Management Team

Join The Network

Job Openings

Coming Soon

Contact Us

Winners Circle

Suggestion Box

Film Blog

Investors

FAQ

Ruff Cutz

Articles

Here you find feature articles by our IIE staff and contributing writers. If you have an article or submission -Contact Us.

You can access the IIE ARCHIVE for past articles.

Lili Taylor at Boston 's indie film festival
By Joel Foster

Lens On The Bay State
Provided By Alliance for Independent Motion Media

_______________________________

LENS ON THE BAY STATE
Provided By Alliance for Independent Motion Media

Massachusetts now has 41,500 jobs either directly or indirectly connected to the motion picture industry (movies and
television), generating $1.8 billion in personal income and the sector is poised to rebound from several down years, according
to a new study released today.

The report, LENS on the Bay State, the first comprehensive look in over 10 years at the motion picture industry in
Massachusetts, was produced by the Alliance for Independent Motion Media (AIIM) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Production Coalition (MPC).

The report, LENS on the Bay State, the first comprehensive look in over 10 years at the motion picture industry in
Massachusetts, was produced by the Alliance for Independent Motion Media (AIMM) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Production Coalition (MPC).

"This report is the first study that describes the landscape of motion picture production in all of its complexity and shows
where and how future growth in the state's movie industry will come," said Joseph Maiella, Senior Vice President of CrewStar and President of the MPC, a coalition of active professionals and groups engaged in or related to the production of media in Massachusetts.

Lyda Kuth, Director of the LEF Foundation and Founding member of AIMM, said the new study shows that independent
film producers are poised for growth as well as the businesses linked to Hollywood productions.“The study reveals the
interdependence of the commercial and independent film sectors, and demonstrates how a more vibrant production
environment will allow independent producers to build and sustain production careers in Massachusetts,” said Kuth.

Among the report's findings:

•    The enactment of legislation providing tax incentives for
the motion picture industry in Massachusetts that took effect at
the start of this year is already stimulating the industry and
creating more jobs across the Commonwealth

•    In the state's financial sector, social investors and venture
capitalists have recently launched efforts that focus on the
movie industry

•    There is major potential for job growth at the intersection
of motion picture production and the information technology
and electronic games industries in the state.

•    Film production has strong linkages to the state's tourism
sector; when movies and television shows are made in
Massachusetts, the people who watch them often decide to visit
the places they saw on the screen

“The passage of the tax incentive could not have come at a better time,” said film producer Sam Weisman. “Massachusetts
can now compete for jobs and dollars not only in the entertainment business, but also in the rapidly evolving world
of new media. We are also looking for ways to involve our colleges and universities in our industry. Optimistically, it's a
perfect blend of commerce and higher education, and we are grateful to the many people in the State House who cooperated
to get this done,” he said.

“Unlike incentives in nearly all the other states, Massachusetts motion picture tax incentives apply to the production of
television commercials, a critical part of the industry that can sustain the state's infrastructure over time,” he added.

Since the law went into affect, several commercials, for Bose and Liberty Mutual among others, looking to take advantage of
the tax incentives have shot  in Massachusetts, instead of places like Toronto or Florida," said Mark Hankey owner of
Picture Park, a production company based in Boston. "And that's not all," he added, "Picture Park is currently shooting a
low budget feature film, "On Broadway,” that the investors would have wanted to shoot elsewhere without the law."

LENS on the Bay State also underscores the importance of continued efforts to advance vital public policy initiatives that
would build on the recent tax incentive and encourage more job creation in the movie and television production industry.

Key among initiatives cited in the report are:

•    Finalizing and developing clear and consistent regulations
so recent tax incentives are easy to use.

•    Funding state and city film offices that will attract
Hollywood studios and other producers to Massachusetts by
providing expertise and support.

•    Enhancing access to private and public sources of financing
for Massachusetts-based independent motion picture and
television producers.

While 18,500 workers are directly involved in the sector, the number of jobs grows to 41,500 when the related businesses
that support the industry are factored in, according to the study. With the production of Ben Affleck's new movie, Gone
Baby Gone, now shooting in Boston, for example, there are several businesses that are benefiting from the motion picture
activity, including hotels, restaurants, coach services and car rental companies, lumber and building material suppliers, and
film equipment suppliers

In addition to Gone Baby Gone, another movie, Daddy's Girl, starring wrestler turned actor, The Rock, will be shooting in
Boston in the coming weeks. Local movie industry experts estimate these two films alone will directly provide hundreds of
jobs while they are in Boston.

