Providence
Business News
PBN.com
September 4, 2004
It's Showtime for latest R.I. Hollywood pitch
By Bridget Botelho, Staff Writer
Rhode Island may give Canada some competition as a backdrop for Hollywood films.
A Showtime pilot called “The Brotherhood” is being shot in Rhode Island, despite the producers’ initial desire to save money
up north in Toronto – one of numerous Canadian locations that have become a hotbed for movie-making.
The decision to shoot the cable show’s pilot might have something to do with possible tax breaks being dangled by Rhode
Island officials, who hope to get the support of the General Assembly next session.
Showtime is also leaning toward shooting in the Ocean State because “The Brotherhood’s” fictional story takes place in
Rhode Island.
“There is a creative benefit to having a show actually based in the place it is supposed to be happening. It brings life
to a show – like ‘The Sopranos’ being filmed in New Jersey,” said Bob Greenblatt, president of Showtime Networks Inc.
He added, “We always had Providence in mind but we thought we’d end up in Toronto, because it’s just more economical to
film there.”
Steven Feinberg, director of Rhode Island’s film and television office, is working with state legislators to pass a bill
that would make Rhode Island competitive by offering financial incentives to filmmakers.
“Billions of dollars have been lost to other states and across the border because we haven’t offered good enough deals to
Hollywood. I want to change that, and I will have legislation introduced to make sure Hollywood can film here,” Feinberg
said.
Showtime hired 150 crewmembers, 300 film extras and is spending millions of dollars during the three weeks it takes to film
that one episode, Feinberg said. Filming started Aug. 30 and will be winding down next week. It is being shot on Federal
Hill, the State House, and other locations throughout the Providence, Greenblatt said.
When Showtime representatives were in the state scoping out scenery for the show, Feinberg quickly got the right people
together – including the mayor of Providence and a number of state representatives – to get the pilot episode filmed in
state.
The state could not compete financially with what Canada offers, so instead the state gave Showtime hotel space, office
space and police officer details and use of locations like the Armory.
“Financially, what I offered them is a minuscule part of their budget, but creatively, I knew I could compete (with
Canada).
The director (Philip Noyce) really wanted the show filmed here. "From a director’s point of view, being here is telling the
truth,” Feinberg said.
Canada is a popular place to film movies and shows because it offers filmmakers a 25 percent labor tax credit and a
30-percent dollar exchange rate. In the United States, Louisiana is the most competitive place because it offers a 10 to
15 percent labor tax credit.
If the pilot is a hit with Showtime executives and the test audience when it is viewed in January, a decision will be made
as to where the rest of the series will be shot.
“It’s important for me to have legislation passed by January so when Showtime decides where to continue filming, I can
offer them a good deal,” Feinberg said.
The bills Feinberg plans to introduce will likely offer filmmakers a labor tax break competitive with Louisana’s, a state
tax exemption and local investment tax credit.
He already has two politicians to introduce and sponsor the bill, and other state officials like House Speaker William J.
Murphy and Providence Mayor David Cicilline, promised to support the effort to attract films during a welcoming ceremony
for The Brotherhood at the State House State Reception Room Aug. 27.
“When the show ‘Providence’ aired, people wanted to come here and go to the places it was shot. We want to put Rhode
Island on the map in the film industry again,” said Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty. “It gives us the chance to showcase our
state and pump millions of dollars into our economy.”
The pilot is the very first episode of a television series that introduces the character and story line. “The Brotherhood”
is about two Irish brothers; one a hardened criminal and the other a rising political star who struggles to be an ethical
leader.
The series is being directed by Phillip Noyce (“Clear and Present Danger,” The Quiet American”), and produced by Henry
Bronchtein, whose resume includes “The Sopranos”, stars Jason Clarke (“Rabbit-Proof Fence”) who plays a local politician,
his wife, played by Annabeth Gish (“The X-Files,” “The West Wing”), and Jason Isaacs (“The Patriot”, “Harry Potter and
the Chamber of Secrets”) as his criminal brother.
The Film and Television Office is a department of the State Arts Council, and has in the past attracted several leading
Hollywood directors directors including Steven Spielberg (“Amistad”), James Cameron (“True Lies”) and The Farrelly
Brothers (“Something About Mary”) and famous actors like Jim Carrey (“Dumb & Dumber”) and Brad Pitt (“Meet Joe Black”),
the state Economic Development office reports.
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The Providence Journal
projo.com[**]
September 3, 2004
Showtime series pilot being shot on Federal Hill
By Andy Smith
Journal Television Writer
PROVIDENCE - Yesterday afternoon, an invasion of white trucks and trailers descended on a Federal Hill neighborhood of
closely spaced wooden houses.
If you followed the trail of vehicles, you eventually came to a big black Cadillac Escalade, surrounded by people and
equipment.
"Rolling . . . rolling . . . rolling. . . shhhhhhh!" someone shouted. Actor Jason Clarke, standing outside the Escalade,
leaned his head into the car window and said something to the driver.
Clarke is one of the leads in "Brotherhood," the Showtime pilot now filming in Rhode Island.
