Behind The Sound Bite: 'A Studio Is A Dynamo'
New England Studios is opening a film studio in Devens. The first phase, which comes with a $30-million price tag, is slated to be complete next summer. It's on a 15-acre parcel that the company bought from MassDevelopment for $575,000 and will boast four 18,000-square-foot sound stages, offices, a storage building and more, totaling 126,000 square feet. At a recent groundbreaking event, Michael Meyers, director of real estate development, told the crowd, "A studio is a dynamo. It's an economic engine."
Is there demand for a film studio in Massachusetts?
That depends on who you talk to. Erin Hayes, principal partner of Media Boss Television in Framingham who also handled New England Studios' marketing through the groundbreaking, said there is demand, but also said that, "in a way, it's an, 'If you build it, they will come' type of thing." But last year, Rob DelGaudio, a principal at Hopkinton's Black Pearl Productions Inc., said, "Every so often these things float up to the surface … A lot of us just kind of chuckle at it."
Why build a studio?
Massachusetts has become more appealing to filmmakers in recent years, thanks to tax incentives. Hayes said the state's mix of cities, mountains and beaches are a big draw, but filming can be difficult because of the time and money that scouting a location and shooting there can take. She said that, because there was no suitable studio in the Bay State, someone had to find a space large enough to construct sets for Ben Affleck's 2007 film "Gone Baby Gone." Eventually, an ice rink was rented out. She said major productions have opted to film elsewhere because of the lack of a studio. Having a home base of a studio is "less expensive in time and money," Hayes said. "If it's not a physical cost, it's a cost on your time to have crews kind of scattered around."
Are there benefits for the region?
MassDevelopment, which oversees Devens, said businesses such as caterers, florists, hotels and hair salons will see demand for their services. State Rep. Stephen L. DiNatale, D-Fitchburg, said the studio will be an opportunity for graduates of Fitchburg State University's theater program to find jobs.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments