Effingham residents can expect excitement and an influx of cash when Moon River begins filming movies in the county.
That’s the word from a lunch and learn discussion that the Chamber of Commerce held Wednesday at the Mars Theatre in Springfield.
Other than desert or snow, Effingham can “make a good stab” at representing any location for a film project, said Craig Dominey, program manager for the State of Georgia’s Camera Ready Program.
William Hammargren, Savannah Film Commissioner, said budgets for projects can range from $250,000 to $40 million and involve from two people to 300 people.
“It can look like the circus is coming to town – a lot of trucks, cars and people,” he said.
“The potential benefits are huge,” he said.
Jake Shapiro, who heads Moon River Studios, said the company is “beyond happy” with the new deal it signed recently with the Industrial Development Authority, cutting the size of the project from 1,560 acres to 51 acres.
He said that’s enough for 10 stages and five to eight movies a quarter.
The panelists said some people are inconvenienced anytime a production is in town, but that most people will put up with a little inconvenience when they are reminded about the money that area businesses make from filming.
People producing films spend money on hotels, fuel, restaurants, food and supplies. “They tend to drop a lot of money when they’re in an area shooting,” Dominey said.