Lights, cameras of film industry make a comeback in NC

North Carolina’s link to Hollywood dates back more than 60 years, to the filming of “Davy Crocket, King of the Wild Frontier.” Since then, other blockbusters have followed, like “Bull Durham,” “Talledega Nights,” “Forrest Gump” and “Iron Man 3.”

But not long after that superhero movie hit the theaters, North Carolina’s film and television industry came crashing to the ground. Lawmakers ditched an incentives program to lure productions. They also passed the controversial “Bathroom Bill” which prohibited North Carolina municipalities from establishing protections for LGBTQ people. House Bill 2 got its nickname because it required that people using public bathrooms do so only in those that aligned with the gender they were assigned at birth – a direct discrimination against transgender people.

H.B. 2 sent industries, including the entertainment industry, searching for new homes.

WRAL Investigates found the lights, camera, action are making a big comeback thanks to a new grant program that allows film and television productions to recoup some of the money they spend in North Carolina.

Johnny Griffin, director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, says 2021 is a banner year. “It is going to be the biggest year ever for production in Wilmington and North Carolina.”

WRAL Investigates found the numbers bear that out. From 2016 through 2020, the movie and television industry had a $355 million impact on the state's economy. This year alone, it's expected to generate $409 million. That blows away the previous high of $340 million, which was set in 2012, the year "Iron Man 3" was filmed.

While the pandemic shuttered productions briefly, Griffin says there’s actually a silver lining. “There’s just so much content now that’s being produced, all of those streaming services,” he explains. The pandemic fueled the public’s need for more entertainment. That means more consistent business for North Carolina.

“Ten sound stages are occupied,” says Griffin. “There’s four productions on the studio lot. We’ve had three productions that we’ve had to find other facilities for.”

While the total number of productions is still off pace from a blistering 2013, Griffin says projects are lining up. As soon as one wraps, another is under way.

“Word has gotten out that North Carolina has firmed up those incentives,” says Guy Gaster, who heads up the North Carolina Film Office.

When productions come to town, they spend money on clothing, set construction and essentially create full-time jobs for production contractors. “The incentive isn’t about getting Tom Cruise or any other celebrity shooting here. The real incentive is about creating those jobs,” says Gaster.

Right now in the Wilmington area, at least 1,300 people are working on movies and television shows like “Florida Man,” which is shooting in a local neighborhood.

For Griffin, the industry’s comeback was expected, but at a much slower pace. “We felt confident once everything got past COVID and studios figured out how we could back to work again, that it would ramp up really quickly. But I don’t think anyone would think how quickly,” Griffin said.

And he sees plenty of sequels. “This time it feels different. We’re really moving forward. We’re on a roll,” says Griffin.

For more information about what’s filming in our area and which productions need extras, check out the Wilmington Regional Film Commission.