The Decline Of The Film Industry In California

We compiled some statistics from the last few years to see where the industry has been and where it's going.

Things have been slow in town for a while now; Sag had no contracts until recently which kept productions fearful of shooting only to stop if a strike were to occur & Tax incentives from other states have been taking productions away from CA.

With the new California Film Tax Incentive program, Hollywood will hopefully be back and stronger than ever. So far 56 projects have taken advantage of the CA Tax Credit program with more on the way.

California Film & Television Tax Credit Program

We'd like to applaud California's State Legislature and its commitment to promoting production in California. The California Tax Incentive Program is a positive step toward promoting the resurgence of an industry that is vital to California. July 1st 2009 The California Tax Credit Program Kicks in for all productions in California. Find out how you can get your tax credit for your project.

From The Film Commissions Website:

"On February 20, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation creating tax credits for film and television productions. The California Film Commission (CFC) is administering the program and has provided detailed guidelines and other helpful information available throughout this website.

Prior to submitting an application, all applicants are strongly encouraged to review the guidelines, regulations and all required documents and forms to become familiar with the procedures. All applicants should consult with their legal and financial advisors regarding utilization of the tax credits.

The CFC will begin accepting applications on July 1, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. In order to be considered for the first day's allocation, applications must be received at the CFC offices no earlier than 9:00 a.m. and no later than 3:00 p.m. (Any application received prior to 9:00 a.m. on July 1st will be returned to sender unprocessed; any application received later than 3:00 p.m. on July 1st will be processed the following day.)"

Screen Actors Guild Approves New Contracts

Were glad to see the Screen Actors Guild and the AMPTP were able to reach a labor agreement in June that will allow the industry to get back to work. We hope over the next two years a new three-year agreement can be reached that will allow our industry to work without further interruption for the next half decade.

From SAG's Website:

"Los Angeles, (June 9, 2009) – Screen Actors Guild announced today that members have voted overwhelmingly to approve its TV/Theatrical contracts by a vote of 78 percent to 22 percent.

The two-year successor agreement covers film and digital television programs, motion pictures and new media productions. The pact becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. June 10, 2009 and expires June 30, 2011.

The contracts provide more than $105 million in wages, increased pension contributions, and other gains and establishes a template for SAG coverage of new media formats.

Approximately 110,000 SAG members received ballots of which 35.26 percent returned them – a return that is above average compared with typical referenda on Screen Actors Guild contracts. Integrity Voting Systems of Everett, WA, provided election services and tonight certified the final vote tally upon completion of the tabulation."