East+Coast+Hollywood

__[[image:wilmington.gif align="right" caption="Wilmington is located on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina."]]Wilmington, NC__
Wilmington is a city in the state of North Carolina. It is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and for that reason has garnered the nickname of "The Port City." The city has a much warmer climate than most of North Carolina and features multiple beaches. Wilmington is home to 101,350 people making it the ninth most populous city in the state. Jena has about the same population as Wilmington. One of the largest rivers in North Carolina is the Cape Fear River, and it runs next to downtown Wilmington as it flows towards the Atlantic Ocean.

The city is also well known throughout North Carolina and the United States for the thriving film industry. Aside from California and New York, North Carolina produces more movies than any other state. This ranking is due mainly to the film production in Wilmington, and has earned the city the more recent label of “East Coast Hollywood.”

The natural beauty of the city is often the backdrop for filming. Popular American television shows such as //Matlock//, //Dawson’s Creek//, and //One Tree Hill// were filmed in Wilmington as well as successful movies like //28 Days//, //Blue Velvet//, and //The Jackal//.

In order to shoot indoors, film companies build studios. The largest studio in Wilmington is Screen Gems. It houses a very large stage that is used to film movies, television shows, and commercial advertisements. Stages inside studios are not exactly like stages built for plays. Usually film stages are accessible from all angles in stead of just one. This insures that filming can be done from as many places as possible. The studio also features a water tank used for shooting underwater, lake, or ocean scenes. This tank holds 3,185,645 liters of water; that’s about one hundred tanker trucks worth!

In order to shoot a movie in Wilmington, local law requires that you first obtain a permit. A permit is a document that gives you permission to make your movie in a certain location. If you do not get a permit, you could be fined or even banned from the property for trespassing. Government permits are always required when shooting on public property, but not typically necessary for private.

The local film commission serves a vital role in the city's film industry. Typically, movie productions from out of town will ask the film commission for suggestions regarding local crew members. By listing your name with the film commission, you could be selected to be a part of a high budget production. The film commission also coordinates film permits as well as incentives. Nearly every state in the United States has film incentives. These are most often tax breaks for film production companies that select North Carolina as a filming location. Sometimes these incentives can even be direct payments.

Like many U.S. cities, Wilmington has its own film festival. The Cucalorus Film Festival is not nearly as large or as important as The Berlin Film Festival, but it has grown in popularity since its establishment. This year (2010) marked the 16th exhibition of The Cucalorus Film Festival.

__**Internet Links**__

North Carolina Film Commission

Wilmington Film Commission

Cucalorus Film Festival

Sceen Gems Studios

TV Shows & Movies filmed in Wilmington