New Jersey is one of the birthplaces of motion pictures. At his workshop in Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison assigned employee W. K. L. Dickson with the job of developing “an instrument which does for the Eye what the phonograph does for the Ear.” The results were the Kinetograph and Kinetoscope, early steps in film history.

The present-day Garden State remembers its history and has continued to invest in its film infrastructure, creating a production community well worth any producer’s time.

We sat down with Jon Crowley and David Schoner of the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission to discuss the benefits of filming in New Jersey. Jon said that New Jersey made it an effortless assignment because there are so many resources available in the state for producers.

“There’s basically five spokes. The incentives, the great variety of locations here in the state, a giant experienced workforce crew, an expanding infrastructure of support, and the fifth spoke is the Commission itself.”

Let’s take a look at those five spokes and learn more about how New Jersey supports filmmakers.

Spoke One: Production savings in NJ

➡️ Take advantage of New Jersey’s tax incentives

New Jersey’s Film and Digital Media Tax Credit takes the form of a 30-35% transferable tax credit on all qualified production expenses, making it competitive with many other production tax incentives.

In addition to that base 30-35% tax credit, New Jersey is also offering a 2% tax credit to productions that have a diversity plan to hire at least 25% of their crew from minority persons or women. They have a similar 4% diversity bonus as well if additional requirements are met.

These credits all stack, meaning producers could be looking at a total tax savings of up to 39%! In addition, reality shows can also be eligible for the tax credit, provided they meet the right eligibility requirements.

➡️ Netflix Becomes the first 'studio partner'

The New Jersey Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program has a special program for those who are willing to make New Jersey a home called the Studio Partner designation. In addition to a separate pool of incentives, Studio Partners allow production companies to add certain above-the-line salaries in their tax credit calculations. That alone is worth the investment.

To qualify, applicants must commit to inhabiting a production facility that is at least 250,000 square feet for at least 10 years. Only those who invest deeply in New Jersey’s production community need apply.

There are only three Studio Partner designations available, and Netflix recently snagged the first slot with their announced plan to turn the decommissioned Fort Monmouth into a $848 million production facility. 

➡️ Trust New Jersey’s investment stability

As the Netflix deal shows, Hollywood is showing commitment to investing in New Jersey, and New Jersey is returning the favor. Bill S3275 expanded the Film and Digital Media Tax Credit and committed $430 million a year in tax credits through 2039.

“The governor has been a strong proponent of the tax incentives, that’s what’s driven the expansion. But when he leaves office, we have an assembly and a senate that’s equally behind and supportive of these incentives as he is. A studio or network can look at this and know there’s stability built into it.”

Netflix clearly believes that there’s stability, or they wouldn’t be spending $848 million. They know that they can count on New Jersey to be a film-friendly state for the next decade and a half.

Spoke Two: Locations

➡️ Take advantage of the Garden State’s geographic diversity

New Jersey is called the Garden State for a reason. It has stunningly beautiful landscapes, from the snow-topped mountains of New Jersey’s section of the Appalachian Trail to the sunny beaches of the Jersey Shore.

It also has access to architectural styles not easily found in the southwest. As Jon (an LA native) explained to us:

“You’re not going to find Queen Anne’s and Victorian homes in LA. You’re not going to find small little town streets, art-deco style architecture, or post-modern architecture. You’re not going to find brick in Los Angeles.”

This diversity of filming locations has given New Jersey incredible range. It’s not surprising that The Godfather, Goodfellas, or the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown were all shot in Jersey. What is surprising is that it stood in for Vietnam in Across the Universe.

More recently, the Apple TV+ hit show Severance had a number of shoots filmed in Holmdel Township, New Jersey, where the Bell Works (formerly Bell Labs) is the stand-in real world location for the fictional Lumon Industries. Though it should be said that they really worked their special effects magic on the location, as the real life location is revitalized and vibrant, a stark contrast to the in-show representation.

Inside Lumon Industries in the show:

Inside Bell Works real life:

Amazing transformation.