“This year is off to a strong start, with Disney choosing to shoot both Gone Baby Gone and Daddy's Girl on location in
Massachusetts this spring and summer. The level of interest by other studios and independent producers in Massachusetts since the beginning of the year has been unprecedented.” said Chris O'Donnell, Business Manager for IATSE Local 481, the union that represents many of the technicians working on motion pictures in the state.

Although Massachusetts, like many states, lost jobs in recent years in motion picture production to foreign countries that
offer lower wages and tax breaks, Massachusetts is beginning to rebound, the study shows.

“In light of news reports of citizens leaving the commonwealth due in part to the lack of enough good paying jobs, this study
illustrates how our industry can help reverse that trend,” said Maiella. “Whether it is our existing movie production
infrastructure or the steady growth in the area's digital media companies, Massachusetts is becoming a movie-friendly state.
This will bring more jobs and income to local professionals and create more national exposure for Massachusetts,” he added.

The report, LENS on the Bay State, was produced by the Alliance for Independent Motion Media in collaboration with the
Massachusetts Production Coalition, with support from the John and Abigail Adams Arts Program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the LEF Foundation.

Rob Laubacher, MIT researcher and author of the report, sees a bright future for the motion picture industry in Massachusetts.

"An opportunity exists for Massachusetts to become a center for emerging work at the intersection of motion picture
production and digital technology, where the state has long held a position of global prominence,” he said.

___________________________

Lili Taylor at Boston 's indie film festival
By Joel Foster

As part of Boston 's Independent Film Festival speaker series, actress Lili Taylor stopped by the Brattle Theatre on Monday, April 24 to discuss her past successes, failures and angry Germans.

The 41-year old actress, known for her extensive work in the 90's independent film scene, including roles in Girlstown and I Shot Andy Warhol , lived up to her low-key image. She arrived on stage wearing an understated sweater and a backpack slung around her shoulder. On the street Taylor could have been confused as another Harvard student. But at the Brattle, Taylor embodied everything that mainstream Hollywood is missing. Namely, a strong actress who has an aversion to marginalizing female roles in film and is willing to tackle complex characters.

This “dumbing down” of females in film was the topic of the first part of Taylor 's talk. She discussed her underwhelming experiences during the filming of 1988's Mystic Pizza , which also starred Julia Roberts. According to Taylor , the director, Donald Petrie, had a simplistic view of what he wanted out of his actresses.

“On the first day of shooting, he [Petrie] told me to use my womanly wiles,” Taylor said. “I thought to myself, ‘can we get deeper than that?' Woman don't just manipulate.”

The Mystic Pizza experience struck a nerve within Taylor because she had feared exploitation since deciding to become an actress. She recalled being afraid of where she might find herself in the industry.

“I thought I would do a movie, and then I would be naked on a bed, asking ‘what happened?'” Taylor joked. “Then I realized that I can say no.”

Along the way, the actress has found solutions to dealing with inept directors. She says that like-minded actors stick together during an especially negative filmmaking experience. Liam Neeson, who appeared with Taylor in The Haunting , and Vincent D'Onofrio from Mystic Pizza were cited as two actors whom she developed a close relationship through the bad times. Simplifying her point further, Taylor said, “actors form cliques when the director is shit.”

Despite appearing in over 50 films, Taylor still considers the theatre her greatest love. Every year, she devotes her time to performing in at least one play. To Taylor , the theatre requires a level of complexity and involvement that acting in films doesn't deliver. “I feel like my muscles get strong,” Taylor said about acting on stage.

Taylor recently appeared as Lemon in an off-Broadway production of Wallace Shawn's Aunt Dan and Lemon . The experience proved to be unique, as the character is a Nazi sympathizer. Taylor recalled that, during one performance, two German couples interrupted the show, screaming “for shame” at the stage. While the experience was strange, Taylor considered the performance a success for the fact that the audience was at least feeling something.

The talk concluded with a question and answer session from the audience. Among the questions was one attendee asking what Taylor 's dream role would be. Before getting into specifics, the actress said that she admires any complex female role and enjoys “regular woman who are examining their intricacies.” She then went on to mention the role of Edie in the play Great Gardens as a role she would love to play.