Movie Studios: Boston is the new Hollywood.

[Scott]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Harvard's Allston property, or at least a good part of it is likely to become an extension of Pharma-land, with a nexus of Harvard, MIT, and BU near the Allston tolls. Far more valuable to the long-term future of Boston than a movie studio.

Movie studio pays taxes Harvard does not and owns far too much land not to or work out a benefit to the taxpayers who will have to compensate for the loss. That rail yard is far more important infra structurally to the future of this city than any single university expansion and should never have come into their possession.
Harvard needs to stop talking about all the wonderful things you are going to do 50 years from now on the land they cleared 45 years ago. Saying you are going to fix the blight in Barry's Corner is great, it is like promising my neighbor I might start mowing my lawn after I put on the addition and how he should be thankful to have a neighbor like me.

 

[palindrome]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Speaking as a current allston/brighton resident, and a life long boston resident, I would much rather have Harvard (along with the rest of the boston area universities) than a movie studio. Harvard is one of the main reasons MA has a life science industry at all.

You are talking about property tax, when these movie studios are receiving millions in tax breaks themselves. Harvard is giving the community a $25m community benefits package just for their life science building.

Harvard will also urbanize this wasteland. Both of the proposed studios are nothing but sprawl, and don't belong in a place like Allston. A more appropriate place is where i proposed earlier at the old stop and shop warehouse.

 

[stellarfun]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Movie studio pays taxes Harvard does not and owns far too much land not to or work out a benefit to the taxpayers who will have to compensate for the loss. That rail yard is far more important infra structurally to the future of this city than any single university expansion and should never have come into their possession.
Harvard needs to stop talking about all the wonderful things you are going to do 50 years from now on the land they cleared 45 years ago. Saying you are going to fix the blight in Barry's Corner is great, it is like promising my neighbor I might start mowing my lawn after I put on the addition and how he should be thankful to have a neighbor like me.

Harvard does pay taxes to cities, as does MIT and the other universities. Its called Payment In Lieu of Taxes.

There is a big fight with CSX about the railyard and the CSX tracks between Boston and Worcester which the state wants to acquire. CSX is willing to sell but wants immunity from damages for any accident that their train might be involved in, and the Massachusetts Congressional delegation is now involved. Basically CSX doesant find running freight into Boston proper very profitable.

The Allston rail yards are of diminishing importance to the city itself. What would you ship by freight into Allston that was key to the commerce of Boston? If railroads were still important to Boston, there would still be tracks on Fan Pier. When was the last time you saw a freight train on the single track that still exists by the front of the convention center?

If you look at the Readville yard, there is less and less freight on it. If a shipper is looking to ship freight by rail and ship, most likely the shipper will go via the new intermodal terminal and port that Rhode Island and the Federal Government built south of Providence. The Federal Government paid for a third track so that double stacked containers could travel between Providence and the terminal / port without snagging the AMTRAK catenary. The railroad is the Providence & Worcester.

 

[N.starluna]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Scott: I'd prefer to put Suffolk Downs or Wonderland out of their misery and put the film studio there.

I agree with you there. It would certainly have less traffic impact than most of the proposals for redevelopment there. Certainly better for the community than a casino or slots.

 

[nm88]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Comparing a movie studio and Harvard is comparing apples and oranges. Come on, guys. What exactly does it accomplish?

Louisianna, New Mexico and North Carolina all have significant tax breaks and other incentives to lure movie and TV production. It works. Those productions, small and large, bring in far more money to these localities than the reimbursed funds given back to the production. Why do you think MA, NJ, NY, ME, PA, UT, TX, among others, are all hustling to get their share. Then there's Eastern Europe: some of those former east block countries will let you borrow their army if you film there.

Another benefit: we (Boston that is, not me, not you) look good on film. We are a tourist town. Exposing us to the world in dramatic ways is not a bad thing. Unlike many other locations, we have a lot of genuine character. (Boston, and you and me.)

If the studio is as full service as they are promising, much of the production that will come this way we'll never actually see. They'll have sets and stages where most of the work will be done. To think that film production in Boston could be as bothersome as it sometimes (not all the time) is in LA is an exaggeration.

Guys, it's a service industry that attracts skilled, high-paying people who will pay taxes and who tend to be genereous spenders. That spending would happen in our state. It's an industry that does not pollute or cause traffic or destroy the environment.

