The future of Michigan’s much-debated tax incentives may be unknown, but film producer Philippe Martinez, CEO of Cinepro Pictures International, showed today just how vested he has become in the state and talent he has uncovered here.
Martinez has transformed 60,000 square feet formerly used by Roush Industries into a state-of-the-art campus known as Maxsar Digital Studios. The new Michigan-based movie studio is as suited to crafting CGI-laden sci-fi flicks as it is to crafting comedies. The project cost $1.6 million.
It has set its focus on Michigan-grown talent – whether that means actors and writers who would otherwise be leaving the state or those who grew up here, moved to Los Angeles for film work and were able to return as a result of Maxsar. ”We put a lot of money into converting it into a film studio, not knowing exactly what we were going to do,” said Martinez during a press event Tuesday afternoon at the Livonia studio.
What has resulted, he explained, is something of a modern facility with a mind that returns to old Hollywood studios. Maxsar is reminiscent of studios formed in the 1950s – when projects were all inclusive. Maxsar is more than a building. It can offer an array of creative talent from actors, screenwriters, producers, directors, technicians and crew. A film can be created there from concept to completion.
“Little by little the idea of making movies with people from here started to develop,” said Martinez. And that’s just what will happen at Maxsar Digital Studios – at the rate of about 5 projects per year.
Will French, founder of Michigan Production Capital, has been working with Philippe since 2008. He noted that Hollywood is in a state of decentralization. Because filmmakers can take advantage of tax incentives in 43 states, movie-making has moved out of the expected locations and into areas where there are considerable financial gains – including here in Michigan.
That could change just as fast as it arrived, French and Martinez warned, if the incentives were to become less stable, reliable, or easy to use. In Michigan, filmmakers can take advantage of up to 42 percent in tax credits for television and movie projects made here.
Livonia Mayor Jack Kirksey was onhand for the event and said he was pleased to “recognize this very important industry.”
“It started with the tax incentive in our state,” he said. “We’re now part of a great success story.”
Martinez hopes to keep it that way. As long as the tax incentives are offered, he will be able to keep the projects flowing at Maxsar. First up is Bag Monkeys, an outrageous comedy in the vein of Animal House or Super Troopers, that follows slacker baggage handlers Brendan Watson and Josh Specki as they aim to save a struggling regional airport from the clutches of an evil-minded millionaire. It will be shot at Detroit Metro Airport beginning March 23.
Next will be Scar 23, a futuristic drama set in a post-apocalyptic city where Dr. Scarlet Sangfro must travel back in time to solve the murder of her father. The movie – set to shoot in June – will be the first fully CGI film to be made in Michigan. It stars Rochester resident Antoinette Nikprelaj and was written by Dearborn’s Stevie Robinson.
And then there is the Off Woodward Avenue, a dramatic television series set in Detroit. It follows the Patterson family, the last of the automotive moguls, as they aim to reinvent themselves – and their factory. In an example of art imitating life, the series shows the Patterson’s effort to transform an old auto business into a film studio and take a leap of faith into a new industry.
How do you feel about the creation of a film studio in Livonia? Are you a supporter of the Michigan film industry? Share your thoughts in our comments section.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by cinepropictures, mebebrown and mebebrown, Paragon Apartments. Paragon Apartments said: In Michigan movie news, Livonia welcomes Maxsar Studio http://ow.ly/3SHMm – Steph [...]