By: Josh Hadley (hadlj20@uwgb.edu)
A previous examination explored how “Hollywood” reached the state of Wisconsin in the past; now, the focus shifts to how films are currently produced in the state.
The film industry was in a state of flux in the early to mid-2000s, and Wisconsin was poised to be part of this. Film as a medium was changing. Movies were now being shot digitally. Cameras were getting cheaper. VHS was on the way out as the dominant home media format, and DVDs, along with directed-to-DVD sales, were the future. Movies were easier and cheaper to make, and Wisconsin state leadership wanted in on this.
There are myriad small details and individuals responsible for the creation of the Wisconsin Film Tax Credit, but it was created by then-Governor Jim Doyle in 2006 and was overseen by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. Jim Doyle was a Democrat (this is important later). The general incentive was to offer tax breaks for film productions to come to Wisconsin, generate local jobs, and establish a local film industry. Other states implemented similar programs, leading to a surge in filmmaking and a significant influx of capital, which boosted their economies.
In theory, it was perfect. In practice, it was a disaster. Brandon Johnson adds “It was a joke. You had to pay the state $500 just to see if they’d recognize your project as worthy. No guarantee you’ll see that money again. I guess if it was still the 60s and you were making a $300,000 drive in movies it’d be ok, but not in 2010.”
While created in 2006, the new incentive program was instituted in 2008 and was (mostly) a democratic-led program but it did have some bipartisan support. The theory was that Wisconsin had many talented filmmakers, crew members and actors that just needed some large productions to provide opportunities for local professionals to demonstrate their skills.
Again, in theory, this was perfect, but it did not turn out this way. The promise was that Hollywood productions would come to the state to film, and this would create something of an industry that could sustain itself later on and that local crews would be hired, creating local jobs. This was not the case. Most of the Hollywood productions that took advantage of the tax credit brought their own crews from California, only employed local talent minimally, and took advantage of the tax credit to exploit the state rather than invigorate it.
An example of this is the 2009 film Public Enemies by Michael Mann, starring Johnny Depp. The film was given $5 million in tax credits, and while the production spent $18 million in the state, only a limited number of Wisconsin talent were hired to work on the film. The bulk of the crew was from out of state, and no lasting employment was created. This is one example. Transformers: Dark of the Moon did similarly, where it took as much of the tax credit as it could and then used mostly Hollywood crews for filming.
This misuse of the tax incentive’s intent angered many in the state. Finally, in 2011, Republican Gov. Scott Walker dissolved the tax credit program, citing the lack of jobs created and the return on investment being nonexistent. There was also a partisan conflict between Democrats and Republicans at this time.
When Walker came into office, he sought to eliminate as many Democrat-created programs in the state as possible, and as he was opposed to the film credit in the first place, he moved quickly in removing it as soon as he could. His official argument was that filmmaking is temporary, and that the money should be spent on manufacturing or agriculture instead. Once the tax credit was gone, major film production ground to almost a complete halt in the state.
During the tax credit era, industry professionals secured jobs and signed contracts for films scheduled to be shot in and around the Milwaukee and Green Bay areas. However, these productions were canceled once the tax credit was eliminated.
These films never got made at all, and a few moved to other states such as Illinois and Georgia that did have tax credit programs. The short version is that political shifts and infighting, along with abuse of the system by movie studios, created an untenable situation.
As previously noted, the author was involved in film productions during the period in question and sought insights from industry professionals on how they navigated the use and elimination of the tax credits.
An anonymous source said, “Film incentives…we don’t have them, so there isn’t a reason for production companies to come here financially.”
There are vast networks of film creators in the state who find it very difficult to find work due to the lack of film incentives. That said, when something does come along (usually very low budget or independently financed), “I think there is some excitement.” as my anonymous source noted.
People like a movie being shot in their area. It creates a buzz. Former Green Bay filmmaker Brandon Johnson said, “The filmmaking community in Green Bay was always supportive of each other.” The problem is that there is almost no infrastructure, though. Aspiring filmmaker Alex Dremel said, “There isn’t much networking available… for networking with narrative film productions, Milwaukee or Madison is the best bet.” Wisconsin has no real centralized hub for filmmakers in the state, which presents a major obstacle.
When the film incentive was active, there was a “Film Wisconsin” website that collated all of the productions and made it streamlined to contact people and find work. Johnson said, “Finding the people is the hardest part. There’s talent here, but finding it is always the challenge. Wisconsin isn’t a New York or a Hollywood where there are great actors looking for jobs.”
This has been talked about for several years: creating a new database of Wisconsin filmmaking opportunities. Efforts have been made, and there is a sparse website right now, which will hopefully grow in the future.
However, as stated earlier, it is very hard to collate all of this information currently. Johnson added, “There isn’t the same infrastructure here to put filmmakers in touch with crew and actors as there is in places where filmmaking is more prevalent. It’d be helpful to have that one place that helps you clear up the red tape.”
There have been whispers for years of a new version of the tax credit being created but political infighting has stalled progress in this regard. The question remains whether a new era of Wisconsin filmmaking is just over the horizon.