It will rehabiltate an unused asset. The property has the space needed to keep them effectively secluded. That means out of the way.

To me, this is a no-brainer.

 

[Scott]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Speaking as a current allston/brighton resident, and a life long boston resident, I would much rather have Harvard (along with the rest of the boston area universities) than a movie studio. Harvard is one of the main reasons MA has a life science industry at all.

Why can't be have both? Like I said they seem to have more land than their plan knows what to do with. Why let them ruin an area and let 1/4 of North Allston go tax-free?

You are talking about property tax, when these movie studios are receiving millions in tax breaks themselves. Harvard is giving the community a $25m community benefits package just for their life science building.

Movie studio hasn't gotten a penny yet. Harvard paying taxes like us normal people would equal a lot more than 25 million. Anyone who read the quotes from the Harvard panel knows that they erroneously feel they are giving charity, not paying their fair share.

Harvard will also urbanize this wasteland.

Harvard has owned most of this wasteland called Barry's Corner for years and it has blighted the whole neighborhood. Suddenly they are the hero with the white hat coming to rescue Allston?

Both of the proposed studios are nothing but sprawl, and don't belong in a place like Allston.

Harvard's plan is nothing but sprawl.

A more appropriate place is where i proposed earlier at the old stop and shop warehouse.

I'm sure there is room in this town for more than one and having both inside the city limits would really be a good thing.

 

[Scott]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Harvard does pay taxes to cities, as does MIT and the other universities. Its called Payment In Lieu of Taxes.

Say what? Aren't those payments a point of contention with many people in the city?

There is a big fight with CSX about the railyard and the CSX tracks between Boston and Worcester which the state wants to acquire. CSX is willing to sell but wants immunity from damages for any accident that their train might be involved in, and the Massachusetts Congressional delegation is now involved. Basically CSX doesant find running freight into Boston proper very profitable.
The Allston rail yards are of diminishing importance to the city itself. What would you ship by freight into Allston that was key to the commerce of Boston? If railroads were still important to Boston, there would still be tracks on Fan Pier. When was the last time you saw a freight train on the single track that still exists by the front of the convention center?

I suggest people check out the railfan site to get the facts on the rail yards. Fan Pier is a straw man because it is not a deep water berth.

If you look at the Readville yard, there is less and less freight on it. If a shipper is looking to ship freight by rail and ship, most likely the shipper will go via the new intermodal terminal and port that Rhode Island and the Federal Government built south of Providence. The Federal Government paid for a third track so that double stacked containers could travel between Providence and the terminal / port without snagging the AMTRAK catenary. The railroad is the Providence & Worcester.

Again, why not both or why essentially give away large parcels of land that will be gone forever.

 

[Scott]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Comparing a movie studio and Harvard is comparing apples and oranges. Come on, guys. What exactly does it accomplish?

No there is not a big difference between apples and oranges when both pieces of fruit have their hand out.

Louisianna, New Mexico and North Carolina all have significant tax breaks and other incentives to lure movie and TV production. It works. Those productions, small and large, bring in far more money to these localities than the reimbursed funds given back to the production. Why do you think MA, NJ, NY, ME, PA, UT, TX, among others, are all hustling to get their share. Then there's Eastern Europe: some of those former east block countries will let you borrow their army if you film there.

I agree that luring films to MA is a good thing, that is not the point.

Another benefit: we (Boston that is, not me, not you) look good on film. We are a tourist town. Exposing us to the world in dramatic ways is not a bad thing. Unlike many other locations, we have a lot of genuine character. (Boston, and you and me.)

Again, true, but not the point.

If the studio is as full service as they are promising, much of the production that will come this way we'll never actually see. They'll have sets and stages where most of the work will be done. To think that film production in Boston could be as bothersome as it sometimes (not all the time) is in LA is an exaggeration.

Guys, it's a service industry that attracts skilled, high-paying people who will pay taxes and who tend to be genereous spenders. That spending would happen in our state. It's an industry that does not pollute or cause traffic or destroy the environment.

It will rehabiltate an unused asset. The property has the space needed to keep them effectively secluded. That means out of the way.

To me, this is a no-brainer.

I agree with you .

 

[stellarfun]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Say what? Aren't those payments a point of contention with many people in the city?


