe, September 25, 2009
Cranberry farmer Stan Kravitz, chairman of the Bridgewater Board of Selectmen, said he expects the town to take in as much as $150,000 in exchange for its participation, including $40,000 to compensate the Fire Department, additional payments for police details, and a donation to the town’s senior center, which was used as a base camp away from the set.[...]
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SUFFOLK POLL: Voters support film tax credit by wide margin
State House News Service, September 24, 2009
The STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE reported yesterday that Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approve of the film tax credit---which, since 2006, has resulted in a dramatic increase in film and television production in the state. The poll, conducted by Suffolk University, showed that 64% favored the film tax credit, 20% opposed it, and 16% were undecided.[...]
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Columbia casts trio in Facebook film
Variety, September 22, 2009
Columbia Pictures and director David Fincher have set the core cast for "The Social Network," a new film about the formation of Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg will play Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg; Justin Timberlake will play Sean Parker, the Napster co-founder who became Facebook's founding president; and Andrew Garfield will play Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder who fell out with Zuckerberg over money. Production will begin next month in Boston.[...]
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Tom Cruise-ing in the South End
Boston Herald, September 20, 2009
Hollywood hunk Tom Cruise gave Hub fans an unexpected treat yesterday by turning up in the South End to film scenes for his latest flick at Gaslight restaurant alongside A-list hottie Cameron Diaz.
[...]
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Movie is a boon for biz
Worcester Telegram & Gazette, September 19, 2009
When set designer Jay R. Hart walked into the Putnam Hallmark store in Webster Square Plaza last week, the store's marketing director--Daniel B. LeBlanc--learned first-hand that a big budget film can deliver a blockbuster economic spinoff for local businesses.
[...]
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Playhouse to reopen as theater for foreign films
Boston Globe, September 18, 2009
Forget the Sundance Channel. Those who love watching independent and foreign films on a big screen in a real movie house are going to have a new venue right in Boston’s Theatre District.[...]
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Brush with celebrity
Boston Globe, September 17, 2009
As the film industry booms in Massachusetts, it’s creating a ripple effect across many businesses. [...]
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SLIDESHOW: Are the tax credits working?
MFO News, September 11, 2009
A step by step analysis of the first four years of the Massachusetts film tax credit---contrasting the cost to the state vs. the benefit to the state's economy.[...]
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Cameron Diaz joins 9/11 remembrance at Mattapan school
Boston Herald, September 11, 2009
Hollywood honey Cameron Diaz surprised the Boston Celtics this morning when she turned up to get her hands dirty at the team’s beautifying project at the Young Achievers Pilot School in Mattapan.[...]
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South Shore region turning into Hollywood hotbed
Brockton Enterprise, September 5, 2009
Having famous people come to town is fun...and it’s good for business, too, according to the state Department of Revenue - which estimates that 13 movie projects filmed in 2008 resulted in $452 million in direct spending in Massachusetts.[...]
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Former resident to shoot film inside Next Page Cafe
WickedLocal.com, September 4, 2009
It will be lights, camera, and action in The Next Page when an independent filmmaker shoots “Minutes to Live, The Hitman,” inside the cafe on Saturday, Sept. 12. The movie theme centers on several groups of people who discover the end of the world is coming while meeting in common settings like a bar or restaurant.[...]
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Public safety on officials’ minds as movie makers come to Bridgewater
Brockton Enterprise, September 3, 2009
Local businesses will likely see a bump in sales because of the influx of 100 to 150 employees and 44 extras (plus spectators) in town for the filming.
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Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz to film movie in Bridgewater
WickedLocal.com, September 2, 2009
Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz will be shooting scenes from a Twentieth Century Fox movie in a cornfield off Curve Street in Bridgewater later this month. And some of the town’s police and firefighters will be tapped as extras in the film, which does not yet have a name, Twentieth Century Fox Assistant Location Manager Hyunsoo Moon said. “It’s exciting. It puts Bridgewater on the map,” Selectman Mike Demos said.
[...]
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Boston’s got game
Boston Globe, September 2, 2009
“Wheel of Fortune’’ has rolled into Boston this week to tape 15 shows. “Boston essentially gets free commercial time as a destination,’’ said James Rooney, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center, “That has huge value. The “Wheel’’ is also expected to give Boston’s economy a bump: The show is hiring 200 workers in Boston for security and police support for the production. Overall, city officials estimate that “Wheel of Fortune’’ will spend at least $1 million here directly this week, according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.[...]
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Movie to land at airport
Worcester Telegram & Gazette, September 2, 2009
The construction phase in Worcester employs about 80 people, said Larry Clark, a scenic painter for 20th Century Fox. The crews are building a bar, a Transportation Security Administration inspection area, a gift shop and a coffee shop.[...]
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Star rising on state’s film tax credit
Boston Business Journal, August 31, 2009
Revenue for Powderhouse, which has created TV series for cable channels including the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and TLC, is expected to nearly triple to $12 million this year, from $3.7 million in 2006. Its ranks have swelled to its current 60 people, up from 35 three years ago. And Powderhouse recently tripled its office space to 14,000 square feet.
[...]
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Boston site set for silver screen
Boston Herald, August 30, 2009
A Los Angeles company that represents high-rise owners interested in seeing their buildings on the big and small screens has set up shop in the Hub. Skyline Locations was lured by the growing Massachusetts film industry that’s sapped business from the West Coast thanks to the state’s new tax incentives that took effect three years ago. [...]
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Movie-making takes personal turn
Boston Herald, August 30, 2009
Al Ward of Award Productions Inc. has launched a new business venture, turning the camera on less-known but still important subjects. Reel Profiles will make personal documentaries for individuals or companies. [...]
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Movie industry boom shapes local dreams
Quincy Patriot Ledger, August 28, 2009
Moviemaking is a financial windfall to Massachusetts. Thanks to legislation signed into law in 2007, locally produced movie and television business is booming. According to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue at the end of fiscal year 2008 moviemakers spent $676 million. Direct employment of state residents in film production rose by 537 percent since 2006.[...]
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Lights, camera — city props supplier has that and more
New Bedford Standard-Times, August 26, 2009
When a character was electrocuted in a bathtub in a recent "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" episode, viewers probably weren't focused on the bathroom's sink, radiator or lights.
Still, background props can lend authenticity to a scene and, in this case, the items came from a New Bedford company.[...]
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Paramount to open ‘Shutter’ in 2010
Variety, August 21, 2009
Moviegoers won't be going to "Shutter Island" this fall, as Paramount has moved the Martin Scorsese-directed thriller, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, from Oct. 2nd 2009, to Feb. 19th 2010.[...]
