Written by on Nov 5, 2014. Posted in On Location

Young adult drama Paper Towns starts filming on location in North Carolina

A movie adaptation of the popular young adult novel Paper Towns has started filming on location in Charlotte, North Carolina. The state is currently best known for hosting several high-profile TV dramas including Under the Dome based on a story by horror writer Stephen King.

“The production is expected to shoot in Mecklenburg, Union and Cabarrus counties, among others,” said the North Carolina Film Office: “Producers on the project have credited North Carolina's current 25% refundable tax credit as well as the state's established film infrastructure – including a well respected crew base – for being key factors in the production coming to the state.”

Paper Towns is in fact set in Florida but the southern state lacks the filming incentive support currently available in North Carolina.

The production landscape on the East Coast is nonetheless set to change from January 2015 when North Carolina downgrades its filming incentive programme to a grant system worth a total of just USD 10 million a year.

Shoots of all types will have to spend more money to access less incentive support. The change will effectively mean the state will no longer be in contention to host big-budget features on the scale of Iron Man 3 and the first Hunger Games movie, both of which filmed on location in and around Wilmington.

Production spending in North Carolina has surpassed USD 320 million so far in 2014, according to film office figures. The state’s production industry faces considerable uncertainty for 2015, although the producers of Under the Dome have confirmed the show will remain in North Carolina for at least one more season, despite the incentive downgrade.