Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 15, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 13 more than $50,000 in the state is eligible for a 25% production credit, a 25% pay- roll credit, and a sales tax exemption. Worcester and Wakanda Beyond tax credits, Central Massa- chusetts' variety of settings, seasons, and landscapes make it an attractive place to film. Worcester has played the role of bigger cities like Boston and New York. More rural places in the region have been used to recreate faraway lands; "e Sea of Trees," a 2015 Matthew McConaughey drama set in the forests of Japan, utilized a site near Purgatory Chasm in Sutton. "Worcester is so attractive, so many great films have been shot here, like 'American Hustle'. I read that [director] David O. Russell called Worcester 'a gold mine.' Worcester can pass for anything." said Caitlin McCarthy, a Worcester Technical High School teacher and screenwriter who has two feature screenplays set to be shot in Worcester and a planned TV series partially set in the city. Elsewhere in Central Massachusetts, amidst the sea of biotech and manufac- turing firms in Devens sits New England Studios. Opened in 2013, this facility is the first purpose-built sound stage in New England. e secure compound in a for- mer military features a flexible 72,000-square-foot production space, larger than the famously massive 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom, which comes in at 59,000 square feet. All this space gives creators plenty of room to turn their visions into reality. e studio has eight staff members, but the number of people in the building can swell to 300 when a project is being filmed there, said Crossen, the studio's general manager. New England Studios has been used for the production of commercials and even as a rehearsal space for musical acts who are preparing for shows in the area, throwing the business a lifeline during the slowdown since the strikes. "Right now, things are relatively quiet other than some off-beat uses such as commercials and some other things," said Crossen. Despite the uncertainty of the last few years, Crossen is confident production levels will rebound to pre-strike levels in the near future. "Massachusetts now has a very solid infrastructure picture and a very solid picture from the standpoint of available talent," he said. "We'll get back up to where we were prior to the strikes of last year. Massachusetts is only more capable now than it was a few years ago of doing multiple projects and doing them well." The wonders of Westerman e boom of film and television pro- ductions in the area has created the need for a local source for the set dressings and props needed to create realistic settings for scenes. Enter Westerman Props' warehouse. is Worcester-based business prefers not to publicize its exact location, as its massive collection of items tends to draw unwanted curious film buffs. When you step inside the massive warehouse, it's hard to blame movie fans for wanting to grab a sneak peek of this awe-inspir- ing space. Rows of items ranging from standard office furniture to props like fake pies and cash stretch as far as the eye can see. Westerman got its start as a restaurant supply company in 1959, something still making up a sizable chunk of its business. It was actually the company's experience with restaurant equipment, which led to its first interactions with Hollywood bigwigs. When filming "Shutter Island" around 2008, director Martin Scorsese and crew were in need of equipment to help facilitate a scene taking place in a kitchen. e filmmakers were eventually connected with Westerman General Manager Dan Diaz, who with the help of other employees he always remembers to credit, helped cra a 1950s era set. "I remember when I was in high school, [Dan] was like 'I'm going to build a prop room back here' and I thought that was ridiculous," said Nico Diaz, Dan's son who has since started a career in set design. "Lo and behold, it's three floors now. So I was wrong about that one." e moviemaking industry benefits the local economy in unseen ways, Dan Diaz said. "For people who don't see [produc- tions] when they come into town, they spend a ton of money renting local places, going to eat locally," Dan Diaz said. "e money they spend here is unbelievable. We're always trying to use the local businesses in the area to make sure the films get what they want." Westerman's restaurant supply services proved to be an oasis for film workers in the strike, offering the chance to find temporary work without com- mitting to more long-term prospects resulting in crewmembers leaving the industry for good. "Hopefully negotiations go well, and we don't have more strikes," said Alex Mader, an employee at the Westerman Props warehouse in Worcester and a SAG and IATSE union member who works on films. "A lot of us have been doing oth- er things. One of the guys who was here helping us works at a game store ursday through Sunday, just to get some gas money. A lot of us are kind of struggling." Lingering slowdown While the 2023 strikes are settled, the Teamsters and IATSE, two unions composed of crewmembers, are in nego- tiations for new contracts, which could lead to more work stoppages. "It feels like a lot of production com- panies are holding off until the IATSE deal is done," Mader said. A couple of local IATSE branches have reached tentative agreements in negotiations with studios, Mader said. Beyond the usual sticking point of wages, crew members are looking to implement more rules to guarantee rest periods in an industry where 12+ hour days can be a norm. In addition to disruptions caused by worker unrest, the dynamics of the streaming wars are changing, as inves- tors are insisting the companies behind services like Hulu, Peacock, and Para- mount+ focus less on subscriber growth and more on profitability, leading to fewer projects getting greenlit, according to ProdPro. Once issues with union contracts are resolved, local industry insiders are hopeful productions will return to Central Massachusetts with the same veracity. "When the Teamsters and IATSE contracts are squared away, we're going to be having a different conversation," said Montagnino-Jarrett. Moviemaking is good for the economy, but it hasn't benefited us A number of high-profile movies have filmed scenes in Worcester and Central Massachusetts, with notable films including "Black Pather: Wakanda Forever", "The Holdovers", "Free Guy", "American Hustle", and "Honest Thief". Central Massachusetts being used as a moviemaking location is, in part, due to the generous 25% film tax credit Massachusetts began offering in 2006. Since that time, a microindustry has popped up in Greater Worcester, with companies offering moviemaking services like supplying props. The tourism agency Discover Central Massachusetts wants to entice more visitors to the region to explore its moviemaking highlights. When polled online, the majority of WBJ readers said their businesses haven't benefited directly or indirectly from film production in the region, but they still see it as good for the overall economy. Have you or your business benefited from a movie being filmed in Central Massachusetts? 11% 6% No, but moviemaking is good for the overall Central Massachusetts economy. 62% Yes, directly, as we've worked on a production or helped provide products/ services for one. Yes, indirectly, as the interest generated by a movie ended up helping our business. Worcester moviemaking The number of film productions shot in Worcester grew steadily following the 2006 tax break and peaked in the two years after the COVID pandemic. Release year # of productions 1984-1992 2 2009 2 2010 1 2011 0 2012 0 2013 2 2014 1 2015 1 2016 1 2017 0 2018 1 2019 1 2020 3 2021 11 2022 5 2023 1 Source: Worcester Film Commission Report data, provided by the City of Worcester No, and any benefits the movies provide don't make up for the industry's large tax break. 21% W

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