{"id":31689,"date":"2021-11-05T23:04:53","date_gmt":"2021-11-06T03:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&p=31689"},"modified":"2021-12-09T15:54:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T20:54:14","slug":"a-mini-hollywood-in-massachusetts","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/a-mini-hollywood-in-massachusetts\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mini-Hollywood in Massachusetts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On a hot mid-July day this summer, Gerald Hinch was staying cool inside New England Studios<\/a>, the sprawling film studio located on a former military base in central Massachusetts. As a production assistant on the forthcoming revival miniseries Dexter: New Blood<\/em><\/a>\u2014a continuation of Showtime\u2019s popular show about fictional serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall)\u2014part of Hinch\u2019s job was to help keep the set quiet. On this particular day, that task was proving especially important. The show had recently wrapped up exterior filming in cities and towns around the state\u2014from Boston to Worcester to idyllic Shelburne Falls\u2014and had now moved into the studio. Hinch (\u201923) could sense a buzz of excitement from the crew members around him. The news was spreading: Massachusetts\u2019 Governor Charlie Baker had just signed legislation to permanently extend the state\u2019s film production tax credit. It was a huge milestone for the state\u2019s growing film industry\u2014and all but guaranteed future jobs at New England Studios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I was working on Dexter<\/em>, I realized that there are so many films and series that are being shot in Massachusetts or have recently been shot here, like the Black Panther<\/em> <\/em>sequel<\/a>. And I quickly learned that has a lot to do with this tax credit,\u201d says Hinch. \u201cIt was cool to witness everyone\u2019s excitement.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last five years alone, Massachusetts has played host to productions including the recent Ryan Reynolds comedy Free Guy<\/em><\/a>; the hit whodunnit Knives Out<\/em><\/a>; <\/em>the Greta Gerwig-directed Little Women<\/em><\/a>; the Showtime series <\/em>City on a Hill<\/em><\/a>; and a slew of Netflix films including Spenser Confidential<\/em><\/a> <\/em>(which filmed scenes near BU\u2019s West Campus) and the upcoming Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio dark comedy Don\u2019t Look Up<\/em><\/a>. Since New England Studios opened in 2014\u2014boasting four 18,000 square foot sound stages\u2014it has supported television shows and films including the Hulu series Castle Rock<\/em><\/a> <\/em>and 2018\u2019s blockbuster The Equalizer 2<\/em><\/a> starring Denzel Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But 20 years ago, it seemed impossible that so many major productions would choose to film in the state, says Charles Merzbacher<\/a>, an associate professor of film and the director of COM\u2019s film production programs. \u201cThere was effectively a boycott on producing anything in Massachusetts,\u201d he says. First, there was no real economic incentive to film in the state. Then, there was the lack of a sophisticated infrastructure to support productions coming to the state with tasks such as securing permits. There were also long-standing issues\u2014including allegations of intimidation\u2014with a labor union representing workers employed on productions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of projects coming to the state dwindled and something had to give.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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