The School of Film, Media & Theatre in Georgia State’s College of the Arts will offer its first Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree in Digital Filmmaking* with a Filmmaking concentration beginning next fall.

Moonshine and Bare Knuckles started preparing for this year’s Halloween in September 2020 on the stage and cutting room of Creepshow Seasons 2 and 3. Amidst a global shutdown, we helped make back-to-back seasons for Shudder’s streaming platform and AMC television—just in time for spooky season.

Under the banner theme “Virtual / Vital / Visionary,” SAG-AFTRA kicked off its fifth biennial National Convention Friday afternoon. The convention began Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 18. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher officially opened the event by inviting first responders, active duty and veteran delegates to lead the pledge of allegiance.

A local Columbus organization is calling for all school-aged children to come learn how to make their own commercial. It’s part of an effort to stop the violence.

Disney is coming to Coastal Georgia for a new feature film. And it’s just in time for Halloween. According to Tammy Smith Casting, a Disney feature film is scheduled to shoot in Brunswick later this month.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which represents crew members ranging from technicians to makeup artists, came to an agreement with the group that represents producers such as Netflix, Viacom, Paramount and Disney. IATSE has 6,000 members in Georgia and 60,000 overall.

“Our team is stronger and deeper than ever. We’re so grateful for everyone who works with us – for their constant vigilance and endless oversight – who help us do what we do! We’re now offering rapid molecular testing via Cue devices. With Cue, we can test over a dozen people in about 20 minutes.”

Current awards include: Best Game $500, Made in Georgia $100, Best Production $100, Best Design $100, Most Fun $100, Best Student Game $100, Best Analog Game $100, Best Audio $100, Best Art $100, Best Booth $100, Audience (SIEGE) Choice $100

There was a day not all that long ago that movies set in Minnesota were actually filmed here, too. Fargo, Purple Rain, Grumpy Old Men—they’re all films that helped put Minnesota on the Hollywood map.

The Georgia Latino Film Alliance (GALFA) has appointed Julie Ann Crommett, a former Walt Disney Studios, NBC Universal and Google exec, as its new board chair.

Roughly 17,000 set designers, make-up artists and other behind-the-scenes film and TV production workers who helped make Georgia an East Coast rival to Hollywood might walk off the set if their national union and the producers’ guild don’t negotiate a new contract.

Making it to the top five was Dear Evan Hansen, Stephen Chbosky’s movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical which continued to underperform with $2.4 million. The film, top-billed by Ben Platt who reprises his stage role on the big screen, has made only $11.7 million so far.

Because video games are a mix of creative content and technology, there are many types of businesses that benefit, and/or benefit from,  video game development.  Past presenters have included:

We are glad to announce a mix of new and veteran SIEGE speakers when SIEGE2021 goes online Nov. 5 & 6, with great presentations online and safe networking events in person. The first sessions we have announced include:

Dune, Denis Villeneuve’s well-received feature adaptation of roughly the first half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 science-fiction novel, debuted impressively in the international market, especially in Russia, Italy, Germany, and France.

The decision was made in light of the current situation surrounding Covid-19 and the rapid spread of the Delta variant of the virus as part of ongoing efforts to keep the health and safety of DreamHack staff and visitors a priority.

This year our annual SIEGE Investment Conference will be hybrid, with pitch teams presenting at Axis Replay to judges both virtual and in person.

The industry’s top concern at the Capitol is the film and TV tax credit, which provides a 20-25% discount on eligible production spending in the state. In July, Newsom signed a two-year expansion of the program, bringing it to $420 million a year, and indicated he would support making that increase permanent.

The Motion Picture Association congratulates Fran Drescher on being elected the new President of SAG-AFTRA. The last year and a half have demonstrated yet again how much we can get done as an industry when we work collaboratively together.

They watched eight short films ranging from two to 20 minutes produced by college student filmmakers from the United States and Germany. Following the screening, the students participated in a Q&A session with four of the filmmakers.

With the demand and need for sound stages and production space in Savannah growing, the news of a new studio opening in December 2022 was welcoming news and the talk of the town for the film community in Savannah.

Two films starring Gerard Butler and a Disney flick starring Emily Blunt and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have been shot in Georgia in recent years.

Governor Brian P. Kemp announced the allocation of $5.8 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to Explore Georgia, the tourism division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Kemp shared the news with tourism industry professionals from across the state at the Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference, an annual industry event.

Previously known as the Milledgeville-Eatonton Film Festival, the ME Film Festival is announcing new dates and a new location for screenings. The 8th Annual ME Film Festival will be taking place Nov. 15 – 21, 2021 in Eatonton, GA. Screenings will be shown at the Plaza Arts Center located at 305 N Madison Avenue in downtown Eatonton.

In light of the recent Delta variant surge and fan feedback regarding travel, mask mandates and increased risk, the Fandemic Dead event, originally scheduled at the Georgia World Congress Center for Sept. 17-19, has been postponed to March 18-20, 2022 in the same locale.

Home audiences around the world will have the chance to see two major new productions from The Atlanta Opera next month, with Spotlight Media’s release of The Threepenny Carmen, starring Megan Marino, Richard Trey Smagur and Michael Mayes (Aug 12), and The Threepenny Opera, featuring Jay Hunter Morris, Ronnita Miller and Gina Perregrino (Aug 19).

The alternative venue at Savannah Station is designed to meet the dual goals of presenting world-class jazz and blues free of charge to the City of Savannah while adhering to the guidelines of promoting the health and safety of our musicians, attendees, sponsors, and suppliers.  

Located just 3 miles from downtown Savannah, Fort Jackson began construction in 1808 as part of President Jefferson’s Second System coastal defense…

With less than a month left, The FRIENDS™ Experience wraps its massively successful run in Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 26.  The 18k square foot immersive experience created by Superfly X, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Warner Bros. Television Group, won’t be back in the Peach State, so there is a very limited time to still check it out.

Roam, a coworking operator, will open a new location in September inside the Two-Ten office building within Town at Trillith in Fayetteville. The mixed-use project is located adjacent to Trilith Studios, a 1,000-acre movie studio formerly known as Pinewood Atlanta Studios that has produced movies such as Avengers: Endgame and Ant-Man.

Tosca Musk, the younger sister of entrepreneurs Elon and Kimbal Musk, also is moving her permanent residence to south Fulton County and locating her production office in Palmetto.

Burnett is known for developing reality competition shows “Survivor” and “The Apprentice” as well as a raft of faith-based television and film projects such as “The Bible,” “Son of God” and “Woodlawn.”

“The unprecedented record-breaking numbers we are seeing for the state of Georgia with its film and entertainment efforts, we certainly in DeKalb County are seeing that too,” Decide DeKalb Development Authority Director of Marketing and Communications Terra Washington said. 

The FRIENDS™ Experience Atlanta has caused such excitement since opening on July 15that the end date has been extended from Sept. 6 to Sept. 26. Fans can continue revisiting some of the most iconic moments from the hit series, FRIENDS™ at the 17,959-square-foot immersive experience created by Superfly X, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Warner Bros. Television Group.

“It is a dream come true to bring our first physical storefront to the Trilith community,” said Leyland Blue founder and owner Kaylan Griffie. “Since 2013, this idea has been brewing, so we are excited to finally bring our carefully handpicked selections and unique products to Trilith Town Centre.”

The Bridge Grant provided funding for operating support to 135 organizations, the Project Grant will help fund 54 arts projects, and the Arts Education Program Grant was awarded to 77 organizations. Additional grants for Vibrant Communities and Cultural Facilities programs will be awarded in the Fall of 2021.

The GGDA has grown to value livestreaming play tests, and August has a number of great opportunities for you to join us as we do so. From Aug. 3-6 (noon EST), Andrew Greenberg livestreams playtests of a new version of Holistic Design’s Noble Armada: Lost Worlds PC game on Youtube.

