When it comes to entertainment, Atlanta is a central hub for the film industry, in large part due to Georgia’s enticing and well-received tax credits for filmmakers.

WMAZ-TV reports production crews are preparing an area of downtown Macon to serve as a backdrop for “Watchmen,” a show based on the acclaimed DC Comics series from 1986.

The program wasn’t set to expire until 2022, and was essentially left out of the conversation surrounding this year’s budget until a two-year extension was quietly added to the final agreement.

The little tripod that can help you rig up your camera basically anywhere takes aim at vloggers and other mirrorless shooters with its new upgrades.

Director and sophomore student, Devon Solwold, teamed up with Producer and senior, Shayain Lakhani, to produce the winning script that received funding by Coco-Cola and Regal.

In a statement, Gov. Ralph Northam, D, said 10 episodes of the show will feature two young women coming of age in the wake of the zombie apocalypse depicted in “The Walking Dead,” an AMC ratings blockbuster now in its ninth season.

Muscogee County is now home to not one, not two, but three local school teams recognized for their excellence in filmmaking.

With companies like Netflix spending more than $12 billion on new programming in 2018 alone (yes, billion), there is no shortage of film and TV productions out there. Add to that the impact on tourism that can come from having millions of viewers watching a show set in a tropical paradise like the Keys.

“That’s a wrap on our Atlanta portion of production,” he says. “A huge THANK YOU to our hard working & talented Georgia film crew. Once again, it’s been my pleasure to put in the work with all of you and look forward to our next adventure down the road.”

Lee Cuthbert, a location specialist for the film division within the Georgia Department of Economic Development, spoke to participants at the Rome Floyd Chamber Confluence Conference on Thursday.

This year’s Atlanta Film Festival celebrates Georgia talent, along with the debuts of some significant documentary and narrative features.

In August 2018, RKDS Film Fest began receiving more than 1,500 film submissions from around the world and was Certified Gold by Filmfreeway, the number one film festival and film submitting company in the world, organizers said. 

GOP New York State Sen. Rob Ortt called for Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature to remove the Empire State Film Tax Credits from the fiscal year 2020 budget and shift its $420 million cost to fund health, education, direct support and veterans’ needs.

Three of Atlanta’s leading health experts will share esports player fitness tips during the Southeast’s largest intercollegiate esports tournament April 6 in Atlanta at Georgia State University’s Sports Arena.

“Jackie is a welcome addition to our strong industry relations team, with deep ties to Nashville and an established track record within the artist and label community that make her a perfect fit for this role. We are lucky to have her,” said RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier.

Actor Dean Cain called out Hollywood “bullies” after dozens of TV and film workers threatened to boycott working in Georgia if a controversial abortion bill is signed into law in the state.

State and local officials joined an array of film and television industry leaders at the Diversity in Film and Television Production Forum last month in Newark to discuss both upcoming opportunities and the importance of diversity when enlisting talent and crew from New Jersey. 

The bill would give a 20% income tax credit on all production expenses made in Montana, but production companies would have to spend at least $350,000 before receiving the credit. It would also require production companies to put a Montana promotion in their film.

Spring has arrived in Georgia and with it, the first busy season of the year for film and television production. It’s also pilot season, which means we have a slew of new shows that may one day be picked up for full season orders and join the growing list of “Made in Georgia” properties.

At an event in March, Kemp said the entertainment industry employs 200,000 Georgians and generated more than $60 billion of economic activities for the state.

Perimeter Adult Learning Services, or PALS, has announced its Spring 2019 session begins on March 25 and runs for seven weeks through May 13 at Dunwoody United Methodist Church.

The Writers Guild of America released a statement Tuesday saying that if the Georgia legislature and Governor Brian Kemp were to pass the “heartbeat” abortion bill, it might cause Hollywood TV and film production to go elsewhere.

At least six other states — Rhode Island, Illinois, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Georgia — allow students to compete in Esports as an official high school varsity sport. 

HBO filmed a pilot with the code name “Brooklyn”.The streaming service picked the show up and they will be filming an episode for season one in Macon, again.

Councilman Rob Turner said the new city of Stonecrest is now poised to attract the film industry, creating economic development opportunities, jobs and tourism.

It will feature film and television professionals and studio executives, information on the film industry, training, networking opportunities and experts from Tyler Perry Studios, the Georgia Film Academy, EUE/Screen Gems Ltd. and many more.

Rathburn joins a long line of distinguished poets who have served in the position, including David Bottoms, Bettie Mixon Sellers, John R. Lewis, Jr., Conrad Aiken, Agnes Bramblett, Oliver F. Reeves, Wrightman Metlon, Earnest Neal and Frank Stanton.

“This tax credit has a documented value year after year after year,” Krueger said Thursday on WNYC radio. “It’s working, and the senate is certainly not proposing ending this credit.”