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Powderhouse Productions explodes on to the scene
Somerville News, August 21, 2009
One of the most successful television production companies in the country was started, has grown and still remains in the city of Somerville. Powderhouse Productions, whose headquarters is located on Elm Street, is behind some of the most popular shows on TV.
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Local boy lands part in Grown Ups
WickedLocal.com, August 19, 2009
Dillingham said he and his son are happy to be able to do work they love and get paid for it. He shakes his head over recent news reports that some state legislators are questioning the 25 percent film tax credit program in Massachusetts. “It’s new money to the state,” he added. “This is new money and new revenue that we didn’t have before the incentive. The revenue is in excess of $600 million the state has gotten since the tax incentive went into effect.” Movie production boosts local economies as movie crews rent hotels, eat at restaurants and use local caterers and other businesses, Dillingham said, and that can only be a good thing for the state economy.
[...]
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Workers take action to launch film careers
The Boston Globe, August 19, 2009
Two proposed studios, tax incentives for in-state productions, and a booming film industry are combining to create more opportunities for local workers who can edit and help in post-production aspects of the film, television, and digital media industries. As a result, local businesses and schools such as Future Media Concepts and Powderhouse Productions in Somerville are expanding their facilities or programs to help folks fill those jobs.[...]
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Charting the Costs and Benefits of Film Tax Credits in Massachusetts
MFO News, August 18, 2009
A picture is worth a thousand words.[...]
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The fighter
The Boston Globe, August 18, 2009
A former heroin addict, Farrell has put his grim experiences to good use, directing an award-winning documentary, “High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell,’’ and writing a gritty new memoir. Farrell plays a small role in “The Fighter,’’ which stars Mark Wahlberg as boxer “Irish’’ Micky Ward and Christian Bale as Ward’s half-brother Dicky Eklund. Farrell is a character in the film because Eklund, a recovering addict and onetime boxer, was featured in Farrell’s documentary.[...]
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Film tax credit means business
Boston Business Journal, August 7, 2009
For evidence of the success of the program, one need only look to the most recent report from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. DOR calculated economic output generated by the film tax credit to be $870 million over just the first three years. And the cost to taxpayers for all that economic activity--as of the end of FY 2008? Zero. [...]
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When Hollywood Moved In
New York Times, July 30, 2009
The Hollywood producers who had converged on Diane and Gary Kaneb’s house on the north shore of Boston in snowy February were starting to panic. It was the beginning of April. They were three weeks from the start of filming for Sandra Bullock’s romantic comedy, “The Proposal.” They needed leaves. Lots of leaves....[...]
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Movie gives Lowell economy a fighting chance
Lowell Sun, July 19, 2009
Show business is big business for local companies. Restaurants, security firms, parking garages, rental outfits and hotels are just some reaping the benefits of Hollywood. "The money is well needed during this economy, with it being in a slump that is. It's keeping people employed right now," said Deb Belanger.
[...]
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Topsfield Fairgrounds playing host to ‘Furry’ cast and crew
Salem News, July 19, 2009
"It's great. They are very nice people," said James O'Brien, general manager of the Topsfield Fair. "It's nice to see the people have more jobs."
[...]
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Investor wants Mass. role in film funding
Boston Business Journal, July 17, 2009
Michael Bassick is attempting to raise a $100 million fund through his independent feature film investment firm MJB Ventures in Boston. The plan is to invest in films that will be shot in Boston, taking advantage of local talent — and the film tax credit.[...]
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Louisiana ups credits to 30%
Variety, July 16, 2009
To date in 2009, New Orleans has seen more than $100 million in direct economic impact. "These numbers speak powerfully for themselves," said Haley. "Our program works, it's reliable ... (and the) turnaround time is as soon as two to three months," he said. [...]
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State has actually doubled its investment in film industry tax credits
WickedLocal.com, July 9, 2009
A closer read of the report shows that the state has actually doubled its investment with these tax credits. What are we getting for that money? Actually, quite a lot. The tax credits helped create the equivalent of as many as 1,800 full-time jobs here in 2008, according to the DOR report, and we’ve seen at least eight feature films arrive with Massachusetts production budgets that exceed $30 million.
[...]
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Still the reel deal
Boston Herald, July 9, 2009
Production companies have to spend big in order to qualify for any credits - and over the last three years that has translated to a whopping $676 million, DOR estimates.[...]
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Hollywood or Needhamwood: local company produces ads for tv
Boston Globe, July 6, 2009
Viewpoint Creative, a locally-owned advertising agency, has been producing ads for channels like HBO and ABC in Needham for more than 20 years.[...]
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DOR: MOVIE SPENDING IN MA IS $676 MILLION
MFO News, July 6, 2009
When DOR’s “ripple effect” multiplier is factored in, the total economic output topped $870 million, which--as of the end of FY 2008--came at no cost to Massachusetts taxpayers.[...]
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Welcome to Hollywood East (aka Massachusetts)
Lowell Sun, July 6, 2009
Deb Belanger, executive director of the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the Ricky Gervais romantic comedy, The Invention of Lying, due out in September, alone generated $2 million worth of economic impact in the region last summer. This time around, the major motion picture The Fighter is set in the Mill City, bringing not only the stars but also a crew of hundreds to Lowell, working on the day-to-day operations. "I was talking to the producers and they expect to spend at least $3 million," Belanger said of the Ward and Eklund biopic. "That's including location fees, security, meals, hotel rooms -- all that kind of stuff. It's huge spending."
[...]
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A fighting shot; Filmmaker’s story of Lowell boxing greats garners star power on way to big screen
Newburyport Daily News, July 3, 2009
Keith Dorrington, who runs the production company Edgartown Ventures with his partner and girlfriend, Leslie Varrelman, out of her Newburyport home, crafted a documentary about the boxing brothers Micky Ward and Dick Ecklund, "Not Over Till The Count of 10."[...]
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No Lie: Mill City Shines in Gervais Movie Trailer
Lowell Sun, June 28, 2009
The movie's trailer was officially released Friday. It is only two minutes and sixteen seconds long, but it is all there: La Boniche, The Dubliner, Market Street, Central Street, the Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank, the unmistakable sign of the Athenian Corner restaurant. Lowell on film.[...]
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THE PROPOSAL IS NUMBER ONE!
Weekly Variety, July 28, 2009
THE PROPOSAL (made in Massachusetts in 2008) is the number one movie in America for the week ending June 21, 2009.[...]
