At Wrapbook, we pride ourselves on providing outstanding free resources to producers and their crews, but this post is for informational purposes only as of the date above. The content on our website is not intended to provide and should not be relied on for legal, accounting, or tax advice. You should consult with your own legal, accounting, or tax advisors to determine how this general information may apply to your specific circumstances.
From the earliest days of development to the last late nights of post-production, the Massachusetts State Film Office can support projects at any and every point in the production pipeline. An integral part of this support is the office’s ability to connect filmmakers to local professionals, businesses, and other resources.
Experienced producers know that the benefits of hiring local crew and utilizing local resources are both too numerous and too valuable to recount here. For out-of-town filmmakers, however, tapping into local networks can be a challenge.
To help visiting filmmakers cut through the noise, the Massachusetts Film Office provides a short-cut to the local production industry. They can assist with sourcing anything that your team needs, streamlining processes to help productions save time and money.
The Massachusetts Film Office provides support to filmmakers through expert assistance, digital tools, and a valuable incentive program.
In the following sections, we’ll explore three specific resources that productions can take advantage of when shooting in the state.
Massachusetts provides a highly competitive package of tax incentives for filmmakers. Qualifying productions can take advantage of a 25% production credit, a 25% payroll credit, and a sales tax exemption. Critically, there are also no project caps or annual caps of any kind for Massachusetts film tax credits, making the Commonwealth home to one of the most attractive state incentive programs currently in operation.
While the credit program itself is managed by an experienced team at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, the Massachusetts Film Office acts as an administrative liaison between filmmakers and the government agency. They handle all project registration requirements and are well-positioned to answer any questions that might arise throughout the process, ensuring that your team doesn’t miss a beat and helping to further maximize the power of your production budget.
Over the years, Massachusetts has cultivated a thriving industry around professional film production within the state. Thousands of crew members and support companies fuel the film economy with their supplies and services. While this volume and variety are ultimately advantages for a visiting production, they also present a challenge. The more options that a production has, the more difficult it can be to find exactly what it needs.
To help filmmakers identify the right company or crew member for the job, the Massachusetts Film Office maintains the Massachusetts Production Guide.
This handy directory is a comprehensive database of vendors and film professionals in the state. The Massachusetts Production Guide can be searched for free with customizable options that allow users to quickly identify options that meet their needs and further refine their results by region or union affiliation.
Like Wrapbook, the Massachusetts State Film Office is a proponent of using technology to put as much power as possible directly into filmmakers’ hands. Their official website offers easy access to critical information and resources that would otherwise be difficult to track down, including:
Whether you’re searching for crew members or figuring out how to manage weather on your shoot, the official website for Massachusetts Film Office is the perfect place to get started. And the best part? If the website doesn’t contain the information you need, you can always reach out to the office directly.
For filmmakers and production companies interested in shooting in the Bay State, there are several easy options for getting in touch with the Massachusetts Film Office. You can reach out to the team directly for any inquiries by email or phone. Filmmakers can also follow the Massachusetts Film Office on social media, including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
For general inquiries of any kind, the Office recommends emailing their team inbox at mafilminfo@mass.gov.
Massachusetts’ unique combination of professional-grade infrastructure, highly competitive incentives, and distinct locations makes it an undeniable option for productions of virtually any size or shape. The Massachusetts Film Office adds an extra degree of attraction by offering an invaluable set of services and resources, helping filmmakers to optimize their cinematic experience in the Commonwealth.
For more information on shooting in Massachusetts, be sure to check out our in-depth breakdown of Massachusetts film tax credits. You can also visit Wrapbook’s Production Incentive Center, where free resources like our Production Incentives Finder and Incentive Comparison Tool can help your team identify the ideal location for your next project.
For filmmakers, locations in Massachusetts strike a balance between intense specificity and surprising variety. Whether it’s an ultra-modern metropolis, a historically accurate colonial village, or an untouched wilderness seemingly removed from time itself, the Massachusetts Film Office can help you find, secure, and make the most of any locale that your production requires.
In this post, we’ll explore the tools, services, and incentives offered by the Massachusetts State Film Office. Together, we’ll map the state’s production ecosystem and discover how the Massachusetts Film Office can upgrade your next shoot.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has built a rich history in film and television. Bostonian classics like The Departed and Good Will Hunting loom large in American culture, but they grant just a taste of what the state has to offer. Massachusetts-made movies make regular appearances at the Academy Awards. Recent contenders include American Fiction, The Holdovers, CODA, Sound of Metal, Knives Out, and Manchester by the Sea, just to name a few.
Strikingly, Massachusetts has even been known to double for other states and even countries on camera. While it’s no shock that Massachusetts passed for Maine in Olive Kitteridge or suburban Connecticut in Thoroughbreds, you might be surprised to learn that locations around the state have passed for New York City, Detroit, Miami Beach, and Paris.
The Massachusetts Film Office supports the state’s growing cinematic legacy by supporting filmmakers themselves. They understand what it takes to get a production on its feet and over the finish line, offering an array of resources and services to help projects at any point “from development through post-production.” Whether you’re making a blockbuster, an independent feature, a television show, or a commercial, the Massachusetts Film Office has your back.
The Massachusetts State Film Office is a one-stop shop for any and all critical information you might need when shooting in the Bay State. Whether you need to find the perfect location or finalize your film finance strategy, the Massachusetts Film Office is there to help.
Below, we’ll break down three key ways that the Massachusetts Film Office can assist your production and add significant value to your next project.
When it comes to film locations, Massachusetts is a treasure trove of nooks, crannies, and sweeping vistas. Unique and beautiful locations are hidden all around the state, often in places where an out-of-town filmmaker might not think to look. Just check out how the Massachusetts State Film Office describes its wealth of locales:
“With 351 cities and towns, Massachusetts offers extraordinary locations from country quaint to ultra-modern, seaside to mountainside, and every period from the 1600s to the present and beyond.”
With so much to offer, the Massachusetts Film Office understands that visiting filmmakers might need a little help with scouting locations. They offer access not only to the collective expertise of a staff with hundreds of productions under its belt but also to an extensive locations library, empowering filmmakers to identify their ideal locations as easily and precisely as possible.
Production incentives are an increasingly crucial component of film finance at any level. That’s why the state of Massachusetts offers a competitive tax incentive program that can appeal to virtually any type of financial stakeholder from major studios to independent financiers.
The Massachusetts Film Office stands at the heart of the state’s incentive program. Their staff can provide both expert guidance and direct administrative assistance to make the incentive application process as smooth as possible. Simply put, they are the go-to resources for any filmmaker figuring out how to secure Massachusetts film tax credits.