February 9, 2021

Movie shoot boosts local economy in Thomasville (wtxl.com)

THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — South Georgia is getting the Hollywood treatment right now. Big names like Kevin Bacon, Storm Reid, and Machine Gun Kelly are currently filming in Thomasville.

“I get to film in a lot of cool places all over the world, but there’s something really special about being able to come and do it here,” said producer Allen Cheney.

Cheney was born and raised in Thomasville. He’s back now shooting his movie “One Way”.

The movie follows Freddy, played by Colson Baker, more commonly known by his stage name Machine Gun Kelly on the run after a business deal gone wrong. Cheney says the best part about filming a movie at home is getting to share the ins and outs of his job with his loved ones.

“The people I grew up, the family. To be able to bring them here and show them what I do firsthand. It’s really foreign to a lot of people, what’s goes into a movie,” said Cheney.

By: Jada Williams

Continue Reading at wtxl.com

Film Production Studio At Logan Square-Avondale Border Would Bring Needed Jobs, Supporters Say, But Some Feel Shut Out Of Process (blockclubchicago.org)

AVONDALE — The developer behind The Fields, a massive retail/residential development at the Logan Square/Avondale border, is looking to open a film production studio, a project that could transform the area.

But the developer could face an obstacle in its quest to bring Hollywood to the Northwest Side: Some community leaders, including State Rep. Will Guzzardi, are sounding the alarm over what they call an opaque community process. The leaders said they’re worried the developer and Ald. Felix Cardona Jr. (31st), who represents the site, haven’t solicited enough community feedback.

“A development of this magnitude … is going to have far-reaching implications” for residents of the area, said Guzzardi, who represents Logan Square, Avondale, Hermosa and Belmont Cragin, the neighborhoods around the site.

“The community needs to have a voice in what happens there. If there’s a robust process engaging the community and they decide they want it there, then I’m all for it. It’s not clear that’s happened yet,” he said.

New York-based developer Knickpoint Ventures wants to convert part of The Fields campus at 4000 W. Diversey Ave. into a film production studio as part of its redevelopment of the 22-acre property. The studio would be similar to the West Side’s Cinespace in that TV shows and movies would be filmed and produced there, according to the Tribune, which first reported the news.

By: Mina Bloom

Continue Reading at blockclubchicago.org

Film Tax Credit 2020 Quarterly Reports (esd.ny.gov)

Empire State Development oversees administration of the film production and post-production tax credits. These reports reflect program activity during the first and second quarters of 2020. The information presented includes projected spending, hires, and estimated credits for film and post-production projects deemed eligible to participate in the program, and, pursuant to new reporting requirements, actual spending, hires and credits issued to projects that have been completed and audited.

Continue Reading at esd.ny.gov

COVID supervisors on the challenges of trying to keep Canadian film and TV sets safe (airdrietoday.com)

TORONTO — On set they called her “COVID Cathy,” or “CC” for short.

As the COVID-19 supervisor on the new Toronto-shot CBC series “Pretty Hard Cases,” Catherine Lang had to not only help develop pandemic protocols for the production, but also keep a close eye on the cast and crew to ensure they were following them. 

It can be a tricky position, having to police everyone while trying to prevent positive cases, but Lang says she was determined to keep the mood upbeat.

“What I found the hardest about COVID supervising was that it’s hard to spend 100 per cent of your day worrying about people’s health. And unfortunately, I’m a bit of a worrier,” Lang says.

“Eating, breathing, sleeping — 24-7 — I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Because at the beginning all I could think was, ‘What if I do something or don’t do something and somebody gets sick?’ And that was quite a large stress for me.”

Lang’s position, which is also sometimes called a COVID compliance officer, is a now common one on Canadian film and TV sets. And it’s one she predicts will be around for another year or so.

By: Canadian Press

Continue Reading at airdrietoday.com