Authorities in Louisiana have voted to keep the state’s filming incentive for another two to three years. The basic 30% transferable tax credit has been instrumental in turning the state into a production hub that dominates the industry not just in the South but throughout the continental US, helping attract major projects.
Bulgaria’s Nu Boyana Film Studios has announced that Sylvester Stallone will be heading to Bulgaria to film the sequel to The Expendables. It marks a change from the first film, which was shot largely in New Orleans and Brazil, with the latter doubling for an anonymous South American country.
The Association of Film Commissioners Cineposium 2011 is shaping up to be the event that will provide indispensible tools for film commissions to meet the needs of what promises to be a demanding future.
The long-term success of Massachusetts’ screen industry could get a boost from plans to develop a state-of-the-art studio facility in the north-east part of the state. MJM Development, based in Andover, plans to build over an area of nearly 30 acres, with a phased development period of ten years.
The Sunset Strip of the 1980s has been recreated in Miami for the filming of Tom Cruise’s Rock of Ages. It’s another snubbing for Los Angeles, with the city apparently unable to match Miami’s incentive scheme or flexibility when it came to street closures and set dressings.
Period cars and decor came to Manchester and Liverpool for the filming of Marvel’s comic book adaptation Captain America: The First Avenger. Much of the film was shot in the UK, with Stanley Dock in Liverpool and Dale Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter doubling for 1940s New York City.
It’s frequently said that not much doubles for South East Asia, apart from the Asian South East. One very cheap and cheerful emerging option for all your Vietnamese, Philippine, Thai, Lao, Indonesian and Malaysian needs is Cambodia, as Transformers and Two Brothers have established.
Istanbul evokes Agatha Christie mysteries, sinister strangers trawling the souks and over-friendly carpet sellers. A little cynical perhaps, but I was surprised to find Istanbul has morphed into the Capital of Cool. I was surprised to find an innovative hub where cutting-edge design sits side by side with ancient traditions.
The bat has come to Nottingham; specifically Wollaton Hall, a 16th Century Elizabethan mansion in the city. Christopher Nolan’s third Batman project is rumoured to have been filming in locations all over the UK, but Wollaton Hall is the first UK location commented on by the production team.
Location filming figures in Los Angeles levelled off in the second quarter of 2011 against the same period last year. Commercial production fell by nearly 8%, while only five feature films shooting in the city took advantage of the state tax credit, compared to 16 in the same period in 2010.