Local Research
Using the findings and observations of the NAMAC study as a jumping- off point, AIMM launched its own research program to define the conditions of Massachusetts' motion media industry. In order to shape a sustainable future for the industry, AIMM and its collaborators believed that obtaining baseline economic information was a critical first step.
In early 2005, AIMM, in collaboration with The Film Working Group of the New England Creative Economy and the Massachusetts Production Coalition, undertook an economic impact study of the motion picture production sector of the Massachusetts economy. The group's goal was to obtain a clearer understanding of the sector's current economic position as well as the forces that have shaped that position - where the sector is today and how it came to be there. Our other key collaborators in this effort were the Boston Redevelopment Authority, IATSE 481, and the Screen Actors Guild/AFTRA.
Lens on the Bay State: Motion Media Production in Massachusetts, published in May 2006, documents the decline in motion picture production employment in Massachusetts since the late 1990s but also posits that Massachusetts has the strategic advantages to excel in the future.
The report addresses:
Decline in motion picture production activity from 2001-2004
- the number of people in the state working in motion ion and the income they earned dropped by nearly one third
Reasons for the Decline
- increasing reliance on less expensive out-of state production services
- flight of Hollywood studios to foreign locations where conditions are more favorable due to tax incentives
- departure of major Boston-based advertising firms
- profound changes in the means of production and distribution being brought about by the advent of emerging technologies
Reasons for Optimism going forward
- the Massachusetts Production Coalition successfully lobbied for a tax incentive bill for the motion picture industry in Massachusetts and it went into effect January 1, 2006, luring Hollywood productions to the State.
- potential for job growth at the intersection of motion picture production and emerging digital technologies, using Massachusetts inherent strengths in narrative content and technology innovation.