By Michelle Saturley
Staff Writer

When the hit NBC drama “The West Wing” wanted to shoot an episode about the New Hampshire Primary on location, producers ultimately selected the city of Toronto, Canada, to substitute for Manchester. Toronto, along with several other North American municipalities, offers fi lmmakers tax breaks and rebate incentives to use their city as a backdrop for fi lms and television shows.

Crew members for “The Sensation of Sight” get ready to shoot a scene behind the Peterborough Police Station. From left to right: Greg Smith, fi rst assistant director; Carrie Sterr, script supervisor; Aaron Wiederspahn, writer/director; Joshua Friz, camera production assistant; and Christophe Lanzenberg, director of photography.

That loss was a disappointment, but it was also a learning experience for state offi cials charged with luring fi lmmakers to the Granite State.

Recently the New Hampshire Film Offi ce has regrouped and stepped out from under the governing umbrella of the Travel and Tourism Bureau. The department moved to the charge of the Department of Cultural Resources, with the mission of serving as the primary contact between fi lmmakers in search of a place to shoot and the towns and cities who serve as potential locations.

“There was a time when we were thinking of the fi lm and television industries as a subset of the tourism industry, in terms of coming to the state, spending lots of money and then leaving,” said Matthew Nelson, fi lm specialist with the state’s Film and Television Offi ce. “We are looking at the Film Offi ce now from more of a cultural angle, which allows us to tap into a more artistically focused demographic.”

This meant repackaging the state’s image as a viable fi lm location by spotlighting the “Live Free or Die” philosophy on both paperwork and taxes.

“There are no permits necessary to fi lm in New Hampshire, which fi lmmakers love,” Nelson said. “If the fi lmmakers do need to close down a street or would like to use a private residence as a location, we help them coordinate that.”

The Film Offi ce has been heavily touting New Hampshire’s tax structure by saying that the state doesn’t need to offer special incentives or tax breaks, because New Hampshire already boasts no sales tax and no income tax.

“Our tax breaks and incentives are built into our economy,” Nelson said. “Some states are giving 10, 15 or even 20 percent of taxes back to fi lmmakers who spend a certain amount while shooting in their state. We’re working to get the message out that there is no need to spend the money fi rst and wait to save later. The minute you roll your cameras out in New Hampshire, you save.”

That message is apparently getting out to small-budget, independent fi lmmakers and television show producers. In the last three years, Nelson has noticed a marked spike in interest from reality shows, such as “Building Character” on HGTV, and MTV’s “Made,” as well as independent fi lm companies from New York and Los Angeles.

“The number of independent productions looking to shoot in the state is growing dramatically,” Nelson said. “We’ve learned from talking to production people that the cause is two-fold: First, they are taking an interest in New Hampshire’s tax structure as a cost-effective benefi t. Secondly, fi lmmakers are attracted to the state’s ‘quality of life’ attributes.”

In fact, Newton said a growing number of fi lmmakers, actors and crew have relocated to New Hampshire permanently, enjoying the state’s quality of life while still advancing their fi lm careers.

One example of this phenomenon is the Either/Or Film Company, founded in Munsonville, by Aaron Wiederspahn and Buzz McLaughlin. The company just wrapped shooting on “The Sensation of Sight,” starring David Strathairn, star of “Good Night and Good Luck.” Writer/director Wiederspahn wrote the script with Peterborough in mind as a location. The production used many area actors as extras and also employed state-based crew operators.

“This fi lm is the perfect example of what we are trying to do at the Film Offi ce,” Nelson said. “We want to foster fi lmmaking in New Hampshire, encouraging economic and cultural growth. And we also want to encourage these fi lmmakers to look at our local people – production crew, cinematographers, actors – as an asset to their project.”

Probably the most famous movie to be fi lmed on location in New Hampshire was “On Golden Pond,” shot at Squam Lake in 1981. The short-lived television series “The Brotherhood of Poland New Hampshire” was fi lmed here as well. Nelson said the exposure of these projects has a tangible positive effect on the local economy.

“All these years later, people still come to New Hampshire looking for Golden Pond,” Nelson said. “When ‘The Brotherhood of Poland New Hampshire’ was here fi lming the pilot, they pumped about $800,000 into the local economy. The potential for growth is great, and New Hampshire is just as viable a location as anywhere else these days.”

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