Location scouting in Georgia

One of the most important things in pre-production is location scouting. Where you decide to shoot is very important to the film and the budget you’re working with. For large films, this often includes a location team. But for smaller budgets, it requires either a dedicated, seasoned person or at least dedicated time from the producer and/or the director.

Georgia.gov, in its charge to provide a welcoming environment for filmmakers over the decade, has set up a site where private owners have
submitted their properties as potential film locations. It’s not bad and has a number of entries. You can find that directory here. Still, there are many available locations that aren’t on that public site or others. Finding a good location often requires a professional who spends time in that area approaching private property owners. Technology and location websites are good, but there’s just a lot more to finding a good location than viewing listings.

georgia film location

It’s always a good idea to develop a list of locations for each unique scene. Of course if there are properties favorable to several scenes (eg an existing film set), then that’s even better. But no matter what location or property you find, it’s good practice to have several options at first and pare them down.

Once you’ve narrowed the selections down, you’re going to want to vet the particular locations. If you’re not an expert location scout (not many of these), then there are tutorials, videos, and checklists online for making sure that the location will work for your production. Some factors include space, power, sound, surroundings, parking, and permits. Sound stage space in Georgia is also plentiful, but requires some time to find the right fit and budget as well.

We at Georgia Film Production would be happy to help you find the best filming locations for your production. We help based upon the storyline and budget. Let us know if you need help!

On location

Filming in Georgia offers a lot of benefits. Of course for larger productions (over $500k) filmed here, there is a 20 percent tax credit. But that aside, the location opportunities for filming in Georgia are boundless. There are the large sound stages (Pinewood/Trilith, EUE/Screen Gems, and Blackhall Studios) in and outside metro Atlanta where more recent blockbusters such as “The Avengers”, “Black Panther”, and “Jumanji: The Next Level” have been filmed.

We’ve had very popular movies in the past that were filmed all around the state. Just a handful include “Forrest Gump” (Savannah), “Fried Green Tomatoes (Juliette), “Deliverence” (Rabun County/Tallulah Gorge), “My Cousin Vinny” (Monticello), and “Remember the Titans” (Rome). And of course some popular TV series have been filmed here as well such as “The Walking Dead” (Senoia), “Ozark” (Lakes Allatoona and Lanier), and “Stranger Things” (Jackson).

We at GFP have had opportunities to film at a number of great Georgia locations as well including Covington, Milledgeville, Macon, Lilburn, Druid Hills, and all around metro Atlanta.

We offer location scouting for those needing just the right setting. Some require permits while others are private opportunities that are managed adminstratively with the location owners. We’ll help you shoot wherever you need.

Pinewood Studio’s CineGear Show

Pinewood Studios had their annual CineGear event down in Fayetteville, GA yesterday. The equipment technology continues to jump by leaps and bounds. From better camera equipment to the latest state-of-the-art lighting, sound, and drone equipment, we were blown away!

The panel of cinematographers who spoke about the technology changes of photography and equipment was amazing. All the professionals on the panel are working on active Georgia productions including “Cobra Kai”, “Lovecraft Country”, “MacGyver”, and “Coming to America 2”.

Some pics…

“The Shadows of Life” Short

Here’s a short film we produced recently for an Atlanta film festival. It’s called “The Shadows of Life”.

We had a lot of fun putting this together. It’s kind of a short film nod to the silent film era as well as Citizen Kane’s timeless reflection on life :).

Magnolia Film Festival

Magnolia film festival 2019

This year’s Magnolia Film Festival was a rousing success. Affectionately known as “The Mag”, it supports the film industry within Mississippi, another state experiencing film growth. The festival is definitely a regional film showcase event, and was the state’s first film festival. Since then, Oxford, Tupelo and Crossroads film festivals have also come a long way.

georgia film festival awards

The President of the festival, Michael Williams, is a friend and collaborator to us. We saw lots of films over the three days, which took place in Starkville, MS. Some good, some great. The venue and volunteers were (and generally are) very friendly. It was well organized and I’m sure we’ll be back next year.

Meeting with Association of Media Professionals (AMP)

AMP meeting

We were on the documentary panel last night at the Association of Media Professionals (AMP) meeting. And we were supporting our latest documentary project “State-of-Denial”.

The documentary is about the extreme marine die-off that has been occurring in Florida. Lots of learning and sharings.

AMP has been a great place for us to network and meet other professional filmmakers. We’ve been able to advance our films due to some relationships we’ve established there.