Last September in this very column I wrote: “There has been a lot of talk about incentives lately in Providence and in Boston. They’ve been around for over 2000 years, much before the film and television industry came into being. Well thought out, well implemented, and good controls are secrets to the successes for film production industry incentives. Canada, Australia, Yugoslavia, even Puerto Rico and Iceland have practiced and perfected industry incentives designed to bring the worlds’ largest industry to their doors and shores.

Incentives [for the attraction of the film and television production industry] are intricate by nature, extremely difficult to design (existing laws, natural resources, individual requirements, other industry needs and goals need to be factored in). Sometimes, even the finest minds, never mind the weak, fail. Frequently, like in Louisiana, you will need an attorney or a fairly competent legal mind just to understand them or make them work for you. [But, if the state, as Louisiana did, can provide the legal minds, the state has the opportunity to go from $24 million per year to $350 million in production revenues in two short years, with predictions that they could have doubled in year three.] As in the case of Canada, frequently the legal costs of obtaining the incentives and tracking the necessary paper trail don’t equal what a production may be giving up or getting. Eventually, there has to be an honest accounting for business and government.”

Last year I went on to say that I liked what was going on in Rhode Island. And they got it right and deserve all the ‘credits’! (See IMAGINE Cover August 2005)  The country’s smallest state rolled up its sleeves and went to work to produce and pass a “mighty” and “competitive” film, television, and gaming production incentive bill now enacted into law. Productions are already taking advantage of the incentives as the bill is retroactive to January 1, 2005.

In October, you will see several additional productions announced in IMAGINE that are headed for Rhode Island. The state is doing everything right and continues to develop its film friendly reputation in Hollywood, New York and around the world.

My view then of the state of industry affairs concerning incentives in Massachusetts, while optimistic because the Commonwealth has so much to offer filmmakers, was more focused on the need to erase the confusion hyped by main stream press accounts of either an incomplete or an incompetent, fractious entity and boldly establish an official state dedicated film office. Such an office would require the support and the underwriting endorsement of the Governor’s Office, be positioned in the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Economic Development, have good oversight and reflect the guidance of the Leadership of the House and Senate. Later we would talk about the importance the roles that Mayors and their cities and municipalities would play.

Such an office would need staffing by film industry professionals who know how to facilitate a production’s needs on every level. Having a substantial incentive package without an official state film office would be like putting the cart before the horse, it seemed to me.

Citizens of Massachusetts can take heart in the fact that the frame work for such a state office is now law, placed where it should be under the auspices of the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Economic Development. It is still unformed at this time, but my hope is that it is taking shape in a manner that the potential of the industry in the Commonwealth deserves.

In my opinion, Massachusetts is a major league player in the future of film and television production in the United States.

It is imperative that we get this vital cornerstone exactly right.

If we want to be the number three (after Hollywood and New York City) most sought after production location in the U.S. we must prepare, we must compete, and we must earn it. We have the resources; we now must have the leadership and governance to make it happen. Only a complete, funded, and professionally staffed office will not only generate the revenues but protect existing businesses impacted by major film shoots such as THE DEPARTED. (Martin Scorsese’s blockbuster which just wrapped six weeks of shooting in Boston over the summer without sufficient state sponsored support.)

I believe that we are well positioned to get our Louisiana-like incentive legislation passed very soon. Last month I said it would be in September and I still believe that to be true provided we don’t suffer crossing any more of the political trip wires well-intentioned novices step across that we know the opposition is capable of setting. I have been asking that the Senate President bring this matter to a vote in the Senate (I was there when it passed in the House), and I believe he will. They have the votes necessary for it to pass. My concern is that it passes with no significant changes in the language, we must stand firm on this.

I had the chance to speak with Governor Romney and Lt. Governor Healey in August.

Once the bill is on the Governor’s desk, I am positive he will sign it into law because it is extraordinarily good for the economic growth of Massachusetts that comes at a very opportune time for our region.

Other regions of the country are also hustling to get their incentive legislation through.  Case in point is California where lawmakers are hoping to rush their bill through committee and to the governor’s desk by the end of its session September 9th.

The 12% tax credit against wages and qualified production costs seeks to “even the playing field,” in the lawmakers’ view, so that producers who naturally would stay in California and tap its skilled workforce will not have to rely on incentives from other countries or states such as Louisiana, New Mexico and New York (they’ll be adding Rhode Island and Massachusetts to this list soon).

In the California legislation Producers would be required to do at least 75% of principal photography in California and can’t apply more than $25,000 of an actor, writer or director’s salary to the credit. On the upside, they could amass as much as $3 million in credits and cash out whatever is left after all tax obligations are satisfied.

“I’m confident that we will see a return on our investment immediately,” said California State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez.  The proposed production incentive is more about preserving middle-class jobs than enriching Hollywood’s top producers.  Top lawmakers believe it is especially important to act now before other states build the infrastructure and workforce to solidify their production base. Added Nunez: “We’ve taken a little heat, but that’s the price of leadership. We think we’re doing the right thing.” And California State Senator Kevin Murray stated, “Frankly, we want to nip some of that in the bud as early as possible.” “The opposition never really comes out of the woodwork until they know you might actually get something,”

Confident that our elected leaders will provide us the tools to excel, I will bring you all the details of what we have to work with and for in our next issue, which coincidently enough is our “political” issue always in the month of October. We will have the big story. Another feature of the upcoming issue is our Recap of the summer’s Film Festivals and our popular Summer Photo Review.

Our summer has been action packed as it seems for many others. Our focus this month is on TV. Our cover story by David Tames features an in-depth conversation with Art Donahue, the producer, cinematographer and editor for years of WCVB Channel 5’s “Chronicle” evaluating cameras and other aspects of HDV, answering those questions on everybody’s mind these days. We’ve augmented this important piece with an equally important conversation with John Rule of Rule Broadcast Systems. John helps us sort through terms and technology that can trip you up in this extremely precise discipline. We have stories about productions in New England as well as about New England crews working on location around the country and as far flung as Aruba and Asia.

I am compelled to make this note in my letter to you. The entire nation is “reeling” from the shock and devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The misfortune that beset Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama is the single largest natural disaster ever to hit this country. The story has yet to be written how this catastrophe will impact our nation, particularly our psyche and our economic well-being.

As IMAGINE goes to press (day seven since the hurricane hit), we have no sense of the death toll, no understanding of the scope of the tragedy, no concept of how over one million displaced citizens will be taken in and cared for by our country, no idea how the rest of the world will view not only our pain, but our vulnerability and the ability of our government and our agencies to respond and cope with massive damages and failures that are beyond our own comprehension. The profound grief of those who have lost their loved ones, land, and their way of life is in our hearts. We must do all we can, give generously, especially our prayers.