Written by new-contact on Oct 28, 2014. Posted in On Location

West Virginia Film Office launches iPhone app connecting to state-wide resources

A new iPhone app has been launched by the West Virginia Film Office to aid filmmakers considering a local shoot. JJ Abrams’ alien drama Super 8 and TV miniseries The World Wars are among the productions that have shot in West Virginia in recent years.

The app gives filmmakers easy access to Reel-Scout Directory, which works with film offices around the US and across the world to offer information on local resources.

“We are always looking for ways to better serve film office clients,” says Pam Haynes, director of the West Virginia Film Office: “This innovative app enhances the functionality of the current Reel-Scout system and simplifies conducting film business in the state.

“This new app showcases the diverse locations available for filming in West Virginia, in addition to connecting producers with the state's talented workforce. The app also maximises the efficiency of a producer's time, especially when timing is critical during the decision making process.”

This innovative app enhances the functionality of the current Reel-Scout system and simplifies conducting film business in the state.

Pam Haynes, West Virginia Film Office

The Reel-Scout app will complement the West Virginia Film Office’s existing resources database that includes more than 40,000 photos of over 4,000 filming locations across the state.

“Given the wide variety of requests the film office receives, there is no such thing as too much information in our database,” Haynes adds: “A film crew’s presence, especially on large-scale productions, is akin to a small town moving into the region, albeit on a temporary basis. In addition to the typical needs of a production, they also need to tap into the same services a resident would seek, such as medical care, laundry services, and recreation.”

Television miniseries The World Wars (above) focused its location filming on West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle region and doubled the area for countries including Germany, Italy and France.

(Photos: West Virginia Film Office / Michael Hosenfeld / Karolina Wojtasik)