One of the best things about cinema is its power to transport us to other places and expose us to new cultures.

One of the biggest ironies of the film industry, however, is that a vast majority of American-made films are shot in Los Angeles or New York, with many scenes taking place on a soundstage where weather, lighting, and sound are strictly controlled.

Frequently, though, filmmakers will choose to shoot on location — making a film seem more authentic by taking advantage of interesting local architecture or natural features. In recent years, Winston-Salem has seen a significant increase in film productions, with camera crews becoming a near-familiar sight around town. This jump has given the city both increased visibility and revenue. Filmmakers get access to fresh and original locations, audiences around the world become a bit more acquainted with Winston-Salem, and local businesses, people, and government benefit from the millions of dollars spent for film shoots. And to think, this win-win result all started with a bit of destiny.

Once Upon a Time ...
One of the first major Hollywood productions to use Winston-Salem as a location was Mr. Destiny. Directed by James Orr, the film was shot throughout the city in 1990. Starring James Belushi, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Caine, the film tells the story of a man who feels unsatisfied with his life and gets the opportunity to see if things could have turned out differently.

When the film came to town, it was “the first time that city leaders recognized the huge economic impact that filmmaking could have on the region. The filmmakers pretty much took over the city,” says Rebecca Clark, director of the nonprofit Piedmont Triad Film Commission. The production splashed money around the community, from dry cleaning and rental cars to office space and restaurants. In its wake — and prompted by the formation of the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 1993 — it was decided that the city would make an effort to lure more productions.

“[It was] felt that there was a need for the city to further promote and market the community to recruit more film business,” Clark explains, “in hopes that not only will film production boost the local economy but that the students would have real work experience upon graduation — or be able to get experience as interns while in school.”

And so the local film commission was created. Clark was hired as a location scout in 1994, a year after the office was formed, and became its director in 2000. The investment started paying dividends quickly. In fall 2001, while many local businesses — and particularly the tourism industry — were suffering in the wake of September 11, Clark managed to recruit a young filmmaker to shoot his short film, Two Soldiers, in town. At the time, Clark says she worried that the commission might have to close its doors due to lack of funding. But what happened next was pure Hollywood.

“That production was important to me on so many levels,” Clark says. Once production started, “here were these filmmakers coming to town booking up hotel rooms, hiring local crews — spending money. It was great! The filmmakers also utilized many interns from UNCSA’s School of Filmmaking and gave the students some great experience and connections. … The icing on the cake was being at an Oscar Night America party in Winston-Salem with many of the city and county leaders when Two Soldiers won. Aaron Schneider, the director, thanked me personally — and thanked the School of Filmmaking in his acceptance speech, which gave the region and the school positive worldwide publicity on top of everything else.”

That early success soon led to more funding from local government bodies, and from there, the 2005 film Junebug. Directed by Phil Morrison and written by Angus MacLachlan — who both grew up in Winston-Salem — the film follows an eager art dealer who travels to the city to schmooze with an artist and meet her new in-laws. Offering a fresh spin on the traditional fish-out-of-water tale, and featuring local people and culture throughout, the film played at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win an Oscar nomination for supporting actress Amy Adams.

What’s My Motivation?
Aaron Syrett, the director of the North Carolina Film Office, is the state’s principal liaison to the film industry. Last year, he says, film spending in the state increased by 60 percent and North Carolina ranked in the top five in the United States for on-location shoots.

But things weren’t always that rosy. In the 1980s and early ’90s, Syrett says North Carolina was the “king” of on-location productions. But then the value of the dollar dropped and other countries — particularly Canada — started offering aggressive tax incentives to foreign films. As a result, productions that were planning to shoot on-location left the country to benefit from more advantageous economics, and individual states had to create incentives of their own to compete. In fall 2006, North Carolina established three incentives to lure production back. Syrett says the most popular offer gives producers who spend at least $250,000 in the state a 15-percent refundable tax credit. There’s also a drastically reduced sales tax and a credit against state tax liability available.

“We are slowly regaining our share of the market. But as we move forward, states like Georgia and Illinois have upped their incentives, which raises the level of competition,” Syrett says. “Producers will shop their pictures around to various states and countries. Without the incentive, North Carolina would no longer be on the map. It has become a very competitive industry.”

But it’s not just tax incentives that lure film productions. Clark says that filmmakers also want to know if an area has the appropriate infrastructure. Specifically, she says, producers look for an area to have experienced crew and companies that support film productions. Simply put, if an area doesn’t have those things, then the people and equipment used for the shoot will have to be brought in at a tremendous expense. And then, of course, it’s important for a place to have the right kind of look. In both regards, says Clark, North Carolina — and Winston-Salem, especially — are very well-positioned.

“Our region is unique in that we have three major cities within 20 to 30 miles [of each other] so that when a film company comes to Winston-Salem to film, they may also utilize locations, crews, and services in Greensboro and High Point,” Clark says. “The region [also] has a wide variety of looks and can double for almost any part of the United States. We have mountainous regions, flatlands, big-city looks, quaint small towns, mansions, farms, and lots of land all within a short driving distance from downtown Winston-Salem. And we have a long, steady list of movies that have already been made here, which assures filmmakers that we do have the resources filmmakers need locally.”

