There will be a free public rally in Pontiac tonight to provide information to the public and make an attempt to save the Michigan Film Incentive, which is under attack by some state legislators.
The grassroots organization Big Screen Michigan is presenting the “Rally to Save Michigan Film Incentive” at the Crofoot Ballroom, located on the corner of Pike and Saginaw streets in downtown Pontiac, at 7.
The rally is meant to rectify misconceptions people sometimes have about the MFI, and there will be speakers and other experts on hand to explain what the loss of the MFI would mean for Michigan. Attendees will learn what they can do to help save the MFI as well as networks with film, television and video game producers and designers.
Within the past two years there have been numerous films made in Michigan. Many Eastern Michigan University students have seen the likes of George Clooney, Drew Barrymore, Al Pacino, Clint Eastwood, Edward Norton, Ellen Page, Rob Reiner and Hillary Swank in Ann Arbor restaurants, walking the streets of Pontiac and even in Ypsilanti. My own father-in-law-to-be met Reiner at Greenfield Village this past summer.
Sadly, the carrot enticing Hollywood to film in Michigan is under attack in the state legislature, and these experiences may soon come to an end.
The sometimes fickle movie industry, which looks for the best locations for the best value, has become smitten with our beautiful state.
While our ever-changing seasons and scenery certainly play a part in this love affair, the main reason filmmakers come to our state is Michigan’s generous tax incentives that give the entertainment industry a refundable business tax credit of up to 42 percent for production costs spent in the state.
However, politicians like State Senator Nancy Cassis see the MFI as simply being a handout to wealthy Hollywood fat cats from an already struggling economy. People like the spokesperson for Big Screen Michigan, director/actor Michael Manasseri, disagree with the senator.
“That’s absolute bullshit,” Manasseri said angrily. “It’s 1/1000 of the state’s budget and it shouldn’t even be an issue but, because it’s Hollywood and because they’re movie stars, it gets put in the spotlight. It gets put in the spotlight by legislators that are trying to make a name for themselves … There has been a lot of misinformation that has been put out there.”
One of the misconceptions is that Michigan is paying producers to make their movies here, but that is merely an oversimplification of the process. Manasseri goes on to explain “all of the incentives are front-loaded, meaning that [producers] don’t get anything back unless they spend all of the money they are supposed to spend in this state.
“That’s massive.”
An easy way to explain this is might be when Clint Eastwood filmed “Gran Torino” in 2008 in places like Highland Park. As an example, let’s assume he had to spend approximately $35 million (an arbitrary number merely used for this example) right here in Michigan.
After production ended, anywhere from 12 to 18 months, the state of Michigan might have kicked back about $7 million (again, arbitrary) in tax rebates. This is after the money had been circulating within Michigan, collecting various amounts of interest and tax income already.
So, for a $35-million movie made in Michigan, the state was able to easily gain more than $7 million in revenue because, obviously, we’re not going to rebate more than we made in taxes.
This completely made up figure ignores the unemployed Michiganders who found employment as crew members. It ignores the hotel and restaurant industries that were able to house and feed the massive film crews. It ignores every person who benefited from those months of production in Michigan, and we cannot afford to ignore those people.
Michigan is not the first state to consider these tax credits. Louisiana and New Mexico have put incentives in place, along with infrastructure, and they have a thriving film and television industry.
However, there are also states that serve as cautionary tales for Michigan. Manasseri mentions Iowa.
“The place that didn’t work is Iowa because Iowa just froze their incentives,” he said. “…Look, it was very new to them, and they did not put any safeguards in place to protect themselves. Michigan already has those safeguards in place.”
Michigan has the opportunity to become the next Louisiana, or even a smaller version of Hollywood, if we can continue to bring film production to our state and make filmmakers spend their money here.
Manasseri said that EMU students planning on attending the rally “drive safely, dress warmly and come support a cause that directly affects their immediate and future lives.”
However, if you are not able to make it to Pontiac, he said students can support the cause by putting information about the event on their Facebook, Twitter and MySpace pages.
Visit www.BigScreenMichigan.com or call (248) 225-8937 for more information.
