cities with film scene besides LA

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by denverian

The Weather Channel, CNN (I think?), plus reality shows. Seems like a decent scene.

Are they making movies now?

[Tyler_Jolie-Pitt]

The largest ones outside of LA and NYC are probably:

Atlanta
New Orleans
Charlotte/Wilmington
Chicago

Right?

[Ankhharu]

As a former actor who has lived in Austin, Dallas, Hollywood and Chicago, let me shed some reality on this debate. People think because their city shoots a couple of movies or TVseries a year in their city that it's a viable film city. It's not. Not an insult to those cities, it's just not enough. Generally, LA, NYC and Chicago are the big 3. Chicago is in that top 3 due to it's comedy circuit and theater.

First off, the vast majority of Movie studios are still in Hollywood or nearby anyway. I worked on a couple of TV shows that were shot in Dallas. They didn't hire local actors to play in those TV shows other than background and the occasional small part that may be needed in a pinch, which is what I got. Even then notable actors would be flown in even if it was for just a few scenes in one episode. We aren't talking about household names either. Chatting with stunt doubles and PA's, they were all from LA. I think a lot of the crew buildings sets, etc may have been local, but I know the Cinematographer, and grip were from LA. Same thing working on the set of other films. When Waiting was shot in New Orleans, that entire speaking cast was cast in Hollywood, then flown to NOL with the crew. I could give a thousand examples. Furthermore, the number of films that are shot in places outside of LA and NYC, is too small to sustain all the aspiring actors. Lots of films are shot in other parts of the country because of tax breaks. It's just cheaper. But they are still bringing all their people from LA. Someone mentioned Atlanta. Tyler Perry has his Film Studio there, but that is just one and it is small beans in comparison to the Big 8.

With that said, if you are a film maker/aspiring director, unlike actors, this stuff doesn't matter as much as. These small markets that people have mentioned like New Orleans, Atlanta, Detroit, etc are good place to get your feet wet and usually have an abundance of available actors looking to cut their teeth. The only downside being you may find the acting talent not as seasoned. You have to look harder. But you can put together a body of work for cheaper than you can in the major markets. Then you only need travel to the bigger markets to pitch your product. Much different game. That's how Robert Rodriquez broke in. He raised the money for his film in Austin, drove down to Mexico to shoot it, then drove out to LA and spent a few weeks pitching it. He spent a lot of time out there passing (El Mariachi I believe) around before he got a buyer but that's still better than having to live in one of the expensive markets trying to survive and make a film. An easier, although still difficult path, that you can take that actors don't have the luxury of doing.


If you are an aspiring film maker, screenwriter, whatever. Hone your craft in your current town before moving anywhere. Once your skillset has progressed and you have outgrown your city, (You'll know), then concentrate on going to the large markets to play with the bigger fish. I met many actors and filmakers who moved to Austin thinking that it was some mini-Hollywood where they could break in to the biz. They quickly realized it's just another town with a ton of independent and student film makers just like the city they left. Nothing had changed other than they had fewer contacts and a few more opportunities to do the same type of low budget, non-paying work.

[westernwilly]

Good post Ankhharu!