The calendar may read mid-March, but the region has served as the host for five feature films already this year, including two within the past month that will air during the upcoming Christmas season.
Just as Fred Olen Ray’s “A Christmas Tail” wrapped up, crews from Synthetic Cinema International arrived from Connecticut to begin production on a “Newport Christmas” that will appear this fall on the Hallmark Channel. The early 20th Century period piece love story stars Wes Brown and Ginna Claire Mason.
For Synthetic Cinema this is their first area production, but co-owner/producer Andrew Gerhard said he expects to come back, thanks to great architecture, welcoming residents, and support from the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission.
There’s been a record pace of production, meaning millions of dollars could be put into the local economy. That matters, especially in a word-of-mouth industry like filmmaking, says Tim Clark, Buffalo Niagara Film Commission executive director.
“As big as a business as the movie industry is, it's a small group of people who talk to one another. Testimonial stuff that we always hear is very nice, but it's also heard by other people in the industry who are looking for new places to film, looking for good incentives, looking for good locations,” Clark said.
A key factor Gerhard told WBFO, are the tax breaks New York offers to film makers. For productions made outside of New York City, tax breaks and incentives can top 40 percent. In a million dollar-plus production like “Newport Christmas,” the savings run into six-figures.
That’s why “Newport Christmas” is being shot in Buffalo and not in Connecticut or other states.
Clark says it’s a common theme.
“I know the other end of it, and it's not fun when you don't have something on the business side to sell. That 40% film tax credit program that you get in western New York is one of the best in the country,” Clark said.
Clark says another movie, is due to begin shooting in the region in the next few weeks. Others are very close to also signing on the bottom line.
“It absolutely is going to be very busy. There's a lot of inbound traffic, lots of movie trucks, and movie stars are going to be seen around Western New York from right now through December, and it's probably going to last even longer than that, into 2026 and beyond,” Clark said.
Filming for “Newport Christmas” continues through early April in locations within Buffalo, Youngstown, and Akron.
