The Savannah Film Commission’s annual report, released last week by city officials, contains some pretty impressive numbers.
According to the press release, the Savannah Film Office set a number of records in 2012: 242 projects, 715 shoot days and a total economic impact of $26 million, including $12.2 million in direct spending.
And I’m guessing the ultimate impact is going to stretch far beyond that number although we’ll never be able to measure it.
When “CBGB” is released later this year, Savannah will reap a public relations bonanza via fans of Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Ashley Greene, Stana Katic and others.
And if the movie turns out to be pretty good, or even just sort of OK, “CBGB” could fuel tourist spending and social media buzz for many years.
The commission’s annual report also points out that lower profile projects sometimes put more locals to work than do the ones that get the most attention.
For example, “The Last Song,” the $30-million Miley Cyrus movie released in 2010, hired two locals for management positions and 13 locals for skilled jobs.
But “Enchanted Amore,” which filmed here in 2012 with a budget of less than $2 million, hired nine local residents in managerial positions and 28 for skilled positions.
Ditto for last year’s “Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies.” According to the report, that low-budget flick used local hires for all but three crew positions and for much of the cast.
So there was the increased economic impact, plus the work “provided a valuable opportunity for local professionals to move up in their craft,” according to the report.
“Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies” brought something else to the table. As the report drily notes, “It also fulfilled the secret dream of many locals to be in a zombie movie.”
As we develop a larger base of human capital with more experience and more technical expertise, we’ll be in an even better position to attract projects in the future.
And as more opportunities arise, we’re likely to see more SCAD graduates stick around. Many would love to stay in Savannah after getting their degrees, but they simply don’t see chances to advance their careers.
The commission’s report also details the student projects, TV ads, music videos and the many photo shoots that the Savannah Film Office facilitated last year. The numbers do not include a wide array of local media projects, including the vast majority of student films or most of the work of local production companies.
An impressive year all the way around, clearly the best since the Savannah Film Office was opened in 1995.
City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net and http://www.billdawers.com. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.