Raleigh Studios may develop a facility in Toulouse in the south of France, depending on the results of an ongoing study. The site under consideration is a former military base spanning 111 acres outside the city.
Steven Spielberg recreated early 20th Century England on location in the southern UK for his period epic War Horse. Filming focussed on the hills of Dartmoor and the village of Castle Combe in south-west England, while the trenches of the First World War were recreated in Surrey.
Louisiana has reaffirmed its position as one of the central filming production hubs in the US – and indeed the world - by making some USD1.3 billion during 2011. The figures from film office Louisiana Entertainment are not quite official yet, but it’s clear the state had a hugely successful year.
Filmmaker Kenneth Branagh has scouted locations on the island of Guernsey for his new feature project, an adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Guernsey is a British Crown dependency and is part of the Channel Islands off France’s Normandy coast.
A new Cinema Law has been introduced in Serbia to benefit both domestic and international filmmakers. Serbia officially launched a 15% cash rebate filming incentive in March 2011, but the programme didn’t become a reality in the end because of the country’s economic problems.
Filmmaker Ron Howard may have to abandon plans to film on location near Reading in the UK. The director had wanted to build a set on Blackbushe Airfield to film his new Formula One feature Rush, but local conservation issues mean the project might have to go elsewhere.
England is busily organising its new filming support structure, while traditional global filming hub California has revealed a general production increase for 2011, despite a massive fourth-quarter dip. Elsewhere, Peter Jackson’s hobbit films completed their first stage of location filming and news broke that Kodak may soon file for bankruptcy.
Washington Filmworks is asking for USD3.5 million to help attract filming projects to Washington State during the next legislative term. The state ended its 30% cash rebate filming incentive last year and Washington Filmworks has since been operating unfunded.