Whoever thought up that Michigan tax credit for movie productions should be given a medal. The state doesn't really lose anything since without it they wouldn't have the business anyhow...but the real benefit is for the local businesses. Movie productions bring lots and lots of people for extended periods of time, and they all have to eat and play and stay somewhere. All of a sudden we've got movie stars at the zoo and location scouts on our streets.
The number of movies filmed in Michigan (and Detroit in particular) recently is astounding...Gran Torino, Transformers III, The Mechanic, Scream 4, You Don't Know Jack, Up In The Air, Karate Kid...hell, we're even getting the Harold and Kumar Christmas movie. Oh yikes. We could do without that one. At least we've got lots of White Castles for them.
The pics above are from the filming of Transformers III last summer.
Scripts are even being written that specifically take place in Michigan now to make the scenery fit the theme. I'm most excited about The Dark Knight Rises, the next Batman movie, and the story of Jack Kevorkian which of course actually took place here.
Michigan has many advantages for filming besides tax incentives, not least of which is authenticity. And of course, the most technical of all workforces with the auto industry expertise available. Need to put in a train track and fake a wreck in three days? No problem. They do stuff harder and more involved than that every day at the Rouge.
Now it seems Johnny Depp may be coming to Michigan to film Oz: The Great and Powerful, the prequel to The Wizard of Oz, in a brand new studio in Pontiac. This movie will be another big one: well north of $100 million. Imagine the well-needed boost the city of Pontiac will get from that. I wish I owned a Coney Island down there! I remember hearing of the great help Lafayette and American Coney Islands got from the filming of Red Dawn, which brought hundreds of people onto their doorsteps for six months.
This new Oz movie will be directed by Michigan native Sam Raimi. He seems to remember his roots :)
1 comment:
I thought the Rouge closed. I know what you're thinking, I wrote this great post on a fascinating subject and she comments on that?! Just giving you a hard time. I agree this is good for Michigan and it's exciting, too. BTW, it was Granholm's idea.
Post a Comment