Big Cities (continued)
10. Calgary
Last year, we declared that the future of this Canadian city looked bright when productions brought in $200 million, and we weren’t lying: that figure jumped to $500 million in 2021. HBO’s The Last of Us, an adaptation of the popular post-apocalyptic video game, shot in the region last fall with star Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), and Andrew Garfield was in the area as well to shoot the upcoming HBO series Under The Banner Of Heaven, executive produced by Jason Bateman, Dustin Lance Black, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer. And the Predator offshoot Skulls shot in the area last spring.
Luke Azevedo, the film commissioner of the Calgary Economic Development office, tells MovieMaker that this film-friendly city “isn’t just a city to make a good living; It’s also a city to make a great life.” Outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate the easily accessible mountains and trails for weekend adventuring in an area known for 333 days of sunshine, as well as the rich culture in the city: It boasts six independent movie theaters, over a dozen museums, many live music venues, and a growing list of film festivals. “We offer an unparalleled variety of locations with the Rocky Mountains, Prairies and Badlands at the doorstep of a thriving, inclusive, and safe urban municipality,” adds Azevedo. He’s also jazzed about continuing to nurture “equity, diversity, and inclusion” within the city’s film scene through collaborations with the Calgary Black Film Festival and Being Black in Calgary, as well as Indigenous partners.
Ron E. Scott, the founder of independent production company Prairie Dog Film + Television, takes advantage of that scenery to shoot the police procedural Tribal. “Growing up in Alberta, I’m thankful to have Calgary close by as it offers many variations for high-production-value locations,” he tells MovieMaker. “With the drama series Tribal, our goal is to tell relevant, ripped-from-the-headlines Indigenous voiced stories that aren’t typically shown on-screen.”
He adds: “Calgary also offers an incredibly diverse landscape that makes it so storytellers have choices. You can go from a busy big city downtown to gorgeous mountain views or sprawling prairies within 30 minutes. Film and TV production has been booming in Alberta, and we are proud to be a Calgary company that facilitates all stages of production, including post-production for its shows in this province.”
9. Philadelphia
A shot from Swerve, which filmed in Philadelphia, one of our best places to live and work as a moviemaker. Photo by Monica Chang
This historic city is a particularly good place for young filmmakers to start their journey, considering there are 13 film schools to choose from, as well as 22 film festivals to showcase their work. It’s a much more affordable alternative to New York City for those that want to live close to the film industry there, and offers enough convenient public transportation that residents don’t need to drive much, either.
Walkable neighborhoods like Manayunk, Fishtown, Old City, Rittenhouse Square, South Philadelphia, and Germantown (to name just a few) offer unique charm, atmosphere, and architecture, and they’re all a short train ride away from each other, so it’s not hard to see friends across town. Cheesesteaks are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Philly’s delicious food, and tailgating is a popular pastime with five major sports teams to choose from. The region was showcased recently in the HBO hit drama Mare of Easttown, starring Kate Winslet, and continues to be the principal photography location for Season 3 of M. Night Shyamalan’s creepy Apple TV+ series Servant. Nearly 400 projects were shot in the City of Brotherly Love in the last fiscal year, bringing $147.8 million of direct spending to the area.
“Philadelphia embodies the independent spirit of our nation, and our film community is no different,” Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, tells MovieMaker. “In recent years, more and more independent films have chosen to set themselves up in Philadelphia, with a wide variety of budgets and needs. They aren’t the only ones who love our city, though. Multiple large studio projects also call our city home every year, along with plenty of local and national commercials, Oscar-nominated documentaries, a constant stream of music videos, and more. These projects all bring consistent work to our union and non-union crew. When you pair local moviemakers with our large contingent of artists, actors, musicians, and more, Philadelphia is the perfect place to foster your creative talents.”
8. Austin
Elizabeth Olsen in the new HBO Max show Love and Death, which filmed in Austin, one of our best places to live and work as a moviemaker. Courtesy of HBO Max
The SXSW Film Festival plans to return this year, which will no doubt give this film-friendly city a renewed sense of normalcy. There are also 35 other film festivals in the Texas capital, so opportunities for inspiration, networking, and showcasing your work are abundant, as is sunshine, warm weather, and great food. Also: jobs. The Austin Film Commission tells MovieMaker that productions generated an estimated $250 million in spending in 2021, thanks in part to the upcoming Robert Rodriguez thriller Hypnotic, starring Ben Affleck, and the HBO limited crime series Love and Death, starring Elizabeth Olsen and created by David E. Kelley. Although the area regularly draws feature and television production, film commissioner Brian Gannon says commercials are a lifeline for local crew.
