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Independent Film Producrtions Enjoying Tax Incentives

Hollywood productions are not the only movies benefiting from Michigan's tax incentives. Independent films like Art House, which is being shot in Ann Arbor and will feature a cameo from Detroit rocks legend Iggy Pop, is enjoying the new found offerings of the state.

Also, two local film vetrans are hosting a "Boot Camp for the New Actor" workshop at the Detroit Ensemble Theatre in Warren on Sept. 12-14, while S3 Entertainment Group is expanding their Detroit based operations.

Two More Comedys Coming To Michigan

There will be even more movies then we posted awhile back coming to Michigan this fall. the titles include:

Virgin on Bourbon Street: starring Rob Schneider

Mulligans: starring Dabney Coleman

Also, Mlive.com has the inside track of the recent shooting of the movie Street Boss in Saginaw, MI.

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Oink Joint

Last week, the production of Whip It took over the "famous" Oink Joint (Ken's Diner) in Burch Run Michigan.

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Movie Set to Shoot Without Jack Black

According to Mlive.com the movie that was supposed to star Jack Black titled Ye Olde Times, will still be shooting next month at the Michigan Renaissance Festival grounds in Holly, Michigan. The project as also changed titles to All's Faire in Love. no word yet in Lindsay Lohan is still attached to the project.

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Michigan Beats Out California, Florida for Major Movie Productions

Michigan's new tax incentives is done a great job of bring new and diversified work to the state, but unfortunately Michigan's gain has come at the expense of other states well known for their big studio prowess. Several sources have reported that film productions have come to an almost "screeching halt" in the LA area since the recent Michigan legislation passed, while Miami Florida has lost yet another major more production (Intent) to Michigan.

All this is good news for Michigan's long term movie production, as Grand Rapids is about to land one of the biggest production the city has every seen with Samuel L. Jackson's new suspense thriller Unthinkable (budget is reported at 80 million.)

Michigan Based Marriot Hotels Catch The Movie Making Fever

Marriot hotels have launched a new web site, www.4filmmi.com, with the primary purpose of helping out-of-town film productions coming to the state find their strategically located hotels throughout Michigan.

Variety Magazine Comes To Detroit

This week, the world's biggest insider movie industry magazine Variety broke down exactly why Michigan is seeing such a great response from it's recent tax incentive. Keep an eye out for Variety reporters and photographers around town in the near future as they look to highlight Whip It.

Is Michigan ready for all this Hollywood work rush (Variety sure thinks so)?

Variety also highlights a Michigan native who has recently come back to the state to open up shop in Holland, Michigan.

Variety has also created a impressive list of all the recent big studio movies shot in the last ten years in the state of Michigan. It should be noted that what took ten years, the new Michigan incentives will more then double this list in just under six months.

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LA Entertainment Co. Building Three New Studios in Michigan

L.A. based V-One Entertainment Group has teamed up with Michigan based Safe Harbor Productions to build three new "cutting edge" studios in three of Michigan's biggest cities; Kalamazoo, An Arbor and Grand Rapids. The three combined "Great Lakes Studios" could occupy 30,000 square feet of space with soundstage, offices, editing suites and conference rooms.

The Steam Experiment and Demoted To Be Shot in Mchigan

Just got word on two more movies that will be shot in Michigan this coming fall.

This September Grand Rapids will see the production of The Steam Experiment staring Val Kilmer, Eric Roberts and Armand Assante.

Also, everything is set for the new David Cross and Michael Vartan comedy Demoted to start shooting next month in Detroit. Demoted was written by Dan Callahan who wrote the soon to be released comedy College.

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From Movies to Music Videos

This week, Kid Rock shot his latest music video "Roll On" in Downtown Detroit. Even though music videos and commercials under $50,000 in budget do not qualify for the recent Michigan film tax incentives, Detroit has along history of music videos being shot in and around the city?

Nelle Furtado - "Do It"



The White Stripes- "Hotel Yorba"



Kid Rock - "All Summer Long"



Electric Six - "I Buy the Drugs"



The Detroit Cobras - "Cha Cha Twist"

Star Struck Detroit

Yesterday, the production of Drew Barrymore's directorial debut Whip It moves it's production from Ypsilanti to Hamtramck for the day. Read all about Hamtramck's Hollywood connections here.

The Detroit Free Press reports on the star sightings all over the Detroit Metro area these past few months. They report that photos and blurbs form the stars of Whip it living it up at such local rock "hotspots" as Jacoby's and The Elbow Room have recently been featured in People and US Weekly.

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Could New Superman Reboot Be Shot In Metro Detroit?

Several large Hollywood studies are looking to take advantage of Michigan's recent rebate incentive program by building large sound stages and studio complex in the state. Warner Bros. Pictures has recently looked at the abandoned Ford Wixom Plant as on possible Metro Detroit site. A studio in the Detroit Metro area could mean $125,000 a day in new spending.

Maybe Detroit could land the newly announced Superman reboot?

