Can you really shoot your movie in Connecticut?

Over the past two years, the press has consistently labeled Connecticut 'Hollywood East,’ but the production of What Just Happened? made the moniker a bonafide reality!

Director Barry Levinson and 2929 Entertainment recently chose Connecticut as the money-smart base for their film, What Just Happened? The movie, which stars Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis and Sean Penn, is set in Hollywood. However, Levinson and his crew successfully shot 50% of the scenes in Connecticut. While the 30% tax credit was the driving factor for the production’s decision to shoot here, they wouldn’t have been able to pull it off if it weren’t for the Connecticut locations that they used to effectively stand in for Tinsletown.

Connecticut Film Center played a significant role in making the production a success. Besides providing financial services and monetizing 2929’s tax credits, CFC also provided key services and facilities for the production, such as leasing turnkey office space, sourcing stage, mill and set decoration spaces, scouting and clearance support for locations, and supplying discounted hotel rooms and car rentals for a cast and crew of 120.