“Our local indie filmmakers, like most places, pay the bills and finance projects doing commercial work,” Gannon tells MovieMaker. “Thirty-five commercials for national brand campaigns were filmed in Austin, including Lowes, Chevy, Kia, Toyota, HEB, Xfinity, Indian Motorcycle, Samsung, and Dell.”
Indie filmmakers have access to 19 equipment rental houses, dozens of production facilities, and a collaborative community of professional filmmakers, who are known for trading duties on each other’s projects, which can take advantage of free filming in city parks and on state property.
7. Chicago
This Midwestern metropolis is the place to be if you want to make TV. As of last September, the spend from productions was approaching $600 million, with 80 percent coming from episodic television, in addition to features and commercials. NBC dramas Chicago Med, Chicago PD, and Chicago Fire were among those productions, as well as HBO’s The Time Traveler’s Wife. Fox drama The Big Leap shot in Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, one of over a dozen production facilities in the area, including post-production houses, and local filmmakers have access to 16 equipment rental houses, as well as deeply experienced crews to use that equipment effectively. The Windy City’s film culture is further enriched by over 40 film festivals throughout the year, as well as 11 independent movie theaters, like the historic Music Box Theatre — a go-to venue for independent, foreign, cult, and classic films. Chicago’s iconic skyline and skyscrapers, combined with world-class architecture and scenic locations — urban, suburban, rural, and lakefront — make it as beautiful of a place to shoot as it is to live. And the state’s well-established production infrastructure, plus a 30 percent tax incentive for qualified Illinois spending, will continue luring major productions to the area so that local moviemakers can keep successfully doing what they love.
6. Vancouver
Netflix series Maid starring Andie MacDowell and her daughter Margaret Qualley filmed in Vancouver, one of our top best places to live and work as a moviemaker. Courtesy of Creative B.C.
This production-oriented city is a great place to make a living as a filmmaker, or to learn the craft by attending one of 17 film schools in the area. It’s the hometown of super-successful writing-producing duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who have returned to shoot multiple projects since Superbad launched their careers behind the camera.
Goldberg once told CBC News that growing up in an environment where production thrives put them on the path to success.
“I believe that there’s no chance either of us would be doing what we’re doing if we weren’t from a city that is a movie city,” he said. “A lot of my American friends don’t understand that this is truly a movie town.” Recent movies filmed in this bustling West Coast seaport include Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Disney’s live-action Peter Pan and Wendy, and the Jennifer Lopez assassin action thriller The Mother. On the television side, The CW takes full advantage of British Columbia’s attractive tax credit incentives to shoot Batwoman, Nancy Drew, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash. The sparkling, modern cityscape with a world-class public transportation system is surrounded by water on three sides, with mountain views and lots of green to balance out the skyscrapers and cement. That means when you’re not busy working, you can get busy living a very fulfilling life, loaded with culture and adventure. You’ll have countless options with Vancouver’s rich foodie scene, frequent film festivals, independent arthouse movie theaters, music venues, and five major sports teams. Four seasons allow for every type of outdoor fun imaginable, and you can find serenity now by basking in the city’s beautiful botanical and Zen gardens.
5. Boston
The Tender Bar, directed by George Clooney (L) filmed in Boston, one of our best places to live and work as a moviemaker. Photo by Claire Folger/Amazon
With roughly $300 million in production spending in the last year, Boston continues to move up in our ranking, and its promising outlook for the future of the business suggests it may be even higher on our list next year. The inviting 25% production credit, 25% payroll credit, and a sales-tax exemption was set to expire in 2022, but Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law last summer that made the Massachusetts film tax credit program permanent. The passage of that legislation led Angela Peri, the founder of Boston Casting, to tell Bloomberg Radio last summer that she expects a production boom similar to Toronto’s (more on that later).
“I’m telling you, there’s going to be work for everybody,” she said. “People should go back to college and learn how to become a crew member.” With 10 film schools in the area, it’s a great city to do just that. John Alzapiedi, assistant director of the Massachusetts Film Office, echoes that sentiment with some insider information: “A highly promising lineup of feature films and TV series [are] considering Massachusetts,” he tells MovieMaker.
And that’s after more big-budget productions already shot locally in 2021, including Marvel’s highly anticipated Black Panther sequel, another season of FX’s American Horror Story, Showtime’s Dexter, and the upcoming Jon Hamm comedy Confess, Fletch.
