Studios 'lining up at the gate' to film in New Jersey once tax credit bill is signed

With the state's film tax credit bill now past the Senate and the Assembly, production companies are eager to work in the Garden State, say those in the industry.

Tom Bernard, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, said production companies are "lining up" to bring their studios across the Hudson River.

"Everyone is lining up at the gate," he said, adding he knows of at least four people who want to build studios in the state, including one in Montclair.

The influx of studios will create jobs and boost state and local economies, said Bernard, who lives in Atlantic Highlands. Production companies use local hotels, housing, catering and police and services during filming.

"The amount of money they put in ends up being a plus for the state," he said.

Steven Gorelick, executive director of the New Jersey Film Commission, said there were dozens of films and television shows that approached the commission about filming in the state but backed off because there were no tax incentives after Gov. Chris Christie's administration rescinded them.

Movies such as "World War Z," "Birdman," and "Revolutionary Road," expressed interest in filming in the state but either minimized or called off filming entirely to shoot elsewhere.

Similarly, television shows like "Point Pleasant" and "Orange is the New Black" were scouting for locations in the state before their producers decided on other locations.

Other films and shows were written with New Jersey in mind, such as "One for the Money;" "Freeheld," about New Jersey detective Laurel Hester and domestic partner Stacie Andree; "Jersey Boys," "Paterson," "Boardwalk Empire," and "Action Point."

Though these films were based on New Jersey locations and stories, they all filmed elsewhere to save costs, Gorelick said. Still other shows, like "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," did film in the state before leaving after the tax credits were removed.

While some shows still film short scenes in New Jersey that they'd have difficulty with in New York, the signing of the new tax credits will open the state up to even more, Gorelick said.

"They told me, 'We're waiting at the tunnel,' " he said, adding the film commission is fielding numerous calls.

"You look at the industry today, with this multi-channel universe, with streaming, cable, feature films, there's so much demand for product," he said. "There's a constant need for locations, studios and crew to feed an industry that's expanding. ...They need a place to go. New York has great studios, but they're out of space."

Emmy-winning director Gary Donatelli added he knows there are companies already looking for real estate for offices, writers' rooms and studios.

"I'm very confident it will be a great boon for the New Jersey state economy," he said. He added the bill includes additional incentives for areas of the state farther from New York, such as South Jersey, which he hopes will produce jobs throughout the state.

Tom Meyers, executive director of the Fort Lee Film Commission, said the bill pays homage to the state's film history — the first major studios were based in Fort Lee in the early 20th century — while looking to its future.

"There's a sense of connecting the dots of that period of time to today," he said, adding he and Sen. Loretta Weinberg have been asking Gov. Phil Murphy, who has expressed his support for the tax credits, to sign the bill in Fort Lee.