Overview of the film industry in the U.S. state of Georgia
This article is about the film industry in the U.S. state of Georgia. For the film industry in the Republic of Georgia, see
Cinema of Georgia.
The film industry in Georgia is the largest among the
states of the United States for production of feature films by number of films produced, as of 2016.
Atlanta is the center of the film industry in Georgia with
Turner,
Tyler Perry, and
EUE/Screen Gems studios located there.
The industry in Georgia was boosted substantially by tax incentives introduced in 2002 and strengthened in 2008. Just in the fiscal year 2017 film and TV production had an economic impact in Georgia of $9.5 billion, while industry sources claim that the tax subsidy costs the state $141 million (2010). Films shot in Georgia include
Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (2008), Life as We Know It (2010), Contagion (2011) and a number of
Marvel Studios productions, including Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, as well as Ant-Man and the Wasp and
Black Panther.[1] Atlanta has since been called the "Hollywood of the South".[2][3]
Ranking
Georgia overtook California in 2016 as the state location with the most feature films produced overall, 17 of the top 100 grossing movies were filmed in Georgia. Films in the state helped reach an economic impact of $9.5 billion in fiscal 2017 and $2.7 billion in direct spending.[2]
Incentive
The state's first tax incentive, a point of purchase sales and use tax exemption, was introduced in 2002. The state's second and most
progressive tax incentive, the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, was signed into law in May 2005 and updated in May 2008. The act granted qualified productions a transferable income tax credit of 20% of all in-state costs for film and television investments of $500,000 or more. An additional 10% tax credit was awarded to approved projects that embed a Georgia Entertainment Promotional logo within the titles or credits of each production. This
vanity card, usually seen in
closing credits, is rendered as an image of the
Georgia Department of Economic Development's
peach logo, a link to the GDEC's filming-specific tourism website, and a male voice saying or a woman singing "Made in Georgia".[4]
In 2005 Georgia spent $10.3 million on its film incentive. That amount increased to $140.6 million by 2010.[5] By the fiscal year 2015, the amount spent by Georgia in issued tax credits for the year was just over $504 million.[6]
Impact on economy
The Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office states that more than 700 feature films, TV movies, TV series, single episodes, and pilots have been produced in Georgia since 1972.[4] In the fiscal year 2017 film and TV production had an economic impact in Georgia of $9.5 billion.[2]
According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development:[4]
There are more than 5,000 individual technicians and other workers in Georgia (Atlanta)
The average number of local employees on a medium budget feature film is about 150-175
On a larger budget production, there are about 200-250 local employees
The average feature film budget is 41.7 million dollars
The average amount (below-the-line) of feature film budget spent in a state is 60% - 70%, higher for locally produced projects.
There were 348 productions shot in the state in 2009. These industry establishments are probably supported wholly or in part by the production of feature films; television movies, series, pilots and miniseries; commercials, music videos, documentaries and still shoots.[4]
In the fall of 2019, Tyler Perry opened Tyler Perry Studios on the site of pre-Civil War muster grounds, temporary Confederate Army barracks,[8] and from 1866-2011 US Army Ft. McPherson.[9] Since then, the facility has been used to shoot several big-budget films.[10]
Covington in
Metro Atlanta has been home to dozens of feature and television projects that include the hit TV series The Vampire Diaries and In the Heat of the Night.[4] Although many types of films are shot in Atlanta, the New York Times in 2011 recognized the particular concentration of horror and zombie-themed productions in the city.[11] A film about the historical
1956 Sugar Bowl event in Atlanta was announced in 2022[12]
Films shot outside Metro Atlanta
Besides
Metro Atlanta, cities and towns frequently used to shoot in include:[4]
Atlanta is filmed in locations around Atlanta.[21]
The Walking Dead is shot almost entirely in Georgia. The first season used many locations in and around Atlanta, and subsequent seasons have moved to a 120 acres (0.49 km2) lot outside of
Senoia and additional locations nearby.[22][23]
Stranger Things was principally filmed in
Jackson as a stand-in for the fictional Hawkins, Indiana, with other nearby areas serving as other sets.[24]
In 2019 Hollywood production companies, including Disney and Netflix, threatened to leave the state
in response to Georgia's controversial
heartbeat bill.[25] In May 2019, a number of Hollywood studios and broadcasters including Warnermedia, Viacom, CBS, NBC and Sony issued statements saying they would be reviewing their investments in the state if the new
heartbeat bill were implemented.[26]