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Compared to what is going on down here, Chicago is an an afterthought in the industry. Yes, the tax breaks started it - but they've been in place for years now, and aren't going anywhere. Critical mass has happened, and only L.A. has more production currently. Studio space is now measured in the millions of square feet, with much more coming. I doubt Chicago has 100,000 square feet of space.
Chicagoans aren't really sweating whether or not the city is a film hub the way Atlantans do. My point is it's not the city itself that drew production studios to Atlanta, it was literally only the tax breaks. They didn't just decide to pack up and move production to Atlanta because the city itself is so spectacular. It just became cheaper to shoot there. I personally get tired of seeing the High Museum being shot in every movie is a fancy office LOL.
I feel like this doesn't touch on anything like built environment, economic trajectory, industry clusters, accent culture, aesthetic, demographics, scenery, topography, and history.
If it's gonna be that bare bones and grossly oversimplified why even bother? It seems way below our standards on this site.
Exactly. If all of these things aren't taken into consideration, what is the point of the comparison in the first place?
Chicagoans aren't really sweating whether or not the city is a film hub the way Atlantans do. My point is it's not the city itself that drew production studios to Atlanta, it was literally only the tax breaks. They didn't just decide to pack up and move production to Atlanta because the city itself is so spectacular. It just became cheaper to shoot there. I personally get tired of seeing the High Museum being shot in every movie is a fancy office LOL.
There is no industry anywhere in America where companies are relocating solely based off a city or region being spectacular. That's the icing on the cake not the selling point. It's about capital at the end of the day. But it doesn't hurt when you have a city/region like Atlanta to shoot films in. If Atlanta was a complete dump void of anything than the film industry would have chosen another location. It has it's perks beyond simply tax breaks.
There is no industry anywhere in America where companies are relocating solely based off a city or region being spectacular. That's the icing on the cake not the selling point. It's about capital at the end of the day. But it doesn't hurt when you have a city/region like Atlanta to shoot films in. If Atlanta was a complete dump void of anything than the film industry would have chosen another location. It has it's perks beyond simply tax breaks.
Right, there are several places with cheaper tax breaks.
Right, there are several places with cheaper tax breaks.
Exactly. And now NBCUniversal just signed a huge lease with Gray Television at their new Studio City at Assembly, on the site of the former GM plant. It's getting hard to keep up with it all...
There is no industry anywhere in America where companies are relocating solely based off a city or region being spectacular. That's the icing on the cake not the selling point. It's about capital at the end of the day. But it doesn't hurt when you have a city/region like Atlanta to shoot films in. If Atlanta was a complete dump void of anything than the film industry would have chosen another location. It has it's perks beyond simply tax breaks.
The tax breaks were the only allure. To think otherwise is delusional:
"Georgia is now competing with Canada and the United Kingdom in the film and television industry, something that would have been unheard of years ago.
Some industry leaders believe tax breaks are the main reason for the $2.2 billion year-to-year growth the industry has experienced.That level of growth translates to more than $1 billion in tax incentives and more than 30,000 jobs.
As much as I would like to say it’s the quality of 'everything here [in Georgia], the crew base, the diversity, it’s the incentives that are the most crucial to the industry’s growth,” said Rosenfelt, also the former president of Third Rail Studios.'"
Atlanta became a film hub because of the generous tax breaks offered to filmmakers by the state of Georgia not because people were checking for the city itself. The actors and production crews, once they are done shooting they go back to wherever they live.
The tax breaks were the only allure. To think otherwise is delusional:
"Georgia is now competing with Canada and the United Kingdom in the film and television industry, something that would have been unheard of years ago.
Some industry leaders believe tax breaks are the main reason for the $2.2 billion year-to-year growth the industry has experienced.That level of growth translates to more than $1 billion in tax incentives and more than 30,000 jobs.
As much as I would like to say it’s the quality of 'everything here [in Georgia], the crew base, the diversity, it’s the incentives that are the most crucial to the industry’s growth,” said Rosenfelt, also the former president of Third Rail Studios.'"
Too bad that Illinois can't afford this, as it and Chicago aren't even in the conversation when it comes to this industry. Georgia also pays for Film Academies, that work directly with the studios to train and place people in good jobs - many of them union. And he did say the incentives are 'most crucial,' which makes total sense. These are for-profit businesses.
There is no industry anywhere in America where companies are relocating solely based off a city or region being spectacular. That's the icing on the cake not the selling point. It's about capital at the end of the day. But it doesn't hurt when you have a city/region like Atlanta to shoot films in. If Atlanta was a complete dump void of anything than the film industry would have chosen another location. It has it's perks beyond simply tax breaks.
Amen.
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