4. Montreal
If visual effects are your specialty, all the more reason to consider moving to this Canadian metropolis not far from the U.S. border. Over 40 VFX companies have set up shop in Montreal, making it one of the largest post-production hubs in the world. But there are also plenty of productions that come to the area for principal photography, as well. Last year, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was shot locally, and horror maestro Ari Aster shot his next feature, Disappointment Blvd., starring Joaquin Phoenix, in the area as well. “Québec is renowned throughout the world for its highly qualified, talented, creative, outstanding workforce,” Yan Ethier, cultural development agent at the Montréal Film and Television Commission tells MovieMaker. The office expects final figures for production spend in 2021 to be somewhere between $350-$400 million for film and TV production, and between $600-$700 million for VFX and animation. And the lure for live-action blockbuster productions from studios and streaming giants will only increase in 2023, when TVA Group’s 160,000-square-foot film studio MELS 4 opens for business. The cornucopia of employment opportunities in the expanding film and television production market is complimented by the city’s colorful neighborhoods, delicious eats, culturally diverse residents, and an abundance of festival events, such as the Montreal World Film Festival, the International Jazz Festival, and the Just for Laughs comedy festival.
The gravy on the poutine? Quebecers have a reputation for being warm, welcoming, tolerant and respectful, which is essential in a place to live and work.
3. Atlanta
The Georgia Department of Economic Development celebrated a blockbuster year of production in the state with a record $4 billion in direct spending in the 2021 fiscal year. The 366 productions filmed in Georgia included 21 feature films, 45 independent films, 222 television and episodic productions, 57 commercials, and 21 music videos.
Atlanta is the epicenter of all this activity. Recent productions include Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy 3, as well as the Netflix Halloween spectacular Boo!, starring Marlon Wayans and Stranger Things breakout Priah Ferguson as a father and daughter thwarting an ancient spirit. The area, which offers the second-
largest amount of sound stage space behind California, also welcomed Benicio Del Toro and Justin Timberlake to film Reptile, as well as Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Brendan Fraser and Peter Dinklage for Brothers. Gov. Brian Kemp touted record-breaking financial figures as a testament to early and effective safety protocols that allowed production to resume earlier than in other states. But recent legislation — like 2019’s “heartbeat” anti-abortion law and a 2021 voting law that limits mail-in voting and adds new identification requirements — turned off some filmmakers. Director Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith moved their Civil War drama Emancipation to New Orleans, while Mark Hamill and director James Mangold said they would no longer work in the state. “On behalf of the more than 18,000 members of the Directors Guild of America, including more than 400 who make their home in Georgia, and hundreds more who choose Georgia as the location for their film and television projects, we write to condemn the voter suppression law Senate Bill 202, which threatens to undermine the pillar of our democracy — the right to vote,” read a letter that the Directors Guild of America sent to the governor.
However, Black Panther II director Ryan Coogler and Tyler Perry are among the high-profile filmmakers who agree with former state representative and gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
“Boycotts have been an important tool throughout our history to achieve social change. But here’s the thing: Black, Latino, AAPI and Native American voters, whose votes are the most suppressed under SB 202, are also the most likely to be hurt by potential boycotts,” Abrams said. “To our friends across the country, please do not boycott us. And to my fellow Georgians, stay and fight, stay and vote.”
2. Toronto
The biggest city in Canada has also become one of the biggest production hubs in the world. The city’s film office tells MovieMaker that Toronto reached $2.2 billion in production spending in 2019, and despite the pandemic, is on target to exceed this record in 2021 and in 2022, with more productions than ever taking advantage of generous tax credits, a huge pool of experienced talent, and an expanding collection of sound stages.
By 2025, the city expects a 63% increase in sound stage space from the current capacity, expanding to 5,300,000 square feet. Hackman Capital Partners announced last November that it is working with the City of Toronto to develop a new complex called Basin Media Studios, which will offer eight large, state-of-the-art sound stages, production offices, and support and workshop space. The city expects it will create 750 direct jobs on-site, plus 880 indirect or induced jobs in the broader community, which also benefits from Netflix Canada and Amazon Studios Canada being headquartered in town.
The Netflix series Locke and Key shot Season 3 locally in 2021, as did Amazon’s subversive superhero series The Boys and Amazon’s adaptation of literary action hero Jack Reacher. Taylor Sheridan’s Mayor of Kingstown, starring Jeremy Renner, shot in the area as well. The city offers easily accessible public transportation, including a far-reaching network of subway lines, streetcars and buses, which connect residents with all of the art, food, culture, sports, and the outdoors that Toronto offers.
Continue for our Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2022
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