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Zoo’ lands stars
Boston Herald, June 24, 2009
Word from the Left Coast is that Adam Sandler, Cher, Sly Stallone, Jon Favreau and Judd Apatow will voice animals in Kevin James’ “The Zookeeper,” which will shoot at the Franklin Park Zoo in October.[...]
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Hollywood comes to Canton: Actress stays close to home
The Patriot Ledger, June 23, 2009
Cindy Lentol represents the new era in filmmaking. The goal isn’t always to become a star. Sometimes it’s simply to enjoy what you’re doing. “I love making movies,” she says.[...]
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Film studios don’t see rivalry, yet
Boston Globe, June 21, 2009
David Kirkpatrick, cofounder of Plymouth Rock Studios, said the two projects in close proximity could create a critical mass that would help both. “There are a lot of good Italian restaurants in the North End, and together they make a great dining destination,’’ he added. “We’re still hopeful that together we can create an ecosystem. . . . We’re staying positive moving forward.’’[...]
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Cruise, Diaz, and more may be heading to Hub
Boston Globe, June 19, 2009
A slew of screen idols are about to descend on Boston to shoot new movies, including, we’re told, Tom Cruise. That’s right, the world’s most famous movie star is in serious talks to shoot his latest flick here starting in September.[...]
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Paul Giamatti could warm up to ‘Stooges’ role
Boston Herald, June 19, 2009
Would Paul Giamatti consider replacing Sean Penn as Larry Fine in the Farrelly Brothers upcoming “Three Stooges” flick? Soitenly![...]
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Film complex plans taking shape
Boston Globe, June 19, 2009
A California studio developer yesterday launched plans to build a $147 million motion-picture complex on 30 acres at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station. [...]
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Essex gains from filming ‘Grown Ups’ seen at $1 million
Gloucester Daily Times, June 19, 2009
"The statistics are pretty astounding," said Bob Coviello, owner of Main Street Antiques and member of the Essex Merchants Group. "The numbers are far more impressive than just the $150,000 paid to the town." Coviello estimates the movie will bring in close to $1 million locally by the time it's finished, and Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki said that he has already seen a wide variety of benefits stemming from the movie.[...]
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Work on Weymouth filmmaking studio nears action
Boston Herald, June 18, 2009
International Studio Group is moving ahead with plans to build a 12-stage motion picture studio at SouthField at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station. [...]
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SouthField Studios Boston ready to start accepting tenants at Weymouth site
Patriot Ledger, June 18, 2009
The developers of a proposed movie studio complex in South Weymouth are ready for the spotlight.[...]
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Flickfest heralds Harold Ramis’ genius
Boston Herald, June 18, 2009
Big screen funnymen Ben Stiller, Harold Ramis, Peter Farrelly and Paul Giamatti are bound for the 14th annual Nantucket Film Festival, which kicks off tonight at the ’Sconset Casino.
[...]
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Bullock on Rockport
Boston Globe, June 17, 2009
Sandra Bullock is good for tourism. The actress gave a national TV shout-out this morning to Rockport, which is where she filmed her new movie "The Proposal".[...]
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Finding FAME
WickedLocal.com, June 16, 2009
The Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce aims to accelerate the growth of the film industry in all South Shore towns, not just the nine communities the organization serves, according to Executive Director Denis Hanks.[...]
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A movie boom’s special effect
Boston Globe, June 12, 2009
Brickyard VFX--up a flight of creaky stairs in an old brick building near the intersection of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue--handled most of the effects work on "The Proposal." That great opportunity is the result of an ongoing boom in local filmmaking that followed the 2006 implementation of tax incentives for in-state film productions.[...]
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Plymouth studios won’t get $50m in state bond funds
Boston Globe, June 11, 2009
Plymouth Rock officials, however, plan to forge ahead with private money that has been committed to the project. Heavy machinery should be digging the road to the studio site on the 240-acre Waverly Golf Course within a month or two. The studio is projected to open in late 2010.[...]
more...
GenArts links with Lucasfilm
Variety, June 8, 2009
Massachusetts software maker and "Star Wars" studio form strategic bond.[...]
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‘Proposal’ movie a hit with Cape Ann previewers
Gloucester Times, June 8, 2009
A good chunk of the film was shot in Rockport, where the downtown was transformed into the town of Sitka, Alaska. Large totem poles stood tall in Dock Square and the usual storefronts and street pole banners became signs or symbols from Sitka.[...]
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Legislative report suggests that film tax credits work
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, June 3, 2009
Study says film tax credit more than pays for itself with jobs and spin-off economic benefits.[...]
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Richard Dreyfuss, Blythe Danner keeping it Light
Boston Herald, May 22, 2009
The cast and crew have shot scenes at the two lighthouses in Provincetown and currently are filming at Cook’s Camp, a 100-plus-year-old cottage colony overlooking the ocean at LeCount’s Hollow Beach in Wellfleet.
[...]
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‘Zookeeper’ locks up Rosario Dawson
Variety, May 20, 2009
Shooting is set to start in late summer in Boston with a July 23, 2010, release date.[...]
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2009 “MAKING MEDIA NOW” CONFERENCE SET FOR JUNE 5th
MFO News, May 15, 2009
Filmmakers Collaborative is proud to present Making Media Now 2009, a full-day conference for film and media makers of every skill level. Held at Waltham’s Bentley University, Making Media Now 2009 will continue its tradition of providing the New England film and video community with the latest information and workshops around media making.[...]
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EDITORIAL: Film tax credit proving its worth
New Haven Register, May 14, 2009
The film production and infrastructure credits have created jobs Connecticut cannot afford to lose.[...]
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‘Fighter’ star Christian Bale tours Lowell for film locations
Lowell Sun, May 12, 2009
Tuesday morning, actor Christian Bale got into character by shadow boxing Dicky Eklund on the streets of the Highlands section of Lowell. Bale, who recently played Bruce Wayne in the blockbuster the Dark Knight, will portray the fallen Lowell boxer in the feature film The Fighter.[...]
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Filming is rolling again on Hollywood productions in Massachusetts
Quincy Patriot Ledger, May 8, 2009
The state’s film office expects a busy year for movie production in Massachusetts now that the Screen Actors Guild board has approved a contract with the major studios.[...]
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Plymouth planners green light studio bid
Cape Cod Times, May 5, 2009
The future of the proposed Plymouth Rock Studios came into sharper focus last night as the town planning board voted unanimously to approve the master plan for the project. [...]
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MPAA Study: MASSACHUSETTS IN TOP TEN!
MFO News, April 22, 2009
The Motion Picture Association of America today issued an economic impact report ranking Massachusetts among the top ten production states outside of California and NY---and the only New England state to make the list.[...]
