Video and Film Production in Springfield, Branson and Southwest Missouri

With Sundance opening January 21st, the News-Leader has provided an update on “Winter’s Bone”, the film shot in Taney County last Spring and one of sixteen films accepted to the Dramatic Feature competition. In addition to information on the local actors with roles in the film, also covered by the Christian County Headliner last week, we get background on the potential future impact the film could have on our region:

If the film does well at Sundance, it could boost tourism in Missouri, help pique interest in filming in the Show-Me State and provide opportunities for local actors and musicians, say experts.

“Winter’s Bone” has a slew of area connections. First, it’s based on the novel by West Plains writer Daniel Woodrell. About a dozen local actors were cast in the film . Musicians from southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas are featured on the soundtrack.

What isn’t covered are the behind the scenes roles played by dozens from this region. MFAS will provide an update on that story very soon, in the meantime, consider the results obtained by the other film shot in Missouri this year – Up in the Air

A new film by Paramount Pictures is Missouri’s latest investment in the state’s growing film industry. This film from Jason Reitman, the Oscar® nominated director of “Juno,” is a dramatic comedy starring Oscar® winner George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams. 

The state’s aggressive increase in the annual film tax credit cap to just over $4 million grabbed Hollywood’s attention and allowed this highly visible, critically acclaimed motion picture to be shot in and around the St. Louis area.

Missouri can boast exceptional benefits from this venture. Film production crews infused nearly $12 million into a diverse range of Missouri businesses. The resulting increase to Gross State Product (GSP) is 2.68 times the state investment of $4 million. In addition, the project employed an annual full time equivalent of 226 people;
providing a welcome boost to personal incomes in the region by more than $5.3 million in an area hard hit by the recession.

Industries benefitting from the nearly $12 million dollar infusion from Up in the Air included film production services, retail, rental/leasing, accommodation, transportation, food service, and professional technical services such as accounting/payroll, legal, and banking services.

The information above was compiled by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, which concluded that for every dollar in tax credits provided to the film, there was a resultant 2.68x return in monies spent in the region. That is just based upon the film production and does not include future benefits from tourism and related spending.

Read the entire 4 page report from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center website!