Written by on Nov 22, 2012. Posted in Incentive News

Arizona lobbies for return of location filming incentives

Filming industry professionals are lobbying for the return of Arizona’s filming incentives. Its programme expired in 2010 and it hasn’t yet had the support to return. Many in the state see the incentive as a subsidy that panders needlessly to wealthy producers.

The Tucson Film Office is emphasising the importance of filming incentives in attracting big-budget productions from Los Angeles and other parts of the US, the Cronkite News Service reports. Neighbouring New Mexico offers similar filming locations and a 25% filming incentive, so the choice is clearer for studio projects.

Really what studios and producers want, especially for feature films and TV series of the studio kind, are incentives.

Shelli Hall, Tucson Film Office

Shelli Hall is Director of the Tucson Film Office and spoke to the outlet: “All the things that make Arizona an attractive place to film are true, but really what studios and producers want, especially for feature films and TV series of the studio kind, are incentives.”

Arizona’s expired incentive included a 30% rebate for productions spending more than USD1 million in-state and it’s this programme that supporters are trying to revive.