I suggest people check out the railfan site to get the facts on the rail yards. Fan Pier is a straw man because it is not a deep water berth.


Again, why not both or why essentially give away large parcels of land that will be gone forever.

The point of contention being they don't pay enough? How much taxes do you think $250 million sq ft of movie studio on 30 acres would bring in? Movie studios who like to use acreage for backlot scenes and parking all their production trucks, don't like to pay center city tax rates. The only major studio that I know of that is near the center of a city is ILM, which just built new digs, after much NIMBY contortioning, in the Presidio. But then, ILM's soundstages are its computer screens.

BTW, Harvard does pay taxes on the property it owns that is used for non-educational purposes. For example, the warehouse distribution center on three acres of land it owns at 90 Western Ave is assessed for $3 million, and the annual taxes are $80,000.

Fan Pier is not a deep water berth? I suppose thats why ships pass it by when they sail into Charlestown and Everett.

Finally, IMO, if it wasn't for universities like MIT and Harvard and to a lesser extent, BU, BC, Tufts, and Northeastern, Boston would be like Cleveland or Detroit.

 

[palindrome]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Why can't be have both? Like I said they seem to have more land than their plan knows what to do with. Why let them ruin an area and let 1/4 of North Allston go tax-free?

As stellerfun said, Harvard pays taxes on non-edu use buildings. They will also provide hundreds of new jobs. With their IMP, they will become one of the premier life science universities which will only attract more high paying jobs too MA.

Movie studio hasn't gotten a penny yet. Harvard paying taxes like us normal people would equal a lot more than 25 million. Anyone who read the quotes from the Harvard panel knows that they erroneously feel they are giving charity, not paying their fair share.

And here is a preliminary figure saying the state could end up losing up to $138m.

Yes, the studio makes up for it by spending money, and providing high paying jobs, but then again, so does Harvard.

Harvard has owned most of this wasteland called Barry's Corner for years and it has blighted the whole neighborhood. Suddenly they are the hero with the white hat coming to rescue Allston?

I am admittedly to young to remember for two reasons. 1. I have only recently become interested in boston development in the past couple of years. 2. I only moved to allston within the last two years. So yes, you can definitely fault Harvard for that.

Harvard's plan is nothing but sprawl.

The new Charlesview proposal alone discounts this.

I'm sure there is room in this town for more than one and having both inside the city limits would really be a good thing.

Maybe it would maybe it wouldn't. Looking over the two proposals for Weymoth and Plymoth, i don't really feel Boston proper is the appropriate place for them. They will still be filming/spending money here without the sprawling campuses.

 

[Scott]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Think about the access to locations!

Director: I want to get some stock views of the Back Bay from the river for the Ally McBeal reunion.

Cameraman: We should be back in time for lunch. Wanna go to the Stockyard?

Director: Naw, lets go to that Persian place in Watertown.

 

[12345]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Movie studio backers pitching hard for support
By Christine Legere
Globe Correspondent / April 13, 2008
Backers of the $300 million Plymouth Rock Studios proposed for south Plymouth will shift into high gear this week in an attempt to win a May 10 nonbinding referendum on the development.

more stories like thisAs the campaign gears up, residents can expect to see lawn signs and bumper stickers, and receive phone calls and postcards, all urging "Vote Yes for the Rock."

Public opinion on the studio appears split. While many officials and residents are enthusiastic about the jobs and tax benefits it would bring, others worry about uncontrolled spinoff residential and commercial growth in south Plymouth, along with major strains on the town's infrastructure. They say the town needs to move forward more cautiously.

Studio backers initiated the May 10 referendum in hopes that a yes vote will, in turn, pressure wary Town Meeting representatives to vote yes on the studio proposal when they convene June 9. It's up to the Town Meeting representatives to give selectmen the authority to sell or lease approximately 300 acres of town-owned property to Plymouth Rock Studios.

Plymouth Rock Studios would consist of a large complex of production facilities for family-fare television and film, along with a village center containing housing and stores. It would also include cultural and educational centers. The studio is envisioned as an anchor for the film industry on the East Coast.

A citizen committee called Vote Yes for the Rock will hold its first strategy meeting Tuesday in the Radisson Hotel.

