Back in the 1950s, Detroit was a top city in the world for shooting pictures.  Commercials, automobile promotions, you name it – the Motor City had more film on tape than any other place in the country.

So it’s no stretch to say that Michigan is going back to its roots, in a sense.  State lawmakers this year, stung from a shell-shocked economy and partisan wrangling, agreed on measures that make Michigan’s film industry the most competitive in the nation.  The legislation that became law in April offers movie producers almost half their money back if they shoot their projects here. The bills give filmmakers a 40 percent rebate and another two percent if they shoot in core cities.

Within days of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s signing the legislation, the amount of inquiries pouring into the Michigan Film Office grew tenfold.  With Michigan’s high unemployment rate, stagnant economy and declining revenue, officials from the Michigan Film Office predict that the state will add hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity, not to mention a few movie stars. Clint Eastwood selected Michigan for the sixth installment of his Dirty Harry series. The Drew Barrymore-directed feature film Whip It picked Detroit and Ann Arbor for its location. Michigan’s reputation is growing so much that Madonna joined Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival in August to showcase her new documentary.

Communities around the state realize their role to woo these projects and bring much-needed dollars into their economies. But to do that, they need the right infrastructure in place.

Lansing has taken a serious step forward in this effort, with the proposal of the city’s new soundstage, City Center Studios. The place will be top of the line, modern, and fully capable of accommodating big projects, rain or shine. It will offer two 24-thousand-square-foot stages that are soundproof, lightproof and technically state-of-the-art.

It will also be a place where students can learn.

Educators at Lansing Community College and Michigan State University are optimistic about the options that lie ahead for students and excited about what the film incentives stand to do for Michigan. With the new studios in place in the heart of Downtown Lansing, it will offer a slew of educational and job opportunities for students and for recent graduates. There’s even talk about holding some classes at the facility so students can get real-life experience.

“Having a major soundstage just blocks from the campus along with the kind of educational partnership that we’ll be able to forge with them has tremendous benefits for students,” said professor John Lightner, chair in the media, art and information technologies department at Lansing Community College. He said the opportunity is going to give burgeoning filmmakers the firsthand experience they need in this industry to lead film companies to give Michigan serious consideration as the place to shoot their projects.

Professor Charles Steinfield is the chair of Michigan State University’s department of telecommunication, information studies and media. He agreed that the opportunities for students are unprecedented in Lansing and in Michigan. “When a studio brings a film production to the area, it [creates] a range of internships for production assistants as well as students assisting the management team with administrative functions like sourcing equipment, coordinating sites, communicating with local officials and press.” Steinfield said. “Students can learn a lot from hands-on exposure to the day-to-day operations of a film production.”

A release from City Center Studios stated that along with 20 full-time positions, the company will host hundreds of high-paying freelance opportunities.

Not only is the goal of these incentives to build Michigan’s film industry, but also to nurture the creative class, many of whom have left Michigan for the greener pastures of bigger cities where more opportunities in the creative arts are available. Leaders are hopeful that people interested in the film industry can stay in Michigan and grow in Michigan, which will help to alleviate the so-called brain drain.

It could also lure others into the state. “As more film production comes to Michigan and to the Lansing area, it will create opportunities for creative talent to spend time here and hopefully settle here to capitalize on the availability of work,” Steinfield said.  “It can also help us keep graduates in the area, instead of the current situation where creative professionals find it necessary to move to Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and other markets.”

Lightner agreed that the incentive package could help keep young people in the state. “We as a college are interested in seeing our graduates find jobs here in Michigan.”

Of course a major piece of this puzzle is money and economic development. With Michigan’s dire economy, the film incentive package offers a chance to bring money in immediately and to look forward to future growth. The incentives don’t need years to kick in like other measures might. When producers agree to shoot here, they bring crews with them, and money too. “Shooting major motion pictures brings a lot of people into the city who will need places to stay, eat and pursue recreation and entertainment,” Lightner said. “This is very much aligned with the Cool Cities concept.”

Professor Steinfield said the timing of these endeavors coincides with changes in MSU’s film program. “The new incentives could not have come at a better time,” he explained. “Over the past year, and actually independent of the film incentives legislation from the State, the department of telecommunication, information studies and media has been revamping its curriculum to enhance our production offerings.” Steinfield said this includes more classes for radio, television, cinema and film production. He also said a documentary filmmaking program is getting up and running.

LCC is also doing its part to nurture the growing demands of this industry, offering dozens of courses and state-of-the-art technology. “Our digital media, audio and cinema (DMAC) program is well positioned to keep up with the demands of the burgeoning film industry in this region,” Lightner said. “The college is putting close to a quarter of a million dollars into equipment alone, and we’re fitting out additional classrooms to handle the expected increase in student interest in a new program that we’re expecting to become a center of excellence in our region and beyond.”

Time will tell what students get out of Michigan’s new film incentives and the creation of new projects like City Center Studios. But with business, government and education partnering together on these efforts, most seem to agree that the future looks bright.