Headline rate, caps, minimum spend, payroll fringe, and the official film office for Montana. Reference data for producers, line producers, and financiers structuring a Montana shoot.
Stacks: +25% resident labor, +10% studio, +5% rural
Illustrative reference. Verify before deal.
Montana's MEDIA Act credit is one of the most aggressively stackable in the country: 25% on resident below-the-line labor, 15% on non-resident BTL, 20% on qualified non-wage production expenditures, plus uplifts for studio usage and rural filming that can push the effective rate to 35%. The $12 million annual cap and $350,000 minimum spend position the program for mid-budget features and series, and credits are transferable. Montana's expansive landscapes (mountain ranges, prairies, rivers, and wide-open sky) have drawn productions from A River Runs Through It to Yellowstone, and the state's production infrastructure has grown significantly with increased demand. Crew depth is concentrated in the Missoula, Bozeman, and Helena areas, with experienced location and outdoor-unit specialists but limited department-head bench for simultaneous large productions. The Montana Film Office, housed within the Department of Commerce, provides location scouting, permitting support, and connects productions with local resources.
The questions producers ask first when sizing a Montana shoot, answered against the state's current program structure and fringe environment.
Headline rate is the start, not the end. Compare Montana side-by-side with every other U.S. jurisdiction on caps, minimum spend, refundability, and fringe before locking the location.
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