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Truly Free Film

What Issues Do Filmmakers Need To Track?

If filmmakers don't track core issues, they will find their form abandoned in the parking lotA creative life is a precarious thing.  Actions occur that could profoundly effect your ability to earn a living doing what you love.  We get blindsided again and again, sometimes not recognizing things until they are too late to alter them.  It’s one of the reasons I have tried to meticulously track for you what are the good thing and bad things happening in indie film these days.  Yet, it seems to me we all need to do a better job of tracking them if we don’t want to get trapped in a future we won’t be part of..

My thought is that we should be able to define a series of issues in which we can put events, ideas, and articles into as they occur, helping each other stay on top of them. 

The first step is to define the issues.  That is what I am doing today .

Categories
Issues and Actions

What Tax Incentives Are Where?

Get your Free 2014 Incentives Guide For US Film Prodctns, 112 pg State-By-State + Int’l report [.pdf]

 http://bit.ly/1i2Ycjs

Courtesy of CastAndCrew.com

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Truly Free Film

Where Will They Help You With $$$ For Your Film In The USA?

Entertainment Partners publishes a regular newsletter on the state of the film tax incentives both here and abroad.  If you don’t get it, you should.  But if you don’t, this super helpful grid was included in the last newsletter:

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Truly Free Film

Sign The Petition To Demand CA Senate To Extend California’s Film and TV Tax Credit Program NOW!

You can sign the petition right here.

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Truly Free Film

Film Tax Incentives Need To Focus On Low Budget Production Too!

It is frustrating from an indie producer perspective that all film-centered tax incentives, both here in the US and abroad, are geared towards the higher budgeted films. It is totally understandable though, as the Hollywood & big budget fare bring in the most revenue and the most jobs. This sort of bias however, also limits the growth of local creative talent — in fact you could argue that the bias to high priced production in tax incentives drives out the local talent and thus prevents creative communities from developing in the regions in which the incentives are supposed to help.

Unless such tax incentive programs also focus on the sustainability of the creative community — in addition to maximizing tax revenues and employment — it will always be carpetbaggers who benefit from policy and not the local community.

Categories
Issues and Actions

Section 181 Update

Today’s update is a guest post from Raz Cunningham.

On Dec. 31, 2009, Section 181 of the American Jobs Creation Act expired. It is going to be renewed in 1 of 2 possible forms. Either in the Tax Extenders Act of 2009 (the House Bill) or the American Worker State and Business Relief Act (the Senate Bill). The language is the same as it was for Section 181, the same tax breaks/benefits still apply. In the Tax Extenders Act of 2009, the language can be found in Section 117 of the Bill; in the American Worker State and Business Relief Act it can be found in Section 145. The language of these two sections is EXACTLY the same. The Senate Bill has already passed in the Senate and is on its way to the House.

What’s important to note is that one of these two Bills, either or, is overwhelmingly expected to pass. Neither Section of either Bill has been the source of any controversy or contesting and is strongly supported by both Parties. Once either Bill is passed, any qualifying film made from Jan 1st, 2010 to Dec. 31st 2010 will be able to take advantage of the tax breaks.

Raz Cunningham is a filmmaker based out of New York & Rhode Island, about to start Pre-Production on his first full length feature film “Our Last Days As Children” this summer.

Categories
Let's Make Better Films

Government Subsidies For The Arts

I was on a panel awhile back bemoaning the loss of the NEA back in the 80’s, and how short sighted I thought it was not to have government funding for the arts, particularly film.

John Sloss responded that the government subsided film productions via the local state tax incentives — and that’s true, but not the whole picture.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the state tax incentives.  They are good for the film businsess and great for the states’ economies.  They create jobs and drive a lot of money into the states.  They have helped stem the flow of entertainment jobs out of the country.  But they don’t create a more diverse culture.
When we had a tiny tiny portion of our tax dollars going to artists to develop new work, we had the possibility of new forms of representation.  The local state tax subsidies are for production, not development; they lead to more of the same work.  We all benefit when creative voices help us look at the world differently.  Without financial support how is anyone supposed to develop for anything other than the existing market?
I always use Julie Taymor as the poster child for government subsidies for the arts.  Back in the day she received such funding and was able to develop a truly unique craft.  She was later tapped by Disney to bring The Lion King to Broadway and thereby generated tremendous wealth for many.  Without the support of her development, we all would have been deprived of such a voice.
All that said, if you have finished that script and are looking to move towards production, those state incentives are pretty sweet.  The Incentives Office has a swell state-to-state guide that is free to download.  And through friday you can download here with just one push of a button and no need to fill out any forms.  Check it out.