Town of Tuxedo

TOWN ADOPTS A FILMING FEE SCHEDULE:

If you think of a town government as an average person like you, what happens when George Clooney calls and tells you he wants you?

You get all giddy and, with as much composure as possible, you reply. But because you're a town government and can't scream like a star-struck sycophant, you express yourself with the means you have: bureaucracy.

So it is, after several calls recently from filmmakers (one of whom was George Clooney, or at least "his people") and TV location scouts, the town has adopted its first film law and fee schedule.

A smart move for liability and to ensure the town isn't overrun by budding Scorseses looking for cheap locales, the law requires filmmakers to pay an application fee and be responsible for any police costs.

Recently, Clooney's people did inquire about filming some spots here for a movie. And scouts from the TV's "Rescue Me," starring Denis Leary, have been touring the town.

To shoot in Tuxedo, filmmakers will have to pay a non-refundable application fee, ranging between $250 and $1,000, depending on how quickly the crew needs to shout "Action!" A permit will cost $500 for filming on private property and $250 for filming on public land. Any police costs come extra. But if the film is for a nonprofit organization, the fee is only $50.

It's no coincidence that New York has seen an uptick in the number of movies being filmed here:

REELING THEM IN:

In recent years, the entire state - even New York City - had trouble attracting movie productions, especially with cities like Toronto offering lower costs.

But in 2004, the state began offering a 10 percent tax credit for film and TV production work done in-state. It's an incentive program many credit for creating a film industry boom in New York City and throughout the state

(Hat tip: UpstateBlog)