Movie Studios: Boston is the new Hollywood.

Another one:

BROOKLINE, Mass., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The New England Institute of Art (Boston: 8) (Boston: 8) (Boston: UTF) (Boston: UTF) has joined with Plymouth Rock Studios to train talented and qualified people to fill the jobs that will be created with the opening of the new studio in Plymouth, Massachusetts.


The Institute and Plymouth Rock Studios will create the "College on the Lot," the educational component that will train the workforce to handle the anticipated 2,000 jobs that are to be created once the studio throws open its soundstage doors. Workshops begin in April, 2009.


"We are excited to be working with Plymouth Rock Studios and the film community in Massachusetts," says Dr. Susan Lane, the President of The New England Institute of Art. "Workforce development is crucial to the success of any industry that enters the Commonwealth and the Institute has the faculty, talent and capacity to ensure the studios will have the creative workforce they need, right here in Massachusetts," says President Lane.


The first series of eight workshops will focus on the key creative areas of filmmaking, animation and audio. "These are some of our strongest academic degree programs," says President Lane, "so it is a perfect extension for us. By offering these workshops now and by providing an opportunity for any new degree students to participate in studio-based internship opportunities down the road, there will be a pool of talent available when Plymouth Rock Studios is ready to hire."


Workshop topics series include such concepts as what goes on behind the scenes, what happens before the shoot begins, what happens on the lot during the shoot, the role of post-production, distribution, Hollywood's move into digital television production and more.


"We are excited to provide students with the opportunity to pursue their goals while enabling the longevity of the industry in Massachusetts," says Earl Lestz, CEO of Plymouth Rock Studios.
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http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20090304/NE7888004032009-1.html
 
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Study: Say goodbye to Hollywood
Report claims state tax credits don?t pay off
By Dave Wedge
Saturday, March 28, 2009


Massachusetts is chasing a pipe dream in its quest to become ?Hollywood East,? as it wages a taxpayer-funded ?lunatic competition? with 40 other states for fleeting film dollars, the authors of a new study say.

?It?s very unlikely Massachusetts will be able to create a sustainable industry on the level of Los Angeles or New York,? said Cornell University professor Susan Christopherson, who co-authored a new study raising questions about government giveaways to movie moguls.

?The subsidies they?re giving the productions don?t have a long-term economic impact for the state,? she added.

The report argues that New York and L.A. already have a monopoly on the entertainment industry and that the 40 other states giving tax incentives are merely fighting for table scraps.

?In New York and Los Angeles, this infrastructure has taken over 100 years to build,? states the report, which is under review by the Journal of Planning Education and Research. ?And without this infrastructure, a state that subsidizes footloose film or TV production projects has little chance of building a sustainable local industry.?

But Nick Paleologos, head of the Massachusetts Film Office, rejected the findings and said tax credits are ?an expenditure? to stimulate the local economy.

?Almost every other study I?m aware of shows the benefit to the local private economy far outweighs the cost of the tax credit itself,? Paleologos said. ?The proof is in the pudding.?

The new report notes that in Rhode Island, tax breaks have returned just 28 cents on the dollar to the state, while in Connecticut, taxpayers have recouped just 8 cents per dollar.

The report also found that tax breaks to entertainment conglomerates far outpace local arts spending, including in Massachusetts, where $31 million in tax credits was doled out in 2007, but just $12 million was spent on arts.

Christopherson and co-author Ned Rightor, a Needham employment expert, also found that Massachusetts and other states wind up ?turning a tax credit into a grant? because the government will buy back tax credits at a discount.

?Forty states, including Massachusetts, are making a bad investment because they?re financing projects from which very large media conglomerates profit,? Rightor said. ?I would raise the question why the taxpayers of Massachusetts or any other state should pay to produce products for these private companies.?

Paleologos acknowledged stiff competition among states but said Massachusetts is poised to thrive. The Boston area?s revived movie industry took off with the 2005 filming of the Academy Award-winning ?The Departed? and has continued with a slew of recent hits, including ?Gone Baby Gone? and ?Paul Blart: Mall Cop.?

State Rep. Brian Wallace, an ardent backer of the tax breaks, said the incentives have created thousands of jobs, brought in $535 million in new revenue and resulted in 19 Hollywood productions over the past 18 months. He pointed to new studios slated to be built in South Boston, Weymouth and Plymouth as proof the Bay State is becoming ?Hollywood East.?

?These people sit up in their ivory towers and don?t know what we?re doing,? Wallace (D-South Boston) said. ?I?ve seen the jobs they?ve created. I don?t care what studies say. I?m thrilled.?


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It won't be successful, especially not in Plymouth or Weymouth. South Boston, maybe. Hollywood conjures images of wealth, prosperity, and cosmopolitan people. Other things that achieve these images in most people: palm trees, yachts, tropical oceans, ornate buildings, and cities. Boston has the yachts in summer. Sometime we might have a decent enough city.

