A Los Angeles bases film studio “Krane Media” is will soon be opening in Warren Michigan. Here is a look at some of the other film studios in Michigan.
A. Krane Studios– Warren. B. Detroit Center Studios-Detroit.
C. Unity Studios– Allen Park. D.Stardock Systems Inc.- Plymouth.
E. Warner Brothers– Wixom. F. City Center Studios-Lansing.
G. WaterMark Studios-Musckegon.
Newly elected Michigan Governor Rick Snyder could be making some big changes here in the state of Michigan. Snyder vows to change many state policies, including the Michigan Film Tax Incentive. Snyder feels it was a bad idea from the start. He commented in an interview with AnnArbor.com “It’s a fairly transient industry that largely has been in an escalating war of incentives across the nation,” Snyder said. He doesn’t plan to eliminate them all at once however, he plans to phase them out as he sees the incentives as part of the wasteful spending that got Michigan into financial hole it is in now.
The tax incentives save film production companies money and really are the driving force that deciphers where movies will be filmed. In a way Snyder is right by saying that there is a state by state bidding war for the film industry. However, it was a war that Michigan was winning. Over one hundred film and television productions have came to Michigan solely as a result of these incentives. The reason Governor Granholm instituted these incentives was because she knew that if the tax incentives were high enough, Michigan could take over the film industry. It was all in an effort to get Michigan working again. It is a sad circumstance for Michigan filmmakers who have worked hard over the past couple of years since the incentives were introduced. The reality is that as soon as the incentives are reduced or taken away all together, the film industry will be gone from Michigan just as quickly as it arrived.
George Clooney, star of Michael Clayton, Up in the Air, Burn After Reading and many more successful features, is set to direct a film here in Michigan starting sometime in February. The talented Clooney will also act in the political based drama which is titled The Ides of March. The film is reported to be about a democratic presidential candidate, played by Clooney, who learns about the harsh world of politics and the scandal that comes with it. The film is based on a on the play by writer Beau Willimon.
Clooney is a big name that helps bring credibility to the Michigan film scene, but the movie will include many other prestigious actors and actresses. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood, will all have roles in this political feature. Read more about the film and it’s stars here on the Internet Movie Database. The film will also shoot in Ohio but the bulk of it will be shot here in the state of Michigan. This film is proof that the Michigan film tax incentive is doing its part in bringing the film industry and its stars to our great state.
A rally was held in Grand Rapids on Tuesday to show support for the Michigan Film tax incentives. The rally was held in response to leading gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder’s proposed elimination of the incentive. Snyder wants to get rid of the tax incentives in an attempt to fix Michigan’s budget problems. Deb Havens, co-chair of the West Michigan Film Industry Task Force, spoke at the rally encouraging the crowd of around 120 people to show support to their legislators. Opponents of the incentive are growing inpatient and they want instant gratification and revenue from these tax incentives. The problem is that the tax incentive is a process that will take time. Supporters of it claim the incentive is doing exactly what is should be doing, and that is creating jobs for people in Michigan. “Let’s have less politics, and more jobs in Michigan,” Havens said. “Who’s in favor of that?”
Other speakers at the rally suggested that if the incentives were to be removed, many will quickly flee Michigan for states with more favorable incentives. This would make a bad economic situation even worse. Right when the industry seems to be coming we would be cutting off it’s lifeline. As a filmmaker myself, I attended film school mainly with this incentive in mind. Upon graduating, I worked on a television show and have talked with many of my former classmates and they are also working in the industry right here in Michigan. The possibility of this tax incentive being eliminated is already scaring away productions. With Michigan being in terrible economic shape, taking away something that is creating jobs just doesn’t seem to be a wise move. Read more about the rally.
Landmark Theaters owns and operates two local Michigan independent film theaters. The Maple Art Theater in Bloomfield hills and the Main Art Theater in Royal Oak, are both great places to watch independent films. They also screen recent popular movies, classic old movies and foreign films. The Maple Art Theater in Bloomfield hills was built in 1974 and has three movie screens. Right now playing at the Maple are Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Sam Taylor-Wood’s Nowhere Boy, and Bruce Beresford’s (director of Driving Miss Daisy) Mao’s Last Dancer.
