Filmmakers don’t have it easy these days. Between fighting for visibility in a world shaped by creators, short-form content, and fluctuating algorithms, and navigating the aftermath of strikes and the growing role of AI, there’s pressure at every level of the industry. Location scouts, set builders, editors, local vendors, everyone connected to production is feeling the strain. “Location, location, location” no longer means just choosing the best place to shoot. It now means finding somewhere you can afford to shoot at all. In response, Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill raising California’s annual film and television tax credit from $330 million to $750 million. The goal: keep productions from leaving the state. California helped invent Hollywood, but in recent years, it has struggled to maintain its hold. Jobs have moved to other states, like Georgia and New Mexico, where tax incentives are stronger and costs are lower. Image credit: centerforjobs.org According to the Center for Jobs & California Economy, California’s share of motion picture and sound recording jobs dropped from 42.4% in 2022 to 26.7% by May 2024, only slightly above the lows we saw during the pandemic. We wrote about the drop in production in July 2024, and the outlook for 2025 isn’t much better. In fact, according to its 2025 TV & Film Outlook Report, a ProdPro survey on the general outlook for the industry was mostly negative compared to last year, with the opinion among motion picture crew members down to -23%. California film tax credit...
Published By: CineD - Monday, 7 July