PHOTO BY JADE JOHNSON | THE SIGNAL
As the film industry booms in Georgia, positions for skilled professionals are opening up daily. Governor Deal announced his High Demand Career Initiative (HDCI) this July, which would focus on jobs related to the motion picture industry, according to a governmental press release.
The announcement made on Georgia State’s campus highlighted some numbers showing the state of the industry in the state.
The film business in Georgia is responsible for 77,900 jobs and $3.8 billion in total wages. It also directly employs 23,500 individuals (8,188 in production), according to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). “
“I will continue my commitment to growing this industry and to developing a film-ready workforce to meet the needs of the productions that are setting up shop in Georgia,” Gov. Deal said in the press release.
HDCI’s goal is to identify the specific needs of the industry and create a plan with the Georgia Department Economic Development, the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia to prepare professionals that match those needs, according to the release.
The Georgia Opportunity
Key leaders in Georgia’s entertainment industries will also help with the project.
Professional actor Charles Green said he has found more job opportunities within the state. Within the last year Green has worked in one-on-one scenes with OSCAR winners Anthony Hopkins in “Kidnapping Freddy Heineken” and Russell Crowe in “The Nice Guys”.
“I have gotten more auditions and jobs in the past year than I did in my eight years of pounding the pavements in Los Angeles,” he said.
For Green there are several factors playing in favor of the film industry here in Georgia.
“Georgia’s tax incentives have certainly encouraged productions to come here,” he said. “Combine that with the temperate weather, great locations and the reasonable cost of living here and the major investments from others like Pinewood Studios, I can only see the current boom continuing.”
Darrell Coleman, show producer for GSTV and former Georgia State student, said he sees a future for his career here in Georgia.
“As a local producer, I find this boom to be great. I can continue to follow my passion of making films without having to leave my family and friends in Georgia to do so,” he said.
Deranta Avaloy, senior film major and creative director at GSTV, said he also looks at Georgia as a place to find work.
“There was a time where you wanted to do filmmaking you had to go to New York or Los Angeles. Now you can stay here,” Avaloy said.
“I will continue my commitment to growing this industry and to developing a film-ready workforce to meet the needs of the productions that are setting up shop in Georgia.”
-Govenor Nathan Deal.
PHOTO BY JADE JOHNSON
Student Training
Despite the film industry booming in the state, Coleman said local training needs to be improved.
“I believe that we need better training and to get better training you will have to spend more money on teachers and equipment,” he said. “I’ve heard that when film makers from Hollywood come out here to film that they are disappointed by the skill level in a lot of the local crew in Georgia.”
Coleman also said Georgia State needs more financial resources to offer additional production-based classes.
“Georgia State makes it hard for students to enter production classes, at least when I was there, leaving the students that couldn’t get in stuck with a lot of film theory that they may or may not ever use,” he said. “With more financial support they can have bigger classes and more of them with good equipment and give students a more chance to succeed.”
Avaloy said there should be more production classes at Georgia State.
“More emphasis on the production side. Theory is cool and should be learned, but it’s too much emphasis being placed on theory,” he said.
Avaloy also said Georgia State could place students in professional productions and have them accompany crew members throughout a day on set similar to Georgia Tech and the Savannah College of Art and Design.
“I think the school needs to be more involved with that side too,” Avaloy said.