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MPAA study: Showbiz is big business
The Hollywood Reporter, April 22, 2009
The movie and TV industry contributed 2.5 million jobs and $41.1 billion in wages to the U.S. economy in 2007, according to an MPAA report.
That’s up from more than 1.3 million jobs and $30.2 billion in 2005 as reported by the trade group in its inaugural report a couple of years ago.
[...]
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Hollywood East Or Beacon Hill Bust?
Banker & Tradesman, April 20, 2009
Clearly, when it comes to the film business, New York officials are nervously watching Massachusetts and hoping we decide to throw in the towel.[...]
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Coming attractions
Boston Sunday Globe, April 19, 2009
Ambitious studio projects could make Massachusetts a center for the film industry.[...]
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Ben Affleck & Kevin Costner in good company
Boston Herald, April 14, 2009
Yesterday, Ben Affleck and co-star Kevin Costner were on location in Roxbury shooting scenes for the upcoming “The Company Men.” The flick, by “ER” producer John Wells, is about corporate downsizing.[...]
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Fight over flicks turns mudbath
Boston Herald, Op-Ed, March 31, 2009
By all accounts the film tax credit passed in Massachusetts in 2005 and expanded in 2007 seems to be working well in an otherwise down economy. The two production companies filming here now - and the competing plans for soundstage capacity - are on-going testament to that.
[...]
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‘Blart’ Part 2 scouts in Mass.
Boston Herald, March 26, 2009
Word is, location scouts already have scoped out car czar Ernie Boch Jr .’s Ferrari dealership for the flick, which has Paul Blart being fired from his mall cop gig and being forced to find work as a zookeeper at the Franklin Park Zoo.[...]
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Op-Ed: The show must go on
Boston Herald Op-Ed, March 21, 2009
“Hollywood East” isn’t just a clever sales pitch. It means getting our fair share of a $60 billion industry that every year enjoys a balance of trade surplus of $10 billion - even in bad times.[...]
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Costner, Jones are ‘Company Men’
Variety, March 19, 2009
Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Affleck are set to star in "The Company Men," an independently financed drama about the impact that a corporate downsizing has on both its casualties and survivors, starting April in Boston.[...]
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Disney’s Iger to Speak at Harvard Business School
MFO News, March 17, 2009
Bob Iger, CEO and President of the Walt Disney Company, is the keynote speaker at the annual conference of the Entertainment & Media Club at Harvard's Business School on March 19, 2009.[...]
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TV biz flees California
Variety, March 16, 2009
Overall, ABC Studios has been among the most active in exploring its options outside of Gotham and Canada. Beantown is home to ABC Studios' ABC hour "See Cate Run".[...]
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Hollywood shoot to bring $150,000-plus to Essex
Gloucester Daily Times, March 10, 2009
Adam Sandler's next movie, to be filmed this summer in Essex, has already brought smiles to the faces of residents. The movie will bring the town $150,000 in property use and parking fees. "It could not come at a better time for us," said Finance Committee Chairman Jeff Soulard. Beyond the "financial boon to the town" said Bob Coviello, owner of Main Street Antiques and member of the Essex Merchant group, "there will be considerable spill-off to local businesses, restaurants and antique shops."[...]
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In Downturn, Americans Flock to the Movies
New York Times, March 1, 2009
While much of the economy is teetering between bust and bailout, the movie industry has been startled by a box-office surge that has little precedent in the modern era.[...]
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Plymouth movie studio on track, executives say
Boston Globe, February 25, 2009
Details of the $422 million facility are becoming more concrete.
[...]
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This state’s got star quality
Salem News, February 25, 2009
Film work has pumped hundreds of millions directly into the Massachusetts economy.[...]
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Film office exec describes state as Hollywood East
Lynn Daily Item, February 25, 2009
"We're extremely well positioned for the next 3-4 years," said Paleologos, explaining that if the ongoing labor dispute between the major studios and the Screen Actors Guild is settled by mid-March, anywhere from eight to 12 movies will likely be made in Massachusetts in 2009.
[...]
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Film crews may be back in Silver City
Wicked Local.com, February 7, 2009
Parts of Taunton and North Dighton are being considered as location sites for a major cinematic production about the Civil War and the 16th president of the United States.[...]
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2009 OSCAR PARTY TO BENEFIT THE ELLIE FUND
MFO News, February 3, 2009
2009 Oscar Night Boston at the Langham Hotel to benefit the Ellie Fund on February 22nd.[...]
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#1 MOVIES IN AMERICA, BRIDE WARS & MALL COP
Weekly Variety, Jan 26th to February 1st, 2009
Two Massachusetts productions, BRIDE WARS (#1 Comedy in America) and MALL COP (#1 Movie in America) catapult to the top of the national box-office.[...]
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MFO ANNOUNCES 2008 ALL STAR TEAM
MFO News, January 31, 2009
Mass. Film Office honors Boston Mayor Tom Menino, former Film Office Director Mary Lou Crane, Walt Disney Pictures VP Mary Ann Hughes, Columbia Pictures VP Andy Given and the most film-friendly cities & towns of 2008.[...]
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Movie Production Incentives Are Said to Help New York
New York Times, January 28, 2009
State incentives to lure film production and jobs may be paying off.[...]
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Hub films could be ready to roll
Boston Herald, January 28, 2009
The buzz in the Massachusetts movie biz is that yesterday’s ouster of Screen Actors Guild prez Doug Allen is good news for the locals.[...]
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A cast of hundreds
Boston Globe, January 26, 2009
There's no shortage of Hollywood hopefuls in the Hub.[...]
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Lights, action, Boston jobs
Boston Herald, January 25, 2009
A sell-out crowd of 700 people dreaming of a Hollywood ending for their recession job search yesterday got a close-up with film industry professionals hoping to create 3,000 to 5,000 jobs in the Bay State in the coming years.[...]
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Media Services Acquires Crewstar
MFO NEWS, January 14, 2009
Media Services’ investment in Massachusetts through this acquisition is another vote of confidence in the future of our state as the New England center for film, television and digital media production.[...]
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Lights, camera, action: Deal in place for Weymouth air base movie studio
The Patriot Ledger, December 20, 2008
The parties looking to build movie and television production studios on the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station have signed a deal they say clears the way for construction to begin in August.
[...]
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Behind-scenes film ‘stars’ sought
Boston Herald, December 18, 2008
If you have seen the Hollywood movie crews shooting around Boston and want to get in on the action, the Massachusetts Film Office will host a Jan. 24 career fair to explain just what it takes.[...]
