Film in Florida

Film in Florida is a major industry in the State with Florida ranking third in the U.S. for film production (after California and New York, respectively) based on revenue generated (according to 2006 Florida Film Commission Data). [http://www.funandsun.com/1tocf/film/floridafilms.html] Production activity has been generally concentrated in two regions, South and Central Florida (Orlando and Tampa). The South Florida region is famous for large projects like Jerry Bruckheimer's Bad Boys film series and Neal Moritz' 2 Fast 2 Furious. The Central Florida area has recently been featured in The Punisher starring John Travolta and Adam Sandler's The Waterboy.

The State of Florida has a long film history thanks to it year-round sunshine and moderate climate. Film classics were filmed throughout the state, such as Moon Over Miami (1941) and Esther Williams' "Easy to Love" (1953).

Orlando

In the early 1990s Orlando experienced a great boom in film production. The construction of the Disney-MGM Studios and Universal Studios production facilities attracted many filmmakers to the area. Films like Ron Howard's "Parenthood" and syndicated televisions shows like The Adventures of Superboy lead the pack. Soon, the Steven Spielberg series Seaquest DSV and Tom Hank's From the Earth to the Moon called Florida home. During this period Orlando acquired the nickname "Hollywood East" because of its surging film industry.

Just as film production appeared to be on the decline in Florida, the phenomenal success of 1998's Blair Witch Project has led to another boom. While "Blair Witch" was filmed in Maryland, its entire film crew and director were University of Central Florida Film School graduates. This cult independent film has led to a new wave of film production for the area.

Celebrity residents

Florida is also the home to a quite a few famous actors. Celebrity residents of Florida include Burt Reynolds, James Best, Michael Winslow, Scott "Carrot Top" Thompson and Sylvester Stallone. There are also quite a few successful film directors located in the state including Daniel Myrick, George A. Romero, and [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0368595/ Ken Hastings] .

Recent feature films shot in North Florida (Pensacola, Ocala, Jacksonville regions)

* Lonely Hearts (film) (2006)
* Cross Creek (film) (1983)

Recent feature films shot in Central Florida (Orlando/Tampa region)

* The Camel Wars (2008)
* Bloody 27 (2008)
* Altered (2006)
*Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006)
* Monster (2003) - * Charlize Theron - Academy Award for Best Actress
*Florida City (film) (2003)
*The Punisher (2003)
*Ocean's Eleven (2001)
*Olive Juice (2001)
*Contact (2000)
*Held for Ransom (2000)
*Alligator Alley (2000)
*Walking Across Egypt (1999)
*Instinct (1999)
* (1999)
*The Waterboy (1998)
*Rosewood (1997)
*Apollo 13 (1997)
*Trekkies (1997)
*Cop and a Half (1993)
*Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
*Passenger 57 (1992)
*Problem Child 2 (1991)
*Edward Scissorhands (1990)
*Quick Change (1990)
*Parenthood (1989)
*Ernest Saves Christmas (1989)
*D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)

Recent feature films shot in South Florida (Miami region)

*Miami Vice (2006)
*Hunted (2006)
*Transporter 2 (2005)
*Red Eye (2005)
*Meet the Fockers (2004)
*Bad Boys II (2003)
*Out of Time (2003)
*2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
*Wild Things (1998)
*Bad Boys (1995)
*Fair Game (1995)
*Get Shorty (1995)
*The Specialist (1994)
*Drop Zone (1994)
* (1994)
*Scarface (1983)

Florida Based Narrative TV Series

* Burn Notice (2007-)
* (2004-)
* Miami Vice (1984-1988)
* (1998)
* The Adventures of Superboy (1988-1990)
* Seaquest DSV (1993-1995)
* Thunder in Paradise (1994)
* Super Force (1989-1990)
* Swamp Thing (1990)

