South Africa National Parks (SANParks) has increased its location filming fees by an average of 10% for 2013. The price hikes are the result of the organisation’s first location filming review in several years and apply with immediate effect across all 19 of the parks that it manages.
Maryland may triple the value of its location filming incentive, but only on a short-term basis. The state is in the spotlight having played host to high-profile political drama House of Cards, which is the first series to be distributed exclusively online via Netflix.
A fatal helicopter crash in Los Angeles County has reignited safety concerns about the TV industry and prompted debate about the potential use of unmanned camera drones for aerial work. Three people were killed in the crash while filming a reality TV show for the Discovery Channel.
Cardiff council has set up a dedicated film unit to handle the rise in demand for location filming in the Welsh capital. The new unit will manage location filming in council-owned buildings and on city roads, and will also promote Cardiff internationally.
Pinewood Studios Group may run a major new studio being developed in Georgia in the US. The complex in Fayette County just outside Atlanta is scheduled to open in 2014 and will initially offer five sound stages covering 305,000 square feet.
Colombia has launched its new 40% location filming incentive, intended to attract international producers. The programme is available for features and TV movies that spend USD600,000 locally.
A group of producers has visited Galway in western Ireland to scout regional filming locations at the invitation of the Galway Film Centre. The ten producers spent two days visiting the city and nearby locations like the picturesque Inagh Valley and the historic Kylemore Abbey.
Limited funding for Pennsylvania’s filming incentive programme means the pilot episode for a Pittsburgh-set Hatfields & McCoys TV series is scouting alternate East Coast locations. Pennsylvania’s programme is capped at USD60 million a year and cannot accept new applications until April 2013.