It’s been a big week for the UK film industry with the launch of Creative England, the organisation that’s designed to replace the UK Film Council. Then there’s Kristen Stewart’s new film shooting in Wales and the Bond franchise making plans to film in Istanbul. We also spoke to Stefan Teuber, a Location Scout based in Austria.
[slideshow id=161]Wales has become a bit of a go-to beach filming location in the UK. Kristen Stewart’s been at Marloes Sands near Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire for several days filming Snow White and the Huntsman. A several-hundred-strong crew is involved, along with dozens of costumed riders on horseback.
[slideshow id=155]Film tourism has become a way for countries to benefit from a high-profile production for years after the crews have wrapped. A few months ahead of of David Fincher’s version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a report is considering the film tourism legacy of the Swedish Millennium Trilogy.
New Orleans is pencilled in to host the shoot for Django Unchained, the next film from Quentin Tarantino. Louisiana’s generous incentive scheme has made it one of the leading production centres in the US, with New Orleans behind only Los Angeles and New York for filming activity.
Authorities in Louisiana have voted to keep the state’s filming incentive for another two to three years. The basic 30% transferable tax credit has been instrumental in turning the state into a production hub that dominates the industry not just in the South but throughout the continental US, helping attract major projects.
The filming incentive in Washington State has been ended after local politicians decided the 30% cash rebate programme wasn’t having a big enough economic impact. More than 20 projects received collective incentives worth USD5.4 million through the course of 2010, with nearly USD20 million being channelled into the economy.
Big-budget projects Twilight and Green Lantern are among those benefitting the economy in Louisiana. For every dollar Louisiana issues as a tax credit for film productions, the state economy makes USD5.71, according to a new report.
[slideshow id=63]I managed to catch up Marc on a rare day off at his home in the South of France, to hear about the best aerial views in the world, the way digital effects have changed the game, vintage biplane flying on the Scottish Isle of Skye and what to do if the Peruvian Air Force steal your chopper fuel.