San Francisco’s film industry has been in a significant slump, exasperated by the recession, and the city is taking steps to turn that trend around. In a prior five year period San Francisco has witnessed roughly $125 million in local spending and $9 million from lost tax revenue as a result of the industry shying away from choosing to shoot films in San Francisco. The city’s Board of Supervisors is expected to pass a measure which will offer incentives to the film industry via rebates. The city is raising the caps of the program as well as increasing the list of costs which will be eligible for rebates. As an example, the recent production of Milk, which was made in the city and received nearly $100,000 in rebates under the old program, would be able to double that figure under the new plan.
While San Francisco’s beauty alone may be enough to drive San Francisco tours, simply having a San Francisco story line and an attractive setting are often not enough to convince productions to spend the money to film here. The fear is that if efforts are not made to attract the film business, the equipment rental companies and industry professionals will be driven out of the city in search of work elsewhere and then the infrastructure won’t be available for those productions wishing to film here, creating a downward spiraling affect on San Francisco’s viability on future film productions. The incentive program is expected to pass as it is seen as a small, but necessary price to pay for the economic benefits to follow in terms of revenue from productions, jobs created, as well as tourism which comes on the heels of films shot on location in San Francisco.