Richard Silva, the chairman of the Vote Yes committee who is a lifelong Plymouth resident and a retired local assistant superintendent of schools, said he believes the film studio will be a major plus. "I'm solidly behind this," Silva said. "The tax base benefit and the jobs this will create are obvious."

To ease environmental concerns about the project, Town Meeting representatives will be asked to place a conservation restriction on the remaining 700 or so acres that the town owns in south Plymouth. That is seen as helping protect endangered and rare species believed to be in that area.

Also on the Town Meeting ballot will be a request for the town to pay for an appraisal of the development site, and for a lawyer to take part in negotiations with studio representatives. A needed zoning change may also be added, although it may wait until fall.

Studio supporter Loring Tripp said he believes the film proposal may have a rough go of it at the June 9 Town Meeting, because many of the precinct chairmen - who provide information to the 120 or so Town Meeting members - have spoken against the project.

"I thought this needed a vote by the entire public since this is an issue that will financially affect the whole town," said Tripp, who filed the citizen petition for the May 10 referendum.Karen Buechs, also a project supporter, said townspeople will expect the Town Meeting members to honor the May 10 referendum vote, which she presumes will favor studio construction.

more stories like this"There is no mistake. The people want this," Buechs said. "And the Town Meeting members are going to have to vote on this in front of the town."

William Abbott, chairman of the Committee of Precinct Chairmen, said he and other precinct chairmen aren't against the project just because they have expressed some concern.

"We don't need cheerleaders at this point. We need people digging to get some answers," Abbott said. "There's still a lot of information we need before a vote can take place. The idea Town Meeting is going to vote quickly on this is wrong. I think what Town Meeting members want to see here is the whole picture."

Abbott said precinct chairmen have given town officials and studio planners their list of concerns. "This is a collaborative process and I know they're working hard on it," Abbott said. "I think a studio would be a wonderful use of the land. I just want to be sure the impacts are known. "

Janet Young, a precinct chairwoman, agrees with Abbott. At this point, she said, she would not vote for the project. But Young expressed confidence that Plymouth Rock Studios and town officials will provide what is needed.

"No one wants this project to fail," Young said. "But right now, all we have is a draft article about conveying the land, with no mention on how it will be conveyed or if there is any compensation for the town. And while the state has guaranteed us the interchange off the highway, we'll still have an old road leading into the site from the other side. Who's going to pay for the road improvements?"

"If this lands in Plymouth, we have to make sure it doesn't land on the backs of the citizens," Young said.

Plymouth Rock Studios officials have set up a workshop with the Committee of Precinct Chairmen on April 24. The chairmen expect to have their list of concerns addressed that evening, Young said.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ar...dio_backers_pitching_hard_for_support/?page=1

 

[briv]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

From The Patriot Ledger:

Developers say there?s enough business for two movie studios


By Tamara Race and Jack Encarnacao
GateHouse News Service
Posted Apr 17, 2008 @ 10:47 AM
PLYMOUTH ?
There is room and business enough for two movie studios on the South Shore, developers say. Studios proposed in Weymouth and Plymouth are expected to complement, rather than compete with, each other.


SouthField Studios in Weymouth?s hopes to be up and running first will not affect the Plymouth Rock Studios plans, founder David Kirkpatrick said.


?We?re not going anywhere,? Kirkpatrick said. ?We plan to be here running our studio for the rest of our lives.?


A 25 percent tax credit is expected to double movie production in the state, and producers need sound stages, studios, and a work force to launch the new local industry.


SouthField Studios is a planned $200 million to $300 million movie and television production complex at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.


Allan Kassirer, a lawyer and former producer for the group proposing SouthField Studios, International Studio Group, said he welcomes the Plymouth project.


?We?re really, whether we like it or not, a test balloon,? he said. ?If we build it and they come and we're filled up, we're thrilled to have another location where people can come in Massachusetts and make their films and TV shows. We?re hoping to be up and running within a year.?

But Kassirer says pending legislation for more tax credits is a make-or-break issue for the project.


Kirkpatrick?s Plymouth Rock Studios plans call for a $350 million movie and TV production campus with sound stages, offices, a small village center, a hotel and an education facility with a private arts academy.
The two projects are somewhat similar, but Plymouth Rock Studios would be built on 300 acres and include a 10-acre back lot and a smaller second back lot.


Kirkpatrick and his team intend to run the Plymouth studio and perhaps make movies there themselves rather than sell the complex once it is built.


