Look at this picture, with the clouds and sky and the incredible mountains away off. Doesn't this spot look like a Western, just waiting to happen? Somebody just told me New Mexico will match your production funds, so if you have $1M, you can spend $2M. That's the quickest million I ever made! I'm going to check on this, let you know what I find out. If you know about New Mexico as a film location, please write and tell me.
Because filmmaking is a clean, pollution-free source of revenue for a local state. If they can lure filmmakers there, the movie company will arrive, dump millions into the local economy, and leave. No muss, no fuss. I was on the radio in Washington state some time back, discussing the WA state film office. Local legislators were considering dismantling it, even though it was the ONLY state office that MADE money. (Some $50M annually.) Seems the legislators thought the $300k it cost annually to keep the office open was just too much. Well, they reconsidered, and I got to talk with Governor Gary Locke, so it was fun. I'm glad their film office is still open.
ReplyDeleteSam,
ReplyDeleteThis is FilmJumper from IndieClub.com --It is true that New Mexico has funds for filmmakers... Here's how it works...
As long as you already have distribution by one of the preapproved distribution entities, you can get up to a $7.5 million loan from the state of New Mexico to make your film. The only caveat is that whatever amount of loan you get from New Mexico for your film, the total cannot be more than 50% of your total budget. There's also another program with the same amount of money ($7.5 mil) that CAN be used for 100% of the film's financing as long as certain requirements are met.
So yeah, they will pretty much MATCH your own funding up to $7.5 Million. On top of that, you can get a full 15% film production tax credit; a fully refundable credit of 15% of eligible direct production costs against the filmmaker's New Mexico income tax.
Read more about it here:
New Mexico's Film Financing ProgramBy the way... I live in Las Cruces and I built the site that has that image of the Organ Mountains. Apaches actually used to live in those mountains. Billy the Kid used to go through those mountains on his way back to Lincoln, New Mexico.
Las Cruces is one of the best kept secrets in America. Not as hot as Tucson in the summer. Much more mild winters than Santa Fe or Albuquerque. A half hour away from El Paso, Texas.
Best of all... Cheap to live.
filmy