If you are fanatical about Shakespeare, top-notch coffee, zero traffic and no sales tax, Ashland may be the perfect place to put down creative roots. Living in the tiny 20,000-strong nook of Jackson County won’t come very cheap, but Ashland’s pros—and its beauty, both natural and manmade—outweigh the cons. Oregon continues to feed its film economy with steady support: The City of Ashland gave Southern Oregon Film and Media a $14,000 economic development grant in 2016, and the state’s overall incentive increase includes funding for productions outside the Portland metro area. Muse, thy name is Ashland!
Heading for the hills: Moviemakers in Ashland capitalize on the surrounding natural beauty. Photograph by Mary Wilkins Kelly
Home to the Rock and Roll Hall Fame and the iconic mainstreet USA neighborhood from A Christmas Story, Cleveland is one of the most walkable cities in the United States, with a cost of living roughly nine percent below the national average. Aspiring moviemakers take note: Cleveland State University will open Ohio’s first standalone School of Film, Television, and Interactive Media in 2017. As part of the state’s newfound focus on moviemaking, the city offers a healthy 30 percent tax credit on qualified in-state production expenses (minimum spend $300,000). We’re keeping an eye on this one.
Pair Pennsylvania’s vibrant film incentives with a city that’s been named America’s most livable several times in the past couple of decades, and you get the appeal of Pittsburgh. It’s got three rivers, 446 bridges (who doesn’t love a good, dramatic bridge scene?), an abundance of fries and a thriving arts community. Last year, the city generated over $100 million dollars from assorted movie projects, among them Denzel Washington’s Fences based on a play by unofficial Pittsburgh laureate August Wilson, and Richard Linklater’s Last Flag Flying. MM
This article appears in MovieMaker‘s Winter 2017 issue, on newsstands February 7, 2017. Illustrations by Kim Salt.
Read last year’s lists here: Big Cities, Small Cities and Towns. Is there a place you think should be in the running for 2018? Tell us where and why in the comments!
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A robust incentive providing solid work opportunites, a strong commitment by the local community in developing the next generation, a state funded creative development program pairing young filmmakers with Hollywood professionals, and an internationally recognized film festival alone should qualify Honolulu for the list, add the beaches, year round tropical climate, and the availability of diverse locations and population (see 'Lost' and 'Hawaii Five-0') and the Aloha State should easily be a contender for the top 10.
Agreed! I'd love to shoot a film in Hawaii. Denver didn't make the list because our incentive package is shite. However, there were 3 films from Colorado at Sundance this year.
Silly question, how bad is the Tax incentive in Colorado ? I looked at the Colorado Film Office and their incentives are at 20%. My guess is that it's not great compared to 40% in Atlanta ?
Also, as the feature "The Mountain Between Us" discovered, the east Kootenay's area is also a great spot with an international airport (Cranbrook) and endless camera friendly locations. Not to mention a few knowledgeable locals who can create great scenery!
New Orleans has some great vendors who will work with indie filmmakers. We also have a lot of crew who have worked both the studio films and the low budget indie films (I am one of the people).
Also, the credits didn't take a blow. We simply have a cap now. The credits are still there, and smaller films can get their credits as well.
We are also getting better with places to see movies.
I am so happy to see my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio here. When I started my company Prelude2Cinema, people always told me I couldn't be a real filmmaker unless I moved to Hollywood. I am so glad that ideal is finally changing and you can make movies anywhere even in Cleveland.
Alex Michaels
As always, a great compilation of places to be as a moviemaker. Nice to see some international coverage as well, like Toronto. As a former resident, I've known a handful of people who have had great experiences directing and on the set of films in the area. And all the best people come out of Canada, ey?
Cheers from Ontario,
Liam
So, Pittsburgh is in the small cities and towns category and Albuquerque is in Big cities? Using the city proper population is a strange choice indeed... Don't you realize that the political structures of city limits bias lists like this to west coast or sunbelt (newer) cities? Don't you also realize that the same political structures have no effect on economic opportunities for filmmakers? Or do filmmakers usually just refuse to shoot anything if they have to cross a county line? Get real.
Cleveland/Pittsburgh are both bigger than Austin... Hmm...
When clicking on the Albuquerque link it takes me to Memphis, TN instead...
I live and work in San Francisco as a filmmaker, film distributor and film preservationist. I was very surprised not to see San Francisco on the list of best places to live and work as a filmmaker in your 2017 survey. There are many filmmakers working here, thousands of them, and some of the best support from organizations, film festivals, and the City of SF. Add to that San Francisco, itself, is one of the most beautiful natural "backlots" in which to film, with great dining and entertainment, and it just doesn't make sense that San Francisco did not make the list. We are a gigantic tech capital, too. Dolby's new building is just one block from where I live, and I can literally see into the offices of Twitter from my apartment. It was very disappointing not to see our city on your list.
one of my favorite cities to visit but affordability is an issue.
Yes, Santa Fe IS wonderful.
But saguaros? They don't exist here.
Otherwise, nice artwork.