Nevada in the western US has launched a new filming incentive designed to boost the state’s production industry. The new programme is worth up to 19% of local production spending and has an annual film fund of USD20 million.
Hit fantasy drama Game of Thrones will remain a key part of Northern Ireland’s film tourism plans for at least the next two years. Tourism Ireland will promote the show’s regional filming locations as a way to boost the number of visitors to Northern Ireland to two million a year.
London-based production company Man+Hatchet filmed on location in an Estonian basketball stadium for a new animated commercial for well-being brand Withings. A hundred naked people were animated for the spot by taking 2,000 still photos from the stadium ceiling.
Football feature Shooting for Socrates is filming on location in Northern Ireland and in Spain. Named for the legendary Brazilian footballer Socrates, the movie tells the story of the Northern Ireland team at the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico, which involved a clash with Brazil.
Tunisia’s 2011 rebellion has impacted the country’s production industry and its chances of hosting the new Star Wars movie. George Lucas famously used the country as Luke Skywalker’s home planet – the desert world Tatooine – in the original Star Wars film in 1977.
[slideshow id=383]Business is booming for television production and countries around the world are clamouring for a piece of the action. High-end television shows with movie-scale production values are commanding large audiences, but what impact does this have on local industries and is it a long-term trend?
A Nigerian version of the long-running US suburban satire Desperate Housewives is to film on location in Lagos. African broadcaster EbonyLife TV is co-producing with Disney Media Distribution EMEA and is searching across Africa for writers familiar with the original show.
The Governor of Maryland spotlighted the benefits of his state’s filming incentive programme this week with a visit to the set of the award-winning political satire Veep. Although set in Washington, DC, the show films in Maryland because of the filming incentives on offer.