San Francisco To Offer Perks to Film Industry

Film companies love to shoot in locations like Vancouver, and New Mexico because of the huge tax breaks they receive, and while San Francisco can't offer those kind of perks, the city is offering somewhat smaller incentives.

The Chronicle reports that while things like a free bottle of wine, free cup of chowder, or free admission to the Buena Yerba Center for the Arts, may seem trivial in comparison, Matt Stiker of the San Francisco Travel Association says these things can add up and possibly "push someone over the edge" to decide to film here.

“I’m trying to find ways to make The City more affordable to film in,” said Susannah Robbins, the executive director of the San Francisco Film Commission. She hopes more businesses sign up in the coming months.

Robbins added that the upcoming Steven Soderbergh film "Contagion," which begins shooting in San Francisco next month, already ordered 100 discount cards through the program.

According to the Commission, San Francisco's film industry lost 1,099 film industry jobs between 2001 and 2006, losing more than $123 million in spending and more than $8.4 million in tax revenue.

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