No longer hiding in plain sight. New Buffalo Film Studio Opens | Local News

Buffalo has come a long way since “Hide In Plain Sight” was released in the area from May 2 to July 21, 1978. A dramatic legal thriller, “Hide In Plain Sight” was released in 1980 and is directed by James Caan, who also plays. Locations in the Buffalo metropolitan area included Erie County Hall (100 Franklin Street), the Dunlop Tire Company factory (10 Sheridan Drive), a former clothing store at 190 Ontario Street, and the former Chase Bag Company building at 175 Rana Street.

Like a time-traveling sci-fi movie, skip ahead to Thursday, May 16, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Great Point Studios, a new $50 million state-of-the-art film and television production facility, located at 1155 Niagara Street, on the corner of W. Ferry on the far west side of Buffalo. The two-story studio complex features a 20,000 square foot soundstage, 70,000 square feet of support and office space, which includes makeup, costume and fitting rooms, food preparation facilities , set storage facilities, audio and editing capabilities, and two smaller soundstages, each 5,000 square feet.

Great Point has revealed that its Buffalo complex will be the company’s flagship location for its studios, located in Great Britain (Cardiff, Wales), Yonkers, New York, and Atlanta, Georgia, 2025 being the target date for Newark, New York. Jersey.

Robert Halmi, founder of Hallmark Channel and CEO of Great Point Studios, described Buffalo as a “dream location” to make films and television shows because of New York State’s tax incentives “where 40 percent of budget goes to the filmmaker.” .” Halmi went on to say, “It all comes down to a question of economics when studios figure out where they’re going to shoot something.” Halmi’s Hallmark Channel has made many romantic comedies and Christmas movies in the Buffalo suburb of East Aurora.

The state’s tax incentive has contributed to a profound change in the economics of the film industry, and Buffalo is playing an increasingly important role. Mayor Byron Brown said, “Great Point Studios will play a major role in helping Buffalo become one of the most sought-after movie theater destinations in the country. »

Actor Stephen McKinley Henderson, professor emeritus of theater at the University at Buffalo and multiple Tony Award-nominated Broadway star, lives primarily in Buffalo. Henderson believes the new studio can truly show the film industry everything Buffalo has to offer. “To not have to use my passport, I would be happy to sleep at home and work here,” he said. “Oh, that would be a joy.”

Henderson’s film credits include “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”, “Lincoln”, “Fences”, “Manchester By The Sea”, “Lady Bird”, “Beau Is Afraid”, “Causeway”, “Tower Heist”, ” Native.” Son”, the “Dune” of 2022 and the current “Civil War”.

Some of the Buffalo-Niagara metropolitan area’s strengths and selling points for media production, which also includes television commercials and music videos, are its treasure trove of remarkable architecture, waterfront locations including Niagara Falls, nearby forests and farmlands, a large pool of highly skilled actors, actresses and musicians, technicians and artists.

Dozens of films have been filmed in the Buffalo-Niagara metropolitan area, including “Marshall,” “A Quiet Place Part II,” “The Natural,” “Best Friends,” “Nightmare Alley,” “Buffalo Bushido,” Cold Brook”, “The True Adventures of Wolfboy”, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”, “Vamping”, “Stepping Out”, “Tuck Everstanding”, “Superman II”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows” , “Buffalo ’66,” “Crown Vic,” “The American Side,” “Savages” and the recent “Cabrini,” which, as I wrote in my review in the Niagara Gazette, is the finest film made in Buffalo.

The first major production to use Great Point Studios will be “The Panic,” which is written and directed by Daniel Adams. The feature film is based on a true story and takes place in 1907 on Wall Street as bankers JP Morgan and Charles Barney become embroiled in a financial crisis caused by Barney’s attempt to control the copper market. The film is expected to star Cary Elwes and Malcolm McDowell, with Donald Sutherland, Justin Chatwin and Cristiana Dell’Anna also reportedly attached to the project. Filming for “The Panic” begins in June.