Insight Into Atlanta Film Industry

Dubbed “The Hollywood of the South”, Atlanta has a very strong game in the film industry, becoming an evermore popular location for filmmakers and their projects. You would be surprised at how many famous movies were filmed here. Gone with the Wind (1939), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), and Deliverance (1972) form part of the portfolio of classic films shot in Atlanta. More recent titles include box office successes such as the Divergent series (2014 – 2016), Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) and Baby Driver (2017). Additionally, the Marvel Universe is also a very frequent Atlanta visitor, having shot production biggies such as Avengers: Infinity War, Spider-man: Homecoming, Black Panther, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Guardians of The Galaxy and Captain America: Civil War in the various popular filming locations in the city.

We will go over some more titles later, but first let’s take a look at why Atlanta has been the choice for so many filmmakers over the years and which locations have proven to be most popular for shooting.

Production-friendly Georgia

A very encouraging element for filmmakers to make movies in Atlanta is: The Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act (GEIIA), which offers a flat tax credit of 20 percent to certified projects. That’s quite an attractive incentive wouldn’t you say? Of course this benefit doesn’t come without its paperwork, but it is very accessible to all production companies shooting in Georgia, even if their headquarters are not based in the state. An additional 10 percent can be acquired through the Georgia Entertainment Promotion (GEP) uplift, whereby production companies agree to display Georgia’s film logo in the credits of their motion picture, and also include exploregeorgia.org on the motion picture’s promotional website. If you’ve ever respectfully stayed seated at the movie theater when the end-credits start rolling, you may have recognised this logo:

If you spot that logo in the credits of a movie, it is likely that the production company responsible for that motion picture was successful in obtaining funding from the GEIIA. That’s something we like to celebrate so hooray for them and hooray for Atlanta. We’re proud that Atlanta is the most popular city for filmmakers in the state and is able to contribute to the world of motion pictures and entertainment.

Popular Atlanta Filming Locations

Alongside the recently mentioned monetary benefit, Atlanta has many idealistic locations that over the years have seduced location scouts looking for a set for their newest project. Thanks to Atlanta’s architecture, moderate climate and transportation infrastructure among other elements, there are dozens of popular sites used in famous movies that you will surely recognise. Here are just a few of the most famous locations:

Atlanta Marriott Marquis: The Atlanta Marriott Marquis has the largest atrium in the world making it a unique and popular filming location. The hotel can be seen in movies such as Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), Flight (2012) and Spider-man: Homecoming (2017).

Porsche Experience Center: Porsche’s first North American headquarters was used as the location of the Avenger’s HQ in Captain America: Civil War (2016).

Turner Field Stadium: The Turner Field Stadium played host to films such as Trouble With The Curve (2012), Million Dollar Arm (2014) and The Change Up (2011).

Oscar Winning Movies Shot In Atlanta

Black Panther (2018), dir Ryan Coogler: Filmed at EUE Screen Gem Studios and in and around Atlanta, Black Panther was nominated for seven Academy Awards and ultimately won three of them; Best Achievement in Music written for Motion Pictures (Original Score); Best Achievement in Costume Design; Best Achievement in Production Design.

The Blind Side (2009), dir John Lee Hancock: In this biographical movie the school scenes took place at International School and Westminster School in Atalanta and features many of the schools’ real students as extras in the film. Miss Congeniality actress Sandra Bullock won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Lay Anne Tuohy.

Forrest Gump (1994), dir Robert Zemeckis: Nominated for a massive 13 Academy Awards. The bench on which Forrest tells his story and opens that box of chocolates was purposefully placed at Chippewa Square only for filming before it was later moved to the nearby Savannah History Museum. Of the 13 Oscar nominations, the movie swooped up 6 of the statues for Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role (for Tom Hanks), Best Director (Robert Zemeckis), Best Screenplay based on previous material, Best Film Editing and Best Visual Effects.

I, Tonya (2017), dir Craig Gillespie: Shot in Atlanta and Macon, Georgia. The ice skating scenes were filmed at the Macon Centreplex. I, Tonya was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Actress in a Leading Role and Achievement in Film Editing, however only Allison Janney won the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Selma (2014), dir Ava DuVeraney: Filming took place around Marietta Square and Rockdale County Courthouse in Conyers, a suburb of Atlanta. Selma was nominated in two categories at the Academy Awards; Best Motion Picture and Best Original Song, but only took home the Oscar for Best Original Song, which had been produced by music industry heavyweights John Legend and Common.

That’s a wrap! We hope you enjoyed this insight into the Atlanta Film Industry. It is exciting for us to be part of a community that encourages the art of motion picture entertainment. If you’re interested in finding out more on this topic, we recommend you check out Explore Georgia, where you can find many interesting and fun facts about the goings-on in the Atlanta and Georgia film industry in general.

And remember, if you’re visiting Georgia and are keen on seeing some famous filming locations in Atlanta, enquire with us today, and we can tailor a Custom Group or Private Tour for you, where we’ll cover plenty of sightseeing of famous filming locations.