SOUTHERN HEARTLAND ART GALLERY

HOTBED CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 ty owner received $268 in household tax relief (2019),” Carter said. “The earliest data (for comparison) I have is from 2010 with numbers being direct tourist spending of $67 million; tax revenues $1.87 million; $112 in household tax relief.”

The financial benefit of filming is one of the biggest reasons why so much filming takes place in Newton County — because county and city leaders pursue those projects.

“Covington was the first Camera Ready Community in Georgia, which means we have streamlined the filming permit process and make it as easy as possible for producers, location scouts and production companies to film here,” Carter said. “We see the tremendous benefits of filming and the financial impact it makes on our community through tourism. Film tourism is not an immediate return on investment but we’ve seen, with previous programs, that the longevity is definitely there.”

With the rise in filming and tourism, the Newton County Chamber of Commerce successfully trademarked the nickname “Hollywood of the South” in 2012.

As result of the area’s film industry boom, multiple studios have been built and operate in Newton County.

In late 2020, Cinelease Studios-Three Ring began operating on 160 acres on Georgia Hwy. 142 two miles north of I-20 in Covington. There is more than 110,000 square feet of sound stage space, 60,000 square feet of stage support space, 30,000 square feet of office space, and an additional 110 acres for location filming.

Triple Horse Studios operates on Technology Drive in Covington. It includes sound stages, scenic operations, camera, lighting and grip equipment departments as well as a post-production division with screening rooms, editorial, sound, foley, visual effects, color grade and finishing, according to information on its website.

Seeing Stars

While many might think filming could cause endless interruptions for local merchants and the community’s residents, Carter said it isn’t as bad as it used to be.

“When I went to college, it was during ‘In the Heat of the Night,’ so I didn’t get to see good bit of that,” he said. “When they would [film in certain locations], it was definitely more interruption to the community than what it is now. When they would do a shot then, they would close pretty much a whole street for quite a while. Now, for “The Vampire Diaries” and “Originals,” when they would do a shot, they may close the street for about 15-20 minutes, then reset with everything back open again.”