Captain Marvel shined again at this weekend’s box office, bringing in $189 million worldwide and taking its total earnings to $760.2 million after just ten days in theaters.

The South by Southwest film festival is bringing star power to Austin. 234 films are premiering at SXSW with stars like Kevin Costner, Jon Hamm and Lupita Nyong’o walking the red carpets. But even though many films debut here, far fewer are being made in Texas.

But while the film tells an important story about Durham, the vast majority of its filming did not take place here. Instead, audiences will see small-town Georgia – the Bartow County Courthouse, Ross’ Diner in Cartersville and the Macon-Bibb Government Center – as stand-ins for the Durham of the early 1970s.

“I’ve known Felicity Huffman for those 35 years, she was my student, my colleague, worked in many of my films, and created roles on stage in three of my plays. I’m crazy about them both.”

Even more astonishing is that the 115-plus number is misleadingly low in terms of esports money entering the academic system. Some universities participate in league-wide scholarship tournaments, like the Georgia Esports League, comprised of varsity college teams from around the state.

Film has proven to be a prosperous industry across North Carolina. However, there has been a decline in filming in the state since the release of “Iron Man 3.”

On Wednesday, March 27, Georgia Southern University College of Education (COE) will host a screening of “The School in the Cloud,” a film that explores the potential of self-organized learning.

Major motion pictures like ‘Breakthrough,’ which hits theatres next month, are being shot around Manitoba. That movie in particular, starring Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas, and Topher Grace, was filmed in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, and Selkirk.

The event will also include panels and workshops by GEL and the GGDA, featuring talent and producers from multiple companies and esports organizations in the Atlanta area.

Around three dozen high schools are competing in the state’s inaugural e-sports season that began last month, and more schools may join as athletic officials consider adding a fall season.

“We want to keep our members here so they don’t have to go work in Georgia, but their families are back here. That’s just not working,”

The Warner Bros. remake of ‘The Witches,’ from director Robert Zemeckis, is currently eyeing to begin filming on April 29, in Georgia and Alabama. The United Kingdom will also be a shooting location. The setting of the film is Alabama during the year 1969.

Those grants would come after the project has wrapped and would require 60 percent of the production budget is spent in Florida and that 70 percent of the cast and crew are state residents.

As with most filming projects, this means there will be road closures. Those are scheduled for March 11 through 13 while filming is taking place. The map above shows those closures.

One of the last film productions to benefit from the incentive was 20th Century Fox’s “Gone Girl,” which was filmed, in part, in Cape Girardeau. Kehoe said that area has seen the economic benefits of being the site of a major motion picture.

An actress and songstress best known for winning the 12th season of “American Idol,” Glover portrays Tiana, a strong woman who is running a soul food restaurant and dealing with her younger sister, employees and community members.

“It is so wonderful to shoot here in so many ways, the only thing I wish you guys had was a tax credit, just like Georgia. Then we would have shot the whole movie here instead of two days here.”

Last year, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Karen Gillian, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black came to Atlanta to film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Now they’re back for the sequel

Earlier Thursday, city officials and community members met with officials with the Georgia Production Partnership (GPP), at Valdosta State University.

The production that will be using the courthouse was not identified, but downtown Jackson has been featured prominently in the Netflix series “Stranger Things” and other film and television projects in recent years.

So what is next for the industry, given the documented success to date? State officials and industry leaders are working to grow the creative side of the business here at home.

“Black Panther” has won three trophies, including the Academy Award for best production design, costume design and original score – and made Oscar history in the process. 

First, the movie or show must create jobs and second, some of the money must be spent inside the state. Productions can earn up to a 35 percent rebate on what they spend.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants state legislators to allocate up to $380 million to pay off a backlog of tax credits owed to production companies that shot movies or television shows in New Mexico.

Nearly 80 students were specially selected from around 40 high schools across the state by a group called “21st Century Leaders” to learn more about the academy and jobs in the film industry. 

Michael Cooke, who made his directorial debut in “Across the Tracks,” is in Albany filming his 20-minute proof of concept pilot at various locations throughout the city this week.

Bowdon explains that the increase in educational spending has long been speculated to be the remedy for problems in public schools, however where spending has increased locally, regionally and even nationwide, the country continues to lag behind most other large, industrialized countries in educational efficiency.

Since pre-sale loans are secured by fixed payments owed under existing contracts, the lenders tend to be banks and the pricing tends to be relatively modest, typically requiring an up-front fee equal to 2% of the amount of the loan and interest at two points over LIBOR.

Esports is becoming an economic driver for Atlanta, making 2019 a pivotal year for gamers with the growth of even more esports programs.

Chairman of the House Rules Committee and State Rep. Jay Powell (R) says that there is an inequality between old and new technologies, and while customers have to pay products on physical goods, they have escaped having to pay any additional taxes on digital purchases and subscriptions.