Los Angeles has claimed the top spot as the most popular North American filming location for TV pilots by a huge margin, according to new figures from FilmLA. Ninety-one pilots were shot in the city in the 2014-15 production cycle, while New York came a distant second with 25.
Major visual effects companies Cinesite and Image Engine are set to merge and will offer more than 525 artists between London, Montreal and Vancouver. Cinesite was set up in London in the mid-90s and its current projects include Ant-Man and new James Bond movie Spectre.
Upcoming fantasy epic The Great Wall features a cast led by Matt Damon and is the biggest US-China co-production ever made. Filmed on location in the Chinese city of Qingdao, the story posits that China’s Great Wall was in fact built to keep out fantastical monsters.
An unofficial sequel to the classic British movie Chariots of Fire is filming in China, as well as the US and Canada. The Last Race tells the true story of athlete Eric Liddell, a medal winner at the 1924 Paris Olympics who was later interned by the Japanese during the Second World War.
Long-running political comedy Veep has confirmed it is switching its filming location to California after four years doubling Maryland for Washington, DC. The show takes a satirical look at the workings of the US government from the offices of the Vice President.
Domino Publishing has joined The Location Guide as a partner for our Location Beach Lounge at the Cannes Lions Festival. Over the past ten years Domino Publishing has established itself as one of the industry’s most innovative independent music publishing houses.
Los Angeles-Beijing Studios (LABS) has been formed as a way of increasing US production interests in China. Launched by former marketing executive Al Ovadia, the company will be based in Los Angeles with offices in Shanghai, Taipei and Beijing.
Speakers at the Produced By Conference in Los Angeles were encouraged but cautious over the weekend about California’s boosted filming incentives. The Weinstein Company (TWC) was among the firms noting the importance of a large and secure incentive support structure.