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MFO jobs conference set for January 24, 2009
MFO NEWS, December 2008
The Massachusetts Film Office announces "Jobs, Camera, Action" -- a workshop designed to educate attendees on how to build a career in the Massachusetts film industry. [...]
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PGA lands Plymouth Rock deal
Variety, December 11, 2008
The Producers Guild of America has formed a two-year strategic relationship with Massachusetts-based Plymouth Rock Studios.[...]
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Producing a hit
Medfield Magazine, Winter 2008
Born in Westwood, Chris Bingham has worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest films since 1983.[...]
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Costumes make the movie
Medfield Magazine, Winter 2008
Behind the scenes at ASHECLIFFE, where local residents earned the trust of the movie business’ elite.[...]
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The Economics of Ashecliffe
Medfield Magazine, Winter 2008
So who exactly is benefitting from ASHECLIFFE? The people that deserve the business the most, the Medfield shop and land owners---the heart and soul of the local economy.[...]
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TREC: The Rock Educational Cooperative
Plymouth County Business Review, Fall 2008
Plymouth Rock Studios' non-profit educational dynamo.[...]
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Plymouth goes Hollywood
Associated Press, November 29, 2008
The staid and historic image of Plymouth could soon be tempered by a decidedly modern attraction: a $488 million film and television studio with 14 sound stages, a 10-acre back lot, a theater, a 300-room upscale hotel, a spa and 500,000 square feet of office space.[...]
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Hollywood East goes to MIT
Boston Herald, November 19, 2008
The school’s Media Laboratory has launched the Center for Future Storytelling with a 7-year, $25-million commitment from Plymouth Rock Studios, better known as “Hollywood East” in Plymouth.[...]
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Saving the Story (the Film Version)
New York Times, November 18, 2008
In league with a handful of former Hollywood executives, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Laboratory plans to do something about that on Tuesday, with the creation of a new Center for Future Storytelling.[...]
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Southie gets a stand-in
Boston Globe, November 15, 2008
For the latest mob drama set in South Boston, billed as an "Irish Sopranos," producers of a SpikeTV pilot program knew exactly the look they wanted. Dark and dingy. Hopeless streets. Think "Mystic River" or "Gone Baby Gone."[...]
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Good vibes of ‘Woodstock’
Berkshire Eagle, November 11, 2008
Government incentives to bring film companies
to the state is money well spent.[...]
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Buzz from Hollywood
Boston Globe, November 10, 2008
Two made-in-Massachusetts films attracted a lot of attention, namely the South Boston-based "What Doesn't Kill You" and "The Maiden Heist," starring Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, and William H. Macy. And the benefits of filming in Boston were touted at a sold-out seminar dealing with tax credits.[...]
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Projected Benefits
Harvard Crimson, November 6, 2008
With a national economic recession well underway and a Bostonian tradition of documentaries and independent films rather than blockbuster thrillers and romantic comedies, the question remains: does Massachusetts have what it takes to become a big star in the film industry? [...]
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Location, Location, Location
Backstage.com, November 3, 2008
Actor Roy Souza, a Boston native and a SAG member since 1995, is jubilant about the recent boom. He notes that it is not just high-profile projects that have flocked to Massachusetts but also small-scale indies. He recently completed significant roles in the low-budget We Got the Beat, shot in Worcester, and Lasse Hallström's Hachiko: A Dog's Story, starring Richard Gere. [...]
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Plymouth town meeting approves $400 million studio project
The Patriot Ledger, October 28, 2008
Town meeting members listen attentively during the special town meeting at Memorial Hall on Monday night. They approved the tax break and zoning changes that will allow the $400 million Plymouth Rock Studios project to go forward.
[...]
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Welcome to Hollywood East!
Brockton Enterprise, October 28, 2008
It took a couple of years to get the question to Town Meeting but only a few minutes for Town Meeting to answer.[...]
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Hundreds cheer yes votes for Plymouth film studio
Boston Globe, October 28, 2008
Town Meeting easily passed two articles last night that will allow Plymouth Rock Studios to move forward with the construction of a $400 million film studio on a 240-acre golf course, after months of negotiation between local officials and studio executives.[...]
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MASS. MARKET: Film industry infrastructure is key to attracting TV productions to the state.
Quincy Patriot Ledger, October 26, 2008
Massachusetts has enjoyed a renaissance in movie production in the last two years because of aggressive tax incentives that the Legislature created. [...]
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As Massachusetts Development Begins to Fold, Hollywood and Casinos are Next Safe Bet
Banker & Tradesman, October 13, 2008
As the office tower builders pack it in, another crop of developers is waiting in the wings. One group wants to make Massachusetts Hollywood East.[...]
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Plymouth studio consultants predict millions in taxes, wages and fees
Quincy Patriot Ledger, October 8, 2008
Thousands of jobs, millions in tax revenue and few demands on town services. That’s what Plymouth’s financial consultants say the town can expect from the proposed Plymouth Rock Studios project.[...]
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Mass. movie studio could generate millions
Associated Press, October 8, 2008
The project includes 14 sound stages, a back lot, a hotel and an education center.
Consultants say the project would likely generate more than 3,000 jobs and $168 million in wages.[...]
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No vacancy: Plymouth Rock Studio’s Oct. 15 jobs forum is filled
Quincy Patriot Ledger, October 8, 2008
Plymouth Rock Studios says an Oct. 15 jobs forum for people interested in working at the proposed film studio is booked to capacity.[...]
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Plymouth Rock Studios spotlights jobs
Cape Cod Times, September 26, 2008
Hollywood hasn't come to town quite yet, but the hundreds of people who flocked to Plymouth South High School last night are ready and waiting for its arrival.[...]
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Mass Film Office bringing the stars to the area
Newburyport Daily News, September 22, 2008
It's not every day that a major Hollywood production is filmed on the North Shore. But with Matthew McConaughey, Michael Douglas and Mel Gibson in our midst this summer, it becomes clear those days are becoming more common.[...]
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Planning board unanimously recommends movie studio bylaw
Quincy Patriot Ledger, September 16, 2008
Unanimous planning board support for a movie and television production zone on the Waverly Oaks golf course property surprised many of the more than 100 residents who have followed the process for months.[...]
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Metal band films video at Orpheum
New Bedford Standard-Times, September 15, 2008
The Orpheum Theater stage saw a lot of acts during its heyday from 1912 to 1958, when it closed its doors, but none like the band that took the stage on Sunday.[...]
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MASS VOTERS SUPPORT FILM CREDITS
Boston Globe, September 14, 2008
Almost two thirds of state voters polled last month say the tax credits for production companies are a good thing.[...]
