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GEORGIA
Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore in Season 4 of Ozark. Photo: Tina Rowden/ Net ix. ©2022
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GEORGIA’S GOING FOR GOLD
FILM AND TV INCENTIVE PROGRAMMES DON'T ALWAYS DELIVER WHAT POLICY MAKERS INTEND. BUT A RESOUNDING EXAMPLE OF SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTION IS THE US STATE OF GEORGIA, WHICH HAS EMERGED AS ONE OF THE WORLD’S PREMIER PRODUCTION HUBS THANKS TO ITS ATTRACTIVE 20-30% TAX CREDIT. ANDY FRY REPORTS
LAUNCHED in 2008, the Peach State’s incentive programme has provided encouragement for massive infrastructure development, so that Georgia is now home to some of the world’s best studios. In parallel, it has given the state an opportunity to introduce fi lmmakers to the wealth of its locations. With the exception of deserts, this surprisingly diverse fi lm hub has it all — from mountains and coastline to architectural and cultural diversity.
Georgia’s fi lm and TV industry has generated such momentum that even a global pandemic couldn’t stop it expanding. For fi scal 2021, the state set a new record with $4bn in direct spending on productions. That compares with $2.9bn for the last pre-COVID year, 2019. “To some extent, we benefi ted from pent-up demand,” director of the Georgia Film Offi ce, Lee
Thomas, says. “And I also think we were able to pick up some productions that had been planning to shoot in other lockeddown markets. But the speed and scale of the overall recovery speaks volumes about the level of trust fi lmmakers have in
Georgia’s fi lm and TV industry.”
Thomas says Georgia’s success can be measured in various ways. One is the range and calibre of projects coming to the state.
With 40-50 productions live in Georgia at any one time, featurefi lm highlights have included mega-budget Marvel movies
Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021/a co-production with Sony). At time of writing, Black Panther:
Wakanda Forever (2022) was in Georgia while Guardians of the
Galaxy Vol 3 (2023) is another recent credit.
And, there is also a movie version of Wicked and the latest in the Creed franchise to look forward to. Switch to high-end TV and the roster is no less impressive. If the fi lms demonstrate the remarkable capabilities of Georgia’s studios, then the TV series showcase the state’s topography and built locations. The Walking
Dead (2010-22), Ozark (2017-22), Underground Railroad (2021),
Lovecraft Country (2020) and WandaVision (2021) just scratch the surface of what’s on off er, Thomas says.
Thomas says the rude health of the state’s industry is underlined by the speed of studio construction. “At the end of fi scal 2021, the state off ered 2.1 million sq ft in purpose-built stage space and 3.2 million in retrofi tted stage and dedicated warehouse space. But we’re on course to double the purpose-built fi gure by 2023.”
There are several players in the vicinity of the state’s largest city Atlanta. These include Trilith (formerly Pinewood Atlanta), Blackhall, Eagle Rock Studios, OFS and Tyler Perry Studios, a 330-acre studio/backlot enterprise that is used to host Perry’s productions and third-party projects.
Trilith is known for Marvel’s blockbusters at its studio complex, but that only scratches the surface, there are 24 stages of various shapes and sizes. Studios 5 and 6, which are both 50 ft high and have 30,000 sq-ft areas, have housed several Marvel fi lms and The Suicide Squad (2021). But there is also a wide array of other stage arrangements in the 15-20,000 sq ft range. In addition, there are production offi ces, fi lming equipment, construction workshops and backlots.
Frank Patterson, Trilith president & CEO, says the studio setup is an important part of Georgia’s attraction to producers. But he stresses that “it is only one part of our vision. We are making a place where great storytellers can do anything they imagine.”
Patterson adds: “We’re also investing in technology and content. In tech, we are currently focused on virtual production, while in content we have acquired companies like Believe Entertainment Group and kids studio Sutikki. We are making our own content, like kids show Moon & Me. We’re also exploring opportunities to invest in emerging kinds of content.”
Trilith’s ambition doesn't stop there. “We are also in the process of building a 235-acre town where creatives can live and raise their families,” Patterson says. “There’s a range of homes, restaurants, a wellness centre and more. What we are developing here is an ecosystem where people can live and work, and where our clients can fi nd the crew and vendors they need to support their productions.
“We built this complex for big-budget movies, but we have
Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in Marvel Studios' Loki. Photo: ©Marvel Studios 2021.
had multi-year TV projects like WandaVision,” he adds. “We’re in discussions about more long-running projects but we have to fnd a way to accommodate them without nudging the movie production out.”
