Marvel’s superhero sequel Iron Man 3 filmed mainly on location in North Carolina, basing itself at EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington. The story pits Robert Downey Jr’s billionaire hero Tony Stark against The Mandarin.
Malta’s Home Affairs Minister has pledged his continued support for the country’s filming industries on a set visit to BBC production The Whale. The TV movie tells the story of US whaling ship The Essex, which was sunk by a whale in 1820 and inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick.
Georgia’s generous filming incentives were a crucial element of Pinewood Studios’ decision to invest in the state. The studio has bought a 40% stake in Pinewood Atlanta through a joint venture agreement with River’s Rock LLC.
Oregon in the north-west US is considering doubling the size of its annual location filming fund. The Governor’s proposal would increase the fund to USD12 million and could help bring more productions to the state.
Taiwan has credited Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning Life of Pi for its role in boosting tourism figures from Australia in the first quarter of 2013. The film spent five months filming on location in Taiwan and has reportedly had an impact on Australian film tourism.
Unclear laws in New York about the use of automatic weapons could still affect location filming in the state. From January 2014 ownership of guns that can hold more than ten bullets will be prohibited in New York, but it remains unclear whether the ban will apply to the production industry.
Los Angeles County authorities have agreed to reduce the cost of location filming permits at the recently-opened Grand Park on a short-term basis. Prices have been lowered from USD20,000 a day per block of park space to USD5,000 a day, but Film LA believes the cost is still too high.
New TV crime drama Low Winter Sun has been awarded a filming incentive of USD7.5 million to film on location in Detroit, Michigan. The majority of the crew will be hired locally, adding to local production expenses that are expected to feed millions into the Metro Detroit region.