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Plymouth Rock Studios scores hit with townspeople
Brockton Enterprise, August 26, 2008
Plymouth Rock Studios officials wowed planners and residents and did it without special effects, stunts, song or dance.[...]
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Hub of the film industry: ‘Big Screen Boston’ chronicles city’s starring roles
Waltham Daily News Tribune, August 18, 2008
The folks in the movie business aren’t kidding when they refer to Boston and its environs as Hollywood East. But this is hardly a new phenomenon. As pointed out in Paul Sherman’s new book “Big Screen Boston”.[...]
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Plymouth Rock Studios’ future hinges on zoning change
Patriot Ledger, August 16, 2008
Plymouth Rock Studios intends to build a major movie and television production studio at the site of the Waverly Oaks Golf Club, but the plan hinges on town meeting’s approval of a zoning change in October. Studio founder David Kirkpatrick said. “We’d like to start construction next spring and be open for business in September of 2010.”[...]
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Trio Join Gibson and De Niro in DARKNESS
Hollywood Reporter, August 15, 2008
Leading stars Mel Gibson and Robert De Niro have some new cast members to welcome on board in their upcoming thriller Edge of Darkness.[...]
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Newburyport’s River Merrimac Bar and Grille goes Hollywood
WickedLocal.com, August 15, 2008
Tuesday night the restaurant, which opened this past April, played host to the cast and crew of Bjort Productions’ new feature film “The Joneses,” which wrapped shooting with one of the movie’s most climactic scenes set in The River Merrimac’s second-floor dining room.[...]
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Get in on the action
Boston Globe, August 11, 2008
Eight movies already have been at least partly filmed here in 2008. So maybe now, instead of simply charting celebs' every move in the entertainment news, you want a firsthand peek at them.[...]
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The next act: a film studio for Stoneham?
Boston Globe, August 10, 2008
A Hollywood-type movie studio in Stoneham? It's possible, says Gary DeCicco, a Nahant-based developer who says he wants to buy the dormant Boston Regional Medical Center in Stoneham and convert the 40-plus-acre property into a studio and soundstage for movie productions.[...]
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Developer wants to build South Boston soundstage
Boston Herald, August 7, 2008
Welcome to Southie-wood. Developer Tim Pappas is floating plans to build an L.A.-style movie production complex on a vacant lot he owns at the corner of West First and E streets.[...]
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Boston’s Tinseltown Walk
Hartford Courant, July 24, 2008
Boston has been home to more than 400 movies and television shows. Add to that the seven major movies that have been shot in Massachusetts just this year alone — and suddenly it doesn't seem so crazy that Boston fancies itself Hollywood East.
[...]
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Lights, camera, shop! Boston boutiques wrapped up in movie boom
Boston Herald, July 23, 2008
“It’s been wonderful for the city and it’s great for us,” said Lisse Grullemans, who, as assistant to the vice president at Barneys, has coordinated pulls for about eight costume designers for everything from Ricky Gervais’ “This Side of the Truth” to the Kate Hudson/Anne Hathaway comedy “Bride Wars.”[...]
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Editorial: Roll film in Berkshires
The Berkshire Eagle, July 9, 2008
With the region's talent, low costs and natural beauty, the Berkshires should be attractive to directors, producers and studios, and it is encouraging that a concerted effort is in place to make them welcome here.[...]
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Patrick: Let cameras roll for Hollywood East
The Patriot Ledger, July 8, 2008
Gov. Deval Patrick said he believes Hollywood East will help boost Massachusetts’ place in the national spotlight.[...]
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Lights, camera, Berkshires …
The Berkshire Eagle, July 8, 2008
The Berkshire Film and Media Arts Commission, a nonprofit coalition seeking to connect the Berkshires to the Hollywood film community, is looking to market the Berkshires--in part by creating a Berkshire Production Guide.[...]
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Plymouth golf course eyed for $300M studio project
Boston Globe, July 3, 2008
Plymouth Rock Studios has picked a golf course in Plymouth as the site of its $300 million "Hollywood East" project.[...]
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Film boom’s special effect: Production crews and related firms see more work
Boston Globe, June 29, 2008
At the halfway mark in 2008, business for the Massachusetts film industry is, in a word, booming.[...]
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The final cut: DiCaprio decamps after filming wraps
The Hull Times, June 26, 2008
Scorsese and the film’s star, Leonardo DiCaprio, arrived at Pemberton Point early Monday morning to prepare for filming on Peddocks Island, which has been transformed into the set of “Ashecliffe,” a movie based on Lehane’s 2003 novel “Shutter Island.” [...]
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Boston called ‘the new Toronto of the film industry’
Lynn Daily Item, June 21, 2008
Massachusetts is fast assuming a new image as a place where Hollywood-style motion pictures are made.[...]
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Scorsese shooting film in area
Walpole Times and Daily News Transcript, June 20, 2008
Hollywood has invaded Walpole’s neighbors over the last few months as Academy Award winning director Martin Scorsese begins to wrap up shooting for his new movie “Ashecliffe.”[...]
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Actors’ strike could hurt Mass. movie biz
Boston Herald, June 20, 2008
After escaping fallout from the three-month writers’ strike that ended in February, Massachusetts’ growing motion picture economy faces another potential setback in a looming strike by the Screen Actors Guild.[...]
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Lynn’s true grit used as backdrop to reel violence
Boston Globe, June 19, 2008
Bruce Willis was on hand for filming in Lynn on May 30th, but stunt doubles took over yesterday for car and helicopter chases. "The Surrogates," a sci-fi thriller starring Willis and Ving Rhames, is also being filmed in Worcester, Lawrence, Wayland, Taunton, Hopedale, and Boston. [...]
more...
Next on Mass. filmmaking checklist: Soundstage
Associated Press, June 18, 2008
With Massachusetts experiencing a mini-boom in filmmaking, the push is on to build a full-scale studio.
[...]
more...
Boston Movie Mania Boosts Retail
Women's Wear Daily, June 18, 2008
Actress Jayma Mays spent March through May shooting the comedy "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," in Burlington Mass. Mays' co-workers splurged at Marc Jacobs, Envi, Calypso and Gretta Luxe, and the movie's costume designer, Ellen Lutter, spent more than $100,000 locally.
[...]
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Film tax break helps Massachusetts go Hollywood
Springfield Republican, June 13, 2008
Seven films have wrapped up production so far this year - and while Boston has most often been the location for filming, this year moviemakers have moved outside the city to Beverly, Gloucester, Rockport, Woburn, Lowell, Worcester and other communities.
[...]
more...