Satisfaction with Trilith’s services is evident in the studio’s healthy order book. And it doesn’t do any harm to have hosted Spider-Man: No Way Home, which has taken $1.8bn at box ofce.
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Dr Strange in the new Spider-Man, adds that the high levels of craft feeds through into on-screen performance: “The scale of what they have here is not to be underestimated. The quality of the set build, the efects really put you right on your game.”
In terms of planned developments, Blackhall Studios, which has hosted Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) and Jungle Cruise (2021), is currently undergoing a $250m expansion. Not far away, Gray Television is building a new studio in Doravilla. Projected to be one million sq ft in total, the majority of the site is being built on a former General Motors plant. But in September 2021 Gray extended its footprint by acquiring Third Rail Studios, adjacent to the GM plant. While the GM section of the complex is expected to be ready by 2025, Third Rail already boasts high-quality stages and production ofces. Recent clients have included Netfix, with productions including Ozark and Rampage (2018).
In January 2022, Cinelease unveiled plans to expand its existing presence at Three Ring Studio in Covington. Having opened in Atlanta with just 8,000 sq ft back in 2008, the expanded Three Ring complex will have 14 purpose-built sound stages in 2023. In addition to 276,000 sq ft of stage space, there will be 100,000 sq ft of ofce space, and 72,800 sq ft of fexible space.
Not surprisingly, Atlanta communities close to the studios have also benefted from location work. Gwinnett County has positioned itself as a flm-friendly destination and ofers Victorian homes, historic downtowns, parks, malls, high schools and taverns. Projects using Gwinnett locations include Stranger Things (2016-), The Outsider (2020) and Macgyver (2016-21). The Marvel movie Loki (2021-) also shot scenes at a Vulcan Quarry in Loganville.
DeKalb County has also enjoyed production growth, claiming that 60% of all Georgia productions have touched the County. In a recent economic report, DeKalb Entertainment Commission director Shelbia Jackson confrms that: “DeKalb has been booming with productions that range from major blockbusters to independent productions.”
One show that made heavy use of DeKalb was ABC’s reboot of The Wonder Years (2021-), which used locations in Decatur, Tucker, Lithonia and Stone Mountain. Jackson says: “DeKalb’s diverse landscape ofers options that mimic a bustling city through to the retro feel viewers will experience with this iteration of The Wonder Years.”
The GFO’s Thomas says of all the studio expansion has meant “a lot of ribbon-cutting ceremonies — not just the Atlanta area. There are also plans for a $60m development in Athens. Athena Studios will provide 350,000 sq ft of space for flm and television production.” In addition, one sound stage at Athena Studios will be used by the University of Georgia and the Georgia Film Academy to train the next generation of flm-industry professionals.
The development of the Athens hub, 70 miles outside Atlanta, is a good illustration of how the upswing in flm and TV production is being felt across the entire state, GFO’s Thomas adds. “As the industry has matured, producers have also started looking further afeld,” Thomas says. “At the same time, we’ve developed a much more robust network of local flm ofces to service productions. We’ve also benefted from our Camera Ready community programme, which taps into local expertise about great locations, places to stay and the specifcs of permitting.”
The town of Thomasville down on the Florida border has
THE PROJECTS COMING TO GEORGIA IN 2022 SHOW THAT THE STATE IS
BOOMING ONCE AGAIN LEE THOMAS
also become a focal point for flmmakers. Dustin Hofman, Sissy Spacek and Amy Adams were recently there to shoot Sam And Kate. Other visiting flms during 2021 included Bandit (2022) starring Mel Gibson and Josh Duhamel. “Also worth checking out is Columbus,” Thomas says, “which has its own incentive for producers who chose to bring crew there.”
A major benefciary of Georgia’s reinvention as a production capital has been the exquisite port city of Savannah, located on Georgia’s East Coast. “Like everyone, we had a pause for COVID in 2020,” says Beth Nelson, flm commissioner at the Savannah Regional Film Commission. “But we got really busy again in 2021.”
The year 2021 generated around $114m spend on flm and TV, “our second-best year ever”, Nelson says. “And 2022 will top that. Already we’ve got TV projects from Sony, AMC and Apple TV+, as well as a lot of independent features. Late last year, we also had NBCUniversal’s The Girl from Plainville (2022), starring Elle Fanning.” Another project that has just wrapped is Halloween Ends (2022), the third movie in the horror franchise reboot, starring Jamie Lee Curtis.
