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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) --Spending by television and movie crews in Utah increased more than 30 percent to $144.5 million in the past year, according to the Utah Film Commission.
"It was a huge year in Utah," said Aaron Syrett, the commission's executive director.
Utah's film industry, which also saw an increase in production days, was boosted with the filming of "High School Musical," "World's Fastest Indian" and "Everwood."
Gov. Jon Huntsman said Utah is an attractive place for production. He said the state can "re-create or create whatever scene you need. We have urban, we have rural, we have desert, we have mountains. We have every conceivable environment that one would hope to create on film. We've got the crews. We have the talent. We have the can-do attitude that exists in this state."
The state also has financial incentives. In the past three years, 16 films have received a total of $3.3 million in incentives to shoot to Utah. Those productions spent $49.5 million while in Utah.
"That's a 15-to-1 return on investment," Syrett said. "For every dollar the state of Utah put into it, it received $15 back. It's incredible."
And the future is "extremely promising," Huntsman said, noting that 841 new projects are pending and a record seven feature films shot in Utah are under way or just being completed.
"We're not going to rest on our laurels here," Syrett said. "We're going to keep going, be more aggressive."
Both Huntsman and Syrett said they will push for the Legislature to approve more money for the incentive fund, likely $3 million to $5 million for the 2007-08 fiscal year. Syrett said 37 states now offer tax credits, rebates or other financial incentives. Utah's approximately $1 million in incentives for 2006-07 already is allocated.
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Information from: Deseret Morning News, http://www.deseretnews.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
