BROWSING: NEWS
Capturing the spirit of community and the essence of the Peach State’s industry scene. ln partnership with Film Quality Services, the first ever Georgia Entertainment Live show was broadcast from the JW Buckhead. Capping off the signature Georgia Entertainment 100 and showcasing the many talents of our network, this was an incredible convergence of the Creative Economy: film, music, esports, digital production, and more!
The actor’s union (SAG-AFTRA) strike took a 118-day bite out of Georgia’s busy 2023 filming schedule, slowing production to a handful of indie projects and the work from smaller studios not affected by the strike. But that didn’t slow the pace of infrastructure development across the state, where private investment in studios, backlots and other production assets continued steadily.
The Georgia Unscripted Roadshow event’s next stop is Valdosta on January 26th. The event will be held at the Rainwater Conference Center and will include filmmakers, economic development officials, elected leaders and business owners from South Georgia and beyond.
“People can come here to realize their dreams and their potential. Great things can happen in Georgia and we have the quality to back it up.”
This past year, production was slow due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes but now in the new year, we can see the fruits of the filming in Savannah.
While the supply of movies was able to keep the two-week holiday box office up over 2022’s by 13%, the lack of a mega tentpole carrying over into the New Year — ala Avatar: The Way of Water — is being felt.
“All these big blockbusters – ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, ‘Star Wars’ – they have memorable soundtracks…,” said Joseph Caudill, a Thomson resident, who has recently written the instrumental soundtrack for a Christian film called “The First Step” that will be premiered in Augusta Jan. 20.
In addition to the three annual series — Power of Story, Cinema Café presented by Audible, and The Big Conversation — this year’s lineup also includes a New Frontier conversation about artificial intelligence and special 40th Edition Celebration events.
The name Sundance has a ceremonial ring to it. Aptly so. The iconic independent film festival’s atmosphere is singular, swirling with the unexpected ingenuity of obscure unknowns and blazingly bright up-and-comers.
As the new year begins, we embrace our blessings in the film and television space. The strikes are over and the opportunity for new and improved relationships in this space start to develop. Many of us look forward to continuing forward — chasing this dream called filmmaking. If you are an indie filmmaker, such as myself, your pursuit never stalled during the strike.