California saw a steep rise in the number of locally-shot feature films released theatrically in 2014, according to a new report. Twenty-two features shot in the state were released last year, although only two of these had production budgets above USD 100 million.
Filmmaker Brad Bird shot his new adventure movie Tomorrowland: A World Beyond with George Clooney on location in Vancouver, and also in Alberta and Spain. The film tells the story of a young girl who seeks answers about the existence of a mysterious alternate future world.
Post-production company The Farm Group has become the latest firm to open an office at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol in western England. The Farm Group already has branches in London, Manchester and Los Angeles, and offers more than 100 post-production suites.
Perth production company The Penguin Empire orchestrated a global shoot to promote the University of Western Australia (UWA). Pursue Impossible follows a student running through cities and wilderness locations around the world as she chases her ambitions.
A TV pilot of the comic book series Preacher is set to film on location in New Mexico, co-directed by comedy star Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. New Mexico is a hugely popular US filming location and doubled for Afghanistan in Mark Wahlberg’s war drama Lone Survivor.
A spinoff of hugely successful zombie drama The Walking Dead is filming in Vancouver, doubling the Canadian city for Los Angeles. Fear the Walking Dead is a companion series set in California and follows a new set of characters during the initial onset of the zombie apocalypse.
The Mayor of Los Angeles has called on TV companies to apply for California’s boosted filming incentive programme. Producers have until next Sunday (17 May) to apply for the new financial support for this year, which is designed to tackle California’s long-term runaway production problem.
A long-mooted sequel to the 1996 alien invasion movie Independence Day starts filming on location in New Mexico in the next few weeks. New Mexico is the top US filming spot for desert locations, with recent movies including Lone Survivor and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.