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By Cameron Small
Hometown Weekly Intern
Lights. Camera. Action.
At least, that’s what most people associate with the start of a film take. After the movie “Thoroughbred” shot on Grove St. in Wellesley last week, residents now know a more accurate exchange would be:
“Sound?”
“Speeding.”
“Camera?”
“Rolling.”
“Alright, quiet on set…and…action.”
No one on set seemed willing or able to provide much of a synopsis of the film. Patrick, the Electric, said he’d “call it a drama,” but that “that’s about all I know, you’d need to see it.”
The crew, most of which was comprised of local film industry workers, was more than happy to talk about the Massachusetts Film Tax Credit, a program focused on bringing film production into the state. As stated by the MA Film Office website, mafilm.org, “Massachusetts provides filmmakers with a highly competitive package of tax incentives: a 25% production credit, a 25% payroll credit, and a sales tax exemption. Any project that spends more than $50,000 in Massachusetts qualifies for the payroll credit. Spending more than 50% of total budget or filming at least 50% of the principal photography days in Massachusetts makes the project eligible for the production credit and a sales tax exemption.”
Patrick said, “It’s an important tax credit, it brings movies like this into the state. It’s been under attack the last few years repeatedly, first by Governor Deval Patrick, now by the current governor, Charlie Baker. We’ve defeated their attack a couple times now. It’s important to bring movies into the state, and we’d like to keep it that way.”
As Patrick explained, the producers use the tax credit to raise money for the film. The cast and crew are paid from the money raised, and local businesses benefit from the influx of people the film brings into the state. The tax credit also helps keep local filmmakers employed around the state. Patrick, for example, lives in Waltham. Ben, the Dolly Grip, lives in Quincy.
Besides Wellesley, shooting for “Thoroughbred” occurred in Cohasset, and Tewksbury. According to IMDB, the film is set to be released in 2017.