Florida Based Documentary/Reality Shows and Independent Shorts

* Hogan Knows Best (2005-/Reality Show)
* Carpocolypse (2005/Sports Reality Show)
* On Being Your Average Joe (2005/Independent short)
* Garriage: A Documentary in 4 Chapters and an Epilogue (2004/Documentary)
* Making The Band (2000/Reality Show)
* The Chad Effect (2001/Independent short)
* The Paper Route (1999/Independent short)
* [http://thebrosmovie.com The Brothers] (1998/Independent short)
* WWF: Raw Is War (1997/Sports Show)
* [http://www.cciflorida.com/News/Archives/newsbin/newsreleases32/ Skating's Next Star (2006 /Competition Reality)] WE Woman's Entertainment

Film Festivals Hosted In Florida

*Florida Film Festival
*Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
*Central Florida Film and Video Festival
*Hispanic Film festival of Miami
*Miami Film Festival
*Palm Beach International Film Fest
*Sarasota Film Festival [http://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com]
*Tallahassee Film Festival
*Jacksonville Film Festival

Film Commissions and Offices

* [http://www.filminflorida.com/ Film In Florida - Official site of Governor's Office of Film and Entertainment]
* [http://www.filmorlando.com Metro Orlando Film Office]
* [http://www.filmiami.org/ Miami-Dade Film Office]
* [http://www.cfdc.org/film/main.html Polk County Film Office]
* [http://www.space-coast.com/special/film/ Space Coast Film Commission]

Florida-Based Studio Facilities

Metro Orlando alone is home to more than 10 state-of-the-art soundstages, making it one of the largest working production facility centers outside of Los Angeles and New York. Complete studio and production services are available, including backlots that can double for just about any national or international locale, production office space and soundstages totaling more than 160,000 square feet.
Some of these Facilities include:
* Chapman Leonard Soundstage and Equipment (Orlando)
* Detour Studios (Haines City)
* Disney's Hollywood Studios (Orlando)
* [http://www.greenwichstudios.com/ Greenwich Studios] (Miami)
* Horizon Pictures Studio (Orlando)
* [http://www.laststage.com Last Stage Out of Town] (Polk City)
* Universal Studios (Orlando)

Film Schools

* [http://filmschool.fsu.edu Florida State University Film School (Tallahassee)]
* [http://film.ucf.edu University of Central Florida Film Program (Orlando)]
* [http://www.palmbeachfilmschool.com/ Palm Beach Film School (West Palm Beach)]
* [http://www.fullsail.com FullSail Film School (Winter Park)]
* [http://www.nyfa.com/ New York Film Academy (Disney's Hollywood Studios, Orlando)]
* [http://east.valencia.cc.fl.us/dept/film.html Valencia Community College Film School (Orlando)]
* [http://www.siggraph.org/education/directory/schools/e_miami.htm/ Miami-Dade College School of Film and Video (Miami)]
* [http://www.artinstitutes.edu/miami/index2.asp Miami International University of Art & Design Film Program (Miami)]
* [http://com.miami.edu/MotionPictures/ University of Miami School of Communications Motion Pictures (Coral Gables)]

Florida Production Companies

(alphabetical order)
* [http://www.adrenalinefilms.com/ Adrenaline Films]
* [http://www.cciflorida.com/ Communications Concepts, Inc. (CCI)]
* [http://www.eatcakefilms.com/ Eat Cake Films]
* [http://www.haxanfilms.com/ Haxan Films]
* [http://www.mtdstudios.com/ MTD Studios]
* [http://www.starsnorth.com/ Star's North Films]
* [http://www.superville.net/ Superville Productions (Miami)]
* [http://www.uniteddigitalfilms.com/ United Digital Films (Orlando)]
* [http://www.xoomentertainment.com/ Xoom Entertainment]

ee also

*Florida Film Critics Circle
*Florida Film Festival

External links

* [http://www.greenroomorlando.com Green Room Orlando]
* [http://funandsun.com/1tocf/film/floridafilms.html Fun and Sun Films]
* [http://www.MOMPH.com Museum Of Motion Picture History, Inc.]