Monday, September 22, 2008

Every state has a bit of Hollywood

As a sidebar to a piece about "mini-Hollywoods," which also appeared in USA Today, I compiled a sidebar that briefly profiles each state's industry (here). Might be interesting to you, so I've included it below.

What's shot where?

The following outlines what projects have been shot partially or most in each state. Years in parentheses indicate year of release, according to IMDb.com.

Alabama
John Sayles' recent blues indie "Honeydripper" (2008) shot in Butler County. Mobile International Speedway hosted scenes for the upcoming "Final Destination 4." History includes "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" (1968) and Tim Burton's "Big Fish" (2003).

Alaska
The state hosted key scenes "Into the Wild" (2007). Historical highlights include Steven Seagal's "On Deadly Ground" (1994), "White Fang" (1991) with Ethan Hawke, and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991). Not shot in Alaska? The TV series "Northern Exposure" or "Men in Trees."

Arizona
The state is rich with western tradition, which includes "Rio Bravo" (1959) and "Tombstone" (1993), but recent projects include "The Kingdom" (2007), which shot extensively in Mesa and Phoenix. CW's short-lived series "Hidden Palms" (2007) was made at Hollywood Phoenix Studios.

Arkansas
The popular TV series "The Blue and the Gray" (1982) was shot in Arkansas. The state doubled for Mississippi in "Biloxi Blues" (1988). Billy Bob Thornton shot his Oscar-winner "Sling Blade" (1996) in Benton and other projects in the state.

California
Hello? Even its governor is an action hero. The film and TV industry spends approximately $38 billion in the state annually, according to the California Film Commission.

Colorado
Though trailing in the incentives game, the state boasts a big-name production history. Highlights include major parts of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), "True Grit" (1969) and even "Dumb and Dumber" (1994). Paramount recently spent 12 days in the state shooting "NowhereLand" (2009) with Eddie Murphy.

Connecticut
Can you say busy? The state's attracted more than 50 projects since its incentives passed in 2006. Upcoming releases include "Righteous Kill" (Sept. 12) with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino and "Revolutionary Road" (Dec. 26) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. History includes "Amistad" (1997) and the "The Stepford Wives" (2004 and 1975).

Delaware
It's not a busy state for major film production "" no incentives "" but "Failure to Launch" (2006) shot surf scenes at Cape Henlopen State Park. "Dead Poets Society" (1989) was shot at St. Andrew's School in Middleton and entirely within the state.

Florida
USA Network's series "Burn Notice" shoots in Miami. Disney went to Florida for "Old Dogs" (2009) with John Travolta and Robin Williams, 20th Century Fox for "Marley & Me" (Dec. 25) with Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, and Touchstone Pictures for part of "Confessions of a Shopaholic" (2009). To catch up on Jacksonville's status as early 20th century filmmaking boomtown, pick up Shawn Bean's book "The First Hollywood."

Georgia
For 2007, the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office estimated the entertainment industry had $413 million impact on the state. The prolific Atlanta-based producer Tyler Perry sits at the center of the state's industry, and his next is "The Family That Preys" (opened Sept. 12). The state's rich feature history includes "ATL" (2006) "The Gift" (2000) "Sweet Home Alabama" (2002) and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" (1997).

Hawaii
While the state is famous for TV series like "Hawaii Five-O" and "Magnum P.I.," its "Lost", now shooting its fifth season, reshaping its production possibility. When the ABC series plot drifts to Iraq, New York or the London Underground, it's still being shot in Hawaii. Recent major projects include "Tropic Thunder" (in theaters), "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008) and pieces of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008) and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (2007).

Idaho
Gosh! "Napoleon Dynamite" (2004) was filmed in and around Preston. Other projects include "Smoke Signals" (1998) and "Dante's Peak" (1997).

Illinois
While in Chicago, "The Dark Knight" injected nearly $40 million into the state's economy. Overall 2007, and with the help of other productions like "Wanted" (2008) and "Fred Claus" (2007) the state reached $155 million in film industry revenues. Michael Mann's "Public Enemies" (2009) with Johnny Depp recently shot there, too.

Indiana
The Hoosier State is of course famous for "Hoosiers" (1986). Much of "A League of Their Own" (1992) and "Rudy" (1993) were shot there too. The documentary "American Teen" (in theaters) was shot in Warsaw, and Crown Point recently hosted part of Michael Mann's "Public Enemies" (2009).

Iowa
The state holds bragging rights with "Field of Dreams" (1989) and "Bridges of Madison County" (1995) and has produced a number of indie features during recent years.

Kansas
Famously, the state produced "Picnic" (1955) with William Holden and "In Cold Blood" (1967). The satirical "CSA: The Confederate States of America" (2006) was made by Lawrence filmmaker Kevin Willmott.

Kentucky
With an eclectic production history, the state hosted "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story" (2005), "Stripes" (1981), "Elizabethtown" (2005) and lots of exterior work for "Seabiscuit" (2003).

