6 new movies and TV shows are going to be filming in Utah–Could one be a new classic?

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Six new productions have been approved for Utah film incentives to film around the state, the Utah Film Commission announced Friday.

The incentives were approved by the Utah Board of Tourism Development, and they are estimated to bring in $7.1 million to the local economy and create over 400 new jobs. Many of the approved productions are being created by local filmmakers and teams.

These projects will be filming in Davis, Salt Lake, Uintah, Utah, and Wasatch counties.

Two TV shows were approved for incentives. Season five of the Discovery series “Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch” received a rural film incentive, and it will film in Uintah County. It is a reality show centered around a man searching for treasure on his property Blind Frog Ranch, which is located in eastern Utah.

Season two of “Navajo Highways” was also approved for a Utah Motion Picture Incentive, and it is an educational children’s television series that teaches Navajo culture, traditions, and language. It is hosted and directed by Pete Sands, who was born and raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation in southern Utah. The first season is streaming on First Nations Experience.

Three films were approved for Utah Community Film Incentives. The first, “Gabriella” is a new family film from local filmmaker Rob Diamond. In a press release, Diamond said that he loves filming in Utah, and that he’s been making movies here for 25 years.

“It has some of the most beautiful locations in the world and the cast and crew are top notch. I plan on making movies here for many years to come,” Diamond said.

“Halloween Pizza Party” is a comedy feature film receiving a community film incentive, directed by Brandon Carroway. Carroway is based in Provo, and he primarily makes horror films inspired by his religious beliefs. It will film in Salt Lake, Utah, and Wasatch counties.

“‘Halloween Pizza Party’ had to be filmed in Utah—the gorgeous fall colors, crisp autumn air, and welcoming suburban neighborhoods perfectly capture the nostalgic chaos of Halloween night,” Carroway is quoted in a press release from the Utah Film Commission.

The final film to receive a community film incentive is “Strasbourg,” created by local filmmaker Jake Van Wagoner, of “Studio C” and “Impractical Jokers” fame. His previous film, “Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out” was shown at Sundance. “Strasbourg” will be a World War Two drama, and it will film in Summit and Wasatch counties.

Finally, the thriller “Slay Day” was approved for a Utah Motion Picture Incentive. It will be directed by John David Buxton. “We knew Utah would be an amazing fit from a location’s standpoint, but the quality and experience of the local team we’re assembling exceeds my wildest dreams. Combined with the strong and straightforward incentive, it was an easy choice for us,” Buxton said.

The Utah Film Commission was created in 1974, and its purpose is to attract film, television, and commercial production to the state and to serve as a liaison to the film industry. Many classic films have been filmed in Utah, such as “Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid,” “Thelma & Louise,” and “Forrest Gump.”

How do film incentives work?

Tax incentives for film production are a win-win for the production companies and the states sponsoring the programs, according to Women in Film and Video (WIFV). States benefit when production relocates to their area, bringing economic growth through the creation of job, an influx of money, and infrastructure development. The production companies like it because they can save a lot of money.

Film incentives first took off during the 1990s because film production was leaving the U.S. in favor of countries like Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, according to WIFV. The incentives were an attempt to lure production back to the States, and it worked.

WIFV says that some states offer grants to production companies for filming, but the most common forms of film incentives are rebates and tax credits. Rebates are paid to the production company for a percentage of their expenses, and they function similarly to grants, but they are taxable.

Refundable tax credits are issued to production companies in the form of tax refunds after the tax return has been filed. These are the kind of credits that Utah offers. Some refundable tax credits are transferable, which means that the state offsets in-state tax liabilities. Production companies can transfer these credits to other companies by selling them on the open market.

Non-transferable, non-refundable tax credits are issued to offset in-state tax liability, but they cannot be converted into cash in any way. The state does not give the production a check, and the credits can’t be sold on the open market.

Utah offers a fully refundable tax credit of 20% for in-state spending, and productions can get an extra 5% if they employ 75% of the cast and crew from Utah and film 75% of production days in rural Utah, according to guidelines from the Utah Film Commission.

Utah has two programs, the Motion Picture Incentive Program and the Community Film Incentive Program. The Community Film Incentive Program is for projects that originate in Utah, and it is meant to foster up-and-coming local filmmakers and productions.