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Behind the Scenes of Virginia’s Burgeoning Film Industry

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Welcome to Virginia, motherland of presidents, a craft beer mecca, and in recent years, a burgeoning home for major motion pictures and television series.

Virginia has always been a low key place for the film industry to come knocking when it needed a location. Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” was shot right here in the River City, along with the Showtime CIA drama “Homeland,” AMC’s “Turn: Washington Spies,” and PBS’ Civil War flick “Mercy Street.” “Wonder Woman 1984″ is currently in production in Alexandria, and VMI in Lexington served as the location for the 1938 film “Brother Rat.” What was once a well-kept secret spot to film an indie film or a commercial is quickly becoming a go-to destination for Hollywood’s biggest features.

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Turn: Washington’s Spies, Photo: Virginia Production Alliance

But why are so many filmmakers flocking to the area all of a sudden? Part of it is our geographic backdrop. Like a beautiful chameleon in a James Bond film, Virginia’s landscape can, with a snap, easily become almost anywhere and everywhere. “Homeland” shot its seventh season in Richmond and used most of the city to play the part of Washington D.C.

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Virginia Film Office

“Virginia’s always had amazing locations, beautiful views, just really interesting buildings and streets, and cities and towns,” said local filmmaker Jai Jamison of the region. “I think they often say that Virginia can really play as anything, except maybe a desert. But you’ve got the beach, you’ve got mountains, you’ve got forests, you got cities, you’ve got all sorts of opportunities in Virginia, so filmmakers have always loved coming here.”

Jamison is a Richmond native who studied film at Oxford University and is the writer/director behind the forthcoming short, “Slave Cry,” a contemporary film set in his home city. He’s also worked on the set of “Lincoln.” And while that was one of his favorite pieces, he stressed that Virginia filmmaking is not just for period pieces.

Slave Cry

“There’s just so much that Virginia has to offer than just the historical stuff, ” Jamison said. “But, I’m happy that those exist and that we had those, but there are just so many more stories to tell.”

Although bringing filmmakers to Virginia costs money, the Commonwealth receives a major return on investment. From paying crews and actors to shoot in the state to Daniel Day-Lewis grabbing a bite at local spots, to stars settling in at Quirk Hotel, to something as simple as buying a sandwich from Ellwood Thompson’s, when film crews bustle into the state, Virginians makes money. According to a 2016 report by Mangum, an independent Glen Allen-based economics firm, the film industry contributed 4,287 full-time-equivalent jobs, $215 million in labor income, $697 million in economic output, and over $85 million in total tax revenue, of which $27 million was state and local tax revenue.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced earlier this year that “Homeland” produced upwards of $45 million in direct spending in the Commonwealth, representing the largest single production expenditure in Virginia history. Over its four years filming in Virginia, the TV series “Turn: Washington’s Spies” spent over $100 million. Most recently, Virginia Tourism paid “The Bachelorette” $536,000 to film in Richmond according to a Richmond-Times Dispatch article published this month. 

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Claire Danes in Homeland

But how can the state sustain this level of investment, and keep bringing in big film-makers, despite not being a destination on par with New York City or Atlanta, Georgia?

The answer may be easier than we think. Virginia Film Office President Andy Edmunds said the way to keep the state film industry growing is through television series and indie filmmaking.  Even though TV shows generally have a lower budget than films, having the consistent revenue would make a much larger drop in our money jar than maybe larger budget productions like “Wonder Woman.”

“Series is the way to build the ongoing industry. I’d love to have two big network series going in Richmond, two in Norfolk, two in Northern Virginia, then we’d become the real deal in production,” Edmunds said.

Edmunds has been with the Virginia Film Office for 17 years. He originally got into film through the music business as a singer/songwriter. During his time with the film office, one specific sector he’s seen a major impact from the film industry is the state restaurant scene.  

“I believe that the fact that high-profile productions were here and patronizing the earlier kind of iconic restaurant scene we had,” he said. “It helped to add to that explosion of the culinary scene here too. At the end of the day, it’s all about the food, just like any other industry.”

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“Blue Ruin” Photo By; Virginia Film Office

Los Angeles and New York, while forever prosperous, are becoming old news as the new giant that is Atlanta builds its foundation as the place to be on the East Coast for filmmaking. With blockbuster films and television series such as “Avengers: Infinity War” (and really the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe), Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” and AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” Atlanta is a force that’s here to stay. However, is Virginia on its way to becoming the next behemoth in filmmaking?