He isn?t banking on more tax credits but needs a highway ramp and Plymouth town meeting approval of a zoning change and land sale.
Both developers said larger tax incentives in Connecticut, Michigan and other states pose a bigger threat to their respective projects than in-state competition.


Michigan approved a 40 percent tax credit to lure the movie industry.

?I doubt you?ll see a large-scale movie studio project there,? Kirkpatrick said. ?It?s too cold. Plymouth is like the Bahamas compared to Michigan.?


And Massachusetts offers an attractive variety of landscapes for movie making, Kirkpatrick said.


?Hollywood has responded positively to Massachusetts, not just because of the tax credits but because of the diversity of landscape, with both mountains and oceans. It?s a beautiful place to shoot.?


Kassirer said projects in other states could draw away the thousands of jobs that would come to Massachusetts.


?We don't want to train all those people and have them go to Connecticut, Rhode Island or Pennsylvania,? Kassirer said. ?It will be us first and then, hopefully, Plymouth. Then we?ll have year-round employment and they?re not going to want to leave.??


Tamara Race may be reached at trace@ledger.com. Jack Encarnacao can be reached at jencarnacao @ledger.com.

 

[12345]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Hollywood East
2 studios, with thousands of jobs, see work for them both, and more

To those who wonder whether there's room in Massachusetts for two major movie studios, the answer from the studios is an emphatic yes. In fact, planners of the two pending projects say that together they will create an even bigger draw to lure high-powered moviemakers to the South Shore.

PLYMOUTH ROCK STUDIO,
South Plymouth -
COST:
$282 million;
SIZE:
300 acres, 14 soundstages initially; number may eventually double.

SOUTHFIELD STUDIO
,
Weymouth -
COST:
$250 million to $300 million;
SIZE:
30 acres, 10-15 soundstages; Together, the studios estimate at least 7,000 jobs will be created.


Officials for Plymouth Rock Studios, who want to build a studio complex in South Plymouth, and for International Studio Group, who propose SouthField Studio on the former naval air base in South Weymouth, say the biggest threats to their ambitious projects are elsewhere.

Competition from Connecticut, Michigan, and Pennsylvania is what could stand in the way of the South Shore's becoming Hollywood East. Last week in Connecticut, studio investors put in the high bid for a former Army engine plant in Stratford. Michigan has just instituted the most aggressive tax incentive package yet designed to attract the film industry. And when Pennsylvania instituted a tax-incentive package last summer, two major film projects were announced shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, North Carolina bills itself as the third-largest movie-producing state in the country.

With such competition in mind, backers of the Plymouth Rock studio in Plymouth and SouthField Studio in Weymouth hope to move quickly to stake their East Coast claim. Together, the studios say, they would generate at least 7,000 jobs.

SouthField Studio is expected to be the first of the two local studios to open.

"We'll be the guinea pig because we should be open about a year before them," said International Studio Group principal Allan Kassirer, a California entertainment lawyer, agent, and television producer. "And if we can turn this into Hollywood East, we'll have enough work [in this state] for everyone."

International Studio Group, or ISG, whose principals are Hollywood-connected producers and studio owners, announced on April 8 plans to build a $250 million to $300 million motion picture and television studio on 30 acres of the 1,400-acre former air station in Weymouth.

According to Kassirer, the studio project has secured all of its financing and is ready to move forward, pending approval by state legislators of a 20 percent tax credit on construction costs. (Current tax incentives are for moviemaking only, not facilities.)

Kassirer said the Weymouth studio hinges on tax credit approval. If it were to be passed, permitting - expected to take 90 days - could start right away, with construction to follow. Part of the studio complex would be up and running within a year, he said.

The air base has the advantage of access and infrastructure. Utilities are already in place. Route 18 is being widened, and a state-funded parkway, for access from Route 3, could be completed in about 14 months, Kassirer said.

LNR Property Corp., the billion-dollar, California-based development company that is converting the base into a housing, retail, and office complex called SouthField, has partnered with ISG on the project.

"This is an incredibly good location," Kassirer said. "LNR is building a T stop, and we're only 12 miles from downtown - about 20 minutes by car" from Boston.


more stories like thisISG's proposal calls for a $250 million to $300 million movie and television studio, with 10 to 15 soundstages, support facilities, office space, restaurants, and retail shops. Company officials estimate that, overall, 5,000 jobs would be created.

