As many states work hard to keep production domestically-based, Connecticut’s
Film Division of the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism seems
to be doing something very right in their fight against runaway production.
In the past couple of months alone, films such as
“Family Stone,” starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Luke Wilson wrapped location
shooting as well as the much-anticipated remake of H.G. Wells’ “War of the
Worlds,” directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise. MTV stopped by to
shoot a special honoring the release of 50 Cent’s latest album, and the recently
aired reality series “Wickedly Perfect” was shot in Fairfield County, CT.
The film division continues to work hard to create incentives that will make production more alluring in the New England state. Although tax incentives at this stage may not be as aggressive as those initiated by states such as New York and Louisiana, Connecticut is off to a good start with hotel tax breaks, breaks for local production businesses to help keep their service prices competitive as well as exemption from local and state sales taxes on most production services. It isn’t just tax incentives, production guides or coordination assistance that make Connecticut so appealing to production companies. As film division director John Courtmanche explains, its Connecticut’s unique and specific landscape that producers look for to complete their projects. “Our state is unique in that it offers a broad array of locations over a condensed geographic area,” stated Courtmanche. “We are working on many levels to increase awareness of Connecticut as a premier filming location so that we in turn can bring more productions to the state, create more jobs and generate increased revenue for Connecticut.”
