LANSING – State and local officials hope Michigan could become the newest star of motion picture and television productions under a package of bills Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed on Monday that would give Michigan some of the most generous tax and incentive credits to attract film production in the state.

With the signing of the new laws, at a ceremony at a movie theatre in Lansing, the entertainment newspaper, Variety, said on its website that Ticktock Studios, a new production company in Michigan, had announced it would renovate a factory in Holland to act as its production center and begin work on a new film tentatively titled “Tug.”

“We’re going to grow this industry and in the process, grow our economy and create jobs,” said Granholm in signing the package.

Having trained as an actress herself (and signing the package just two days after one of the state’s greatest stars, Charlton Heston, died), Granholm said the package would help bring some of the multi-billion film industry into the state and hire Michigan workers, caterers, hotels and others to work on those films.

“We’ve seen the excited that is generated when a movie is filmed on location. Such as ‘Somewhere in Time’ on Mackinac Island, ‘Hoffa” in Detroit,” Granholm said. “We want to turn that excitement into jobs.”

The state has long had a major film industry, in fact, to create training films and commercials for the auto industry.

Other states, such as Louisiana, have seen film investment in the state skyrocket when they passed incentives, Granholm said. The Michigan package – contained in HB 5841 , HB 5842 , HB 5844 , HB 5848 , HB 5852 , HB 5853 , HB 5854 , HB 5855 , SB 1173 , SB 1174 , SB 1176 , SB 1177 , SB 1178 and SB 1183 – would create some of the most generous benefits for production companies.

The package creates a 40 percent credit for producing films or television productions in Michigan, with an addition 2 percent for producing films in “core” communities. In addition, the package allows for a 25 percent credit for film and digital media infrastructure investments, like building studios or purchasing equipment.

In addition, production companies will be eligible worker training tax credits. And the companies would be allowed free use of state property for film production.

This story was provided by Gongwer News Service. To subscribe, click on Gongwer.Com

a>>