Our Production-Value Proposition
Ohio usually brings images to mind when mentioned to out-of-town filmmakers, though it’s often limited to barns or smokestacks.
Sure, farmland and factories we got, but we’re also flush in beaches, ice palaces, theme parks, quarries, museums, forests, racetracks—whatever the script calls for, we can match—or do you one better.
Check out our Online Locations Database to see how much we have to offer.
Interested in listing your home or business in our database? Contact our Production Coordinator for more information.
What makes Cleveland, Ohio GREATER? Everything.
From diverse architecture and topography to an experienced crew base and low cost of production, Ohio offers a vast range of incentives for your next production. The Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit provides a refundable tax credit of 30% of in-state expenditures (as well as above and below-the-line payroll) on eligible productions with budgets equal to or above $300,000.
Browse our 1,800+ untapped Northeast Ohio locations by visiting our Location Database..
Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit
Eligible productions must spend a minimum of $300,000 in the State of Ohio and may include:
• Feature-length films
• Documentaries (long-form, specials, miniseries, series and interstitial television programming)
• Interactive Web sites
• Sound recordings
• Videos
• Music videos
• Interactive television
• Interactive games
• Video games
• Commercials
• Any format of digital media
Completed application packet must include:
• Signed Completed Application Form
• Signed Tax Disclosure Form
• Production budget
• Shooting script and script synopsis
• Documentation of financial ability to undertake and complete the project
• Trade secret information summary and justification (if applicable)
Click below to apply:
Physical Address:
Ohio Development Services Agency
Ohio Film Office
77 South High Street, Floor 28
Columbus, Ohio 43215
For more information, contact the Ohio Film Office at (614) 644-5156 or [email protected].
We understand your production needs.
Cutting Costs
• 41% less expensive than the Los Angeles region and over 50% less expensive than Manhattan
• Affordable locations and low to fee-free permits
• No bed tax is incurred after a 30-day consecutive stay
• Flat to mountainous topography, skyscrapers to farmland, architecture ranging from 1800s to modern, and a Great Lake all within a 30-mile radius
Diverse Locations – Northeast Ohio is a Chameleon
• Diverse topography (flat as Kansas farmland 30 mins. west of Cleveland / foothills of the Appalachian Mountains 1 hr. east of Cleveland, Lake Erie is a more controllable version of the Atlantic Ocean)
• Architecture that plays as New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Boston, and almost any other city big and small
• Urban, suburban and rural communities
• Deep forests and majestic bodies of water
• Industrial town squares and innovative city blocks
• Rolling hills and farmland
• A range of period architecture
• All in close proximity
Crew
Hire locals. Ohio’s experienced veteran crew has worked on over 300 productions in the past 14 years.
Outstanding Customer Service
The Greater Cleveland Film Commission is your one-stop-shop marketplace to assist in the tax credit application and permit processes, as well as sourcing filming locations, crew, and vendors.
Film Friendly
More professional. Less jaded. Ohio isn’t over it. Ohio government, businesses, and citizens welcome filming. This is a film-friendly environment that is ready to support you.
Quality Talent
Cleveland has the largest theater district outside of New York and a long history of theater and film. Warner Bros. was founded in Ohio in 1903. The talent pool of actors is ready to take on a starring or day player role on your next production. As the seventh most populous state in the country, Ohio also provides a vast extra pool.
Four Seasons
If your production falls between seasons, you can maximize your production value. No added special effects or set alterations.
Attractions and Entertainment
• Professional sports teams, including the 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers
• World-renowned orchestras and art museums
• Antique shopping
• Amusement parks
• Eclectic and diverse neighborhoods to explore
• Country getaways and island escapes
• Culinary destinations
• Wine country
Accommodations and Travel
• Luxury hotels
• Charming boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts
• Major airports with commercial hubs and international service
• Commercial hub
OUR MISSION:
GCFC drives economic development to Northeast Ohio by ADVOCATING for the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit, ATTRACTING feature films, television shows, web series, commercials, documentaries, music videos, public service announcements, photo shoots, and video games to choose this region as their base of operations, EDUCATING to develop the local workforce to fill the thousands of jobs created by productions who spend millions at Ohio vendors.