Written by on Mar 6, 2013. Posted in On Location

Sam Raimi praises Michigan film industry as Oz the Great and Powerful bows

Sam Raimi has praised the Michigan film industry ahead of the release of his epic new movie Oz the Great and Powerful. The film shot at the former Raleigh Michigan Studios – now called the Michigan Motion Picture Studios - and collected a filming tax rebate of around USD40 million.

Filming took place in the latter half of 2011. The production team built 30 sets across seven stages and hired nearly 700 Michigan crew members in the process, Detroit Free Press reports.

“Michigan has really got great grips, woodworkers, plasterers, carpenters, film artisans, cameramen [and] lighting technicians,” Raimi told the outlet: “Really, everything you need is in Michigan.”

Michigan has really got great grips, woodworkers, plasterers, carpenters, film artisans, cameramen [and] lighting technicians.

Sam Raimi

The scale of Michigan’s location filming incentive at the time helped secure the shoot, winning out over Vancouver. In the end around USD105 million was spent locally in and around Pontiac.

While the regional crew pool remains strong, Michigan has struggled to attract big-budget studio productions since the annual film fund was substantially reduced.

Oz the Great and Powerful opens in cinemas this month.