Long road ahead, but Ark economic incentives attract film crews; state hopes for stability

Ark incentives help attract film crews

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — An incentive package approved by the Legislature is helping attract filmmakers to Arkansas, which the state’s film commissioner says is a solid way to build a new segment to the state’s economy.

Christopher Crane, who runs a one-man office within the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, said Thursday that Arkansas is developing a reputation in the film community as a good place to make a movie, commercial or TV show.

Harry Thomason has been in Arkansas filming “The Last Ride,” a movie about the final three days of country singer Hank Williams Sr.’s life. Thomason would be due a $300,000 rebate from the state if, as planned, he spends $2 million making the film. His application is pending.

The Legislature approved an updated incentives package last year that allows filmmakers to obtain for a 15 percent rebate on qualified production spending in the state. A 10 percent rebate for payroll of Arkansas residents working on the project is also available.

Thomason’s movie, which will return to the state for exterior filming, had a crew of 70, with 52 of them Arkansas residents, Crane told members of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission during a meeting in Hot Springs on Thursday.

One condition for receiving a rebate is that the film has to portray the state in a positive light. Crane said it would be wrong to use taxpayer dollars to subsidize a project that took cheap shots at the state.

“I think everyone here has seen depictions of Arkansas that were not what we wanted it to be,” Crane said. “We have to go through the script.”

To get the money, productions have to submit records detailing spending and payroll. The Department of Finance and Administration reviews the applications.

Money spent by film crews introduces cash into the state economy, as opposed to locals spending at each others’ businesses.

“They throw those new dollars,” Crane said. “We want to make sure those dollars are tracked.”

Six projects are seeking approval for $540,000 in rebates for $3 million in spending. That includes Thomason’s movie.

Crane, who went into more detail outside the meeting room, said there is a growing base in Arkansas of workers qualified as film crew members because students entering college are eager to study film. Colleges and universities are working to accommodate the students, he said.

“The industry in and of itself is energized,” Crane said.

Arkansas, with its terrain ranging from the flat of the Delta to the pinnacles of the Ozark Plateau, offers a broad range of locations. Crane said the state could use a soundstage — an indoor space designed for making movies — and that developing one is among his goals.

The state Department of Parks and Tourism is working with Crane to create a “film trail” in Arkansas, so visitors can see where movies have been made over the years.

“You can go see where they made ‘Bloody Mama,’” he said, naming a 1970 low-budget movie with an incest subplot filmed in and around Little Rock and Mountain Home. Likewise, locations for “Sling Blade,” ”The Blue and The Gray,” and other movies could be on the map.

Crane said California’s wine country created a tour based on the movie “Sideways,” which lets visitors trace the steps of the film’s characters.

“We’re kind of looking at stealing that business model,” he said.

Feature-length films get the most attention, but Crane said having a flow of commercials and TV series filmed in the state will develop a stable industry.

Plus, there’s an intangible quality brought by the creative arts.

“There’s something about it that’s magical. It brings a community together,” Crane said.