California Film Commission begins second round of film tax credits

Filmmakers and studios looking to get a piece of California’s newly-expanded film and television tax credit program will have their shot this week.

The California Film Commission today begins accepting applications from producers of independent and studio feature films seeking tax credits that allow them to recoup as much as 25% of their qualified production costs. The application period runs through July 25.

Under the program, which took effect this year, the state has tripled annual funding for film incentives and allowed more projects to qualify, including large-budget feature films that were previously ineligible for funding.

The allocation is the second so far this year and sets aside $48.3 million in tax credits for non-independent films and $6.9 million for independents.

The California Film Commission will select applicants by mid-August based on their jobs ratio score, which ranks each project according to wages paid to crew members, payments to vendors, and other criteria.

The commission in May approved $82.8 million for television projects, including four TV series that previously filmed outside the state, including HBO’s “Veep,” which filmed in Maryland, and FX’s “American Horror Story,” which previously shot in Louisiana.

The online application portal can be accessed at www.taxcredit.film.ca.gov. Detailed information regarding procedures, eligibility, program guidelines, etc., is available at www.film.ca.gov/incentives.htm.

Twitter: @rverrier