NEWS 4.16.07

Big Stars Head Out On Location

Keeping up with filming news, we see Fireflies in the Garden continues filming in Austin, TX while two other productions are getting under way, Get Smart, starring Steve Carrell, and Mad Money, starring Mrs. Cruise herself, Katie Holmes.  Get Smart will be filming on location in L.A., Washington D.C., and Montreal.

Mad Money is scheduled to begin shooting on location in Shreveport, LA. The area has already been infiltrated by paparazzi as People reports, Mrs. Cruise tried to make a simple trip to Target and was hounded so badly by fans and paparazzi she needed a police escort through the store. Will Ferrell will also be going on location in the next few weeks as production begins in Michigan on his latest film, Semi-Pro. The filmmakers are looking for extras and props, if you are in the Flint area, check this article out for more information. If you are not in Michigan but still want to be an extra in a movie, here is a site that has some great opportunities. We will continue to have updates on the filming of these three movies as we have done with the making of Leatherheads

Clooney Helps Boost Lemonade Sales 

Speaking of Leatherheads, George Clooney showed two boys the importance of a celebrity endorsement when he bought lemonade from the stand they had set up near the Leatherheads set. The actor reportedly paid the boys $20 for a glass of lemonade and business has been booming since! We also found a great link to pictures from the shoot in Anderson, S.C

Netfilx Announces Summer Events

Netflix will be showing movies at a filming location near you this summer! The first movie scheduled is Armageddon which will not only be shown at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL but will be accompanied by a performance by Bruce Willis and his band! We can’t wait to see what else they have planned!  Did we ever tell you about the first time we saw Armageddon in a theater, let’s just say the evening ended with blue slush all over the parking lot!

Think You Could Handle Being a Location Manager?

If you are interested in learning more about what it is like to be a location manager, check out this interview as one location manager chronicles his experience.

AFCI Trade Show Heats Up

Last week representatives from all over the world showed off their local area during the AFCI locations trade show. In order to secure a location and insure filming will be able to move forward smoothly, filmmakers work with the film commissioners of each city where filming is taking place. The Association of Film Commissioners International holds this trade show each year to highlight various locations and the incentives they offer to filmmakers.  

Among the hopefuls was Tennessee which recently passed legislation to make the state more filmmaker friendly. For instance, under the new legislation a production that has hired at least a quarter of its staff in Tennessee will receive a 2% rebate on top of other rebates available for any production with a budget of $500,000 or more. These incentives can be quite enticing in a competitive market.  

Yuma, Arizona also had representatives from their film commission and visitor’s bureau at the trade show to show off what they can offer as a filming location.  Because of its rugged surroundings, Yuma has already been chosen by many filmmakers and has been featured in films such as Jarhead, and The Scorpion King.

As always,  if you like the photo above or any of our original OLV photography and would like to purchase a print or greeting card of this image please send us an email for pricing and shipping information.

For a full list of film commissioners who attended the conference, click here.

To see an example of what film commissions do and offer in a specific area, check out the Capitol/Saratoga Film Commission in Upstate NY.