Hollywood Invasion

By Rebecca G. Dorr

Illustration by Peter Hoey

Typically, a movie made on location will spend half its budget on getting its scenes filmed (the rest goes toward paying the talent and covering postproduction costs, marketing efforts, and the like). So when the state’s new tax breaks lure, say, a $20 million project to Boston, $10 million of that gets pumped into the area economy (and $2.5 million is refunded back to the studio). As we found out when we asked veteran producers from local shoots to break down the ledger sheet further, however, the dollars don’t get sprinkled around evenly.

Crew: $5,000,000

Though the talent and key decision-makers fly in from Tinseltown, producers rely on hundreds of locals for subordinate gigs (think: assistant directors, set dressers, truck drivers).

Transportation and holding: $1,100,000

With shoot locations all over Greater Boston, vehicles for storing and hauling people and equipment are crucial. Producers also have to remember to allow for gas, parking, and tolls.

Travel and accommodations: $900,000

Even though the studios negotiate plum rates, ferrying in and putting up their VIPs isn’t cheap.

Location fees: $800,000

Whether you’re shooting on the Common or in a warehouse in Dorchester, every location requires things like permits, security, and sundry expenses such as waste removal.

Gear: $700,000

Big-ticket items like cameras get shlepped in from out of town, but plenty of equipment—lights, electrical cables, generators, etc.—is bought or rented locally.

Set design: $700,000

Art directors and set builders have to overhaul locations to create just the right look. That requires raw materials like wood and plaster, as well as props and furniture.

Meals: $500,000

The film industry (perhaps inexplicably to folks who are forced to actually buy their lunch every day) feeds its employees, and that means tables of catered grub and endless cups of joe.

Beauty and wardrobe: $300,000

Makeup artists and hairstylists do their supply shopping locally, and costume designers often do their final fittings and alterations (as well as laundry) here in town.

Per Diems

In addition to catered lunches on set, producers provide their movie stars with fixed amounts of cash for meals and other expenses while they’re staying on location. That money finds its way into the city’s restaurants every day. For instance, Kate Hudson, Dane Cook, and their Bachelor No. 2 director, Howie Deutch, ate at Sonsie in September. The state’s take from their lunch looked like this:

Typical lunch for three: $70.09 + $12 tip = $82.09

Rebate given to the studio: $20.52

Meal tax taken in by the state: $3.34

Income tax (on tip) taken in by the state: 63 cents

Hotel Bills

Though movie studios get a freebie when it comes to sales taxes, other taxes, like hotel and gas, still apply. Here’s how an extended visit to the Sheraton Boston (where stars from The Game Plan and The Departed are said to have stayed) might tally up:

A month in a “star” suite: About $16,500

Rebate given by the state: About $4,120

Hotel tax taken in by the state: About $1,830

To find out who'd cashing in on Boston movie madness, go on to the next page...