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Film Production Tax Credit Strategy
A legal tax strategy where wealthy investors finance films to claim 100% depreciation deductions immediately while using state tax credits and financing to minimize actual cash investment.
How It Works
Obama-era rules allow immediate 100% write-off of film budgets. Investor puts down 15% cash (e.g., $150K on $1M film), gets full $1M deduction worth $400K+ tax savings in high-tax states. Remaining 85% funded through loans backed by state tax credits (30% rebates) and pre-sales of international rights.
Components
Identify film projects with appropriate budget size
Qualify as active film investor through education requirements
Structure investment with minimal cash down (15-20%)
Secure financing for remaining amount through state credits and pre-sales
Claim immediate 100% depreciation deduction
Monitor film production to ensure loan payoff from revenues
When to Use
When you have sudden large taxable income (like business sale) in October-December and need immediate write-offs. Requires being classified as 'active film investor' with 36+ hours annual film education.
When Not to Use
If you can't qualify as active investor, don't understand film financing risks, or investment amount is small relative to tax savings needed.
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“Tech entrepreneur sells company in October for $10M gain. Invests $150K cash in $1M film project in December, claims $1M deduction saving $400K in California taxes, while film financing covers remaining $850K through Georgia tax credits and Netflix pre-sale.”
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you put down 150k cash and you get a million dollar deduction
Film tax credits create massive leverage where small cash investments generate large tax deductions