'Whalefall' Chose California Over Cheaper Louisiana — SkimNews
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- Doug Merrifield revealed that "Whalefall" chose California locations (Monterey, San Pedro, Radford Studios) over Louisiana, which was "six figures cheaper" on paper, after convincing 20th Century that the state's creative teams were worth the premium.
- "Whalefall" secured nearly $11 million in California tax credits on $50 million in qualified expenditures, with the shoot running 62 days, a cast of 11, a crew of 180, and 409 background players.
- Wētā Workshop built the film's whale stomach models in New Zealand, while California's StudioArt & Technology manufactured the 12-foot-tall, 18-foot-long whale head because it was too large to ship in time.
- The California Film & TV Tax Credit program expanded to $750 million in incentive funding, and "Whalefall" benefited from a prior $330 million funding round that preceded the increase.
- Merrifield warned the state's lack of an above-the-line (ATL) incentive means California works for smaller-cast productions like this one but remains uneconomical for big-star features, which still migrate elsewhere.
- Radford Studios offered a deal Merrifield partly attributed to a slow production climate, with the shoot spread across stages 12, 16, and 17 to house the ocean tank, whale stomachs, and 360 rigs together.
Why it matters: California's expanded $750 million tax credit is pulling productions back — Whalefall alone kept $50 million of qualified spending and hundreds of jobs in-state — but Merrifield's own warning is the structural catch: without an above-the-line credit, California can land mid-budget films like this while big-star features continue migrating to Louisiana or Georgia.
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