Lights, Camera, Tax Credit: Massachusetts Lures Filmmakers With Generous Rebate
New York Times, June 5, 2008
Since last July, when Gov. Deval L. Patrick signed into law a 25 percent film tax credit, a wave of major film projects has landed in Massachusetts.[...]
more...
Great race heats up for Mass. movie Hub
Boston Herald, June 4, 2008
A local developer who owns land on South Boston’s waterfront is drawing up plans for a movie production complex, state Rep. Brian Wallace (D-South Boston) said yesterday.
[...]
more...
Bruce Willis to film action scene in Hopedale
Milford Daily News, June 4, 2008
Scenes for Willis' new movie, "The Surrogates," a sci-fi thriller, will be filmed at the Draper mill complex later this month.[...]
more...
Editorial: Lights, camera, economic action
Boston Herald Editorial, June 2, 2008
The film tax credit has proven its worth.[...]
more...
Keeping the cameras rolling in Mass.
MetroWest, June 2, 2008
"Making movies is a recession-proof, clean growth industry. The benefits of bringing more movie business to Massachusetts could touch virtually everyone." ---Joe Maiella, President - Massachusetts Production Coalition[...]
more...
Patte Papa, Boston’s Movie Permit Czar
Boston Globe, June 1, 2008
For years, while Boston had no formal film liaison, Patte Papa stockpiled knowledge as she oversaw events from the Boston Marathon to the gay pride parade. Now her experience is enabling the city to juggle multiple films at once.[...]
more...
Lucent building brings starpower to North Andover
Lawrence Eagle Tribune, June 1, 2008
The former Lucent plant on Route 125 has landed on a short list of prime filming spots across the state.[...]
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Lynn stands in for Hollywood
Boston Globe, May 31, 2008
Lynn became the area's latest Hollywood backlot yesterday as the cast and crew of "The Surrogates" shot scenes inside the former Security National Bank.[...]
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STATE REPORT: FILM TAX CREDITS COULD BRING IN $700 MILLION, 5,000 NEW JOBS
MFO News, May 31, 2008
In a report issued earlier this week, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) predicted that the newly enacted film tax credits could bring in over $700 million of new investment and more than 5,000 new jobs.[...]
more...
Local film rivals team up
Boston Herald, May 29, 2008
A pair of longtime Boston-area video and film equipment companies are teaming up to cash in on the surge of Hollywood movies filming in the Bay State.[...]
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Hollywood “Women” make Dover second home
Dover-Sherborn Magazine, Spring 2008
Local restaurants have been busy servicing the cast and crew, and Laverne Lovell's flower shop has been busy filling orders, including a recent arrangement for Sir Ben Kingsley.[...]
more...
Voters OK movie studio
Cape Cod Times, May 11, 2008
Voters yesterday gave an enthusiastic green light to a proposal to build a movie studio on 300 acres of town-owned land a few miles from the Bourne Bridge.[...]
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Extra! Extra!
Boston Globe, May 11, 2008
The recent boom in feature films being made around Boston has led to all kinds of action for people who want to act out their dreams.[...]
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Plymouth sets the stage for movie studio vote
Cape Cod Times, May 8, 2008
Voters here have seen the message on 1,500 lawn signs, seen it on TV ads, read it in e-mails and pamphlets, and heard it in phone and personal pleas: Say "Yes to the ROCK." That's the rallying cry for a citizens' committee that has blitzed the town with their message about Question 3, a nonbinding referendum on Saturday's ballot in Plymouth. [...]
more...
Hollywood heads to Worcester
Worcester Telegram and Gazette, April 25, 2008
The city has reeled in a big one — and there may be a few more on the line. Production crews for a new Bruce Willis movie, “The Surrogates,” are set to start work in Worcester Monday and will stay through August.[...]
more...
Hollywood East
Boston Globe, April 24, 2008
To those who wonder whether there's room in Massachusetts for two major movie studios, the answer from the studios is an emphatic yes. [...]
more...
Editorial: Too soon for new film break
Boston Globe, April 21, 2008
It's too soon to know whether private investors will build production and post-production facilities without a costly new tax incentive.[...]
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21 is the number on movie in America!
Weekly Variety, April 7-13, 2008
MFO Variety ad congratulating 21 on being the number one movie in America.[...]
more...
Stars, dollar signs shine in Lowell
Lowell Sun, April 12, 2008
Crews from This Side of the Truth, the romantic comedy that begins filming in Lowell tomorrow, have made their mark on the local economy.[...]
more...
New dollars: $544 million attributed to film productions
Associated Press, March 27, 2008
88 film productions with end dates between 2006 and 2008 spent a total of $544 million in the state.[...]
more...
Massachusetts incentives boost shoots
Variety, March 14, 2008
Thanks to the state's newly renovated film incentives, film production in Massachusetts, which struggled along at one or two pics per year, has ballooned to an anticipated six or seven features shooting simultaneously this spring.[...]
more...
Lights! Camera! Massachusetts!
Brockton Enterprise, March 11, 2008
The Bay State is fast becoming a favorite location for Hollywood filmmakers, with Taunton’s Whittenton Mills undergoing the latest cinematic transformation into a World War II concentration camp for the upcoming film “Ashecliffe,” directed by Martin Scorsese.
[...]
more...
Scorsese found secluded Taunton mill a perfect fit for his film
Brockton Enterprise, March 11, 2008
Hollywood’s path to the Whittenton Mills complex began when filmmakers were scouting Massachusetts for a state hospital.[...]
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Hub’s Hollywood feast
Boston Herald, March 3, 2008
The boom in movies being filmed in the Hub has meant millions of dollars in new business for city hotels.[...]
more...
Burlington Mall is center stage in new movie ‘Mall Cop’
Daily Times and Chronicle, February 27, 2008
If patrons of the Burlington Mall notice holiday decorations about five weeks from now, don't think it's a rush to create a nine-month shopping season. The decorations will be part of the backdrop as scenes from the film "Mall Cop" will be shot at the mall beginning March 24, the day after Easter.[...]
more...
GONE BABY GONE EARNS ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION
Weekly Variety, February 4-10, 2008
MFO Variety ad congratulating Amy Ryan on her Academy Award nomination for GONE BABY GONE.[...]
more...
Hollywood has growing interest in Bay State
Brockton Enterprise, January 28, 2008
A major movie studio in Plymouth could generate as many as 2,000 well-paying jobs and stimulate the tourism and service industries in the region, potentially becoming the largest private employer in the Plymouth area.[...]
more...