And did you know that “Mean Girls” was filmed all over New Jersey?

Even if your film is set somewhere far off, don’t be surprised if you can find a double for it here.

➡️ Travel quickly across New Jersey

Of course, New Jersey is hardly alone in having a wide range of location types. That’s one of the things that drew early filmmakers to California, after all.  What makes New Jersey unique is how compact it is. 

You can get from those mountains to the beaches we mentioned in about ninety minutes.

This can save productions time and money, as there’s less time spent moving people and props on the road. A production can wrap a scene at noon and have everything important moved to the next location before dinner…well, depending on if you have the stuntman driving. 

Spoke Three: Experienced crew

➡️ Let your crew wake up in their own beds

One of New Jersey’s best assets for film and TV production is the deep bench of experienced crew that live in-state. It’s been estimated that 40% of the NYC area’s union crew members live in New Jersey.

Given the size and importance of New York as a film center, this means productions will have access to some of the best crew in the country without ever crossing state lines. That’s not just a benefit to the travel and housing budgets, it’s also a benefit to crew morale.

“The crews tell us all the time how much they love that they get to go home at night and have dinner with their families.”

Never underestimate crew morale. Crew will go the extra mile if it means getting to work in a job where they see their families every night.

➡️ New Jersey Invests in its Crews

Of course, New Jersey isn’t content to just rely on New York to create their crews for them. They’re investing in educating the next generation of film professionals.

It’s especially important to Jon and David to help minority and at-risk students, who might otherwise not have a path to being in the film industry at all. The Commission is working with the New Jersey Pathway to Career Opportunities initiative to create the New Jersey Film Academy.

The New Jersey Film Academy pools the resources of several universities and colleges across the state to create a standardized curriculum. It will provide rigorous professional training and work with productions to find internships, apprenticeships, and job opportunities. Classes start in January 2025.

Spoke Four: Expanding infrastructure

➡️ Utilize the infrastructure to its fullest

It’s not just locations and personnel that make New Jersey so attractive. It’s the growing infrastructure. After all, the best lighting crew in the world won’t matter if you don’t have any lights.

New Jersey has a ready directory of vendors and suppliers, handling everything from set design, construction, grip, and electric. They can even handle post-production effects for you, as the state boasts two volume stages.

Jon and Dave’s goal is to make sure filmmakers never need to leave the state for anything they need. And that infrastructure is always growing as they continue to bring more resources to New Jersey.

“We didn’t have motion pictures in the state for over two years. The Commission made a priority to get cameras back in the state. We now have an outfit, PRG in Secaucus, that has Aeroflex, Sony, and Panasonic back in the state.”

➡️ Film ready municipalities

As part of their commitment to growing infrastructure, The New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission is educating towns and cities to be Film Ready. This education/certification program helps municipalities understand what to expect when a production rolls in.

Aside from providing guidance for permit fee and film ordinance legislation, they also help train fire and police departments in production best practices. The result is that when a town is certified Film Ready, producers can know they’re setting up shop in a place that understands what they need.

Spoke Five: The Film Commission

We’ve mentioned the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission a few times, and for a good reason. They’re the fifth spoke of the wheel. Jon, David, and their team will provide concierge service to help you find what you need.

“It’s a top-tier, concierge level film commission! You need help scouting? We’ll go out, hit the road with you, and put together packets. Need any help in working with other state agencies? We’re happy to do that, whether it’s the power company or New Jersey Transit. Whatever we can do to facilitate making production easier for you.”

Last take

It’s hardly a surprise that New Jersey has invested so much into making themselves attractive to film productions. Given that motion picture technology was partially invented there, they know what it can do for a state’s economy.

The five spokes of the New Jersey film wheel, combined with the state’s long-term investment in production subsidies, make it well worth considering for your next production.

If you’re interested in learning about what the opposite coast has to offer for film productions, check out our production spotlights on Oregon, New Mexico, and Arizona!