MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
President Trump says he wants to put tariffs on movies made outside the United States. He told reporters the American film industry is dying, and he wants to bring show business jobs back.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Our film industry has been decimated by other countries.
MARTIN: As NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports, locations around the globe have been jockeying for production business.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Mark.
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MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: On a soundstage in downtown LA, the cast and crew of the Netflix series "The Lincoln Lawyer" are taping a courtroom scene for an upcoming Season 4 episode.
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DEL BARCO: "The Lincoln Lawyer" is a legal drama set in Los Angeles. So having its production based at the Los Angeles Center Studios is convenient and saves money, says Steven Jaworski. He's in charge of budgeting for the series as vice president of production for A&E Studios.
STEVEN JAWORSKI: We just kind of base here and then go to City Hall or wherever it is we're filming.
DEL BARCO: Jaworski says the studio's six soundstages are nearly half empty these days. Long before this week's tariff announcement, he was worried that so many productions have left Los Angeles.
JAWORSKI: The reality is this show could be shot anywhere. LA is a character to our story, and it would be very hard for me to see the show leave LA. But could it be produced somewhere else? Yes. And I think as costs increase, whether it's inflation or the way that the economy may be going, there may be a mandate of you have to cut your costs. And the only way to keep the show going would to be relocate. It would be heartbreaking if this show had to leave.
DEL BARCO: For decades, many TV and film productions have ditched LA and all of California for other locales, seduced by generous tax credits, rebates and grants. Georgia, for example, gives producers a 20% tax credit if they film or shoot in the state and 10% more for a peach logo in the credits. Most states offer some sort of financial enticement. So do nearly 100 countries, including Canada, the U.K., Ireland and Australia.
JOE CHIANESE: Even places like Thailand. "White Lotus" shot entirely in Thailand. So what's great for producers today is with the number of incentives here in the U.S. and around the world, they really have a lot of choices.
DEL BARCO: Joe Chianese is senior vice president at Entertainment Partners, a global production services company. He consults with producers about available production laws, incentives and taxes around the world.
CHIANESE: It's a mobile industry that can spend a lot of money at one time, which is a real stimulant to the economy, creating jobs.
DEL BARCO: Chianese says the trend of what's known as runaway production began in the late 1990s.
CHIANESE: Productions were looking for jurisdictions that had lower labor costs and lower production costs, so productions were going to Canada. And then in '97, Canada introduced credits, which made it extremely popular. And then you saw that rolling out in other countries.
DEL BARCO: Ever since, there's been a global competition for entertainment jobs and bragging rights. Even Marvel movies have been filming in the U.K. They used to film in Georgia. And even within the U.S., states are racing to get that show business work.
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WOODY HARRELSON: Small fraction of Texas' budget surplus could turn this state into the new Hollywood.
DEL BARCO: In a recent video, Woody Harrelson teamed up with other famous actors - Matthew McConaughey, Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid and Renee Zellweger. They're supporting a state bill offering more tax credits in Texas.
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MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY: I'm talking about a whole new hub for film and television. A Renaissance. A rebirth.
DENNIS QUAID: How about a wholesale takeover?
JAWORSKI: No shade to Texas, but I think people would rather film in California.
DEL BARCO: Jaworski is one of many in the industry making the case for production to return to California.
JAWORSKI: The situation's so dire that if something's not done this summer, I truly believe California being the entertainment capital of the world and the production capital of the world - I think that will be a thing of the past, honestly.
DEL BARCO: Jaworski says he supports California Governor Gavin Newsom's push to more than double the state's tax credits for production, and he's lobbied for two bills now circulating in the state legislature. They would allow more types of productions to take advantage of the incentives. State Senator Ben Allen, who represents part of LA, co-authored one of those bills. He says he wants to know more about Trump's plan to bring movie productions back to the U.S.
BEN ALLEN: Other countries have been throwing money at these productions to coax them away. So there's a part of me that's very intrigued by the idea. Now, of course, you know, the devil is in the details, as with so many policy proposals.
DEL BARCO: This week, after Trump's tariff announcement shocked global film industries, Governor Newsom volunteered to partner with the president to craft a $7.5 billion federal tax credit program to, quote, "make America film again."
Mandalit del Barco, NPR News, Los Angeles. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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