A tax credit passed in June 2005 has brought an almost constant stream of movie and TV productions to the Ocean State, and, with them, some Hollywood-sized budgets.
Since the legislation was passed last summer, the state has benefited from over $150 million of production-related spending, according to Steven Feinberg, director of the Rhode Island Film and Television Office.
Feinberg is a native of Cranston but spent 22 years in the film industry in Los Angeles. When he was hired to head the revived film and television office in 2004, he said he "came back with a game plan."
The office had a very small budget at the time, so Feinberg brought a proposal to House Speaker William Murphy, D-District 26. "He sold Speaker Murphy on the idea of the economic development opportunities that present themselves with film productions," said Larry Berman, a spokesman for Murphy.
"The leadership at the very top supported this," Berman said, referring to Murphy and Senate President Joseph Montalbano, D-District 17. The legislation provides a 25-percent tax credit to production companies with a minimum budget of $300,000 filming primarily in Rhode Island.
The law was designed to make Rhode Island competitive with locations like Canada and other states with such incentives. "We took some of the legislation that other states had and strengthened that, (so) we have some of the best tax incentives of any state in the country," Berman said. "These Hollywood studios want to go where there's deals," he added.
Now over a year old, the tax credit's effects are being felt statewide.
"We believe that the legislation that passed has been a tremendous economic benefit to the state of Rhode Island," Berman said. "So many jobs have been created, companies have moved in ... the returns on it have been incredible."
The TV series "Brotherhood," which is returning to Providence for a second season, built sets and production studios, and the show "Waterfront" bought a warehouse building and converted it into a city hall set. "Everything is being done here, which means they're buying all their lumber and electrical supplies (in the state)," Berman said.
The productions have created hundreds of jobs, he added. "All that is the result of a little bit of seed money and then the film and TV tax credit law."
According to Feinberg, the law has attracted more productions since it was passed just over a year ago than Rhode Island has seen in the last decade. "We work very hard to bring them here," Feinberg said, adding that he begins courting projects as soon as he learns through his film industry connections that they are likely to be approved.
Major productions already completed include Disney's "Underdog," which was filmed all over downtown Providence and made extensive use of the State House, where trailers were parked for a large part of this summer. Other films shot in Providence include "Hard Luck" and "The Education of Charlie Banks," which was filmed on Brown's campus.
Brown received a location fee and was reimbursed for expenses incurred during filming, according to Michael Chapman, vice president for public affairs and University relations.
In the future, "Waterfront," a political drama set in Providence, may be shooting some scenes at the University, Chapman said, but there are no definite plans yet. One of the characters depicted in the show is a Brown senior administrator. "We've been in discussions with them about maybe letting them come onto the campus," he said, adding that it would likely be for no more than one day a month.
With movies come movie stars. Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Claire Danes, Toni Collette and Vanessa Redgrave are part of a cast currently filming the movie "Evening" in Newport and Tiverton. Another Disney movie, "Dan in Real Life," starring Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche, begins filming Monday and will most likely continue through the end of December, Feinberg said.
Industries already benefiting from the productions include everything from restaurants and hotels to accountants and office supply companies, according to Feinberg.
The state will also reap significant non-financial gains, Feinberg said. He cited more jobs and greater national exposure for the state. "That promotion's going to be phenomenal for Rhode Island," Feinberg said. "Evening" will do for tourism in Newport what "The Perfect Storm" did for Gloucester, Mass., he predicted.
In addition, "we've got a lot of people who are moving to Rhode Island because of the work," he said, especially from Massachusetts and California. He expressed the hope that these jobs will encourage more University students, including those from Brown, to stay in the state after graduation.
Berman and Feinberg agreed that Rhode Island's small size is one of its most attractive features. "One of the things that filmmakers seem to like is that they can go from one end of the state to another. ... We have a lot to offer in a very small compact area," Berman said.
Feinberg, whose office's Web site features location photos of settings from mansions in Newport to a trailer park in Pawtucket, said having "various locations in close proximity ... saves an enormous amount of money."
Feinberg added that the small size of the state also means "we have most of our government officials under one roof at the State House." The accessibility of government officials makes the task of coordinating a major production much simpler, he said.
Finally, Rhode Island offers "hospitality unlike any other state - we always like to welcome these folks to our neighborhood," he said, adding, "we're not cynical about film and television productions."
