Things You Need to Know Before You Shoot in the Mid-Atlantic

The mid-Atlantic may not get battered by hurricanes, but it’s weathered some chilly economic times. Happily, production and post-production throughout the region is looking healthier, thanks to a dose of tax relief offered to producers in several areas.

"We were so sick and tired of seeing production and jobs head out of state that we pushed for a big tax incentive," reports Jane Shecter, director of The Pennsylvania Film Office. "So the governor just signed into law this radical new tax credit which guarantees that if you shoot at least 60 percent of the production in state, you’re eligible for up to 20 percent in tax credits." The result? "The very next day, Disney moved their new feature, Annapolis, and set it up in state, and it’s now filming in Philadelphia," she reports. "The fact that they immediately picked up and moved here within 24 hours is very unusual and exciting for us."

Ultimately, the state is committed to giving up to $10 million a year in tax credits. Since the legislation passed in July, the Film Office has seen "a big increase" in production, Shecter says. Production already underway before the new law passed will "definitely be eligible, even though the regulations for the bill are still in the works," according to Shecter. That includes such TV shows as MTV’s The Real World: Philadelphia, currently airing.

Augmenting the tax break is funding for a new soundstage to be built in Philadelphia. "We’ve never had a real soundstage in the eastern part of the state, so that’s a big deal for us," says Shecter, who estimates the new facility will be up and running in the near future. Native sons like M. Night Shyamalan have also helped boost the state’s production profile. "He shoots everything here, so we have very experienced crews, and of course locations ranging from urban to rural," she adds.

Virginia is also reporting a healthy increase in production "after the very slow year or so before," says Mary Nelson, communications manager for the Virginia Film Commission. "We’ve seen a lot more local production, coupled with some major studio films that have shot here." The latter includes Terrence Malick’s eagerly awaited The New World, based on the founding of the Jamestown settlement. Except for one week in London, the entire production was shot in Virginia. Like the other mid-Atlantic states, Virginia offers production a tax incentive in the form of a rebate of the state’s four percent sales tax. "We’re also working closely with the general assembly to create more tax breaks," says Nelson.

At BES Creative in Richmond, HD has become a big part of its advertising-driven operation. "We recently bought the Sony HDW-F900 CineAlta system, and put in two new Avid DS suites, including one for HD," reports executive producer Mark Remes. "We mainly do 30-second spots, and the response has been very strong now that we offer HD." In fact, notes Remes, while BES still shoots some 35mm, the 16mm market "has completely gone over to HD."

Rob Henninger, president and CEO of Henninger Media Services, reports that the Arlington-based company is also "finally seeing HD get some real traction" and has expanded in that area. "We’ve long been centered on the Sony HDCAM, but now we’ve added Panasonic D5," he says. "The other big news is our recent purchase of the da Vinci 2K and the Snell & Wilcox Ukon, a fully loaded box that is the next generation of cross-converter processors. As well as converting between HD formats, it can convert from standard-def up to HD formats and back again."

The company has also been concentrating on 720p. "We’ve been in 1080i and 1080p24 for quite a long time now, so we’ve expanded to cover all the active formats," he adds. "We had a few gaps, but we’ve filled those in. A lot of our clients now use the Panasonic VariCam, so we get a lot of that footage, and also a demand to master in format from 720p, so that really motivated us to go farther in this direction."

D.C.’s Atlantic Video has transformed itself from a traditional post house to a broadcast production operation, offering clients everything from studios and transmission services to tapeless production and post-production. "Seventy percent of our work is now in providing technical staffing and facilities for TV series and specials," says president Todd Mason. "The rest is producing those series and specials, and tapeless production is letting us be far more efficient. So for a show like Around the Horn, we get some feeds from ESPN that come in on fibre, and they go right to a digital storage system. There’s no generational loss and it’s changed the way we work. Same for Cold Pizza, another four-hour live show, for ESPN2, which is also tapeless."

The company’s expansion into the New York market a year ago has also paid off handsomely. "Now our D.C. and Manhattan Center facilities complement each other and give us a lot more depth in editorial services, audio and graphic design," he notes.

D.C.’s Thinkfilm services commercial, corporate and industrial clients, as well as film, television and documentaries. "This allows us to keep busy as the market trends change," says Stephanie Antosca.

Last year, in addition to producing all of the Washington, D.C. scenes for The West Wing, Thinkfilm did location producing for movies shot partially in Washington. "This year we are working more on commissioned documentary projects and corporate work," she notes. "Next year commercials may be our focus. We take this diversified approach because the East Coast market is somewhat unpredictable. It has worked quite well for us for almost 15 years."

Interface Media Group in D.C. has had "the busiest year in our 27-year history," VP Jeff Weingarten reports, "with a real mix of broadcast and documentary series, and a lot of HD jobs for museum clients." Interface just upgraded one of its Smokes to HD.

"Maryland offers great locations, experienced crews and a strong infrastructure, all of which have helped us maintain a decent amount of production over the past year," reports Catherine Batavick, deputy director of the Maryland Film Commission. Feature films included Disney’s Ladder 49, set and shot in Baltimore. "All local fire and police were involved, and we have a great crew, local 487 for IATSE, whose membership is from the whole mid-Atlantic region," she adds.

The state now offers all production an exemption from Maryland’s five percent sales and use tax, and Batavick reports that the current governor and his administration are examining ways to pass more tax incentives "in the near future."

The state’s proximity to D.C. is also a big advantage, she points out. "When they shot Head of State, most of it spilled over into Maryland and was shot here, even though it’s set in Washington." Other new feature production includes New Line’s Wedding Crashers comedy, the XXX sequel and work on the upcoming thriller Syriana for George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh’s Section 8.

Television production includes HBO’s acclaimed The Wire series. "They just shot their third season here in Baltimore, hometown of series creator David Simon, who also worked on the Barry Levinson show Homicide," says Batavick, "so that’s also raised the local profile." With the state’s burgeoning indie film festival coming around in May, Maryland is looking for "steady growth" in 2005, Batavick says.

Producers Video in Baltimore has seen "a busy past year, and lots of changes," reports president Rip Lambert. "We’ve seen a lot of consolidation in town, and we’re the last production and post facility now, so commercial spot work has grown for us and we’ve also picked up a lot of corporate and new media jobs."

The company has also done two big national campaigns for local athletic wear company Under Armour. "That’s kept us very busy, and we’re looking to do a lot more for them in 2005."