For the seventh year in a row The Black Cat Picture Show, Augusta’s premier international film festival, brings high caliber independent films and filmmakers to Augusta for a weekend devoted to cinema and cinema lovers alike.  

I’m excited to finally be sharing the film beyond festivals and home screenings and obviously hope that billions of people worldwide see it multiple times, but truthfully I’d be happy if just a buttload of people saw it, including you.

Savannah Jazz launched a campaign two years ago to achieve support for our planned Savannah Jazz History Exhibit to be housed in the Savannah History Museum downtown.  Savannah’s rich Jazz history has is as old and significant as that of New Orleans, but the story has yet to be told.  

Marvel’s “Black Widow” is now out in theaters and streaming on Disney+ with Premier Access. There’s a chance you’ll spot some familiar locations if you watch closely.

Zach Breder is missing a right ventricle in his heart. He’s had more than 10 surgeries that have helped keep him alive into his teens, including one just six weeks ago. The 16-year-old Cartersville resident also happens to love filmmaking and had a vision to create a science fiction movie.

Always subject to change and often set before filming begins, here is the latest info on release dates for projects that filmed in Georgia.

In Part I of our three-part blog series on payroll pain points, we explored five of the most prevalent challenges small businesses face, including dealing with compliance issues, managing manual and time-consuming processes, and grappling with understaffing challenges.

The winners of the Olympic Virtual Series Baseball, Motor Sport and Sailing Events received an Olympic Virtual Series Plaque (winner, 1st runner up, 2nd runner up). The winner (first place only) of each of the competitive events will also have the opportunity to hold the Olympic Virtual Series trophy at a special awarding occasion to be organised later in 2021, subject to travel possibilities during this global pandemic.

SITORA is inspired by a lost Malay horror film from 1964 entitled SITORA HARIMAU JADIAN. The film was written and directed by Malaysian auteur P. Ramlee and was shown at least once on Radio Television Malaysia. The film is rumored to have been destroyed in a flood.

Tickets can be purchased for $15 (+ fees) at discounted Early Bird Rate for the first 100 people. General Admission Advanced tickets are $25 (+ fees) and Day of Show Tickets are $30 (+ fees).

The Pennsylvania Legislature opted not to include a proposed expansion of the state’s film incentive program in its 2021-22 budget — a setback for the local entertainment industry’s efforts to entice more Hollywood projects to film in the commonwealth.

The American Music Fairness Act also levels the playing field by ensuring all competing music platforms are treated the same and ending the archaic and unfair subsidy under which FM/AM stations pay nothing for recorded music while their digital competitors pay fair market value royalties.

Striving for three decades to receive a named role in a major film production, Columbus native Thedra Porter has reached that goal in a movie featuring one of Hollywood’s most popular stars.

Payroll: it’s a love/hate relationship for many business owners. It’s a critical activity for serving your employees, but the process is notoriously cumbersome.

Women in Music (WIM) Atlanta connected with four fellow WIM Chapters to feature women leaders and performers in five of the top music cities in the U.S. — Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and New York City in June. The online event, entitled WIM Atlanta Presents: Five City Music Tour, was free for WIM members all over the U.S. 

Experience music again! Lost Art Music Festival debuts June 12, 2021 at gorgeous Foxhall Resort in Douglasville with a lineup featuring St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Shovels & Rope, The War and Treaty, Ben Nichols of Lucero and The Pink Stones, plus a Friday Night Kickoff Show with Aaron Lee Tasjan.

Leaders from 13 film studios showcased a sampling of their summer movie releases in celebration of the nationwide return of movie theatres. As a part of The Big Screen Is Back initiative, the May event featured presentations from studio heads and executives, as well as notable actors and filmmakers, including JJ Abrams and Maggie Q.

Gov. Brian Kemp and a few dozen state and local officials visited Gwinnett Technical College on Monday to celebrate the beginning of a $37.8 million project that aims to educate more students interested in careers in cybersecurity and other emerging technologies as well as some bread-and-butter courses such as welding and physics.