The Hollywood publicity machine will soon be churning out the merits of Warner Brother’s THE GOOD LIE starring Reese Witherspoon…
And rightfully so…..
THE GOOD LIE, co-produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, is based on the true story of “The Lost Boys” who were orphaned by the brutal civil war in Sudan and traveled as many as a thousand miles ON FOOT in search of safety.
Fifteen years later, a humanitarian effort would bring them, as well as the girls, to America—with some of them settling in Kansas City, Missouri.
It’s quite a story, and fascinating enough for CBS‘ ’60 MINUTES’ to devote a segment to it.
But why will KCI look suspiciously like the international terminal of Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport?
And why will Kansas City neighborhoods in the film have more of an Atlanta and suburban Jonesboro feel about them?
That’s because a good portion of the movie was filmed in Georgia INSTEAD of Missouri.
The question being, why? Doesn’t Kansas City have adequate talent, locations and facilities here?
However, that’s really not what it’s all about anymore.
Producers and production companies today follow the holy money grail of incentives. And Missouri as well as Kansas City are pretty lean when it comes to handing out production incentives.
Evaluating programs like the National Conference Of State Legislators recently reported that “currently 39 States and Puerto Rico have film production incentives on their books for 2014.
Yet “several States including Kansas and Missouri have ended their incentive programs, or have not included funding for the programs in upcoming budgets.
“Other States that have not previously had production incentives are throwing their hat into the ring…..Nevada’s new transferable tax credit became available for productions that shoot at least 60% in-State and spend a minimum of $500,000.”
So what about Georgia which seems to bag big productions like there’s no tomorrow?
Is this the Kansas City skyline on the movie poster?
Allow me to quote a few highlights from the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s website:
“Georgia production incentives provide up to 30% of your Georgia production expenditures in transferable tax credits.
“The program is available for qualifying projects, including feature films, television series, commercials, music videos, animation and game development. With one of the industry’s most competitive production incentive programs, the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office can help you dramatically cut production costs without sacrificing quality.”
What producer wouldn’t offer his first-born for that type of ‘encouragement?’
Here are just some of the specifics of what makes Georgia so peachy to filmmakers:
* 20% base transferable tax credit.
* 10% Georgia Entertainment Promotion (GEP) uplift can be earned by including an embedded Georgia logo on approved projects and a link to TourGeorgiaFilm.com on the promotional website.
* $500,000.- minimum spend to qualify.
* No limits or caps on Georgia spend, no sunset clause.
* No salary cap on individuals paid by 1099, personal service contract or loan out.
* Production expenditures must be made in Georgia to qualify from a Georgia vendor.
* Travel and insurance qualify if purchased through a Georgia agency or company.
* Original music scoring eligible for projects produced in Georgia qualify.
* Post production in Georgia filmed movies and television projects qualify.
There’s more, but I won’t bore you with it all.
Suffice it to say INCENTIVES RULE in today’s tight economic movie production market.
Even southern California is re-thinking its film incentives programs after seeing far too many movies bail for incentive-friendly Canada in recent years.
The bottom line: Atlanta doesn’t look so bad as a stand-in for Kansas City after all.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way.
When will Jefferson City and Topeka finally wake up?
todays tight movie production market?
now you’re a economist…WRONG!!!!!!!
Just another pos way to let major money making operations take more tax
breaks and swindle the state government out of more tax revenue.
sure come on down…make a movie…spend $500,000…
Please jack…you don’t understand the filth and graft involvedin these deals.
You go open a studio in Atlanta…make a film….send in invoices(which are
probably jacked up) and shazam…you geta check.
Justanother con game put together by the politicans to move the tax
burdens that are left onto the middle and lowerclass.
Please jack…with brownback wwe’ve seen what his brilliant tax ideas have
done to ruin Kansas. What more can he take and give to his rich buddies.
please jack….stick to booking flights on overbooked jets and reviewing
movies. This article is just ridiculous and you should have done some
research before writing it.
oh great…how about tansformers shot in kc?
please hearne…edit these stories….they are embarrassing a journalist
like yourself.
This story has more holes than ____________________!
Hey Harley,
Enjoyed your take on state promotion via the big screen. It’s really the ultimate in (location) product placement.
Speaking of “TRANSFORMERS” (was it # 3?—I quit counting)….that production company brought millions of dollars into Chicago and into the Illinois’ economy. And that’s not counting the on-screen and later-life promotional aspect for the region.
jack…no one probably cares that a movie is shot in a particular
city.
Lets realize its just another phony tax credit that costs the
average tax payer money. That’s all it is.
