Movie editing room planned
Dive, an Old City firm, hopes to offer filmmakers a place to finish their work, while getting a tax break.
An Old City film-production business says it is investing $2.5 million in a 35-seat high-definition directors screening room and editing equipment.
Dive, a division of Shooters Post & Transfer, a TV commercial and corporate video-production house, says a tax-incentive plan signed by Gov. Rendell this summer is leading to more films being shot in Pennsylvania.
The legislation provides $75 million in tax credits for those making commercials, films, and television shows. If a film-production venture spends 60 percent of its budget in Pennsylvania, the venture will receive 25 percent of those funds back in tax incentives.
Mark Forker, director of creative services for Dive, said that "instead of filmmakers leaving the state to finish a film, they can do it at Dive." This helps filmmakers reach the 60 percent local-spending point for tax incentives. Before, the filmmakers would return to Los Angeles to finish a feature film, he said.
Dive sells filmmakers "visual effects" that can't be photographed, such as scenes for science-fiction action features. The company does color correcting, title sequences and credits, and other post-production tasks, Forker said.
It also has upgraded its network with digital storage capacity to edit and produce multiple films simultaneously and installed work stations where artists can manipulate two- and three-dimensional images, he said.
Dive expanded to eight employees from two employees with the investment, Forker said. Separately, Shooters has 45 employees. The company is in the Curtis Center, at Sixth and Walnut Streets.