When Hollywood leaves Hollywood, you know things are bad.
Sony Pictures Imageworks is moving its headquarters from Culver City to
Canada.
The visual-effects unit, which employs about 270 people, said it was
moving a bulk of its operations to Vancouver, where it already has a
satellite studio, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A small staff will remain in Los Angeles. The move will cut costs due
to Canadian tax breaks, the Times said.
For the moment this is just the visual effects unit, but considering
how much filming is done abroad, it’s not a good sign.
Movies are going where the tax credits are. Canada is already tied with
California.
California produced 68 percent of the top 25 movies at the worldwide
box office in 1997. In 2013, it was down to eight percent. Of the 26
live-action films with production budgets over $100 million, just two —
“The Hangover Part III” and “Star Trek: Into Darkness” — were filmed
primarily in California.
Los Angeles however won’t be getting the sequel as LA proved too
expensive for Darkness’ budget.
If California loses the film industry and pushes out non-Green energy
companies, it’s going to be left with the tech industry and a giant
welfare state that the tech industry will flee.
