Film Production Boom Spurs Program To Train Students

The state’s two-year-old tax credit program for film productions has generated a wave of new film projects here, but many of the jobs are filled by union workers from other states, typically New York.

That’s one reason the state Office of Work force Competitiveness is launching a $1 million program to train Connecticut residents in the production skills needed to serve the feature film industry.

OWC officials declined to comment on the program because there is an active request for proposal to administer it.

But in the request, the OWC says Connecticut’s “vibrant” film production industry is skewed towards freelance and non-union work. “To become part of the feature film industry,” the request says, “state officials and resident professionals must remain cognizant of existing independent and studio union contracts.”

On-Set Mentorship

The program will consist of two weeks of introductory instruction, two weeks of concentrated class work and then up to ten weeks of on-set mentorship. The courses will be taught by union professionals and could feature lessons in production management, camera and sound work, set construction and wardrobe.

Eventually, the goal is to have union professionals scattered throughout the state to help with the continued influx of movies filming on location.

“The idea is that we need to train students from high school and college and prepare them to join unions,” said Steve Washer, founder of Windsor-based MedView Media and president-elect of the Media Communications Association International’s Connecticut chapter.

Since the tax credit was enacted in 2006, film production companies have spent $282 million in Connecticut and brought in more than 400 jobs according to the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

That wave of film production spending continues to build. George Norfleet, director of the film division of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, said there are seven productions “on the ground” in the state that could spend up to $75 million in the first half of 2008.

Blue Sky’s Move

The state Department of Economic and Community Development will support OWC with its own work force development staff. It marks the first time DECD has worked to prepare workers for a burgeoning industry.

DECD spokesman Jim Watson said the topic of producing Connecticut workers for the industry has come up on the heels of the announcement that Blue Sky Studios was moving to Greenwich and bringing 300 jobs.

“If we want to continue to attract companies to move into the state, we’re going to need to build a work force,” Watson said.

Patricia Downs, DECD’s executive director of work force development, said “this is a crucial time” to develop in-state production talent.

Pending state legislation would take film production work force development even further. A bill is proposing $1.5 million appropriation to the University of Connecticut to develop a digital media program, require the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, or CCCT, to submit monthly updates starting this June and expand tax credits for sound recording and production.

UConn currently does not have any film production majors or courses, said spokesman David Bauman.

Currently, the 30 percent tax credit applies to film production spending above $50,000.

Craig Mikhitarian, the principal of Ridgefield-based ACM Productions, said most of his company’s work does not meet the $50,000 threshold for tax credits.

“But we have had a couple projects that we bid on from outside of the state that were about $50,000 and we used the tax credits as the incentives,” Mikhitarian said.