The plot centers on two brothers, one (Clarke) a politician and the other (Jason Isaacs) on the other side of the law.
The Federal Hill set - "Brotherhood" producers asked that the precise location not be revealed
- represents the street
where the two brothers grew up.
Elizabeth Stephen, an executive producer for "Brotherhood," already knows a thing or two about Providence.
Stephen, who works for Los Angeles production company Mandalay Entertainment, is a 1986 graduate of Brown who majored in
theater arts.
She said she shot her student film on the steps of Providence City Hall; Laura Linney, another Brown alumnus, was the star.
(Linney, of course, has gone on to considerable fame in such films as
"Mystic River" and "Love Actually").
Stephen said Blake Masters, who wrote the script for "Brotherhood," came to her company 18 months ago with the idea of
making a movie. Stephen, who already had contacts with cable channel Showtime, suggested a TV series.
Masters set the show, originally titled "The Hill," in a New England city, but exactly which New England city was open to
question. The producers considered Boston for a while before settling on Providence.
"I already knew the city from going to Brown," Stephen said. "I love the flavor, love the diversity, love how colorful
it is here."
Wherever "Brotherhood" was officially set, the original plan was to do most of the filming in Canada, where expenses are
lower than in the United States.
But city and state officials, led by Steven Feinberg of the Rhode Island Film & Television Office, persuaded them to
shoot the entire pilot in Rhode Island.
"They knew we were struggling with the idea of having to shoot somewhere else, and that would take away from the
integrity of the show," Stephen said. "You just aren't going to get the same look in Canada."
No one involved with "Brotherhood" wants to give too much away about the plot.
Stephen described it in terms of "The Godfather" - although she was quick to add that
"Brotherhood" is not trying to
imitate the classic Mafia flick.
She said it's as though Michael Corleone had stayed straight and gone into politics, while Sonny Corleone was still
running the family business.
Jason Clarke, who starred in the Australian movie "Rabbit-Proof Fence," plays the politician brother. Annabeth Gish
("X-Files," "The West Wing") is his wife and Jason Isaacs
("The Patriot," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets") is the
shady brother.
"These are both very ambitous, strong-willed men," Stephen said.
Phillip Noyce ("Clear and Present Danger," "The Quiet
American") is directing the pilot. Yesterday afternoon, Noyce
oversaw the action from his perch just to the side of the black Escalade.
Writer Blake Masters, who grew up in Western Massachusetts and New York City, said his inspirations included the
classic political novel "All the King's Men" and the 1949 movie Force of Evil, about a lawyer who finds himself trapped
between his mobster boss and his mobster brother.
"Brotherhood" is scheduled to shoot in Rhode Island until Sept. 18. Masters said the editing process on the pilot will
probably be finished around November 1.
After that, it's up to Showtime, which put up the money for the pilot, to decide whether to pick up the series.
If the answer is yes, Masters said, filming would probably resume sometime in April.
Feinberg is lobbying to keep the show in Providence if Showtime orders more episodes. Everyone involved with
Brotherhood appears to want the same thing, but Masters said the decision is up to Showtime.
Meanwhile, Providence Patrolman Frank Furtado, among those providing security on the set, has already landed a
small benefit from "Brotherhood."
Isaacs, who played the villainous Lucius Malfoy in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," called Furtado's
14-year-old daughter, a big Harry Potter fan. Isaacs did a little bit of the wicked Lucius over the phone.
"It was great," Furtado said. "She got a real kick out of it."
[**NOTE: Thanks to JasonIsaacsPhotoAlbumsOnline.com
for transcription of this article]
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The Providence Journal
projo.com[**]
August 27, 2004
A preview of TV pilot's filming in Providence
By Andy Smith
Journal Television Writer
PROVIDENCE - It's not called "The Hill" anymore. The new title of the Showtime pilot being filmed in Rhode Island is
Brotherhood.
But whatever you call it, the show about two brothers on opposite sides of the law will begin filming here on Monday.
(Producers are not revealing the precise locations because they don't want crowds of gawkers showing up.)
Brotherhood, directed by Phillip Noyce ("Clear and Present Danger,"
"The Quiet American"), stars Jason Clarke
("Rabbit-Proof Fence") as a local politician, Annabeth Gish
("The X-Files," "The West Wing") as his wife and Jason Isaacs
("The Patriot," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets") as his shady brother.
The three lead actors, plus Noyce, Showtime officials and a crowd of politicians and state officials gathered for a
press conference this morning in the ornate State Reception Room at the State House.
Among those on hand were Lt. Gov. Charles J. Fogarty, House Speaker William J. Murphy, and Providence Mayor David N.
Cicilline.
During the lovefest that followed, the politicians told Brotherhood's cast and producers welcome they are in the Ocean
State. The "Brotherhood" folks said how glad they were to be here.
Showtime officials should decide whether to approve the pilot and order a full series by late this year or early next
year. If so, "Brotherhood" could be on television late next year.
[**NOTE: Thanks to JasonIsaacsPhotoAlbumsOnline.com
for transcription of this article]
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