Louisiana
The state has lured more than 50 movie and TV projects inside its borders in 2008. Big-named features include "Year One" (2009) with Jack Black and "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" (2009) with Nicolas Cage. This year's national releases include "The Longshots" (Aug. 22), "Disaster Movie" (Aug. 29), "W." (Oct. 17),"Soul Men" (Nov. 14) and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Dec. 25).

Maine
The HBO two-part miniseries "Empire Falls" (2005) was filmed primarily in Skowhegan, while portions of "Jumanji" (1995) were filmed in Kennebunk and North Berwick. The state also hosted "In the Bedroom" (2001) in the Rockland area and "Message in a Bottle" (1999) in New Harbor. "Carousel" (1956) and "Peyton Place" (1957) and Stephen King projects are among the big names.

Maryland
Recognized for HBO's "The Wire" and the work of John Waters and Barry Levinson, this year Baltimore has hosted the movies of "My One and Only" (2009) with Renée Zellweger and part of "He's Just Not that Into You" (2009)with Jennifer Aniston and Scarlett Johansson. Ridley Scott's "Body of Lies" (Oct. 10) was shot partly in Maryland, too.

Massachusetts
Business is boffo in Boston. Eight pictures shot there in 2007. Highlights from 2008 "The Surrogates" with Bruce Willis and "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock. Since the state enacted tax credits in 2006 and strengthened them in 2007, Massachusetts has gotten $545 million in new film industry revenue.

Michigan
Recently having entered the incentives race with a lucrative rebate, Motor City is attracting big interest. Weinstein Co. recently wrapped "Youth in Revolt," while "Whip It" with Drew Barrymore started shooting in July. ABC just shot a pilot for "Prince of Motor City." 47 projects have been approved and could yield $288.4 million for the state, according to Daily Variety.

Minnesota
Joel and Ethan Coen begin "A Serious Man" in the Twin Cities this month, their first return to Minnesota since "Fargo" (1996). Recent projects are "Prairie Home Companion" (2006) and "North Country" (2005).

Mississippi
"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (2000) chose the state, while the Mississippi Delta drama "Ballast" (Oct. 1, limited) picked up awards at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. "Walk the Line" (2005) did some work there. Modern notables include "Ghosts of Mississippi" (1996) and "A Time to Kill" (1996).

Missouri
The recent CW reality series "Farmer Wants a Wife" was filmed here. "The Lucky Ones" (Sept. 26) with Tim Robbins and Rachel McAdams was in St. Louis for two weeks in June 2007. Recent indie projects include"Meet Bill" (2008) with Aaron Eckhart and "Lie to Me."

Nebraska
"Terms of Endearment" (1983) shot in Lincoln, while Alexander Payne's "Citizen Ruth" (1996), "Election" (1999) and "About Schmidt" (2002) came out of Omaha. Recently, the indie "Lovely, Still," starring Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn, wrapped production in Omaha too.

Nevada
Between 2000 and 2007, the state yielded more than $917 million from the entertainment industry. This year, productions have included Taylor Hackford's "Love Ranch" (2009) and Disney's "Race to Witch Mountain" (2009). The state also cultures a veritable Vegas genre. Do "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995), "Casino" (1995) "What Happens in Vegas" (2008) "21" (2008) and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (1998) ring a bell?

New Hampshire
Tourists still visit Squam Lake to conjure up memories of "On Golden Pond" (1981). The animal stampede of "Jumanji" (1995) was shot in Keene. The Granite State recently hosted "Live Free or Die" (2007) and "The Sensation of Sight" (2007).

New Jersey
New Jersey in two words? Busy, busy. The state attracted all or part of 95 features, 181 TV series and specials, and 403 commercials in 2007. "Law & Order: S.V.U." is based there, and director Kevin Smith loves his home state. In theaters, look for "Burn After Reading" (Sept. 12) and "Choke" (Sept. 26).

New Mexico
This has been a busy year, with blockbusters "Terminator Salvation" (2009) and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009) on the calendar. Count "3:10 to Yuma" and "No Country for Old Men" among its big 2007 releases. Gov. Bill Richardson's office boasts that since his election in 2002, the state has attracted more than 100 major film and TV projects.

New York
The state counts 250 feature films per year, with stars, studios, Woody Allen, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese to boot. A recent list of features: "Sex and the City" (2008),"Definitely, Maybe" (2008), "I Am Legend" (2007), "American Gangster" (2007) "Michael Clayton" (2007) and "We Own the Night" (2007). More? "Across the Universe" (2007), "The Brave One" (2007) and "Ghost Town" (Sept. 19).

North Carolina
In 2007, Wilmington attracted more than $100 million in local expenditures. HBO's American version of the "Little Britain" series (Sept. 28) was filmed there. TV hits include "Dawson's Creek" and the current "One Tree Hill." In theaters Oct. 17 is "The Secret Life of Bees."