The studio that a group of California movie moguls propose for Plymouth is of roughly the same investment scale, but on three times as much land.

Plymouth Rock Studios would be a $282 million project with 14 soundstages for starters, with later expansion to as many as 28. Plans call for two 100,000-square-foot production buildings and two back lots for exterior scenes. The Plymouth plan also calls for a kindergarten through Grade 12 performing arts school, vocational classrooms, cultural and visitors centers, and a screening theater. Although the full studio is still a few years away, provided it wins town approval, an advance executive office is already operating in Cordage Park. Limited filming is underway there.

The biggest difference between the two studios is that Plymouth Rock faces more hurdles toward approval. The immediate challenge is winning a required two-thirds vote by Plymouth Town Meeting representatives June 9 for zoning changes and land sale approval. Some residents worry about the ambitious plan's effect on largely undeveloped South Plymouth. A townwide, nonbinding referendum vote is set for May 10.

Like SouthField Studio, the Plymouth Rock proposal includes residential and commercial development.

"We have identified 119 different businesses that will go along with the studio," said David Kirkpatrick, a principal of Plymouth Rock Studios. The company projects the studio will create more than 2,000 high-paying film jobs, with more jobs created by the studio-related developments that will accompany it.

"This will be a green initiative," Kirkpatrick said. "We could probably squeeze it on 100 acres, but . . . we're not interested in bulldozing down the land, but working within its contours." The studio site is about 300 acres.

The state has committed $55 million to build an interchange off Route 25 and bring infrastructure to the undeveloped site. In return, Plymouth Rock will provide financing confirmation and hire a set number of Massachusetts residents.

Kirkpatrick estimated that permitting will take about a year. The project should be ready to open by late 2010 or early 2011, officials predict.

But is there enough film work to keep two studios busy?

Kirpatrick said 10 films will be shot in Massachusetts this year - enough to book every soundstage in both studios.

And more films are being made in the state each year, said Nicholas Paleologos, executive director of the Massachusetts Film Office. Two other studio projects, not yet public, also are in the works elsewhere in Massachusetts, he said - a "measure of how competitive Masachusetts is . . . that there are three or four groups willing to spend money on soundstages right now."

"More movies shot means more money spent here, means more jobs created here," Paleologos stated in an e-mail. "And capturing the revenue stream from all this new production activity is exactly why these entrepreneurs and their investors want to spend their money building soundstages here."

He adds: "If you build it, they will come."

 

[skintreesnail]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Kirpatrick said 10 films will be shot in Massachusetts this year - enough to book every soundstage in both studios.

And more films are being made in the state each year, said Nicholas Paleologos, executive director of the Massachusetts Film Office. Two other studio projects, not yet public, also are in the works elsewhere in Massachusetts, he said - a "measure of how competitive Masachusetts is . . . that there are three or four groups willing to spend money on soundstages right now."

Wow, I didn't know so many films are made in Massachusetts. And two more studios are in the works? Maybe I'll go into the movie business. Let's go Hollywood east. Maybe it would make sense for studios in the west to set up "sister" studios in the east to coordinate movies that take place on both coasts; no traveling. Also, it'd be great to see more movies with scenes in the east. I think there's a lot of untapped scenery over here that I'm not sure has been used often in films. There's also the Adirondack, White and Green mountains. Not to mention the New England shoreline. The Finger Lakes in NY aren't that far away either.

 

[skintreesnail]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

An article from today. I hope this doesn't get screwed up by constant bickering:


By Tamara Race
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Apr 29, 2008 @ 07:58 AM
Last update Apr 29, 2008 @ 08:21 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLYMOUTH ? Helicopter access, hotel heights, special-permit authority and defining the zoning area dominated the planning board?s first public hearing on the proposed Plymouth Rock Studios project.

Town meeting will be asked June 9 to approve a zoning change that would allow a movie/television production studio on a portion of 1,000 acres of town-owned land off Route 25.

The bylaw requires a new access ramp off Route 25 as a condition of the studio project.

Studio officials don?t want helicopter access, but planning board member Lawrence Rosenblum says their rich and egotistical clientele might demand it.

