Screen Magazine: Vol. 28, Issue 14

Screen Magazine - Index

Screen Magazine - Screen Magazine: Vol. 28, Issue 14 - Index

By Bob Hudgins
Director, Texas Film Commission
And lo, it came to pass. Texas Governor Rick
Perry signed House Bill 1634 into law on June
7 and Texas now offers five percent back on instate
spending. Applications are handled entirely
on-line, at www.texasfilmcommission.com.
Applications are now being accepted; we just
have to wait until September 1 to start writing
checks. Notice I said “writing checks,” not
“issuing credits.” Texas’ program isn’t based on
tax credits; it’s straight cash, paid directly to the
production company.
Did I say five percent? In fact, if you’re
shooting at least 25 percent of your days in
an underused area, the return is 6.25 percent.
Austin and Dallas have seen most of the business
in Texas lately, so everywhere else qualifies for
underused status. If you’re shooting at least 25
percent of your days at locations further than 30
miles from City Hall in Austin or Dallas, you’re
qualified for the higher rate.
The initial appropriation is $22 million and
there’s more good news: we can keep feeding
the kitty. The Film Commission will apply to
the State of Texas to replenish the fund as
needed, in $5 million increments. There’s no
cap to the dollars that can be added. As long as
we’re spending the money, we’re proving that
the program works, and that’s what the State of
Texas wants to hear.
A few words about our earliest applicants:
* “Friday Night Lights” returns to the Austin
area for season two, and “Prison Break” brings
season three back to Dallas, starting July 2.
The high profiles and economic contributions
of these two series were a tremendous asset
in our recent legislative session. We’re grateful
to everyone involved in bringing these shows to
Texas, even before incentives, and in keeping
them here after.
* The BBC series “Wire in the Blood” comes to
central Texas for a 19-day shoot in July. From
Britain, we’re welcoming producer Bill Boyes;
director Declan O’Dwyer and star Robson
Green. Every other living soul on this show is a
local hire. It’s the kind of percentage that makes
a film commission giddy.
* In San Antonio, Match Frame and 1080
Entertainment are starting ten episodes of The
History Channel’s new flagship series “Jurassic
Fight Club,” featuring live action backgrounds
with 3-D animated dinosaur predators. I’m
proud to say that production, animation and
post-production are all based in San Antonio.
Let’s get started spending the rest of this $22
million. There’s more where that came from.
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