“We are in the position where we could become a major film destination, but really frankly, you have to have the economic environment on the ground,” Edmunds said. “When you have 6.5 versus 600 you’re not going to become Atlanta. At the end of the day, you’re buying jobs, and the question is but at what cost?”

Edmunds elaborated that Georgia made the economic decision, much like Canada, to really buy the industry. Vancouver and Toronto specifically are major film-making destinations.

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TURN: Washington Spies, Virginia Production Alliance

“Virginia; Richmond in particular, is really suited for it because of the entire creative class here,” Edmunds continued. “All of this creative arts energy just really sets us up, combined with this cinematic palette, we could rule. The one thing that kills us though is Atlanta has 22 direct flights a day to LA.”

While this isn’t as much of an issue in Northern Virginia with airports such as Dulles, it still causes a bit of an inconvenience for Richmond.

There is a benefit to having more high-profile projects coming to the state on a more personal level. Once upon a time, film students at Virginia Commonwealth University or Old Dominion University would have to prepare themselves to move to New York City or Los Angeles upon graduation to continue their craft. Now, there is more promise for staying home if that’s the route they choose.

“If you’re a hard worker, there’s opportunity and a place for you,” said local filmmaker Keith Jackson. “When Homeland came here, every episode, every director or producer would have a shadow. They would encourage locals who were aspiring filmmakers to come on set and see how things were done. I thought that was a very beneficial thing.”

Jackson is an aspiring director who followed his heart to film because of a life-long love of storytelling. As a graduate of ODU, working on projects such as “Loving” has also given him some insight as to why Virginia stays busy: tax incentive.

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“I think that really encouraged the industry to come here and make high-quality projects at a price that’s fair,” Jackson said.

The Virginia General Assembly passed the Motion Picture Tax Credit bill back in 2010, making productions eligible for reimbursement for a portion of filming costs through refundable income tax credits. The Virginia Film Office offered up $700,000 in a grant and up to $6.5 million in tax credits for “Homeland” to film in Virginia. With these sort of incentives, Jackson hopes that will spur more indie filmmakers and even bigger films to consider producing their works here. 

“Hopefully it continues to grow [for] aspiring filmmakers from here to do their projects and tell their stories. All of these shows coming here gives us the experience and the knowledge to do that,” he added. 

Virginia has always been a beautiful state, filled with potential narratives outside of a bucket full of dead presidents and the Civil War. The only difference now is that the world is finally understanding what we have known all along: we are not just the diamond in the rough, we are a beautiful landscape with an anthology of stories to tell.

Top Photo: Virginia Film Office

Virginia offers unique backdrops, draws national talent as filmmaking industry grows

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While walking through Petersburg, Virginia in the springtime, it’s not uncommon to see constructed sets or altered buildings. AMC’s “TURN: Washington’s Spies” is wrapping up production of its fourth and final season, but it is just one of many film projects in Virginia’s growing industry.

“TURN” actor Samuel Roukin has also been directing his film, Demus, here in Richmond. He consulted the Virginia Film Office for the project. The science fiction film was co-written by Roukin and he also plays a role in it.


Production photo from Demus filming at Black Iris Gallery via Dennis Williford

Roukin said the plot stemmed from the social phenomena of how people can walk into a bar and tell a stranger their troubles or darkest thoughts more easily than they can tell the people they love most. Enter the eponymous main character, who has the ability to extract negative energy from people in the gritty post-world war three setting.

“Once the script was written and I knew that I wanted to do it in Richmond, I gave the script to Andy Edmunds to read… then we began location scouting,” Roukin said. “If there’s somewhere worth filming in Richmond, [Edmunds and co} know who to talk to about it.”

Andy Edmunds is the director of the Virginia Film Office, and perhaps the state’s biggest fan.

“It is my pleasure to wake up every day and convince people to come to Virginia to make television shows, movies, commercials and anything that requires a location pallet,” Edmunds said. “We certainly have a great pallet here in Virginia because of the diverse topography and architecture. It really is America in miniature. You can pretty much shoot anything in Virginia.”

The film office helps with a number of special, localized issues, among those is scouting filming locations.