MFO ANNOUNCES 2007 ALL STAR TEAM
MFO News, January 15, 2008
Director Sam Weisman, Governor Deval Patrick, Speaker Sal DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray head the list of MFO ALL STARS for 2007.[...]
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Milton was ready for its close-ups
Boston Globe, January 3, 2008
For five days in November and December, the normally sedate suburban town of 25,000 people became Hollywood Central, with town residents enlisted to serve as extras, police controlling traffic and providing security, and the neighborhood buzz centering around how much taller movie star Cameron Diaz appeared in person.[...]
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Hollywood Invasion
Boston Magazine, December 15, 2007
So clogged has Boston been with filmmakers that during the first week in September, crews shooting in the Back Bay kept crossing walkie-talkie signals. In a city where only five movies were filmed in the previous seven years, these are new and pleasant problems.[...]
more...
Worcester goes Hollywood, Feature film does location shots at local museum
Worcester Telegram & Gazette, December 4, 2007
If your timing was really good, you might also have caught the illustrious likes of Morgan Freeman or William H. Macy making their way from their dressing-room trailers in the Trinity Lutheran Church parking lot to the Worcester Art Museum, where a Hollywood crew was at work on a one-day shoot for a new movie. [...]
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Boston cop patrols a star-studded beat
Boston Globe, November 27, 2007
Rubbing elbows with the stars is nothing new for Sgt. Michael O’Connor, 54, a veteran of 21 years who is now the Boston Police Department’s motion picture liaison.[...]
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GAME PLAN is the number one movie in America!
Weekly Variety, October 15-21, 2007
MFO Variety ad saluting GAME PLAN as the number one movie in America.[...]
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Small businesses benefiting from movie-struck Hub
Boston Business Journal, October 12, 2007
The increase in action is causing a surge in business for a range of companies and individuals related to filmmaking.[...]
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Film Union membership up in Mass., Incentives drive jump
The Boston Herald, September 15, 2007
Local 481 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts has seen a 37 percent surge in members since Massachusetts’ new film tax incentives took effect last year. More than 140 new enrollees have signed on, bringing its membership to a record 537.[...]
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Action
The Boston Globe, August 25, 2007
For years, Hollywood producers steered clear of the 'celluloid pariah' known as Massachusetts. But now they're all over Boston, thanks to tax breaks and a warm welcome.[...]
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Massachusetts Lifts Cap on Film Tax Credits
Weekly Variety, July 23-29, 2007
MFO Variety ad touting new Massachusetts film tax credit law.[...]
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Editorial: Ready for our close-up
Boston Herald, May 18, 2007
Two thumbs-up to state officials who now recognize that they can play more than a cameo role in drawing big-screen blockbusters to film in the Bay State.
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Massachusetts shoots increasing, State increases incentives
Variety, May 17, 2007
The Massachusetts legislature is ready to move on several bills to correct what are perceived as glitches in its current tax incentives for film production.[...]
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DEPARTED WINS BEST PICTURE ACADEMY AWARD!
Variety, March 15, 2007
MFO Variety ad honoring THE DEPARTED as the first Massachusetts movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year. [...]
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TV, Radio & Internet Stories
WBZ-TV 4: Medfield Proud Of Role In ‘Shutter Island’ - Feb 2010- WBUR: Scorsese’s Latest Proves ‘Top-10′ Status Of Mass. Film Industry - Feb 2010
- YouTube: Behind the scenes at KNIGHT AND DAY - Opens July 2, 2010
- YouTube: Trailer for FURRY VENGEANCE, opens April 2010
- WBUR: Hollywood East’s Less-Than Red Carpet Arrival - Dec 09
- FOX 25: Acting lab puts locals in the movies - Nov 09
- YouTube: Trailer for GROWN UPS starring Adam Sandler - Opens June 25, 2010
- Hollywood East TV: Studio exec responds to loan setback - Nov 09
- YouTube: Trailer for EDGE OF DARKNESS starring Mel Gibson — Opens Jan 29, 2010
- YouTube: Mass. film tax credit makes dollars & sense - Oct 09
- WCVB-TV 5: Phony producer luring would-be actresses - Sept 09
- NECN: Hollywood comes to Bridgewater - Sept 09
- YouTube: Mark Wahlberg trains for THE FIGHTER — Aug 2009
- MOVIEPHONE: Trailer for THE BOX starring Cameron Diaz - opens 11/5/09
- WCVB-TV 5: Cruise, Diaz Shooting Spy Flick In Mass. - Sept 09
- WCVB-TV 5: Execs Say Movie Studio Work Starting Soon - Aug 09
- HOLLYWOOD EAST TV: on investing in the future - Aug 09
- WBZ-TV 4: Wahlberg Film Brings Boost To Local Businesses - July 09
- YouTube: Trailer for INVENTION OF LYING - opens 10/2/09
- YouTube: Trailer for SURROGATES - opens 9/25/09
- YouTube: Trailer for SHUTTER ISLAND - opens 2/19/10
- WGBH-TV 2: Greater Boston visits the set of THE LIGHTKEEPER
- YouTube: Trailer for THE PROPOSAL - opens 6/13/09
- WBZ-TV 4: Movie Makers Expected To Spend Millions In MA - April 09
- HOLLYWOOD EAST TV: on the MA film tax credit - April 09
- YouTube: BU student report on MA film tax credit - March 09
- NECN: Plymouth Rock Studios takes major step forward - March 09
- NECN: Jobs, Camera, Action: what it takes to make a movie - Jan 09
- WCVB-TV 5: Job Seekers Look To New Mass. Film Industry - Jan 09
- NECN: Plymouth, MA residents approve plan for movie studio - Oct 08
- WCVB: Small Town May Become Hollywood Hub - Oct 08
- NECN: Mass. tops on Hollywood’s filming list - Aug 08
- YouTube: Intrepid fan catches up with DiCaprio in Hull - June 08
- YouTube: Economic Impact of Film Tax Credit - May 08
- NECN: Hollywood East unveiled in MA - March 08
- NECN: Movie projects could bring the Bay State $200M - March 08
- NECN: Booming Massachusetts movie business - Feb 08
- WBZ-TV 4: Liz Walker interviews MFO Executive Director - Jan 08
- WBUR: Let’s go to the movies! - Nov 07
- FOX 25: Focus on film industry — August 2007
- YouTube: State House Press Conference on the Film Tax Credit - May 07
- YouTube: Speaker Sal DiMasi & Senator Cynthia Creem at State House Film Tax Credit Press Conference - May 07
- YouTube: Governor Deval Patrick’s State House Press Conference on the Film Tax Credit - May 07
- YouTube: Coolidge Corner Theater Award Presentation — April 2007