“The city itself is encircled by a mix of rural countryside, waterways and small towns,” Nelson says. That range has enabled Savannah to double for quite a few states in the US, as well as London, Buenos Aries and Southeast Asia.
Savannah has a rich history of production, but it has undoubtedly seen a signifcant uplift since the introduction of the Georgia tax credit. The city has also introduced its own tax credit,
which can be used in conjunction with the state tax credit. Pitched at 10% of qualifying spend, Nelson says it has proved another major attraction. The city is also an easy place to shoot, she adds, with a friendly community and great crew.
Also Savannah is currently the LMGI’s Outstanding Film Commission for its work on Amazon’s 10-part series The Underground Railroad. The series was shot entirely in Georgia, mainly in Savannah, which was also the pre-production base.
During production SRFC spent many hours assisting the location manager with the permitting and logistical challenges of flming a period piece in the middle of a busy city. The biggest challenge involved obtaining a permit to close a busy arterial highway for a major scene. The road runs in front of Savannah City Hall, which was transformed into the Grifn building, a pivotal location in the series.
The one thing missing, of course, is a studio ecosystem. But there are moves in that direction, Nelson says. Savannah College of Art and Design is expanding its 22,000 sq ft facility and a major new complex, Savannah Studios, broke ground in Q3, 2021.
Other locations coming on to the radar include Macon, about 80 miles south of Atlanta. Aaron Buzza, vice-president of development/COO at Visit Macon says: “Macon’s proximity to Atlanta allows for us to be at the top of the list for scouts because we are close, while ofering a wide variety of location options.”
A number of productions have used Macon’s downtown, Buzza says, “so closing streets is pretty standard. That has allowed picture cars to move in and ‘freballs’ to be dropped from the sky. We’ve had streets aged so they can play for 100 years ago. And we recently had an historic building owner authorise the removal of third foor windows to accommodate a cast iron claw-foot bathtub to be lifted into place by crane. Our historic Terminal Station, which was featured in Black Widow (2021) and The Underground Railroad, saw upgrades and updates that were left in place inside the Terminal after the productions left.”
Buzza says Macon is “defnitely beneftting from the Georgia boom and we’ve seen a slight change in requests. Productions are looking at larger spaces that would allow set building. Some are looking for large outdoor spaces and business parks that are hard to fnd elsewhere.”
Augusta, halfway between Atlanta and Savannah, has also identifed flm and TV production as a growth opportunity. Jennifer Bowen, the city’s flm liaison, says the variety of period and contemporary architecture remains a key attraction. New England, Gothic, Mediterranean and Victorian are all present, as are distinctive hotels, libraries, university buildings and a cemetery. “We also have a distinctive downtown look with a lot of diferent infuences, including French,” she says, adding, “there is a river, swamps and a mix of rural locations.” 2021 was a good year, she says, almost returning to prepandemic levels: “Of particular note we had three independent features. Mel Gibson was in town to shoot a spy thriller called Agent Game (2022), while Dennis Quaid visited later in the year for The Hill (2022). But we’re also seeing a lot of enquiries related to high-end TV series. We’re only 2.5 hours from Atlanta, so there’s also no reason why Augusta couldn't be called on to handle second-unit shoots on major flms.”
In terms of future-proofng, Patterson believes Trilith’s placemaking strategy will play an important role delivering resilience and longevity to the state’s production sector. “But from a tech perspective, we’re also investing in virtual production. We are just about to open an 18,000 sq ft facility called Prysm, built in partnership with NEP. And we’re expecting our frst client to move in around June 2022.”
GFO’s Thomas says another key pillar in the state’s strategy is the creation of a larger talent base to service production. In part, she says, this is helped by the range of productions visiting Georgia. “While the big budget projects get the headlines, the state hosted a total of 366 productions in fscal 2021, including 45 independent flms, 222 television and episodic productions and 57 commercials. They are all opportunities for younger talent to learn from their peers.”
Also key to this agenda, she adds, is the Georgia Film Academy, which trains new entrants to the production industry via colleges and universities. Additionally, the GFA works with incoming productions to try and fnd roles for new talent. This year, for example, MGM partnered with the GFA to create eight student intern roles on Michael B Jordan’s Creed III (2022). Elizabeth Raposo, president of Jordan’s Outlier Society, says: “We are inspired by the mission of the Georgia Film Academy and believe that mentorship of the next generation of flmmakers is essential to the longevity of our business.”
Jefrey Stepakof, GFA executive director, expressed his appreciation: “This is the kind of public-private partnership which puts Georgians to work and makes our state ready to support all the production activity of today and tomorrow.”