Winston-Salem also has a remarkably solid crew base, thanks in large part to the UNCSA, which trains hundreds of filmmakers and film technicians from around the country. Some of its graduates have gone on to make films in Winston-Salem, such as David Gordon Green, a 1998 graduate who made his debut feature, the critically acclaimed George Washington, here in 2000.

A Good Year
2008 was an especially successful year for local film production. One highlight was a film from former UNCSA staff member Ramin Bahrani, one of the independent film world’s newest auteur directors. Earlier this year he completed work on Goodbye Solo, a fictional tale about a taxi driver who starts a friendship with a man who wants to end his life at the end of the month.

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won a major jury prize, and the Toronto International Film Festival. Eventually, he secured a distribution deal with Los Angeles-based Roadside Attractions. Audiences will see the skyline and landscape of Winston-Salem, which figure prominently throughout Bahrani’s film, when it lands in theaters in spring 2009.

“It was a pleasure to shoot in North Carolina,” he says. “The people of Winston-Salem and of Blowing Rock opened their arms to us with generosity, making the shooting of the film that much easier. It was a great experience for me to make this film in my hometown.”

Two other independent films shot in town are wrapping up, with hopes of soon landing a theatrical distribution deal. The Fifth Quarter, directed by Rick Bieber, is about the death of 15-year-old Luke Abbate and its effect on his brother, former Wake Forest University linebacker Jon Abbate. The film includes scenes set on the Wake Forest campus, BB&T Field, Mellow Mushroom, Old Salem, and Foothills Brewery, among other locales.

Additionally, the effects-heavy, science-fiction cautionary tale Eyeborgs was directed by former UNCSA instructor Richard Clabaugh. Telling the story of a world in which robotic cameras are allowed to follow citizens and eventually pose a major threat to humanity, the film was shot downtown and will feature city landscapes, familiar landmarks, and even some aerial photography of the city.

Despite recent trends, film crews around town don’t always signify a feature destined for theaters. Clark says it’s important to remember that Winston-Salem has a long history of attracting television productions, commercials, and short films, not to mention dozens of student productions that pop up during the school year.

And then there are animated films created by Out of Our Minds Animation Studios. Their first feature, The Magistical, is seeking distribution. But don’t try to find familiar landscapes here; instead, it’s filled with dragons, magical spoons, and houses made of food. “Because we work in animation, we’re able to reach beyond the city limits and are only limited by our imagination,” says Keith Hobgood, illustration director. “But Winston-Salem is a fertile place for film production — loaded with local talent — and has been a great home for us.”

Andrew Rodgers is the executive director of the RiverRun International Film Festival.

THE FAKE OUT

There’s a long Hollywood tradition of making one thing seem like another. A young woman can be made to look old with makeup; a character can be made to seem more devious through lighting; and, quite often, a city can be made to stand-in for another place entirely.

Winston-Salem has both suffered and benefited from this bit of movie magic. The best-known recent example is the 2008 film Leatherheads, directed by and starring George Clooney. The film, which is a screwball romantic comedy set in the world of 1920s professional football, was shot largely in the South and mainly in North Carolina. And yet, the story line never once veers below the Mason-Dixon Line. Nearly all of the film’s scenes are set in either Duluth or Chicago.

Various Winston-Salem locations figured prominently in the production, with all of the principal cast and crew spending many weeks in town for the shoot.
Interior scenes intended to portray the office of a Chicago newspaper, for instance, were filmed on the second floor of the Millennium Center, while the speakeasy scenes were shot in the basement.

On the other hand, there is Thank You For Smoking, Jason Reitman’s 2005 satire about a tobacco lobbyist in which Winston-Salem’s long association with the industry was frequently referenced.

In one of the film’s more memorable Winston-Salem-related scenes, the main character, played by Aaron Eckhart, comes to the city in order to meet with the head of his company, the “Captain,” played by Robert Duvall.

Clearly intended to play on unfortunate stereotypes about the South, the scene features a gentleman’s club complete with mint juleps, burnished leather furniture, and dutiful African-American waiters. Yes, the city had quite the moment in that film. But in truth, the production never stepped foot into town — the entire thing was presumably shot on a soundstage in California.

Feature-length productions that were filmed either entirely or in part in Winston-Salem:
The 5th Quarter (2009) / Leatherheads (2008) / Goodbye Solo (2008) / Eyeborgs (2008) / Lost Stallions: The Journey Home (2008) / From Bubba with Love (2008) / The Key Man (2007) / Fall Down Dead (2007) / Home of the Giants (2007) / Junebug (2005) / The Trouble with Frank (aka: Pucked) (2006) / Little Chicago (2005) / Chicks 101 (2004) / Two Soldiers (2003) / Cabin Fever (2002)  / George Washington (2000) / The Girls’ Room (2000) / Doomsday Man (1999) / He Got Game (1998) / The Lesser Evil (1998) / Last Lives (1997) / Eddie (1996) / Music of Chance (1993) / Mr. Destiny (1990) / The Bedroom Window (1987)