?The nature of the use will encourage helicopters,? Rosenblum said. ?To not deal with it is to pretend it won?t be necessary.?

But studio officials said noisy helicopters would likely disturb movie productions and that stars could land at Plymouth Airport and be picked up by car.

Rosenblum and planning board member Loring Tripp said helicopters would reduce car traffic, but planning board member Malcolm MacGregor said it is an inefficient means of transportation.

Town meeting member Ken Buechs said planning board members were sending mixed messages by expressing concerns about protecting neighbors from studio noise while arguing in favor of helicopter access.

Board members were also split on whether the zoning bylaw should cover the entire 1,000 acres or just the 300 to 400 acres needed for the studio project and whether town meeting (by two-thirds vote) rather than the planning board (with a four-member majority) should grant the special permit.

Rosenblum and town meeting member William Abbott said letting town meeting grant the permit would undermine the public appeal process.

Neighbors of the property and others can appeal a planning board special permit, but have no such recourse if town meeting grants the permit.

?It?s an end run around every public protection,? Abbott said. ?It makes no sense to bypass the planning board special permit and push it through town meeting with a couple of movie stars.?

Rosenblum said the suggestion amounted to a town board conspiring with developers to undermine the appeal process.

But Tripp said he had faith in a two-thirds vote of town meeting and that the process would be more inclusive while avoiding one or two parties playing spoiler to the proposed development.

Planning board members also feared a 75-foot height allowance for a hotel would create a precedent for other hotel projects in town.

Most favored setting a 55-foot limit and allowing developers to request waivers if they need to exceed the limit.

The public hearing was continued to 6 p.m. Wednesday at town hall. Planning Director Lee Hartmann said he would look for a bigger room to accommodate the expected crowd.

Copies of the proposed zoning bylaw are available from the planning department at town hall.


http://www.patriotledger.com/entertainment/x2103874740

 

[Lrfox]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

god... Lawrence Rosenblum is persistent with his "helicopters" isn't he? He, being a Plymouth guy, probably has a better idea of what a movie studio needs than, say... the movie studio and developers. I know for a fact that Harrison Ford among others insists on being flown low over residential areas in his giant red Huey helicopter while mooning the residents and insisting that they stroke his ego (the name of his dog). This is the likely mentality of 95% of the movie stars, supporting actors, film crew, writers, critics, production crew, and extras that will be traveling in and out of the studio, so it's good that Plymouth is going to prepare for it.

I also agree that Hotels should only be allowed to build to 55 feet. how else can pilots navigate their helicopters through towering canyons of 75 hotels, let alone see through the shadows?

 

[ifdataworks]

Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

From The Patriot Ledger:

If it can support two, it can support three...

http://broadrangeentertainment.blogspot.com/2008/04/executive-summary-overview.html

We believe as many as seven, throughout New England, can be supported.

Reason... three year backlogs out here. You can't get into a major studio for at least three years if you need more than 20,000 sf for any one production.

In LA there are over 300 studios, and they are all booked solid.

Internet webisodes etc, has chewed up what little capacity there was.

Over $1 B USD a year in productions can be attracted to New England if done right. With the Weymouth and Plymouth facilities, productions will come. I guarantee it. Holyoke will offer much needed support to any productions in the Berkshires and can be easily used for New York City Scapes. Need a back alley or multi level apartment shot? Come to Holyoke, we'll have the location for you. Lakes, rivers, white water, snow, skiing, cliffs (for those cliff hangers... pun intended) valleys on fire with color in the fall? Winding mountain roads, schools, libraries, industrial mills, architecture to die for, and even canals are all here.

Come to Holyoke, I'll show you any location you need.

When I need a harbor shot or Boston skyline, you know who I'll be calling.

What a wonderful opportunity we have to bring an entire industry to New England.

Our distribution channels will allow for us to distribute foreign and domestic, through our High Speed Fibre Optic Backbone, to the World, without having to even create any DVDs. Imaging, positive trade with Germany, Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, India... exporting electrons generated by the Holyoke Dam.

Good Luck Weymouth and Plymouth studios, can't wait until you open your doors.

Mike McCarthy
Chairman / CEO
Broad Range Entertainment

 

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Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Welcome to the board, ifdataworks.

I think the recent Hollywood invasion is fantastic for Boston and the region, and, if we can support them as you say, the more studios the merrier.