The Main Art Theater in Royal Oak has been around for even longer than the Maple. The Main Art Theater was originally built in the 1940’s and was a single screened theater for many years. It now, like the Maple, has three screens for our viewing pleasure. The Main Art is my personal favorite place to see an indie flick. It also shows a mix of classics and new indie films. Now playing at the Main Art Theater is Davis Guggenheim’s (director of An Inconvenient Truth) Waiting for Superman. Also playing is Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Pscycho and Mark Romaneks (director of One Hour Photo) Never Let Me Go. If your looking for an alternative or something other than what is playing at the mainstream movie theaters, check out these two Landmark owned theaters.
The Michigan Film tax incentive has done a big part in bringing the movie industry to Michigan. It gives filmmakers a tax credit of up to 42% on films that are shot in the state of Michigan. Not all are in favor of this tax credit that was instituted in 2008. Some see the lack of revenue it has thus far created as another waste of state money. Governor Jennifer Granholm defended this tax incentive while speaking at Michigan State University on Friday. According to Granholm, “The point of this was to add a whole new sector to our economy and create jobs,” especially for young people, she said. “The point of it wasn’t to make revenue for the state.”
It is true that the incentive has yet to create a good amount of revenue for the state of Michigan. What skeptics of this incentive are failing to realize however, is that Michigan is building a strong base for filmmaking in the future. Sure, we have had a good deal of movies come to Michigan so far but in few years, there is a good possibility that the industry could be booming here in our state. If this is true it will be thanks in no small part to this tax incentive. Saving money is the name of the game in the film industry and that is why movie productions flock to areas with these kind of tax breaks. So what Granholm is really saying is hold your breath because in a year or two this could be one of the country’s film making hot spots.
The Motion Picture Institute of Michigan is wrapping up it’s 2010 school year and letting loose another crop of young innovative filmmakers. MPI is a trade school designed to teach students the craft of filmmaking with a hands on approach. Founded in 1995 by Kurt Mayry and Douglas Schulze, MPI has been helping students get into the film industry. The goal of MPI is to have students dedicate a little over a year to intense on-set training, as well as college type classes explaining the theories that go in to writing, directing and working on large and small films.
MPI’s basic course cost 11,000 dollars. The program is designed to help you generate contacts in the industry. It will provide you with a plan of attack for finding a job while showing you the basics you will need to create your very own independent film. With the recent tax incentive bringing many new movies to Michigan, there is actual work for the students to find after graduating. A few of my classmates from MPI have worked on some of the bigger name movies to come to Michigan in the past year. Including, “Salvation Boulevard” and A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas.” Each school year ends with a student film festival at the Emagine Theater in Novi. If you are a young filmmaker or screenwriter looking for an outlet to practice this craft, it’s worth a look. Check it out on http://www.mpifilm.com/
Interested in seeing the new wave of independent filmmakers getting their start? Look no further than the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Founded in the 1960’s, the A.A.F.F. has been giving young filmmakers a chance to showcase their talents. The Ann Arbor Film festival is the longest-running independent and experimental film festival in North America. Great filmmakers ranging from the legendary George Lucas to the younger, more controversial Gus Van Sant, have had their films shown at the A.A.F.F. Each year nearly 3,000 films are submitted from around the world to be sorted through, until the best of the best independent films of the year are selected to be shown.
If you are interested in submitting a film go to http://aafilmfest.org/submit. The deadline to submit a film for the 49th annual A.A.F.F. is November 4th, 2010. The festival itself is takes place from March 22-27, 2011. Tickets become available at the start of 2011 and are as cheap as $45 dollars. If you are unfamiliar with independent film, this is a great place to get a taste of the raw, uncensored film making style that is independent film making. As a young filmmaker myself, I would advise anyone with interest in film or film making to consider checking out the the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Check out http://www.aafilmfest.org/ for more information.
As a former student of the Motion Picture Institute, I have chosen to write about ongoing independent film features in the state of Michigan. The first film I will cover is a horror film by Director and my former teacher Douglas Schulze. His film MIMESIS is being shot throughout the Metro Detroit and Troy area. Schulze most recent film “The Rain Chronicles” was also shot in Michigan and starred the late David Carridine. I will have more on Schulze’s new project Mimesis as I look to interview him on for his new film and see how his previous project the Rain Chronicles is doing.
Hello this is Matthew Urben’s blog. Will post something soon so stay tuned!
Independent Film In Michigan 