Georgia movie business booming

Yet film people are impatient, and cities and counties won't succeed until they adjust to the fast pace of the business, said Craig Dominey, a location specialist for the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office. He said local governments should streamline their permitting process, name a point person to deal with production companies and develop a database of shooting locations.

“It’s all about speed,” Dominey said. “When we send our requests for locations or something, we need to get information back as soon as possible.”

How fast is fast enough? Lee Thomas, the Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office director of film, said television shows often get scripts on Friday and need to start shooting on Monday.

"They would typically need to get a permit in their hands within 48 hours," Thomas said.

That could be a problem in Johns Creek, where Mike Williams, the community development director, said the city needs a week to 10 days to decide about permits if public space is involved.

"If they’re going to be closing streets and using public property, you’ve got to make sure they're insured, that the police are aware, that the fire department is aware," Williams said.

Roswell is making incremental changes to attract the film business.  Forms would be posted online. Alice Wakefield, the city's community development director, said a film company's request would normally take 30 days to process. She hopes to cut that time in half. Requests to close roads likely would still go to a city council committee that meets monthly.

Betty Price, a Roswell city council member, still doesn’t think that city government understands the messageof being film-friendly.

“You’ve got to be aggressive," Price said. "It’s not enough to say we didn’t turn them down. You’ve got to facilitate it.”

Atlanta is the main location for the film business, with Tyler Perry’s studio cranking out hits and Screen Gems taking over the old Lakewood Fairgrounds, but the business is spreading. Films or television shows have been shot in 50 counties this year, and the local governments will become more competitive for their business as the money grows. More cities are starting film festivals. Macon, Savannah and Augusta, and even Douglas County, have their own film offices.

Decatur and Covington are recognized as small towns that work well with film companies. Mark Cottrell of Atlanta, a veteran location scout, worked with Decatur and the city school system to use Decatur High School for the making of “Mean Girls 2,” a TV movie. The school system was paid $24,000 for seven days of filming last summer.

“They’ll tell you yes or no,” Cottrell said of the city. “If they say no you can move on. You know where you stand.”

Decatur posts filming rules on the city website and usually requires a production company to obtain just one permit, though it has to work out street closures with the police, said Katie Abel, city special events coordinator. The city has issued 14 permits this year for feature films, TV movies and commercials.

Tracking local economic impact is difficult, but the state keeps up with spending per film. The makers of “The Vampire Diaries,” a TV hit, spent $23,240,748 in Georgia for five months of work in 2009. That included $136,208 for local security, $454,550 for catering and food, and $15.6 million for local hires such as carpenters and electricians.

Among other projects, $12.9 million was spent for the TV show "Past Life," and $2 million for the movies "The Lottery Ticket," $12.4 million for "Life As We Know It," and $2 million for "Preacher's Kid." The economic impact is higher, because the state Department of Economic Development historically uses a multiplier of 3.57 percent, said Stefanie Paupeck, a department communications specialist.

"The Vampire Diaries" was filmed in Covington, a town of 14,000 about 40 miles east of Atlanta. The town is portrayed in the show as Mystic Falls, Va., after previously serving as the fictional Sparta, Miss., for "In the Heat of the Night" and Hazard, Ga., in "The Dukes of Hazzard."

Two Covington residents who profit from "The Vampire Diaries" are Ralph Miller and Ben Dameron, who own Worthington Manor, an 1850 mansion. The house is used as the home for the Mystic Falls mayor.

"It's very flattering," said Dameron, who wouldn't divulge how much the show pays him. "They ask before they move a piece of furniture. They act like they're a guest."

Clara Deemer, tourism director for the Covington/Newton County Chamber, is the film office contact and knows all the local leaders.

"If we say we need a church, she will jump in her car and drive around and send back five or six good examples," Thomas said. "Those kind of people are invaluable."

Deemer was never a big movie fan, but she understands the need for her job.

"I get the movies here," Deemer said. "That's my job. That's economic development."

As Georgia and the film industry build a stronger bond, the dividends from hosting a TV or movie shoot can have a lasting effect, well after the filming.

“It’s not just economic impact while they’re actually filming; it's the economic impact it can have 30 or 35 years later," Deemer said. "Seventy-five percent of our visitors come because of ‘The Dukes of Hazard’ and ‘In the Heat of the Night.’”

Filmed in Georgia

Several upcoming movies were filmed partly in Georgia, including “Wanderlust” with Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd; “Footloose” with Dennis Quad and Andie MacDowell, and “Fast Five” with Ludacris and Vin Diesel. Below are films and TV shows filmed in the state and already released.

“The Blind Side”

“Zombieland”

“Get Low”

“Life As We Know It”

“Due Date”

“Halloween 2”

“I Can Do Bad All By Myself”

“Madea Goes to Jail”

“We Are Marshall”

“Drop Dead Diva”

“The Walking Dead”