Georgia is ranked number 1 in film production.
Georgia-filmed productions have received nearly 50 total 2020 Emmy Award nominations. According to Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia is ranked the No. 1 Film Production Leader by Business Facilities Magazine. Also, Georgia was on track for another record-setting year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Georgia takes the crown in our new Film Production Leaders category, ranking the states that are the top locations for motion picture and TV production,” writes Business Facilities Magazine.
“Thank you to Business Facilities Magazine for featuring Georgia in their 2020 Rankings Report,” said Governor Kemp. “Our production numbers show Georgia was on pace for another record year for the film industry before COVID-19, and they confirm that Georgia continues to lead the way in film production. The film industry has had a significant impact in communities across the Peach State, and this top-ranking puts a spotlight on the hardworking Georgians who are the real faces of this great industry.”
235 film and TV productions filmed in Georgia during the fiscal year 2020 and spent $2.2 billion in the state, putting it on track for a massive year before the Coronavirus shutdown productions. Since the shutdown, Georgia’s productions are starting to ramp up with at least 20 productions currently filming or in pre-production.
Georgia-filmed productions reached 50 nominations. These shows include “Watchmen,” “Ozark,” “Stranger Things,” “Love is Blind,” “Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Broken Bones,” and “The Outsider’s” actor Jason Bateman.
HBO’s limited series “Watchmen,” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things” also earned Peabody Awards in June.
Last month, Gov. Kemp announced film productions will start to resume production in Georgia and will bring back an estimated 40,000 estimated jobs and 75 different projects.
“This No. 1 ranking, in addition to our record-setting production pace in film before COVID-19, is a testament to everyone who is involved in the film industry in Georgia,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “I congratulate our Emmy-nominated productions on their exciting news, but especially congratulate our team in the Georgia Film Office, our Georgia-based crew, studios, small businesses, and our production partners across the state for this exceptional recognition. It’s heartening to see more productions getting off the ground in recent weeks, and our relationship with our film partners is stronger than ever.”
In relevant news, Tyler Perry opened up on how he managed to film TV safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After wrapping production on his BET series “Sistas” without a COVID-19 during the two-week shoot, now, production for “The Oval” is ramping up as the cast and crew are setting up to arrive at Tyler Perry Studios on Thursday. Tyler Perry says there is not much he plans to do this time around differently, especially when it comes to wearing masks and around the campus.
“I made sure that the cast and crew and everybody wore their masks when they weren’t on set because I do know for a fact that masks help stop the spread — scientifically, I know that,” Perry tells Variety. “And everybody adhered to that, even though we were all testing negative. I just didn’t want someone to be incubating with [COVID-19] for three to 12 days, and we not know it.”
Tyler Perry and the production crew for “Sistas” wore their masks for 12 to 14 hours at a time while shooting the 22-episode season.
“Listen, I was the masked police. Every time I saw something I was screaming about it,” Perry says. “It’s summer in Georgia so credit to the crew — it’s burning up here and they were still doing the right thing. So, I gave a lot more breaks for people to have water because we had a couple people that got dehydrated from all the heat, and the water breaks were actually the ‘breath break’ where you can pull your mask down, drink some water and get some fresh air.”
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