A boycott of Hollywood would hurt the film industry and the economy of Georgia

A controversial law against abortion proposed in Georgia throws Hollywood into turmoil as it reflects on how to react.

The enticing tax incentives offered by the state following the financial crisis of 2008 have made Georgia an ideal location for successful films such as "Avengers: Endgame", "Black Panther", "Hunger" Games "and" Jumanji: welcome to the jungle ". It has also been a hub for popular TV programs such as "The Walking Dead", "Ozark", "Stranger Things" and "Queer Eye".

However, a number of well-known Hollywood studios have said this week that they will return to the project of filming their projects in that state if the "Heartbeat Law" is pbaded.

The governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, signed the bill on May 7, but it will only come into force in January 2020, when he resists court challenges. The law prohibits abortion after detection of the fetal heart rate, which can occur even before most women know that they are pregnant. A number of groups dispute it, claiming that it violates the historical case Roe v. Wade of the Supreme Court of 1973, which protects a woman's right to an abortion until the fetus is viable. Georgian law could reduce the time between 24 and 25 weeks of abortion for a woman.

A potential boycott of Georgia would not only hurt the state, which currently generates economic benefits in the order of $ 9.5 billion in film production, it would also be detrimental to Hollywood by inflating budgets and leading to the abandonment of certain projects.

"A boycott of large-scale production in Georgia is possible, even imminent," said Tom Nunan, a lecturer at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television. "The real question is whether this will have an influence on local politics."

There is no doubt that prestigious companies such as Disney, Netflix and Amazon, who leave Georgia or decide to produce future films and television programs in other states would be bad news for the economy of this state.

Georgia is known as "Y & # 39; allywood" and has an infrastructure specifically designed for film and television production. Not to mention that the state has an extremely skilled workforce consisting of crew members, craftsmen and technicians working on sets.

Already, film industry employees based in Georgia are losing jobs because some studios are abandoning projects in the region or are looking for alternate sites for filming. "The Power" of Amazon, who spent several months searching for the location in Savannah, decided to end pre-production in the state and look for a filming site alternative.

"We had no problem stopping the whole process instantly," Reed Morano said at Time last week. "It is impossible for us to bring our money into this state by pulling it there."

For the most part, the film studios are meeting their current commitments and will continue to make programs and films already scheduled in the region. Although several actors, like Alyssa Milano, who works on the series "Insatiable", said that they would not film in this state if the law was pbaded.

Others who committed to filming in the region, as JJ Abrams and Jordan Peele announced that they would donate all their episodic fees to Fair Fight Georgia and ACLU of Georgia, organizations that are considering to challenge the law in court.

"They do not punish crews, they do not punish people who have sound plateaus in Georgia, who have nothing to do with state policy, they are just men and women. are working to pay their bills, "said Nunan. "So, I think some of these artists are taking the right approach, which is to use the resources you earn so generously in Georgia to fight Georgian politics."

Nunan said the mere fact of leaving the state will not bring about change in the region. In fact, if the liberal and moderate locals go out looking for another job, the state could become even more red.

"The truth is that withdrawing from Georgia has just been abandoned by … conservative Republicans of the state," said Molly Coffee, creative director of Impact Film Georgia and veteran of the # 39, a film industry based in the state for 10 years. "We would not only take away the economic power we had to make changes here, but we would also give up all the women working here."

"If the film industry goes away then [Republicans] regain control of the state, they are no longer in danger of [liberals] reversing the seats, "she said.

It should be noted that not everyone working in the film industry is automatically opposed to Georgia's anti-abortion law, Williams said.

However, the main economic problem for Georgia would be the loss of future productions.

"If this [abortion ban] becomes a law in the state, so I think companies considering coming to Georgia may have done only pre-production or localization, they did not put their main pole in the ground and began to build, probably already looking for other places to go, "said Russell Williams, professor of film and media arts at the American University.

The state earns just under $ 3 billion in direct expenditures from film and television production, but also has an additional economic impact of $ 6.5 billion. This money goes to hotels, restaurants, gas stations, car rentals and lumber buying, all the things companies need to do their projects.

While the majority of people working directly in the film industry tend to be freelancers and can travel for the next job, the local population that supplies the goods and services purchased from movie workers could suffer.

"If Disney leaves, if Sony leaves, if Netflix leaves, the state of Georgia will feel it," Williams said.

Of course, Nunan points out that it is not because major studios are leaving that small businesses will be deterred from staying or entering the state.

"Georgia's tax incentives are so attractive and the local teams of professionals they offer are so high that I suspect many other companies may not be shocked by the Hollywood community because they are just not very well known "he said.

Georgia will not be the only one to suffer financially. If Hollywood companies boycott and leave the state, they are moving away from incentives to cut costs.

At present, non – public productions benefit from a 20% base transferable tax credit for filming in Georgia and an additional 10% increase by the US. integration of the Georgia logo in the credits of the film.

"I think Hollywood studios are really going to have to band together because their other option is often to introduce such draconian bills being adopted or about to be," Nunan said. "So, they are really in a difficult situation."

Some cities in the state will also offer discounts for film productions that spend a certain amount in the local economy, or even a per diem for moving expenses of film crew members who make money. Install in the city.

Without these cost-saving measures, some films could be suspended before production and some TV shows could be canceled due to sudden swelling of project budgets.

"Hollywood deserves a lot of credit for defending its principles even if it will put them in the pockets," Nunan said.

Read the statements made by major entertainment companies.