IMO, Boston would be better off chasing the independent film market, you know, like Sundance. I feel like that would suit us much better than Hollywood would.
 
kennedy said:
It won't be successful, especially not in Plymouth or Weymouth. South Boston, maybe. Hollywood conjures images of wealth, prosperity, and cosmopolitan people. Other things that achieve these images in most people: palm trees, yachts, tropical oceans, ornate buildings, and cities. Boston has the yachts in summer. Sometime we might have a decent enough city.
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You are mistaking the image of Hollywood for the reality that the ordinary person doesn't see. None of what you are talking about has anything to do with whether or not this will succeed.
 
Massachusetts should be smarter than this....


What is really scary to me is that two towns are vying to build studios...


If both are ever built; one of them is going to become Autoworld 2.0...


The 2nd studio will probably also follow down that path....


Hope I am wrong though....
 
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Mike said:
Study: Say goodbye to Hollywood
Report claims state tax credits don?t pay off
By Dave Wedge
Saturday, March 28, 2009


Massachusetts is chasing a pipe dream in its quest to become ?Hollywood East,? as it wages a taxpayer-funded ?lunatic competition? with 40 other states for fleeting film dollars, the authors of a new study say.

?It?s very unlikely Massachusetts will be able to create a sustainable industry on the level of Los Angeles or New York,? said Cornell University professor Susan Christopherson, who co-authored a new study raising questions about government giveaways to movie moguls.

Link
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At any point has anyone said Massachusetts expects to be on the same level as LA or NYC.
 
Fan Pier would be a terrible location for this. Studios are the farthest thing from glamorous, and would take up some of the most prime real estate in Boston.

Plymouth or Weymouth are much better locations, and are roughly the same distance from downtown Boston as Hollywood is from downtown LA. Studios and backlots take up lots of land, and much storage is needed for stock and re-usable stock settings. Using prime real estate that close to downtown and making it un-usable to the majority of residents and visitors would be near sighted and disastrous. (Not to say what they are putting in now may not be disaster.)

Building this in the suburbs allows for cheaper rent and leasing, while still allowing for easy access to Boston for on site shots and backgrounds. Also, the location in Plymouth allows for plenty of access to nearby woodlands, beaches, and fields and all other locations needed for 4 season shooting.
 
PaulC said:
At any point has anyone said Massachusetts expects to be on the same level as LA or NYC.
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No one.

The point of Plymouth Rock Studios is to offer an alternative to the big machine that Hollywood has become. They are looking to go a little more old school at this studio, in the types of films made not in technology. This studio is being founded by members of Hollywood's elite who are sick of the way things are going out there (supposedly.) Of course then again they are naming it Hollywood East and have copyrighted the name, so I guess they aren't distancing themselves that much.

Just another editor or beat writer who wants people to read them, so they use a little misdirection to lure you in.
 
PaulC said:
At any point has anyone said Massachusetts expects to be on the same level as LA or NYC.
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With the tax credits and the proposals to build in Weymouth and Plymouth, I expected Boston to overtake NYC.
 
Plymouth Rock Studios Given Greenlight for 'Rock Studios Drive'

PLYMOUTH, Mass., April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Plymouth Town Meeting members on Saturday, April 4th, overwhelmingly approved three warrant articles that will allow Plymouth Rock Studios to move forward on their access road, known as Rock Studios Drive. The mile-long access road will keep traffic off local roads by providing direct access from Exit 3 on Route 3 to the studio property and also create a new entrance for the Plymouth South High School/Middle School complex adjacent to the property.

An earlier agreement with the Town requires PRS to build the access road before construction of the sound stages can begin. Construction on Rock Studios Drive is tentatively scheduled to being in early summer. "With the approval of Rock Studios Drive, we can now prepare for construction of the road, which brings us closer to the construction of the actual studio complex," CEO of Plymouth Rock Real Estates and Investments Bill Wynne. "I would like to thank the town meeting members, elected officials and town staff for all of their efforts leading up to this successful vote."

It is anticipated that the project will employ up to 1,500 construction workers at its peak and up to 2,000 employees during full operation. Plymouth Rock Studios is a $500-million film and television studio complex in Plymouth, Massachusetts, slated to open in 2010 as the world's first LEED(R)-certified, environmentally friendly studio complex. The studio will have 14 soundstages and a 10-acre back lot, plus production offices, post-production facilities, a theater, hotel, and an amenity village.



http://news.prnewswire.com/ViewContent.aspx?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/04-06-2009/0005001721&EDATE=
 
The NEW Hollywood East?

I don't know if someone has already posted on this, but it looks like Plymouth Rock Studios has a bit of competition...anybody have more information?


It's official: Hollywood investors want to build studio at Weymouth air base
LEDGER EXCLUSIVE
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By Jack Encarnacao
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Apr 10, 2008 @ 01:30 PM
WEYMOUTH ?

A group of Hollywood investors say they will be ready to break ground in July on a multimillion dollar movie and television production complex at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.

International Studio Group, a band of former Hollywood producers, said redevelopment of the base is far enough along that the company can commit to building a a $250 million to $300 million complex called SouthField Studios.

