Trump wants tariffs for “foreign” films. But there is a reason why nobody in La | Dave Schilling wants to shoot

TWhere more first-class ideas from the twisted spirit of Donald Trump: reopening of Alcatraz prison (currently a very wet, very old tourist attraction) and a 100% tariff on Kinobirds that were made in “foreign countries”.

Somehow I think these two things are related. Some have speculated that the President has revitalized his program to revitalize the island prison in the middle of San Francisco Bay after the Clint Eastwood film on PBS from Alcatraz. This feels plausible, although it is a bit strange that his revelation about Alcatraz from a film about a daring escape with a convicted criminal for a hero would be created. Wasn't the rock that night?

If the escape from Alcatraz had been produced in 2025, the crew would probably not have shot in the real prison at all. Or in San Francisco. Or in California. Or in the United States of America. The chances are good that the film in Bulgaria or New Zealand would have been shot due to generous tax credits and incentives that have removed countless productions from the traditional center of cinematic gravity: Los Angeles. Nobody strives to leave Los Angeles than the film business except OJ Simpson in 1994.

The non -profit group Filmla found that the shooting in Los Angeles decreased by 30% last year and 50% compared to the previous five -year average. Shooting in “foreign country”, as Trump referred to any other country in the world, is cheaper and more efficient. Countries like Australia make every possible license to shoot American blockbusters in their back yard. Australia offers a tax discount of 30% for big budget productions, in addition to all state or municipal incentives, which is almost irresistible for an American film studio that wants to control the costs.

But a Trump tariff in films that were shot outside the USA would completely wipe this competitive advantage. Trump's truth -social contribution to this topic did not indicate how one would raise this tariff, but regardless of how it is actually implemented, the idea says that a film made in Australia would actually cost $ 400 million after it was shown in the USA. Don't ask me how it works. As with Trump's entire tariff policy, he expects this financial cudgel to force companies to move their business to America. The best way to avoid the tariff is to cover the work here.

The film studios with a large hammer are certainly a way to change, but the other nations do not harass film production from the USA in the studios. They falsify them, help them save money and the filmmakers to be tempting, with the chance of shooting out somewhere. Would you like to know what's fun? Go to Burank to make a film. As a proud Angeleno, I will not say anything unnecessarily in Burank, but I will say that I would probably rather spend three months on a beach in Australia.

Films in Los Angeles can feel like a 9-to-5 job, in which a large percentage of her day is issued on the highway. Handicraft service meals are often a little piece of chicken and a slightly dressed salad. In New Zealand or Bulgaria, studios managers immerse themselves in order to check in, but are usually thousands of miles away. In LA, this meddling studio executives meets you at Whole Foods.

I love Los Angeles, but sometimes it can feel like Alcatraz – an insulating film prison in which the only way to flee is escaping. La is much more diverse and more culturally lively than his reputation as a “dream factory”, but if they work in the cinemas, it can feel much smaller and more provincial. Why not go to Belgrade for a few weeks? You can skip your son's private school. Someone else can worry about repairing their pool until the day of remembrance. You can go all the time without eating sweet green.

Trump can spin his tariffs in other film states so much in other film -producing nations, but he simply cannot compete with the paid vacation that shoots after overseas. If Meryl Streep Ouzo wants to drink in Greece, she will shoot Mamma Mia in Greece. Nowadays you can pretend any backdrop or a area scheme on a sound stage, but what you cannot pretend is how happy an actor is when he can go to work every day. You will not get the shooting on the Paramount -los. I don't care how much product you give in Meryl's hair. It doesn't seem so in van Nuys.

If we want to revive the film business in Los Angeles, we should perhaps improve the quality of life in Los Angeles. Make sure that our neighbors have all apartments. Expansion and improvement in public transport. Reduce the cost of living so that everyone is not so upset every second. Close at least half of the sweet greens. The city of Los Angeles has been delivered to the film industry for over a century. Community planners and managing directors ran around a company city, often at the expense of its citizens. Since this industry packs up and concludes, it may be time to think about what we gave up to support this shotgun wedding and steal a little back.