BUFFALO, N.Y. -- When Buffalo FilmWorks, upstate New York's largest full-service production company, launched in 2018, it was a boom time for film in New York.

The company worked on a number of independent films and major productions like "The First Purge" and "A Quiet Place Part II."

"When the pandemic hit in 2020, it all just kind of shut off. I remember the first week of March, the message came in and everything was shut down," Chief Operating Officer George Pittas said.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on many industries but Pittas said another factor has made recovery difficult for the film business. The state's film tax credit dropped from 30% to 25% in 2020.

"That's kind of stifled things here," he said. "Film productions have been reluctant to come to New York now because of the tax credit issue."

The governor's budget proposal includes an expansion of the credit, restoring it to 30% and raising the budget from $420 million to $700 million among other things. A Siena College poll released this week shows a plurality, 48% of people polled, oppose the plan. Pittas believes people don't understand the amount of revenue films can generate for the community.

"In addition to just the cost of the production, the amount they spend on hotel stays, on food, on just general entertainment when these productions come through. There's hundreds of jobs that are created and there's hundreds of new people in the area that are just spending money," he said.

Pittas said while much of the conversation surrounding the film credit has been about New York City, Buffalo offers diverse landscape and architecture and less congestion and logistical red tape than downstate.

"We're talking to some productions right now. We don't have anything booked solid but we're hoping things start to look better," he said.

Pittas said there's still plenty of content being created. New York just needs to figure out how to get it here.