LANSING – The Michigan Film Office

would no longer be able to provide film incentives, but could continue functioning

in other areas to draw producers to the state under a substitute adopted

Wednesday by the Senate for a bill that began as a film incentive phase-out.

That represents a major shift from a

substitute adopted to HB

4211* by the Senate Government Operations Committee last week

that outright repealed statutory authority for the Film Office and the Film

Advisory Council.

The S-4 substitute adopted Wednesday in a quiet voice vote on

General Orders changes language at the front of the bill from “Beginning

October 1, 2016,” to “Beginning on the effective date of the

amendatory act that added this sentence.”

By being less specific, the Film

Office can continue to honor its current agreements and continue to exist at

all (the committee substitute had included an end date of September 30, 2016

with regard to the expenditure of funds on approved projects, potentially

cutting off certain agreements).

The S-4 still mandates that after

September 30, 2016, once all payments and obligations have been satisfied, the

money remaining in the Michigan Film Promotion Fund reverts back to the General

Fund.

Upon the end of doling out

incentives, another Legislature or even the Michigan Economic Development

Corporation could decide to continue funding the incentive aspect of the Film

Office.

“This is a responsible way to

wind down our commitments in this state,” Amber McCann, spokesperson for

Senate Majority

Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive), told reporters after session

Wednesday. “The majority leader feels it’s important, rather than to take

the program and cut it off, to provide a mechanism by which the program can

wind down its operations and responsibly end its relations with whomever it’s

working with.”

The Senate is expected to vote on

the bill that now more closely mirrors the original language and original

intent during Thursday’s session. Upon approval out of the chamber, it will

head back to the House for a concurrence vote that could send the bill Governor

Rick Snyder.

COMEDY CENTRAL SHOW COMES TO

MICHIGAN: Comedy Central began filming in

Detroit last week the pilot for “Detroiters,” a comedy series

following the efforts of two small-time ad men producing low-budget, off-beat

commercials with an eye on a bigger prize, the Michigan Film Office announced

Wednesday.

The series has received a $445,620

incentive on projected spending of more than $1.2 million with state-based

vendors and 89 anticipated cast and crew hires, 74 of whom will be residents,

equating to 10 full-time positions.

“Detroiters” is executive

produced, created and written by Sam Richardson, Tim Robinson, Joe Kelly and

Zach Kanin, and is executive produced by “Saturday Night Live”

creator Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video and Jason Sudeikis, the Film Office

said.

SNL writer Tim Robinson and

“Second City” member Sam Richardson have ties to Michigan, with Robinson

a 2000 graduate of Clarkston High School and Richardson growing up in Detroit.

“Again, we are seeing talented

Michiganders returning home to draw on the state’s highly capable production

community,” Film Office Commissioner Jenell Leonard said in a statement.

“This series along with the range of other films shooting in Michigan

reflect the diverse range of sites and locales, which presents filmmakers with

a variety of choices.”

Approved incentives, including

“Detroiters,” amount to $3,046,793. Of that, a projected $8,712,375

is estimated to be spent collectively in Michigan by the four productions with

an anticipated 350 workers to be hired and 66 full-time jobs created.

This story was published by Gongwer

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