Georgia’s thriving film industry impacts Oglethorpe’s bottom line, student opportunities.
As one of the only campuses in Atlanta to feature unique masonry and Gothic architectural style, Oglethorpe attracts film location scouts seeking a historic and grand setting. Producers find an easy-access location in one of the most film-friendly cities and states.
In 2015 alone, Oglethorpe grossed more than $150,000 in revenue from film and television productions. The campus hosted 11 filming projects, ranging from a 10-second clip to network television shows with crowds of 500 on set.
Tax credits help.
In 2008, state tax incentives were expanded under the updated Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, signed by Governor Sonny Perdue. The incentives include a 20% tax credit for filming in Georgia with an additional 10% available for films that promote Georgia within the industry by displaying the state logo in the credits. The dramatic impact of these incentives are seen in the $1.7 billion in film industry spending during the 2015 fiscal year, as reported by the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Soon after the tax credits were enacted, Oglethorpe began to see an uptick in film-related facility requests and rentals.
So, what has filmed here?
Early on, the CW’s The Vampire Diaries filmed in the Hearst Great Hall during its second season in 2010. A few months before, 96 Minutes, a film starring Brittany Snow, had filmed in Lupton Auditorium. While a number of commercials and small filming projects came to campus during the following years, the influx was not evident until fall 2014, likely due to a healthier economy. NBC’s Constantine and Sony Entertainment’s Powers, a super-hero show that streams on the PlayStation network, both filmed episodes that heavily featured the interior and exterior of academic buildings on the quad.
More recently, Oglethorpe hosted a number of single-day filming projects for both film and television. Most notably, the 2015 reboot of the Chevy Chase comedies Vacation, starring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate, altered Oglethorpe’s Peachtree Road entrance to portray the fictional Memphis State College. Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim filmed an establishing shot of campus during the early morning hours for one of their mature audience comedies.
Two episodes of USA Network ’s Satisfaction transformed the Hearst Great Hall and Lupton Admission Office lounge into corporate offices for the conclusion of the show’s second season. Fox’s Sleepy Hollow filmed flashback sequences in the Hearst Great Hall and outside Philip Weltner Library, using simulated rain and other visual effects.
TNT arrived with NBA legends Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal for The Dunk King, a basketball dunking competition, filmed in Dorough Field House. The four-episode show aired in May 2016 during the NBA Western Conference Finals. Soon after, Sony Entertainment returned to film a pivotal action sequence for season two of PlayStation’s popular show Powers.
What do our students get out of it?
All of these filming projects, along with other facility rentals, generate revenue that contributes to Oglethorpe’s ability to offer scholarships to students. But in addition to the financial benefits, students regularly have the opportunity to participate in the filming projects by working with the Office of Special Events on set, supervising production. Theatre students have gained valuable acting experience as extras. During filming for a pilot show in December 2015, students in Dr. Reshmi Hebbar’s “TV & Reading” class were invited to tour the set and speak with the show’s director, offering a first-hand opportunity to see the practical application of what they are learning in the classroom.
Throughout 2016, Oglethorpe has continued to receive dozens of filming requests. But, in an effort to minimize disruption to campus life, only professionally-managed projects that align with the university’s schedule are accepted. The film and television industry in Georgia is showing no signs of slowing–and neither is Oglethorpe’s starring role in that economic growth.
Want to break into Georgia’s growing film industry?
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “although there’s no one specific college degree that can catapult your success in the film industry, there are a few majors that can better prepare you for a career in the film industry.”
And those programs just so happen to be offered at Oglethorpe: Accounting, English, Film, and Theatre. Find out more!
GEORGIA FILM INDUSTRY CLOSE UP
#1
State in the U.S. to live and work for filmmakers, based on film production in 2015 (shooting days, number of productions and dollars generated), film community and culture, access to equipment and facilities, tax incentives, cost of living, lifestyle, weather and transportation
#3
Georgia is now the third largest production center in the United Sates, behind Los Angeles and New York
$6 Billion
Economic impact in the state in 2015
$1.7 Billion
Spent in the state in 2015
248
Productions shot in the state in 2015
Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle
