Earlier this year the House Bill 4122, which effects movie production in the state, was signed into a law.
The new law eliminated the program whereby Michigan Film Office (MFO) may enter into new film and digital media incentive agreements.
The MFO, which was established in 1979 to assist and attract production companies while promoting Michigan’s film, television and digital media industries have been fairly profitable for the state but it would seem that the productions simply outweighed the rewards.
“Other states do this better than us. I think we (have to) go away from it for a while,” said senator Arlan Meekhof. “We’ve got other priorities and we’ve heard that roads are the first priority.”
According to the MFO’s annual report, the Film Office and the Department of Treasury have cost the state more than $400 million since they were instituted in 2008. But the film industry has spent more than $1 billion in the state during that time.
While the Film Office is no longer accepting applications for projects seeking incentives, they will honor any film or digital media project that was approved prior to the signing of the legislation.
TV One’s original holiday movies, “Royal Family Thanksgiving” and “Royal Family Christmas” are currently filming in metro Detroit through early September.
Featuring an ensemble cast including Vivica Fox and Romeo Miller, the stories follow a middle-class African American family as they navigate the ups and downs of family relationships strained by the holiday season.
The projects are eligible to receive $175,805 and $157,754 incentives, respectively, from the Michigan Film Office.
Anyone interested in seeking work as a member of the film crew, should send his/her resume to RoyalTCProductions@gmail.com.
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