Financing / Crowdfunding : ‘The Mandalorian’ Movie Nabs $21M In Tax Credits to Shoot In California As Disney Claims Most Incentives by Amanda Toney

$21.8MM is a lot of money, Amanda Toney. I think California should've gave some of that tax incentive to indie productions. Even if California only gave say $3MM of that to indie productions, it would've made a big difference for those productions.

It is a lot of money, but at the same time, it's based on spending. How much money would the other indies be spending? How many jobs will be created by this movie? Possibly more than the indies? Obviously, there are politics involved too - can CA afford to continue to not have blockbuster movies here? We want the big and the small. Sometimes the big draws in the small.

Absolutely! It's a shame the focus is on big budget blockbuster movies. Albeit understandable as the job creation count is the highest. California should be a leader in indie film; sadly indie films are obliged to travel to other states.

The reason why movie studios shoot in other states besides California is because film production costs are low.

Indies are getting $13M of this round of incentives and if the overall goal is rebuild the workforce and keep productions of all sizes in the state they have to support some big ticket productions. It's easier to shoot Indies in Atlanta now because of all of the big studio projects which lead to crew stabilization. I think this is a solid year for California and I hope they keep feeding the physical production industry.

Has anyone here applied for, or considered applying for, a tax credit on their film? The question of “is it fair” implies that indies are getting overlooked.

I’m in New York, which has an attractive credit program. The state doesn’t choose what projects to sponsor, then hand you a check. Instead, you follow the rules of qualified spending, submit in the appropriate time frame, then get money back after your initial budget is spent.

So if Disney is spending 166 million to get 21 million back, this is not disadvantaging an indie production. They simply don’t spend as much, so get less back.

The goal for the state government is to get more spending in-state. Hotels, rentals, local crew, etc. New York even has a dedicated post production credit. Of course the state would want more big budget films to apply, that’s where the bulk of the in-state spending will come from.

I’ve been frustrated in the past that some of the NY rules seem skewed for big budget productions (a requirement is shooting for a minimum time on a qualified sound stage, for instance) but then I realized those minimums are to encourage more spending.

They’re not trying to further an art form altruistically, they’re trying to stimulate an economy.

It's such a universal theme, sadly. I've just been having the same conversations in the UK (within the framework of a pilot programme aimed at levelling the field) and with the commissioner in France. Seems like it's always the same dilemma, how do we distribute funds/resources and nurture new skills learners at the indie end of the industry within the picture rather than just service the giants!

CA and NY are not very film-friendly states to shoot in, IMO. They charge you for everything, permits and location fees will cost 2x what you would spend in NM, PA, MD, GA, etc. A film-friendly state tries to help filmmakers. I have not seen that love in CA.

I will clarify that I live in upstate New York, not NYC. Shooting in the city is expensive of course, but the tax incentive is often used by productions shooting in certain areas of Rochester or Buffalo looking to emulate NYC.

it'll never not be weird for Disney to get tax credits. they've logged 2 billion in tax credits around the country over the last 30 years and 500 million from California alone. they just don't need the money. sure they can employ the highest level film workers and that factor in the equation is positive. but for a company that makes 30 billion annually, don't think they need the help...