I look forward to reading your contributions to this discussion.

 

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Re: Movie Studios: Plymouth & Weymouth

Stalled bill keeps studio in limbo

The Farrelly brothers, a pair of Rhode Island natives who traveled to the West Coast and made it big in the film industry, have shot a number of films in Massachusetts, including "Fever Pitch" and "Stuck on You." But they had to return to California to do the bulk of the post production work.


Bobby Farrelly, in a phone interview last week, said he would love to make movies from start to finish in Massachusetts, so he's backing an effort to get a major studio facility built at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.

Add his voice to the principals of International Studio Group, who over the past two weeks have waged a media blitz to promote the SouthField Studio. They have conducted television, radio, and news paper interviews in an effort to put pressure on state legislators to move an incentive package forward.

The team has even designed the studio to be especially appealing to a Beacon Hill constituency, with Boston-style architecture for sound stages that usually are no more than utilitarian box-like structures. "So when you're walking on the lot, you would feel like you were walking through Beacon Hill," said ISG principal Robert Papazian, a former television producer, studio operator, and chief executive officer of Hollywood's Sunset-Gower Studio.

But it is not clear if their efforts will move lawmakers to approve the tax credit legislation that the studio developers say they need for the $300 million SouthField Studio project.

The bill would give developers tax credits for money spent on construction related to the film industry. The bill, filed by state Representative Ron Mariano, a Quincy Democrat, has been languishing for months in the Joint Committee on Revenue. It was given a hearing and then put on the back burner.

The bill's 20 percent tax incentive would net ISG $60 million in credits toward future income taxes on the studio's profits, based on the $300 million to be spent on construction.

The studio developers say they need the tax credit to go ahead with their plans, which would include 10 to 15 sound stages, post-production support facilities, office space, restaurants, and retail shops. Thus, the media blitz.

"There's been a lot of noise on the issue coming from the film industry, trying to put a match to us," Anthony DeGregorio, senior counsel for the Joint Committee on Revenue, said Wednesday. "The focus of the Joint Committee on Revenue has been on the budget and the big corporate tax piece. This has been going on in the background. Will it come to the foreground? It could, with all the media attention it's getting. I'm sure committee members will be contacted."

For now, the tax incentive package is being kept alive through an extension that will expire on May 30. The committee could simply approve another extension at that point, DeGregorio said."It's never quite done until it's dead, and that won't happen until a new [Legislative] session begins the first Wednesday in January of 2009," DeGregorio said.

more stories like thisMariano, the bill's sponsor, is a bit more optimistic. The joint committee has been tied up with larger issues, he said, predicting discussion of the tax incentive will soon begin. Mariano believes the high-profile pitches by studio executives will help. "Now people can put a face to the project," he said.

Progress needs to come soon, said ISG principal Allan Kassirer. "We're in a real time crunch," he warned. "We would have to think carefully about this if somebody else outside of Massachusetts gets a shovel in the dirt first. Producers will go where they get incentives and facilities. Once they leave Massachusetts, it will be tough to get them back."

The Hollywood executives behind the SouthField Studio project say they are ready to start building - financing is already in place and permitting is expected to be a quick process - as soon as the tax credit is approved.

Studio developers have big hopes for the studio. According to Papazian's partner, James Hirsch, who produced the television series "Rome" and "Nash Bridges," ISG plans to lure convention activity from both national and international organizations to the studio site. Its high-tech facilities will also be a boon to the medical and scientific community, Hirsch said.

Massachusetts, particularly the Boston area, is capable of supporting a flourishing film industry, if studio developers build facilities where movies can be produced, just as New York City currently does, he said.

"The minute the [tax credit] bill passes, we'll be marketing to producers," Hirsch said. "Everything between Boston and New York has always been a race and a competition. Why is this missing?"

Farrelly said there has been a lot of film activity in the state over the past few years due to the tax credits being afforded to filmmakers, but Massachusetts needs to offer these filmmakers a place to conduct the whole process.

"People shoot here, but they're shooting in old warehouses," Farrelly said. "With sound stages, the quality would go way up."

"I think the state would be crazy to let this opportunity go away," Farrelly said of the proposed incentive for studio developers. "The people behind the [SouthField] proposal, as well as for the studio being planned for Plymouth, are all solid individuals in the industry. They're not fly-by-night."