“The Bachelorette” and six other productions approved for Utah film incentives

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah Film Commission announced another round of film incentives today for seven productions, including reality TV show “The Bachelorette.”

The Utah Board of Tourism and Development approved seven new productions for film incentives, and those productions will contribute $15.6 million and over 300 new jobs to the Utah economy. These productions will be filming in Salt Lake, Summit, Washington, Wayne, and Weber counties.

6 new movies and TV shows are going to be filming in Utah

Season 22 of reality TV dating show “The Bachelorette” was approved for a Utah Motion Picture Incentive, starring Utah native Taylor Frankie Paul, an influencer and star of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” The season is scheduled to begin filming across Utah this fall.

VP of Production Incentives at Warner Bros. Discovery, Lex Pascual, said, “Utah offers a stunning and diverse natural backdrop that is perfect for this romantic reality series.” Pascual also cited Utah’s blend of small-town charm, friendly communities, and strong family values as reasons for filming this season in Utah.

A new western, “Blood on the Promontory,” was also approved for a Utah Motion Picture Incentive. The film will follow five convicts who escape in Wyoming territory in the 1870s. The team behind this film also produced Kevin Costner’s western, “Horizon: An American Saga,” and it will begin filming in Washington County this winter.

An independent film called “ICONOCLAST” is also on the list of productions approved for Utah Motion Picture Incentives. It will film this fall in Salt Lake and Weber counties. Line producer Steven Lee mentioned Utah’s landscapes and working with local crews, who he described as “world-class,” as reasons for filming in Utah.

‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ star Taylor Frankie Paul is the new Bachelorette

A new children’s puppet series is going to be filming in and around Utah County this fall. “Ladybug’s Garden” was approved for a Utah Motion Picture Incentive, and it will be produced by a local team behind several Disney and Halestorm productions.

“Monsters & Aliens” is a new documentary series that was approved for a Utah Community Film Incentive. It will film in Salt Lake and Summit counties this fall, and local filmmaker Gary Auerbach said that Utah has the best talent, crews, and film commission.

A documentary film called “Into the Wilderness” was also approved for a Utah Community Film Incentive. It will follow a group therapy program, focusing on the power of nature to heal, according to producer Julian Cautherley. It will film at locations in and around Washington and Wayne Counties this fall.

Finally, a pilot with the working title “Jesus Sees Us” was approved for a Utah Community Film Incentive. Producer Keith Grover said that it will be a first-of-its-kind production combining live-action, 2D, 3D, and AI-enhanced animation. It will begin filming in and around Utah County this fall.

How do film incentives work?

Tax incentives for film production are a win-win for the production companies and the states sponsoring the programs, according to Women in Film and Video (WIFV). States benefit when production relocates to their area, bringing economic growth through the creation of jobs, an influx of money, and infrastructure development. The production companies like it because they can save a lot of money.

Film incentives first took off during the 1990s because film production was leaving the U.S. in favor of countries like Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, according to WIFV. The incentives were an attempt to lure production back to the States, and it worked.

WIFV says that some states offer grants to production companies for filming, but the most common forms of film incentives are rebates and tax credits. Rebates are paid to the production company for a percentage of their expenses, and they function similarly to grants, but they are taxable.

Refundable tax credits are issued to production companies in the form of tax refunds after the tax return has been filed. These are the kind of credits that Utah offers. Some refundable tax credits are transferable, which means that the state offsets in-state tax liabilities. Production companies can transfer these credits to other companies by selling them on the open market.

Non-transferable, non-refundable tax credits are issued to offset in-state tax liability, but they cannot be converted into cash in any way. The state does not give the production a check, and the credits can’t be sold on the open market.

Utah offers a fully refundable tax credit of 20% for in-state spending, and productions can get an extra 5% if they employ 75% of the cast and crew from Utah and film 75% of production days in rural Utah, according to guidelines from the Utah Film Commission.

Utah has two programs, the Motion Picture Incentive Program and the Community Film Incentive Program. The Community Film Incentive Program is for projects that originate in Utah, and it is meant to foster up-and-coming local filmmakers and productions.

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