Written by new-contact on Jan 31, 2013. Posted in On Location

Chicago studios could deliver strong pilot season and commercial filming

Chicago’s two separate studio facilities could help deliver a strong TV pilot season and commercial filming for 2013. Last year was the Windy City’s busiest-ever production period and it now offers both Cinespace Chicago Film Studios and Chicago Studio City.

Fifty TV projects filmed in Chicago in 2012, generating nearly 950 officially permitted shooting days, and there are plans to build on this success in 2013. The city also wants to develop its commercial filming success, which reached a seven-year peak in 2012 with more than 120 projects filming over 200 shoot days.

“We went full-court press to get the attention of TV,” Illinois Film Office Director Betsy Steinberg told Reel Chicago: “We recognised that in the current landscape, TV is an excellent fit for Illinois, not only for our infrastructure - which is deep - but also because of our tax credit and the crew is so good.”

Chicago was less successful with feature production in 2012, but science-fiction project Divergent is confirmed to film at Cinespace this year. Parts of the Wachowski siblings’ new project Jupiter Ascending may also shoot in the city in 2013.