North Dakota
With Minnesota, the state shared "Wooly Boys" (2001) with Kris Kristofferson and the Coen brothers' "Fargo" (1996).

Ohio
This year's Oscar hopeful "The Soloist" starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. made a visit to Cleveland. "Spider-Man 3" (2007) fans can see the city's Euclid Avenue during an armored truck stunt scene. The state's past projects include "American Splendor" (2003)," "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994) and "A Christmas Story" (1983).

Oklahoma
Film adaptations of S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders" (1983) and "Rumble Fish" (1983) were shot in Tulsa. Big productions include "Twister" (1996) and "Dillinger" (1973). The indie "Four Sheets to the Wind" won a special jury prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

Oregon
In 2007, the industry spent $41.3 million in Oregon. The teenage vampire phenomenon "Twilight" (Nov. 21) spent 50 shoot days there, and portions of "The Road" (Nov. 26) starring Viggo Mortensen were filmed in the Portland area. The state also lured "Management" with Jennifer Aniston and "The Burning Plain" with Charlize Theron.

Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh has attracted at least a dozen projects during the last year, including "The Road" (Nov. 26) with Viggo Mortensen, Kevin Smith's "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" (Oct. 31) and "Adventureland" (2009) with Ryan Reynolds and Kristen Stewart. Philadelphia's filmography is no slouch, either: recent projects include Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones" (2009) and works by director M. Night Shyamalan, including "The Happening" (2008) and "The Sixth Sense" (1999).

Rhode Island
Providence is home base for the Showtime series "Brotherhood." Recent Hollywood projects include "27 Dresses"(2008), "Underdog" (2007), "Evening" (2007) and "Dan in Real Life" (2007). History is highlighted by "Meet Joe Black" (1998) with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins and "The Great Gatsby" (1974) with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.

South Carolina
The Lifetime series "Army Wives" shoots in Charleston. George Clooney's "The Leatherheads" (2008) was shot in Greenville. Big projects include "The Abyss" (1989), "Forrest Gump" (1994) "The Notebook" (2004).

South Dakota
"Dances with Wolves" (1990) remains the state's biggest, but "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" (2007) and, famously, "North by Northwest" (1959) did some work at Mt. Rushmore.

Tennessee
Director and writer Craig Brewer has kept Memphis on the map with "Hustle & Flow" (2005) and "Black Snake Moan" (2007). You'll also see bits of the city in "Soul Men" (Nov. 7). "Hannah Montana: The Movie" (2009) was shot in middle Tennessee. Nashville is home to NBC's "Nashville Star." The state's history boasts "The Green Mile" (1999) and "Walk the Line" (2005).

Texas
Marfa, Texas, lured parts of the recent Oscar contenders "There Will Be Blood" (2007) and "No Country for Old Men" (2007). Austin is home to auteurs Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez and the South by Southwest music, film and interactive media festival. Recent production history includes "Fireflies in the Garden" with Julia Roberts and the latest "Friday the 13th" project.

Utah
The Sundance Film Festival may make the state hip, but Salt Lake City has upped its teen-cool factor as the base for the "High School Musical" productions.

Vermont
"What Lies Beneath" (2000) and "Me, Myself & Irene" (2000) are the big names, while parts of "The Cider House Rules" (1999) and "Beetle Juice" (1988) landed here. Recently wrapped is the CBS/Hallmark movie "Moonlight and Mistletoe" (December 2008).

Virginia
The HBO miniseries "John Adams" was made in Colonial Williamsburg. Crozet and Charlottesville lured "Evan Almighty" (2007). The indie "Lake City" with Sissy Spacek eyes a November release. Virginia got a piece of "Body of Lies" (Oct. 10) and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009), too.

Washington
Seattle recently lured "World's Greatest Dad" (2009) with Robin Williams and "Traveling" with Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart, and the indie feature "Dear Lemon Lima." Iconic hits are "Sleepless in Seattle"(1993) and "Officer and a Gentleman" (1982) plus the Seattle-set TV shows "Grey's Anatomy" and "Frasier."

West Virginia
"We Are Marshall" (2006) shot for three weeks at Marshall College in Huntington, and the state also hosted a portion of "Gods and Generals" (2003). Three films, including "Feast of the Seven Fishes," will be shot in the northern panhandle before the end of the year.

Wisconsin
"Public Enemies," starring Johnny Depp, spent the first half of 2008 in Wisconsin, according to Film Wisconsin. Other 2008 shoots include "Nephilum," "Motel-Gas Station" and "Fort McCoy." Historically, "American Movie" (1999) and "Back to School" (1986) shot in Wisconsin.

Wyoming
"Starship Troopers" (1997) and "Flicka" (2006) shot there, while big names include "Shane" (1953), "Rocky IV" (1985), and key scenes of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977).

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Don't forget as well for Florida, Travolta lives there. He even had The Punisher moved to there.

Austin, Tx also has Mike Judge living there. Also there is the U of Texas film school which has produced some big time talents.

Nashville also sees a lot of video work.