Look at power and light…look at te phony deals made to
get companies to move to Kansas….the taxpayer loses…
these deals are bum deals.
shooting that movie here would not have brought one
more dollar in tourism to kc……
go read the reports about the economic impact these
movies have on a city….its not what you think.
the fact is who cares?
Hey, I just talked to jack and that is the Kansas City, Missouri skyline on the movie poster…and apparently in the movie itself.
That skyline showing K.C. from a perspective of driving into the city from the airport could’ve been filmed with a second unit in about an hour.
‘B-roll’ anyone?
I’m confused…..this movie is the story of the “Lost Boys”? When was Reese Witherspoon a Lost Boy? Oh wait….I see them: the three little stick figures at the bottom of the poster. Got it. So what we have is another movie about the African experience as seen through the eyes of an angelic white person. Love me some Hollywood (Atlanta).
Yeah, they should have done “The right thing” and had Spike Lee make the movie. In the end, our new arrivals to American shores can embrace the culture and burn sh*t to the ground. Actually, it seems they are finding their station right where I would expect. This from the Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/23/sudan-sudanese-refugees-omaha-nebraska_n_1165709.html
“The agency described African Pride, which began in Omaha but has spread to Lincoln and other Midwest cities with Sudanese refugee populations, as the “most aggressive and dangerous” of the gangs. Other gangs include the South Sudan Soldiers, TripSet and 402, who take their name from the Nebraska area code.
Sudanese community leaders in Nebraska do not deny the gangs’ existence, but describe their members as misguided youths, not hardened criminals. With help from city and state agencies, Sudanese groups are working to identify at-risk young people and steer them away from crime.
“I will agree that there are Sudanese gangs in Omaha,” said Malakal Goak, a Sudanese refugee and director of Caring People Sudan, an Omaha-based non-profit group that provides health and educational services to the refugee community. “But even though there are gangs, we still have a very strong culture that can redirect them to come back to a normal life of the community.”
The Huff Past calls it part of an “Immigrant Tradition”. What a hoot. Crips and Bloods all over America must have just gotten off the boat. Who knew?
You’re right rckal, there should be a movie about the actual results of this type of immigration into the US. Fat chance that happens.
chuckiies at it again…now its the Sudanese….who’s next?
Harley JoJo, your “Tribe” is throwing the Sudanese out of Israel. Sick of crime and violence, deprtations are under way.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/south-tel-aviv-is-south-sudan-now/
No word from Steven Spielberg, safely esconced behind walls with guards, but I am sure he feels that folks out in the streets of Tel Aviv should fall into line with those intrepid folks like you, a real man of the people.
chuck you missed a hole…
besides what are you talking about…
in isreal there are hundreds of thousands of
arabs living there…arabs cross borders to come
work in Israel every day.
stfu you moron!
Every day you make yourself look like a
bigger fool.
now…grab shovel.
You’re worse than all those glaze haters
on tkc.
that’s where you belong…with the haters
and vile people who attack glaze.
loser!
read the article again old man. Needsome glasses…
maybe try some cheaters. On your salary you can
afford those.
the article is different than you make it out to be.
read the woman pictured words….its justa group
of thugs that are criminals.
Again your hatred and vile attempts to paint everyone
unlike you as murderers/slackers/criminals is
getting old.
Have youseen the people on tkcand kcc who are
sick of your hatred and disgusting comments.
go to tkc. Tony likes your filth. He loves your
hate.
If you know anything about the Israeli state you
don’t show it. In fact jews and arabs are living
together in Israel…and eventually Israel will be
an arab majority nation.
I didn’t read where people are being thrown out..
maybe I work a real job and don’t dig ditchs
so I don’t have as much time as you have to
gothru the internetto find hate and lies that
you link on tkc and kcc.
Hopefully you’ll take your trash to tkc….its where
you belong…
“If you know anything about the Israeli state you
don’t show it. In fact jews and arabs are living
together in Israel…and eventually Israel will be
an arab majority nation.”
That little dust up over the last couple of months with Hezbollah must have escaped your attention.
Until a Zelzal missle ends up specifically in YOUR azz, there are no problems in Israel.
Gutless cowards like you traditionally suck up to their executioners, avoid military service, aquire lickspittle jobs in finance and climb, climb, climb.
I work with a former Sudanese lost boy. He’s intelligent and articulate and doesn’t start any drama, or play head games with other employees. In 7 years, he still hasn’t acclimated to air conditioning or the general weather here. On 80 degree days he’ll sit outside in his car shivering. For all he’s been through, he doesn’t show any outward signs of PTSD – at least at work.