The number of projects shooting in Georgia has remained flat for the past two months, running about 25 percent behind the amount of business a year ago before the pandemic.
After a shutdown in March, there was a quick ramp up in July and August that has since stalled. On August 24, Georgia had 29 active productions. In September, the state had 26.
Currently, the number is 27, according to the Georgia film office, which maintains an active list on its website that changes every few days. I have been tracking the numbers regularly during the past 16 months, so there is a running tab on what is coming and going because the film office does not provide historical data. A year ago, the number of active projects was hovering around 35.
Molly Coffee, a local production designer who keeps a close watch on productions in the state, said many films and TV shows, already saddled with additional COVID-related extra costs, are waiting to start up in January so they don’t have to shoulder the financial burden of shutting down over the Christmas holiday season. She expects production activity to pick up sharply in January.
“The question of whether films will be able to play in theaters is keeping movies from starting up that would project to play in theaters normally,” Coffee added. See more at AJC.