“It’s great when a show comes and especially when they stay for many years,” Edmunds said. “You create these relationships and these friendships that will last far beyond the film production.”

While the overall state of Virginia has diverse landscapes, its capital city, Richmond, has diverse architecture that has helped launch it to the forefront (or background) for some flicks. Demus, which is set in a near future, yet post-apocalyptic world relied on the unique aesthetics that Richmond has to offer.

Roukin gravitated towards the derelict buildings found on Belle Isle and the contrast of a futuristic setting with the old-time charm of Main Street Station.

“[Richmond] is very beautiful, but also there’s a fair amount of dereliction as well, which is really underrated in a city,” Roukin said.

But Turn and Demus are far from the only films which have highlighted the area’s colonial or post-colonial architecture, films like Lincoln and Loving as well as shows like Mercy Street on PBS have all sought the region to fit their period movies.

Though Lincoln was a big budget Spielberg project, Edmunds claims that independent films and series television are the primary targets the office attracts.

“In series television it’s like a content manufacturing operation,” Edmund said. “They come year after year There are a lot of local crew members and talent, and it’s a way to have ongoing jobs.”

According to 2015 data from the office, the production of TURN had a $175 million impact. AMC also aired a tourism advertisement during the show’s broadcast. This co-branding creates a unique chance to further spotlight the Commonwealth beyond it’s on-screen role.

“Part of our arrangement and our incentive package is that they will create a commercial for tourism and include a broadcast of that commercial during the show,” Edmunds explained.

He cites a growing interest for people to visit filming locations, such as the spike in New Zealand tourism related to the Lord of the Rings franchise. He is proud of the Film Office tapping into that stream of tourism here in the state.

It isn’t just the film office that strives to grow the industry in the state though.

Similar to Austin, TX, South By Southwest film and music festival, local filmmaker Heather Waters created the Richmond International Film Festival to foster local talent and place Virginia in the global filmmaking radar.

Throughout her career, Waters has spent time in more film-dominated cities like Los Angeles and Atlanta. When she moved to Richmond, she recognized the potential and the streets that bustles with creative, industrious possible-employees.

“It was really just seeing a need that we had here, and having a desire to grow Richmond into what I feel it can be,” Waters said.

Since its inception, RIFF has expanded its venue locations and included musical acts as well. The goal is to attract international filmmakers who may be interested in filming in Virginia, but there’s economic impact as well. The festival draws in some tourism, bolstering local businesses, from stores to restaurants and hotels.

Though the festival begins in late February, Waters plans to hold the 2018 festival at a later starting date in order for the warmer weather to open more outdoor venues for the musical acts.

“It’s not just about the film festival and the music festival,” Waters said. “It’s also about our local businesses and the development of that.”

Emmy award-winning documentary and motion picture filmmaker Jesse Vaughn’s film The Last Punch was screened during the 2017 festival. The movie tells the story of Muhammad Ali’s final fight and the Atlanta-based hustler turned boxing promoter who made it happen.

“The Last Punch” Trailer from Mad Box on Vimeo.

“I love the state of Virginia. This is where I’m from. Everything is here,” Vaughn said. “If you look at even Richmond alone, it can play for New York City. It can play for Baltimore. It can play for Washington D.C.”

Though The Last Punch premiered at RIFF, it was actually filmed in Georgia. However, Vaughn is eager to bring a future project into Virginia.

Another big-time boon for film making across the country is the tax incentives states can make available. And as states like Georgia, which have seen rapid growth of film in connection to larger tax cuts, are unsure how to weight those impacts, leaving the door open for the Commonwealth to get ahead of the fray.

And in the mean time, competition is stiff; New York, California and GA offer up to 30 percent rebate while Virginia only offers 15 to 20 percent.

“We have been able to move the boulder up the hill little by little over the years,” Edmunds explained.

In 2010, legislation was introduced through the Virginia General Assembly that established the Motion Picture Tax Credit, which is a refundable income tax credit for film productions in the state. In recent years, the credit cap off has grown.

Edmunds explained that at one point the Film Office had a $200,000 grant pool to work with, but after high profile projects like Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” and AMC’s “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” the office was able to bump the funds upward. And all of that still pales in comparison to GA’s $200 million a year,

But Edmunds is optimistic, He believes there will be another push to increase funds in the next legislative session. Until then, we’ll see you at the movies.

Top image via via Dennis Williford