Written by on Jun 12, 2015. Posted in On Location

Blood & Oil becomes first TV drama in ten years to film in Utah

New TV drama Blood & Oil is to become the first network series in nearly a decade to film on location in Utah. The western US state is not known as a production hub but in recent years has hosted movies like survival drama 127 Hours and Disney’s sci-fi epic John Carter.

Blood & Oil stars TV veteran Don Johnson and will get a filming incentive payment of USD 8.3 million. The production is set to hire some 3,000 local cast and crew and is forecast to have a local economic impact of nearly USD 35 million.

“Bringing a major network television series to Utah means more jobs for locals, a boost to the economy, and a lot of credibility to our state’s film industry,” said Virginia Pearce, director of the Utah Film Commission.

“ABC did look at other states in the west, but the combination of our incentive package, incredible locations and film resources confirmed that Utah was the best place for them.”

Five other much smaller productions have also been granted filming incentive support and will spend a little over USD 3 million between them.

A few months ago filmmaker Rob Reiner was awarded incentive support of a quarter of a million dollars to shoot his new film Being Charlie in Utah.

“The state’s professional top-notch crews and artists, its world-class infrastructure and the warmth of its people all make it one of my favourite locations to shoot,” said Lucas Jarach, a producer on Being Charlie, when the film’s support was announced in March.

“It’s ultimately why I’m returning to Salt Lake City with Rob Reiner’s new film Being Charlie. The tax incentive programme is also extremely attractive for independent producers.”

Neighbouring New Mexico is one of the top US locations for desert shoots, partly because of its generous filming incentive programme.

(Blood & Oil image: ABC; John Carter image: Disney)