Lights, Camera, Action: Bridgewater Gets 'Film Ready'

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The Township is setting the stage to become "film-ready."

At the Thursday night Council meeting, Township Administrator Michael Pappas announced that Bridgewater is beginning the process to become involved in New Jersey’s Film Ready Communities program, a certification from the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission.

"Film Ready NJ is an effort the state government has undertaken to assist local governments to go through a process to make them perhaps more attractive to the film-making industry," said Pappas. "Whether it is for television, movies, documentaries, or commercials."

Pappas said the Township is beginning the process, and at some point, they will come back to the Council with a presentation and perhaps a resolution or an ordinance.

An ordinance is one of the steps needed in a comprehensive process to become a member of New Jersey’s Film Ready Communities program, a certification from the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission.

Other steps include demonstrating that the Township has film locations, expertise, and resources to support video shoots.

Other towns in Somerset County, such as Basking Ridge, Hillsborough, Franklin, South Bound Brook, and Watchung, have already gone through the process to become "film ready" and part of the state's program.

Associate Director of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission Dave Schoner spoke to the Bernards Township Committee in May 2024 about how filmmaking in 2022 generated $700 million in the Garden State and 8,500 jobs.

The program takes advantage of the state’s exploding video production industry and the economic benefits that come with local filmmaking.

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