This story is a capstone project by CU Boulder’s News Corps students Jack Ramsey, Connor Leach and Cam Zoller.
Student filmmaker Charlie Theobald was born and raised in Fort Collins. He has plenty of film pitches based in his home state. However, after wrapping up his undergraduate film studies program at Colorado College, he moved out east due to what he and fellow filmmakers consider lackluster support from the state. Now, he’s getting his master’s at New York University.
“I wanted to be somewhere where there was more of an industry, where I imagined there would be more opportunity,” Theobold said.
Although Theobold no longer lives in the Rockies, he still draws plenty of inspiration from them.
“Everything I’m writing about now, funny enough, is set in the West and is set in Colorado, drawing a lot of experiences of growing up and a lot of stories of my family,” he said. “And this project isn’t any different.”
Last month, Theobold spent a week in his hometown shooting his master’s thesis film.
“I’m just really hyped to make a project in Colorado and bring a lot of my collaborators from New York and show them the state,” he said.
He’s keeping the subject of his film close to home, highlighting a recent tragedy in Colorado.
“It’s inspired by the Marshall Fire, which was something that I watched on TV when I was home over break, and we were talking with relatives who were down in Boulder thinking about evacuating or not,” Theobold said. “And so with that, I also saw this graduate thesis project as this chance to, I don’t know, see what it would be like to come back and make a project in Colorado in a way that I hadn’t ever before.”
Getting Down to Brass Tax
Films like “The Shining,” “The Hateful Eight,” and the 1969 version of “True Grit” give a pretty good idea of Colorado’s cinematic history, embracing the natural beauty the state has to offer. The Centennial State has some of the best scenic spots in the country—like the Rocky Mountains, high desert prairies and endless grasslands. But that striking beauty is not enough to win against the biggest incentive of all: money.
Colorado has struggled for years to lure directors and production studios to shoot their movies or TV shows here, It’s due to anemic cash incentives and a tangle of rules that complicate accessing them. Tax credits, cash rebates and appropriated funds paid to production companies and film crews can greatly affect the overall cost. These incentives can be make-or-break for directors and producers deciding where to make their next blockbuster. And other states have allotted far more incentives than Colorado does. Embarrassingly more, experts say.
Donald Zuckerman has been the head of the Colorado Film Commission for the last 13 years and has worked hard to bring in big-time filmmakers. But when it comes down to the money, he groans that he just can’t compete. Each state has allocated specific amounts of money to incentives that get paid out to the studios that film in their state. This money can go to actors, directors and the crew, as well as the production companies making the magic happen.
States receive funds to incentivize filming from several sources including the state budget, grants, gifts and donations—including from major studios. Many states also offer tax credits and cash rebates with various qualifications. Surrounding states New Mexico and Arizona put forth $110 million and $100 million in yearly incentives respectively. Oklahoma receives $40 million, and Montana has $20 million in similar funding. Meanwhile, Zuckerman’s trying to do the same job as film commissioners elsewhere, but with a fraction of the funds. He has only had $650,000 in incentives, from both funding, tax credits, and cash rebates to distribute. Not only is Colorado excruciatingly far behind in funding, but it also doesn’t have guaranteed annual allocation.
In April, the Colorado legislature passed bill HB24-1358 which will restructure the program to make it cheaper for films to shoot in Colorado and bump the total incentives from $650,000 to a $5 million refundable tax credit over the next year. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis on May 28 at the famed Stanley Hotel.
The film industry has not been a priority for Colorado lawmakers in past years due to the restrictive nature of the Tax Payers Bill of Rights, otherwise known as TABOR. Higher education, health care and roads often take precedence. However, production companies are still hesitant to shoot their movies or shows here due to the lack of assurance of compensation they will receive in the coming years. According to Zuckerman, the Colorado Film Commission was close to luring Kevin Costner for his new show but was unable to seal the deal.
“They ended up picking Utah because financially we just couldn’t compete,” he said.
Studios are also deterred by a union agreement stating at least 50% of the employees working on a set must be residents. This is a Catch-22, as the weak film industry in Colorado has driven many out of state to look for work. Arielle Brackfeld is the deputy film director of Colorado and is in charge of budgeting and government affairs. She detailed how hard it was to find workers who still reside in Colorado.
“We took lists from previous productions and went down the entire list, calling everyone individually,” she said. “Majority of them were no longer in Colorado because they just weren’t getting enough work.”
A Hopeful Future
Fortunately, Zuckerman said Colorado is taking big steps in the right direction and should see major progress in the coming years. A bright spot of the future starts with the Sundance Institute’s Directors Lab. Over the years, the Directors Lab—an essential part of the institute’s Feature Film Program—has served as a springboard for the careers of numerous acclaimed filmmakers, including Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino, who honed their skills and refined their artistic vision within its hallowed halls. In a bold move that underscores the growing prominence of the Colorado film industry, the Directors Lab recently temporarily relocated from its longtime home at the Sundance Resort in Park City, Utah, which is currently under renovation, to the historic Stanley Hotel.
The lab concluded May 22 and leaders of the program informed the Colorado Film Commission that the lab was a success.
“They loved living and working at the Stanley, and that they are returning next May,” Zuckerman said. “We are trying to entice them to make this permanent.”
The temporary relocation of the Directors Lab for 2024 and the modifications to the Film Incentive Tax Credit should bolster Colorado’s film industry and attract top-tier talent, unlocking the state’s potential as a cinematic powerhouse. Theobold said he’s optimistic about the possibilities for up-and-coming directors, producers, screenwriters and the like.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for people who haven’t been invited into these kinds of Hollywood spaces to connect with others, to find access to funding, to support the platforms, to mentors who will help them shape their work,” Theobold said. “And I think that is one of the more beautiful things about these labs is that they are inviting people who have not been around that industry or that opportunity.”
