Call it the anti-“Providence.”
“Brotherhood” – the new Showtime television series featuring two brothers, one a criminal and the other a prominent state legislator – premiered this month, showcasing a side of Providence that wasn’t in the late-1990s NBC show bearing the city’s name.
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Where the latter opened with majestic views of Providence and highlighted some of the more scenic aspects of the city, “Brotherhood” takes viewers on a tour of the city’s seedy underbelly, highlighting fictional corruption and crime in an area known as “The Hill.”
But for Steven Feinberg, the director of the R.I. Film and Television Office, the less-than-flattering look at the state capital comes with the territory – a flurry of theatrical and TV productions using Rhode Island as their backdrop.
Since the state enacted its film and television tax credit last year – providing breaks for production companies and their financial backers – the agency has been able to lure several high-profile productions, including Disney’s “Underdog” and CBS’s “Waterfront.”
All the added publicity, state tourism officials say, has also made it easier to attract travelers to the Ocean State.
David C. DePetrillo, state director of tourism, said the exposure the state gets from those movies and shows is the kind you “literally can’t buy.” He cites examples reaching far back, including the 50-year-old movie “High Society,” which featured actress Grace Kelly in Newport.
Although that film is five decades old, it still has interest to travelers, DePetrillo said, and the R.I. Tourism Division recently a hosted a British travel writer seeking to relive Kelly’s lifestyle, as portrayed in the movie.
The recent high volume of filming in the state, he said, is something the state will look to use it to its advantage.
“The economic impact doesn’t end when the cameras and crews leave,” DePetrillo said. “It continues, and we certainly try to leverage that exposure and build on it.”
He said those efforts will include encouraging travel writers to visit Rhode Island, as national interest is piqued by the movies, and adding a film section to VisitRhodeIsland.com, touting the state’s role in the productions.
Feinberg, who left his job as a Hollywood writer and producer two years ago to head the state Film and Television Office, said studies show the filming of a movie has a direct economic impact of nearly three times the cost of the production.
(Through December, when officials announced the Wesley Snipes action movie “Hard Luck,” the total production value of films shot in Rhode Island since the tax credit’s approval was about $100 million. Since that time, additional productions have been announced, including “Waterfront” and “The Education of Charlie Banks.”)
Determining the amount of free publicity generated by any given movie would be difficult, Feinberg said, but the effects can be long-lasting.
That publicity, he noted, often includes not just the movie or television shows, but also, their promotional campaigns. Although he said he is still trying to determine how much Disney is spending to promote “Underdog,” the State House is featured prominently in those advertisements – which include giant posters in Times Square in New York.
The movie itself also showcases the State House “like you wouldn’t believe,” Feinberg said. “Everyone is going to be so proud of this movie.”
Rhode Island has also been gaining exposure from the plethora of popular sporting events that have been coming to the region.
Evan Smith, president of the Newport County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament not only pumped an estimated $20 million into the local economy, but also showcased the area. Coverage included blimps providing scenic views and camera crews filming on the streets.
The images often stick with the viewers – in this case, people in 40 countries, Smith said. “Whether it be directly or it be subliminal, they say, ‘That’s someplace I’d like to go someday,’ ” Smith said. “That is the power of television.”
But what about “Brotherhood” – or the planned movie based on Mike Stanton’s “Prince of Providence,” which could feature Russell Crowe playing former mayor and current convict Vincent “Buddy” Cianci on the big screen?
While neither gives the most flattering portrayal of the “Renaissance City,” DePetrillo said, the state is already so well-established as a tourist destination that he expects the shows to have little or no adverse effect.
This isn’t going to be Hollywood’s first close-up of Providence, he noted.
“It’s a historic, lively city,” DePetrillo said. “It’s just another angle. It’s entertaining, but it is fiction.”
