Comments

2

Matt, bless you for sharing this gift---a priceless image of Guilty-As-Charged Rudy Guiliani with raw sewage dripping down around his filthy pointed ears. Donald Jackass Trump is next. It's time to Drain the Mar-a-Lunatic Swamp. LOCK THEM UP! Then after they die, along with their goon squad of enablers in federal prison, they can get cornholed in Hell by Rush Limbaugh and Doug Ericksen.

3

Seriously----Rudy's going down should be the dumb-in-o that finally brings down the evil Trumpian Empire.

4

In still better news, has anyone seen rabid Trump whore Marjorie Taylor Greene, lately?

5

Rudy toot tooty is melting.

6

Rudy = compost = worms!
It all makes sense now!

7

Glad to see TS accepting the idea that by providing tax incentives and subsidies to certain industries the return on that investment is far greater in gross tax receipts. Keep that in mind when complaining about biz not paying their fair share next time.

8

@1,

My first thought was batboy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_Boy_(character)

10

Sydney Powell: "How about we work in Hugo Chavez and Venezuela with the voting machines."
Rudy Guiliani: "Na, that sounds too obviously conspiratorial and far fetched."
Sydney Powell: "That's my point Rudy, it's so crazy they'll realize it's true."
Rudy Guilanni: "Got to hand it to you Sydney, that's why they pay you the big bucks."

11

Wasn’t it Gary Locke who fucked movies being filmed in Washington by closing the state’s Film Office in, like, 2002?

The notion that the early-2000s were some sort of glory days for filming in Washington state is laughable to people who were here in the 90s.

12

I'm still laughing over the November 3, 2020 MAGA press conference booking that was held at the Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Philly, instead of where Orange Turd thought was at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel Grand Ballroom, with the expected overhyped media bullshit and paparazzi. Instead, they tried to fuck Paradise but wound up in a parking lot (my apologies to Joni Mitchell).

@11 DOUG: I'm a lifelong Washingtonian. Yes I do remember the glory days of filming in Seattle. Sleepless in Seattle, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, filmed in June 1993 was among the best shot on location films ever made in Seattle. The end of the 1990s signaled the end of a golden era for Washington filming. Was it former Governor Gary Locke who closed the Washington State Film Office in 2002? That part I don't remember; I moved north from Seattle in 1997. What would Locke's reason have been?

I find it sad that ever since, there have been...how many?...movies with the plot allegedly set in Seattle but filmed in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Filming and recording is supposed to be cheaper up in the land of our neighbors to the north, but come ON! It's NOT Seattle! If it's not filmed in Seattle, the film plot shouldn't take place in Seattle. But how to film in Seattle nowadays when traffic is now such a decades exacerbated nightmare?

13

Gorsuch is a glorified plaque without honor.

14

If we're going to spend millions of state tax dollars on movies, then give the money to local independent film projects. Its just grotesque to write checks out to California venture capitalist scumbags.

But also consider how many units of low income housing 20 million beans could buy. Every cost is an opportunity cost.

15

Surprised to see a TS writer yearn for more movies made in WA state, displaying some love for large corporations that "don't pay their fair share". TS needs to do an in-depth article on Hollywood Accounting.

17

@7:

In this case it's actually true: WA FilmWorks has solid numbers from more than a decade of tracking that demonstrates the economic "rippling" from our incentive program runs at about $10 circulated in the state for every dollar spent. And it's not like the local film industry is going to take the money and run off to South Carolina or where ever, because they can pay film crews less down there.

18

@9:

Amway sells actual products, too; it's the WAY they sell them that seems sleazy, but it's really just an old-fashioned direct multi-level marketing program, so I don't think it's an apt comparison. Guiliani is more akin to America's Nigerian 419 Salesman: offering untold riches (read: getting you declared innocent of whatever you've been charged with), but requiring a modest "transfer fee" (i.e. his retainer), then disappearing into the ether, while you wait at the airport (courtroom) for a courier (legal council) who never arrives.

19

I'd rather we spent the money on the schools than making movies, to be honest. It think another $20mil could do a lot of good in the public school system.

@14 and @15 have a point. We're just shoveling money at venture capital firms so they can make movies using our tax dollars and keep the profits.

I love movies, but this is no different than the sports-industrial complex that keeps forcing us to build new stadiums at the expense of schools and public health. More billionaires siphoning off money from the rest of us to fund their pet projects is what this look like.

Why not just send every state resident a $5 bill? Granted that would be more like $35mil, but that money would go directly into the economy, I guarantee.

20

@12:

Governor Locke did propose closing the film office several times during his administration, but with the intention of replacing it with an incentive program similar to what was being done in other states at the time. The film office officially closed in 2006, when WA FilmWorks and the motion picture production incentive program was launched.

21

@14:

Local, independent film makers, as vital as they are to the ecosystem, don't generally bring tens of millions of dollars of production money into the state. That's what incentives do: entice those "California venture capitalist scumbags" (by which I presume you mean motion picture studios, television networks and streaming services), to come up here and spend oodles of cash - on crew, talent, production staff, studio space, construction materials, equipment rentals, hotels, catering; all manner of goods and services needed for film and television production - that they would spend somewhere else, while keeping hundreds of people gainfully employed and therefore able to afford homes and apartments, so they're not forced into low-income housing.

