"Vampire Diaries" star Ian Somerhalder at the Georgia State Capitol

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Credit: Jennifer Brett

PAST COVERAGE: State Capitol a favorite filming location

It’s always so fitting when television or film crews set up shop at the Georgia State Capitol, the fount of film-friendly tax policies that have lured hundreds of projects our way.

The statehouse was turned into a lovely train station for the 2011 Hallmark Hall of Fame movie starring Betty White and Jennifer Love Hewitt. It became a courthouse for both the 2015 movie "Kill the Messenger," with Jeremy Renner and Rosemarie DeWitt, and "Selma," the Golden Globe-nominated picture starring David Oyelowo as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., that opened in limited release in December 2014 and nationwide in January 2015.

One area in the building actually became a nightclub in the recently released comedy "Ride Along 2," starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube, and Gov. Nathan Deal allowed his office to be trashed temporarily so the pilot for the now-canceled TV show "Revolution," about people stumbling through life without electricity, could film there in 2012.

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Credit: Jennifer Brett

"The unwavering support from Gov. Deal and our elected officials, by offering a stable and consistent production tax incentive, gives Georgia's film industry the long term sustainability it needs to continue attracting a record number of productions," Georgia Department of Economic Development commissioner Chris Carr said in a statement. "Our competitive incentive, combined with our diverse landscape, deep talent pool, extensive array of sound stages, community readiness, and the accessibility, are the reasons why Georgia is one of the top states for film and television production."

Data from the state indicate that projects shot here generated a $6 billion economic impact during the 2015 fiscal year, with film and television productions directly spending about $1.7 billion in the state.