The California Film Commission announced the latest round of film projects for the state’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program, affirming the initiative’s effectiveness in achieving three of its key goals: bringing more big-budget films back to California, spreading production activity across the state, and ensuring incentives are available to independent projects with a range of budgets.
In all, 30 film projects (19 independent, 11 non-independent) were selected for the latest round of tax credits. Based on data provided with each tax credit application, they will bring an estimated $1.17 billion in combined production spending to California, including $774 million in “qualified” spending (defined as wages to below-the-line workers and payments to in-state vendors). Only the qualified portion of each project’s budget is eligible for tax credits under California’s uniquely targeted incentive program.
The projects identified by the California Film Commission include four big-budget films– “Atlas,” “Beverly Hills Cop 4,” “Unfrosted” and Untitled Amazon Studios Movie — which alone will spend an estimated $553 million in California, including $439.2 million in qualified spending. (“Beverly Hills Cop 4” was accepted into a prior tax credit allocation and reapplied for the current round of film credits.)
“We’re leveling the playing field for the types of big-budget films targeted so aggressively by jurisdictions with more sweeping incentive programs,” said Colleen Bell, executive director of the California Film Commission. “Filmmakers want to work here in the Golden State and understand that chasing the highest incentive doesn’t ensure the best value.”
The 30 projects will employ an estimated 4,564 crew, 1,212 cast and 48,646 background actors/stand-ins (the latter measured in “man-days”). They will also generate significant postproduction jobs and revenue for California VFX artists, sound editors, sound mixers, musicians and other workers/vendors.
“I’m so excited that our film has been awarded the California tax credit,” said “Family Leave” filmmaker Jennifer Garner. “As an actor, producer and mother, it’s impossible to overstate what shooting locally means to me and other families in this industry. I’ve been lucky to work with some of the greatest crew members of my career here in California, and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with some of my home team friends on this project.”
The 30 tax credit projects will account for a combined 1,095 filming days in California, with 327 of those days (nearly 30 percent) planned outside the Los Angeles 30-Mile Studio Zone. This figure represents the highest number of out-of-zone filming days for any round of projects in the history of California’s tax credit program, and it continues the long-term trend of bringing more production activity statewide.
Filming is planned to occur in 16 different counties across the state–from San Diego to Humboldt and Marin to Kern. Out-of-zone days for the latest round are led by “The Long Walk” (with all 40 days of its filming outside the zone) and “Dope Little Creatures” (with all 33 of its filming days outside the zone).
“Our tax credit program continues to bring jobs and opportunity statewide,” added Bell. “The current round of projects will directly impact more regions of the state than any round in the program’s history, and that’s a terrific milestone.”
The latest round of 30 films consists of 19 independent and 11 non-indie projects. The indie films are: “80 For Brady” (80 for Brady Productions), “Anemone” (AFI Media Holdings), “Dope Little Creatures” (Cabin Pictures), “Earth Mama” (Net-Net Worldwide), “Home” (JB CA Film 2), “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” (Net-Net Worldwide), “Incoming” (Incoming Production), “Lush Life” (Strato Films), “Mine Harker” (JP CA Fillm 1), “Photos of You” (MRC II Holdings), “Raised Eyebrows” (Raised Eyebrow Productions), “Salinas” (Hunting Lane), “Scandalous” (MRC II Holdings), “Thirsty” (The Assistants Film Production), “Transplant” (Significant Productions), “Unintended Accidental Get Away Driver” (KFilms AGAD), Untitled CG Project (New Regency Productions), “Verona Spies” (ARCI) and Untiled Vernon Chatman Project (pg County).
The non-indie projects are “3 Joaquins” (Arcadia Pictures), “Atlas” (Netflix Productions), “Beverly Hills Cop 4” (Netflix Productions), “Dust” (TCS US Productions 19), “Family Leave” (About It Productions), “Greatest Hits” (TCS US Productions 18), “The Long Walk” (New Line Productions), “Training Day: Day of the Riot” (WB Studio Enterprises), “Unfrosted” (Netflix Productions), Untitled Amazon Studios Movie (Amazon Studios) and Untitled Original Disney Musical (Flashback Productions).
The California Film Commission received a total of 76 applications during the January 24–31 feature film tax credit application period. It has reserved $149.2 million in tax credit allocation for the 30 conditionally approved projects. The list of approved projects is subject to change, as applicants may withdraw from the tax credit program and their reservation of credits is reassigned to one or more projects on the waitlist.
The next application period for feature films will be held July 18–25. The next application period for recurring and relocating TV series will be held March 7-14.
