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.
Tortilla chip brand Doritos has embraced the image of the Western gunslinger and filmed its new commercial on location in Mexico. Dip Desperado charts the fictional life of Esteban Ortega, a Mexican peasant who finds fame and glory flicking Doritos rather than ‘slinging’ a gun.
The filming incentive in Washington State has been ended after local politicians decided the 30% cash rebate programme wasn’t having a big enough economic impact. More than 20 projects received collective incentives worth USD5.4 million through the course of 2010, with nearly USD20 million being channelled into the economy.
Feature drama The Devil’s Double has filmed in Malta and Jordan, using each country as a stand-in for Iraq. Set in the late 1980s, the film tells the fact-based story of a lieutenant in the Iraqi army who is forced to be the body double of Uday Hussein, eldest son of Saddam.
Rhode Island, on the east coast of the US, has decided to keep its 25% filming tax credit for another year as filmmaker Wes Anderson shoots in the state. Governor Lincoln Chafee had singled out the scheme for cancellation to reduce the state deficit, but it seems he had a change of heart.
Maryland has increased the size of its film fund in a bid to get more productions. Previously worth just USD1 million a year, the new bill had a USD15 million figure but this was reduced to USD7.5 million at the last minute. The incentive is worth up to 25% for qualifying film productions.
New York City may be more popular for TV in the upcoming pilot season, but a new report suggests California’s tax credit scheme is successful. The figures, announced from the set of TV show Body of Proof, were collated by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).
A long-gestating co-production deal has been signed between New Zealand and India, marking the 11th such agreement for New Zealand. Feature films and TV shows made under the terms of the Agreement on Audio-Visual Co-Productions will get the benefits of domestic projects in each country.