NJ Filmmaker Attraction Case Study

Client

CHOOSE NJ/STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Challenge/requirements

In 2018, the State of New Jersey restored the film and television tax incentive programs that had been defunded for the previous eight years. In 2020, the governor expanded the incentives and extended them through at least 2028. The Covid 19 pandemic knocked out much of 2020, following a booming 2019, and a concerted effort was needed to jumpstart the program, once restrictions were eased and shooting resumed.

Filmmaker Attraction

Solution

Create and produce a Filmmaker Attraction Video for the State of New Jersey that would entice producers and studios to bring their projects to New Jersey to take advantage of the newly expanded tax incentives, as well as all of the inherent attributes of the state itself. Get New Jersey native Danny DeVito to be the face of the video.

Creative concept

Black Watch Productions, Inc. wrote a script that not only highlighted the new tax incentives, but also emphasized the incredible advantages of using New Jersey as a filming destination. We spoke with seasoned, veteran filmmakers, members of the NJ Film Commission, state assembly members, mayors, and developers who are building state of the art studios throughout the state. We peppered the interviews with historical footage of the birth of the film industry in New Jersey, gorgeous footage of the vast variety of locations and images from some of the current blockbusters that have been shot here. We also highlighted the veteran crews who live here, the incomparable Film Commission, the new film infrastructure that is emerging and the compressed logistics that make filming in New Jersey so easy to do.

Live action shoot

We shot our first series of interviews in December, 2020, at the Choose NJ offices in Newark and did three more days of interview shooting, two at Supor Studios in Harrison, and one at the Hill Theater Studio in Paulsboro. We shot Danny DeVito’s part in Los Angeles, once the availability of the Covid vaccines allowed for the requisite travel and shoot. Our DP, Dan Karlok, did a one man band set up in Danny’s house, and Monica Anderson directed via zoom on an Ipad.