22

@15:

Hollywood's infamous "creative accounting" practices not withstanding, one of the great things about our incentive program, unlike many others, is that the production doesn't get the money up-front. First, they have to provide detailed accounting showing how much money they've spent in-state BEFORE they get the incentive money. So, there's a very strong check-system in place to ensure the production is actually spending the money they say they spent.

23

@22 thank you for the civilized and informative response!

24

@13 Garb Garblar: Agreed. Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel AlIto, Jr., and Clarence Thomas are all vile pieces of shit who should NOT have lifetime seats in SCOTUS.

@17, @18, @20, @21, and @22 COMTE: Thank you for offering helpful clarification regarding Washington Film Works, and what happened to the film office in 2006.
@21 COMTE: Will the incentive program, by bringing L.A. bigwigs up to our region hire local talent-- actors, composers, screenwriters, sound technicians, editors, et. al? It is to my understanding that even with the incentive program, Los Angeles film conglomerates are still going with their already-established icons in scoring and arranging. And music agents will only represent those in the biz who already have numerous Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, Tonys, etc., under their belts. There are so many of us who could benefit as you so aptly say in @21. What to do when inquiring only to get no answers back from anyone in the business?
There does not seem to be a ground floor level in the film and television industry--even for short ad jingles, animated shorts, documentaries, or feature film production and scoring anymore. If I could just reach someone who knows someone who knows someone else. Are the established Hollywood icons that afraid of losing their megastar status?

25

@24:

In order to qualify for up to a 15% return on non-resident labor compensation under the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program, the production must agree to hire 85% of its production labor force: writers, producers, cast, crew, production and post-production staff; from within the state. Additionally, the production must agree to pay WA workers compensation, applicable state and federal taxes, and health contributions for that labor force, which essentially means they will all be under union contracts, which in turn means they will be hired as employees and not as independent contractors, thus earning family-wage compensation.

https://www.washingtonfilmworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/GuidelinesCriteria_StandardProgram_2021-06-17.pdf (See the section titled "Non-Resident Labor Eligibility Requirements".)

Also, one of Seattle's best kept secrets is the fairly large amount of film and television scoring done up here. So, in that sense we've already captured a not insubstantial amount of that work, done for projects shot elsewhere.

As for ground-floor entry to the industry, this is precisely one of the issues addressed in the House and Senate bills currently under consideration. The new bills would direct 10% of the $20 million total allocation to support in-state filmmakers, new forms of production and emerging technologies. This would, as stated on the recently created film industry PAC Keep Film In Washington (https://keepfilminwa.com/) "allow the MPCP to expand workforce development, business development and career connected learning opportunities for the industry with a focus on better supporting people from marginalized and rural communities."

26

@25 COMTE: So the incentive program applies to filmmakers from out of state to film here, hiring actors, writers, composers, etc from within Washington State? Is there a way that I can be included in this statewide list of artists who could truly benefit from such a program?
I have tried numerous avenues on my own in approaching the film and television industry, only to hear little if anything back. I have attended filmmaking seminars 135 miles away from my home, with travel expenses entirely out of my own pocket, only to have reserved hotel accommodations become a financial nightmare, and ground transportation to and from the event a costly, disorganized joke. I can't live on pro bono, bogus "offers", and lame excuses that only pay everyone else but me. I have gotten referrals to enroll in pricey for profit film schools and offered scholarships for as much as $5,000.00, with still about $30,000.00 to come up with for annual tuition and books. Cost of living expenses, such as monthly rent, utilities, food, healthcare, etc., were not included. They balked at the idea of my taking an online program and working remotely from my home. The program director kept stringing me along with false hopes, telling me to "check back in a couple of weeks", only to rudely call me up to verbally rip me to shreds for "bothering" him. I believe this was because I could not justify moving to another city if further education on top of my four year BA of Music degree and one year certification in scoring and arranging for film and television couldn't lead to actual work and I couldn't afford to relocate. I was left with the impression that they didn't care about my skills and musical talents and were just trying to sell me something.
I have joined various online connection sites. One for film composers is led by a woman who charges $150.00 a month for managing services. She's not a music agent, and can't guarantee paid work (what a surprise!), but she can help "point people in the right direction". I'm already paying an online company for advertising services for my website. I can't seem to connect with anyone in the business locally, regionally, nationally, or globally. My website has been active for 8 1/ 2 years. I have an active Washington UBI # and B&O service license in my city. I have a sole proprietorship since 2011.
I made an inquiry to Washington FilmWorks two weeks ago with no response. I wonder if my email was deleted as spam. I am leery of making inquiries by phone. Far too often I have been abruptly cut off by an icy receptionist who "can't help" me (read: doesn't want to be bothered), they don't accept "unsolicited applications", or else they send me on a futile wild goose chase to nowhere. If only the industry was real and would just bear fruit. Who can I actually see and / or speak to who isn't plastic and total bullshit? Were you sincere with your offer in a previous SLOG thread of possibly one day meeting regarding film scoring? I'm tired of always getting the short end of the stick.

27

@25 COMTE: "Also, one of Seattle's best kept secrets is the fairly large amount of film and television scoring done up here." Who is doing the film and television scoring?
Are the well paid, highly sought after film and television composers in the greater Puget Sound region all assigned male at birth? That might be one reason it's kept secret. Blatant sex discrimination seems to run rampantly throughout the film and television industry. I would really love for you to prove me wrong, especially if nobody else will.


Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.