Production Updates: Miss January, Ye Olde Times

Kind of missed this one since casting calls were last weekend, but a new movie staring Kim Cattrall (who was here for the 2008 Auto Show) and Brian Dennehy titled Miss January will be shooting around metro Detroit starting on September 2. The reason I bring this up is that it has been brought to my attention that the company who conducted the casting call; Kathy McKee Casting, has been reportedly ripping off actors who get the parts.

Also, there is an update on the movie Ye Olde Times staring Lindsay Lohen which was reportedly set to start shooting in Holly, Michigan this fall. Apparently the movies other top star Jack Black has backed out of the movie and the production is having a hard time coming up with the proper funding now.

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Butterfly Effect 3 Coming to Detroit

Just got wind that the third installment of the Butterfly Effect franchise titled Butterfly: Revelation will be shooting around Detroit for next few months starting the week of August 25th.

Revelation will be directed by acclaimed TV director Seth Grossman and stars Chris Carmack from TV's The O.C. Carmack is currently staring in the upcoming Into The Blue 2 (dude what's up with the direct-to-video sequels?)

Here is the film's synopsis.
A young man discovers he has inherited the powers of "The Butterfly Effect" and attempts to solve the mystery of his high school girlfriend's death using his newfound ability, only to unwittingly unleash a vicious serial killer.

A fatal fire in his childhood has somehow given Sam Reed the capacity to travel back in time -- a "psychic" talent that, thus far, he has used to help fight crime. But, in order to save an innocent man from the death chamber, Sam travels back to try and track the real killer of an old love -- and winds up ripping a hole in the fabric of the past and unleashing a vicious serial slayer on an unsuspecting world...

Film Boom Creates 3.25 Million Windfall

According to Crain's Detroit, the recent Hollywood film boom in Michigan has created a 3.5 million economic windfall from the huge amount of hotel occupancy's over the past four months. A vast majority of these has been booked in Southeast Michigan (10,000 room-nights). The Somerset Inn in Troy, MI; a.k.a. "The City of Tomorrow Today," has been regional leader hosting the cast and crews of such high profile productions as Youth In Revolt and Red and Blue Marbles. According to the report, the primary Hollywood production session ends annually in November, and Southeast Michigan expects to see more production coming online before then.

Hollywood Boom

Model D's free Speaker Series looks at the booming film industry in Metro Detroit at 5 p.m. Aug. 21 at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.

Lights, Camera, Action and Michigan!

Here is a list of noteworthy Hollywood movie and television productions that have recently, currently or might be filming in Metro Detroit or a Michigan town near you:

Grand Torino: staring Clint Eastwood, Cory Hardrict & Brian Haley

Whip It: staring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis & Marcia Gay Harden

Unthinkable: staring Samuel L. Jackson

Miss January: staring Kim Cattrall and Brian Dennehy

Butterfly: Revelation: staring Chris Carmack

Youth In Revolt: staring Michael Cera, Justin Long, Ray Liotta & Steve Buscemi

Red and Blue Marbles: staring Chad Faust, William Sadler & Lin Shaye

Wild Michigan: staring Devon Werkheiser

The Company Man: staring Steve Buscemi, Steve Zahn & Martin Landau

Kill Shot: staring Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke & Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Demoted: staring David Cross & Michael Vartan

The Job: staring Joe Pantoliano, Patrick Flueger & Ron Perlman

Art House: staring Iggy Pop, Greta Gerwig & Timothy Brennen

Born of Earth: staring Brad Dourif, Daniel Baldwin & Virginia Bryant

Street Boss: staring Vincent Pastore, Nicholas Turturro & Kelly Albanese

The Saint: staring James Purefoy

Tug: staring Haylie Duff

The Prince of The Motor City: staring Piper Perabo, Andie MacDowell and Aidan Quinn

All's Faire In Love (formerly Ye Olde Times): staring Christina Ricci, Owen Benjamin, Nadine Velazquez, Bill Engvall and Cedric the Entertainer

Dark Shadows: starring Johny Depp and directed by Tim Burton

The Hardy Men: staring Tom Cruise & Ben Stiller

The Steam Experiment: staring Val Kilmer, Eric Roberts and Armand Assante

Virgin on Bourbon Street: starring Rob Schneider

Mulligans: starring Dabney Coleman

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Whip It Good!

Last Saturday night at Jacoby's in Detroit, Juliette Lewis, Zoe Bell and Eve; stars of Drew Barrymore's directorial debut movie "Whip It" (which is currently shooting around metro Detroit), sang an impromptu cover of "I will Survive" with members of I, Crime backing them up. Barrymore, Ellen Page, musician Landon Pigg and comic Jimmy Fallon are reportable all in the crowd.




Source: Jasper

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Coming Soon: Ye Olde Times

With all the talk recently about seeing Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jimmy Fallon, Sigourney Weaver and Clint Eastwood around town, it is nice to know that there will still be many more stars taking up short term residency in our hoods. The production of Ye Olde Times; staring Jack Black, Matthew Lillard (Scream) & Orlando Jones (7Up), is reported to be headed to Michigan this fall. Ye Olde Times tells the tale of two rival Medieval shows vie for supremacy in the world of Renaissance Fairs.

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