Clinton Township

Proposed Clinton Township film studio project ended

By Nico Rubello
C & G Staff Writer

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — A project once slated to bring film productions to Clinton Township has been disbanded, a spokesman for the project said Feb. 13.

Brent Chartier, once a communications specialist for the now defunct Vanir Studio project, said the project wasn’t able to secure investors to support it.

“It’s off the table,” Chartier said. “Without the financing from investors, we just couldn’t build.”

As of the fall of 2010, the project was on hold as potential investors waited to see what direction the film industry would take in Michigan.

The state’s decision to cap film incentives in 2011 and tough economic conditions were major reasons potential financial backers wouldn’t commit to the $20 million studio project, Chartier said.

The development, publicly announced in January 2010, would have included a multi-building facility near Elizabeth Road and Groesbeck in Clinton Township. The compound would have included overnight housing for industry professionals, docking stations for mobile production units, three studios and classroom space.

The uniqueness of a dome-shaped, floodable green screen, allowing for 360-degree filming, would have attracted productions to Clinton Township, studio officials stated at the time.

The film incentive program began in 2008, offering up to 42 percent refundable tax credits on film-related expenditures.

The capping of incentives at $25 million was predated by months of uncertainty about the program’s future, which helped drive away investor interest from projects statewide, Chartier said.

In 2010, Michigan’s biggest year of filming, 58 projects wrapped production in the state and $115 million in incentives were awarded, said Michelle Begnoche, senior communications specialist for the Michigan Film Office.

In contrast, 23 projects were approved for the $24.7 million in incentives awarded in 2011.

“At the end of the day, we have $25 million, and our job is to make sure we are attracting the best possible projects and utilizing the funding we do have in the best way possible for the industry and state as a whole,” Begnoche said.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder recently recommended maintaining the film incentive spending at $25 million for the state fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Nico Rubello at nrubello@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1118.