In the near future production companies hoping to transfer a little of Bridgeport's gritty charm to the big or small screen will be able to find their permit forms online, said Steve Tyliszczak, but for now, it's all on paper.

It was about six months ago that the city started looking at how to best serve the production industry, Tyliszczak, a senior economic development associate for the city's Office of Planning and Economic Development, said Thursday. Bridgeport was anticipating an increase in filming after the state Legislature in 2006 created a tax credit of 30 percent of in-state expenses for production companies spending more than $50,000 here. That credit, according to Brent Morris, is the most liberal in the country. Morris is line producer for "Marker," which is shooting in Bridgeport.

The city is "using and tweaking" its new permitting and organizational process through what will be an Office of Film. The office, which will be run through an existing city department, will have a Web site with tax credit and permit information, insurance requirements and a small library of information about interesting sites — ranging from historic homes and commercial buildings to hospitals, ports and the zoo. There are probably about six production crews, including people from Disney and Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films, scouting sites in Bridgeport, according to Tyliszczak. This is in addition to the Barry Levinson production that brought Robert DeNiro and Sean Penn to Bridgeport earlier this month and the Steven Seagal movie "Marker" now filming .

The state's tax incentive, as well as the city's proximity to New York City and cooperative government, drew the company to Bridgeport, "Marker" producer Binh Dang said Thursday.

"You're not far from anything you need," Dang said.

Bridgeport's part is that of a generic city, said Morris, who is responsible for keeping everything on budget and on schedule.

Shooting in Connecticut means the company can get more value for a budget Morris described as tight, and "on the higher end of a low-budget movie."

About 60 to 70 percent of "Marker" is being shot in Bridgeport, with McLevy Green and its surroundings in the role of "Little Italy."

A production company first contacts the Bridgeport Economic Resource Center to fill out a permit form, Tyliszczak said. This includes information about planned special effects as well as a schedule of dates and locations. Then the company applies for a special events permit through the Bridgeport Police Department, which details emergency personnel needs such as fire and police. Tyliszczak and representatives from the police and Bridgeport Economic Resource Center meet with the company to discuss the amount of insurance coverage needed and whether a fire marshal has to be on set. Coverage amounts, Tyliszczak said, vary; for example, the Levinson film needed a basic $2 million policy while Seagal's movie, with its car chases and shootouts, has a $25 million policy.

The city isn't charging fees for the permits, and production companies pay for things like police overtime, fire coverage and site cleanup, Tyliszczak said. The Bridgeport Police Department representative who tracks overtime was not available for comment Thursday.

But, "The city is reimbursed for all the costs," Tyliszczak said.

"It's just another way for cities to attract film projects," Morris said of the fee-free permits. New York City, for example, doesn't charge a fee, while Los Angeles charges about $400 for a 10-day shooting schedule. Los Angeles, Morris said, is also in charge of posting signs and notifying neighbors of upcoming shoots.

Bridgeport will probably come up with a fee schedule in the future, Tyliszczak said.

The city also controls what the filmmakers can do.

Thursday, the lobby of the old Majestic theater on Main Street played the part of a casino for "Marker," because the production company liked the black and white marble floors, marble staircase and gilding on the walls, Tyliszczak said. But the crew only cleaned up the lobby and set it up; leaving the "historical fabric" of the building untouched.

Tyliszczak expects the Web site and office to help streamline the filmmaking process in Bridgeport.

"As soon as you talk to one location manager, he gives your name to another one."

While filmmaking usually brings more goodwill and publicity than cold, hard cash to its host cities, there are financial benefits. According to a Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism report from December 2006, more than 8,000 state jobs are directly related to filming. The industry contributed $200 million to state and local revenues, $1.2 billion in personal income — about 0.76 percent of the state total — and $2.5 billion in gross state product, 1.35 percent of the state total.

Crew members stay in area hotels and do some shopping in area stores, Morris said.

Tyliszczak expects support businesses, such as caterers and lighting providers, will grow in the area as the industry does.

And as more projects get made here, Morris expects more people working in the industry to move to Connecticut. This means production companies will be able to fill the technical and artistic jobs with state residents.

In order to hire one particular union member, Morris said, a production has to accept the whole union agreement, which mandates, for example, the hiring of union members as extras or technical staff. There weren't enough union techs living in Connecticut to fill out the crew, he said, so the company brought in workers from New York. Most production schedules are too short to hire novices, anyway, Morris said, so "You need people who know the business."

Pam Dawkins, YourMoney editor, can be reached at 330-6351.