in 

Hollywood is coming to Georgia for one reason - they can save almost ONE THIRD of their budget if they film here.  A recent law has been passed allowing a 30% tax break for movies filming in Georgia with budgets of over $500,000.  More than 700 film and television projects have been shot in Georgia including: Fireproof, We Are Marshall, Driving Miss Daisy, Sweet Home Alabama, Forrest Gump, Warm Springs (Winner of 5 Emmy awards), In the Heat of the Night, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Blind Side (Oscar nominated for Best Picture), The Last Song, Zombieland, Get Low, The Crazies, Life As We Know It, Due Date, Halloween 2, Killers, The Greening of Whitney Brown, Van Wilder 3, Road Trip 2, The Vampire Diaries, Drop Dead Diva, The Joneses and My Super Psycho Sweet 16.

Statewide Impact:

• Three of Tyler Perry’s made-in-Georgia films have opened at No. 1 at the box office.  "The Blind Side" and "Zombieland" also hit #1 at the box office during their theatrical run and both made over $100 millon dollars.
• The HBO feature "Warm Springs" garnered 16 Emmy nominations with 8 Georgians represented in six categories. It ended up winning 5 Emmys, including 3 presented to Georgians. Filming locations included Warm Springs, Gainesville, Atlanta, Madison and Summerville.
• Crawfordville has been host to over 8 feature films and television movies ("Sweet Home Alabama," "The Neon Bible," "Stars and Bars," "The Coward of the County").
•  Savannah has been host to dozens of feature film and television projects that include: "The Legend of Bagger Vance," "Forrest Gump," "The Gift," "Glory," "Forces of Nature," and "The General’s Daughter."
• Columbus hosted "The Fighting Temptations" at the new performing arts center.
• Covington has been home to dozens of feature and television projects that include the hit series "In the Heat of the Night" and "The Vampire Diaries".
• Rome hosted "Sweet Home Alabama," as well as "The Mosquito Coast," "Remember the Titans" and "Class of 61."
• Americus was host to the TV movie "To Dance with the White Dog."
• The small town of Juliette was revitalized when "Fried Green Tomatoes" was largely shot in their community.

General Facts:

• Television networks, Hollywood studios, production companies and independent producers invested more than $770 million in Georgia in calendar '09.
• The economic impact of this investment was $1.3 billion dollars.
• 13 industry supply-chain companies have recently located to Georgia.
• There were 637 productions shot in the state in 2008.
• There are approximately 25,000 entertainment industry jobs in Georgia.
• Over 700 feature films, TV movies, TV series, single episodes and pilots have been produced in Georgia since 1972, generating $5 billion dollars in economic impact.
• The state’s first tax incentive, a point of purchase sales and use tax exemption was introduced in 2002.
• The state’s second and most progressive tax incentive, the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, was signed into law by Governor Sonny Perdue in May 2005 and updated in May 2008.  
• These industry establishments are supported wholly or in part by the production of feature films; television movies, series, pilots and miniseries; commercials, music videos, documentaries and still shoots.
• Number of crew members: 5,000+ individuals/technicians.
• Average number of local employees on a medium budget feature film: Approximately 150-175 people.
• Average feature film budget: $41.7 million.
• Average amount (below-the-line) of feature film budget spent in a jurisdiction (state, province): 50% - 70%. Higher for locally produced projects.
• More than 14 in-state colleges and universities offer degrees or study in film and video.
• There are 132 movie theaters in Georgia, with 1,208 screens, employing 1,254 people.