But first, they say, the Legislature must approve a bill that would classify filmmaking as a manufacturing industry and qualify it for new tax credits.

?Our shovels are poised, and we?re ready to go as soon as the governor signs the bill,? Robert Papazian, a veteran producer whose credits include the HBO series ?Rome,? said in a statement.

If everything goes smoothly, construction on the complex could start as early as July, Rep. Ronald Mariano, D-Quincy, said. Mariano is sponsoring the tax credit bill. Proponents say the studio would create 4,000 to 5,000 jobs.

See the Patriot Ledger special report on Hollywood East: Proposed movie studio in Plymouth

The 30-acre studio complex would include 10 to 15 sound stages, a motion-capture stage, office space, sets designed to look like life-size streets, post-production facilities and an interactive tour. The tour would give tourists and local residents an insider?s look into movie and television production.

Allan Kassirer, a former television producer and attorney for the studio group, said the team has been waiting for certain pieces to fall into place before making a commitment to build in Weymouth. Those include the closing of a deal between the Navy and the Tri-Town Redevelopment Corp. to acquire all the base property and securing state financing for construction of a parkway through the property.

Kassirer said the group is confident that Mariano?s bill for new tax credits will be approved.

?All of the things that were necessary to happen at the property we?re comfortable with,? Kassirer said. ?It?s a question of time.?

Kassirer said the complex would be modeled after Fox Studios in Los Angeles. A range of amenities for production crews, including dry cleaners, restaurants and a mill for set construction, would be built on site.

?If you?ve never been on a studio, it?s hard to imagine,? he said.

International Studio Group has significant experience in production and studio development.

As a team, Papazian and fellow producer James Hirsch won Emmy awards for their NBC production of ?Inherit the Wind? and most recently produced the HBO miniseries ?Rome.? The pair also built and operated Ray-Art Studios, which housed many of Hollywood?s leading producers, studios and networks. They also owned and operated the Sunset-Gower Studios in Los Angeles.

The other partners are Lee Tomlinson, a former principal in Culver Studios where ?Gone With the Wind? was shot, and Jack McDaniel, a designer and developer for Universal Studios Florida.

Kassirer, a long-time entertainment lawyer and entertainment manager, has produced several films including ?North Shore Fish,? which was written by Massachusetts native Israel Horovitz.

Jack Encarnacao is at jencarnacao@ledger.com.

http://www.patriotledger.com/homepage/x1021744512
 
Work on Weymouth filmmaking studio nears action
By Thomas Grillo
Thursday, June 18, 2009


The long-delayed construction of a Hollywood-style sound stage south of Boston could start this fall.

International Studio Group is moving ahead with plans to build a 12-stage motion picture studio at SouthField at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.

The $147 million project will include a 600,000-square-foot campus where movie, television, video games, music videos and commercials can be produced without weather worries.

Today, there?s only filming in Massachusetts for six months of the year because of weather,? said Allan Kassirer, an ISG principal. ?When we?re done, we?ll have 12 weatherized sound stages protected from the elements.?

The 30-acre campus will include supporting office, production and retail space. Construction of the facility will create up to 1,600 temporary jobs; the finished studios will employ about 1,500 people.

Because SouthField is located 12 miles south of Boston and 15 miles from Logan International Airport, ISG executives are convinced they won?t face competition from another Hollywood studio planned in Plymouth.

The Plymouth Rock Studios is preparing construction on a 240-acre site. That studio is projected to open next year.

?We are not watching them,? said Kassirer. ?It?s location, location, location and we?re at the goal line.?

Groundbreaking on the project is targeted for the end of 2009 after a review by South Shore TriTown Corp., a joint venture of the towns of Weymouth, Abington and Rockland.

Tri-Town CEO Kevin Donovan couldn?t be reached for comment.


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This is all interesting to follow -
Just, on a rather insignificant note, every time I see the title to this thread I cringe - as someone who lives in Hollywood, and who enjoys many aspects of both the actual area and the greater, ethereal notion of the place, I am still not sure it is somewhere anyone should really emulate - maybe people in MA should think of the south shore as a 'hollywood alternative' rather than a 'new hollywood' - I still want the east coast to be a vacation, hehe.
 
Can someone re-post the Simpsons Monorail Clip from Youtube?
 
The title of the thread is lame. I cringe when I see it as well.
 
I concur with the name-change requests.

Has anyone from these studio teams proven that their studio can compete if all three are built? I can totally believe that Plymouth Rock, South Field, or South Boston could operate in the current environment, but will any one of the three be successful if they must compete?

Unrelated complaint: Looking back at a post from April, I see that the road to the Plymouth project is being called "Rock Studios Drive." Why must all new development projects use these idiotically inane names? I'd honestly prefer the developer name the roads after his kids, or himself. Why not check with the Town of Plymouth to see if there's any local hero they could name it after to gain goodwill?

There was a discussion of this some time ago on the Fan Pier thread. I'd expect Westwood Station and Bayside Expo will be just as bad.
 
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