Texas productions in peril
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On the last Sunday of every month, members of the
Texas Motion Picture Alliance meet in a hidden room at The Highball on South Lamar to network and hear from speakers in the industry.
This month's meeting was about the future of media production in Texas. Potential budget cuts could impact how many films and TV shows are produced in the Lone Star State.
Last April, the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program went into effect after a smaller incentive program was established during the 2007 legislative session.
Before the new program, Texas' previous incentive project was ranked among the worst for the amount of money and number of jobs offered.
"Since [April 2009], we've seen a tremendous uptick in the amount of film, television, game production and commercial production in Texas," Paul Alvarado-Dykstra with the alliance said.
The new incentive program distributes grants that reimburse productions for up to 15 percent of their spending in Texas in addition to already existing sales tax exemptions for most productions.
In order to qualify for the incentive program, a film or television production must spend at least $250,000 in Texas. Sixty percent of shooting days must be completed in the state and at least 70 percent of the paid crew must be Texas residents.
"It's not about handouts to Hollywood. It's about investing in jobs for Texans right here at home," Alvarado-Dykstra said.
However, the local media industry can be unsteady. “Friday Night Lights” finished shooting its final season and two other Texas-based productions, “My Generation” and “Lone Star,” were both canceled after just two episodes.
"Especially in a downturn, this isn't something we want to cut off. We want to maintain and keep it going because it's working," Alvarado-Dykstra said. "Three out of four major networks now have been making TV in Texas and that's huge for us."
Phil Hardage is the first assistant director for “The Good Guys,” a TV show that films in Dallas.
"We were hiring 10 to 11 actors from Texas every episode which is a phenomenal thing," Hardage said. "That's great experience for them. That's great visibility for our actors to get out there and have meaningful roles."
Alvarado-Dykstra said there have been more television productions looking to film in Texas, but since local TV shows and the state's budget both face uncertainty, creators hope there will be a way to keep productions in Texas.