NewEnglandFilm.com

Industrialist Henry Ford once said, "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." This is a concept that the Alliance of Independent Motion Media (AIMM) has proven to be true.

AIMM is made up of six separately functioning non-profit organizations: Center for Independent Documentary, Central Productions, The Color of Film Collaborative, Filmmakers Collaborative, LEF New England, and WGBH – Boston Media Productions.

Under a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council that was matched by the LEF Foundation, the organizations engage in activities that AIMM supports and co-sponsors. They come together on a regular basis in an attempt to identify the best ways to support regional independent filmmakers, identify gaps in the support filmmakers receive.

"AIMM is a network-centric organization where several nonprofit organizations that support independent filmmakers in different ways can retain their individual identities and constituents and at the same time be a centralized presence for regional filmmakers," says Mike Bowes of Central Productions. "The individuals from each organization all have different strengths and areas of expertise in the production realm — narrative, documentaries, experimental and animation, broadcast, theatrical, etc. — which is a diversity we are able to retain while at the same time being a consolidated presence for filmmakers."

"The Alliance is very important because it gives me a chance to network, build collaborations and build relationships with organizations and individuals that I may not ordinarily come in contact with, " says Lisa Simmons of The Color of Film. "This business is all about relationships and the more people you know, the more you can get done and the more you collaborate the stronger you are as a whole."

The most notable difference AIMM has made in the Massachusetts film industry is a report analysis, titled "Lens on the Bay State: Motion Picture Production in Massachusetts," which analyzes the economic activity in film production in the state from 1999-2004.

"Decision makers looked at this information, we handed it to them directly," says Susi Walsh of Center for Independent Documentary.

This report is instrumental in tracking the progress of Massachusetts new tax incentive. With this new incentive the state of Massachusetts will now credit film producers back 20 percent of what they spent on state sourced payroll and 25 percent of what they spent on in-state production costs. The credit they can receive is capped at $7 million per project with no annual cap.

Before this incentive, businesses in the state were losing out on the profit the film crews could have brought in with room and board costs as well as general production costs.

Instead, Boston films were being shot in Canada to keep production costs down. For instance, without a proper state sanctioned film office and no incentive programs in place, Massachusetts could not bring enough support together to garner the full production schedule for the recent Boston-centered film Fever Pitch. The crew shot in Boston for only three days before moving on to Canada to finish the rest of the production.

Now that the tax incentive is in place, there are two ways that the industry in the state will grow. The most immediate way is for projects developed elsewhere to be brought into the state for production. "The number of people employed will go up and the wages will just pour in," says Lyda Kuth of LEF New England. The other way is a longer and slower process and that is to increase the number of film and television shows that are produced within the state.

AIMM used this same economic study to take a look at how Boston stands up to such film production capitals as Hollywood and New York City. "Realistically Boston can’t compete with these cities," says Walsh. "If you look at the level of business those cities produce, there’s just no way. That’s not what we are."

Walsh says that Boston has its own unique place in film production such as in the field of long format documentary work. "Massachusetts is uniquely suited to do that kind of work," she says. She believes that the state can extend its reach into gaming and small format productions to be distributed on the internet.

"We could be the capital of the world for that sort of stuff," she says.

But, research isn’t the only thing that AIMM is interested in. The Alliance is also a co-sponsor of the Boson Filmmakers Expo where they are in charge of bringing in special guests and providing editorial input about the panels, workshops, and seminars that are offered. AIMM is looking to educate and encourage local filmmakers, especially students.

"There’s been talking of putting together a manual for students to hook them up with members of the community," says Walsh. "That’s one of the things we’re including in a grant proposal to the state. Right now, our students are leaving to go to New York and Los Angeles after they graduate. We should focus on keeping some of that talent here. We want to let then know what opportunities and jobs are available in Massachusetts."

The Alliance hopes to continue with follow up research so they can look to the future of filmmaking and make sure that Massachusetts is ahead of the curve. "There are some technological impacts that haven’t quite happened yet, but are staring at us down the pipe," says Walsh. "This has to do with the way things are being distributed. I think what’s going to happen in terms of how the web is being used is going to affect how film can be distributed. What we haven’t figured out yet is how filmmakers fit into this new distribution. How the work is paid for."

Since AIMM has been established in 2003, they’ve been behind significant changes in the Massachusetts film industry, but they still have a lot of ideas for the future.

"I would like to see AIMM bring together the independent production world where companies are collaborating with one another, sharing resources, and making Boston a destination city for not only emerging independent filmmakers but for experienced filmmakers as well who want to make Boston their home and will be able to make a living producing film," says Simmons. "My hope is that AIMM will be the organization that helps this film community grow and flourish over the next ten years and have Boston and New England be recognized as a viable and burgeoning film community and industry."