Four new shows filming
this summer and fall
increase Windy City
TV production
to a record ten series
Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Film Office at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) today announced ten shows will film this summer and fall in Chicago. This includes filming for four new shows, as well as many returning long-running series including NBC’s Chicago franchise.
“Chicago continues to serve as the destination for film, television and media production not only for our iconic skyline and the rich diversity our neighborhoods, but for our talented residents, state-of-the-art facilities and affordable services,” said Mayor Emanuel. “The city’s local film industry shows no signs of slowing down as we continue creating home grown content for national distribution.”
The new shows beginning production in Chicago this summer and fall include South Side on Comedy Central, Lovecraft Country on HBO, Red Line on CBS and Proven Innocent on FOX.
The hit NBC series’, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD and Chicago Med will all return this summer, and continue filming through April 2019.
The Chi on Showtime, Easy on Netflix, and Empire on FOX will begin filming this summer.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF “THE CHI”
COMMON AND LENA WAITHE ON CAPTURING CHICAGO
“Talent drives the industry, and we have it — in abundance,” said Rich Moskal, Director of the Chicago Film Office. “This growing professional community of crews, actors, technicians and filmmakers not only work here, they live here. They’re Chicagoans. And they’re exceptionally good at what they do.”
Additionally, the long-running Showtime series Shameless will return for several weeks, and the Netflix movie Beats is currently filming.
Announcement continues seven years of growth
2017 was a record level activity for local film and media production in Chicago. Last year, 580 individual film and media projects recorded an all-time high combined total of 2,404 production days, resulting in an estimated $423 million in job creation and expenditures. The Film Office issued a total of 2,127 permits in support of these projects, a 10 percent increase from 2016.
Chicago has seen steady year-over-year increases in media production since 2011.
In addition to the many returning TV series, last year major motion production included Widows (New Regency) and Captive State (Amblin), and portions of the action blockbuster Rampage (Warner Bros). Independent features, many locally produced, included The Pages, Hala, What They Had, Soul Sessions and Book of Leah.
Illinois statute boosts cost-effectiveness and equal opportunity
The Illinois Film Office awards a 30 percent tax credit to film, television and advertising productions for qualified expenditures of crew, goods and services. The statute requires productions to hire women and minorities as part of the technical crew and office staff. Illinois is the only state in the country to have this requirement, and last year protected classes accounted for 47 percent of film crews.
The rise in Chicago filming and commercial production has boosted local spending and job creation, while increasing traffic for a wide range of local businesses, hotel rooms, office and warehouse leasing, vehicle and equipment leasing, construction supplies, and local tax revenues.
About The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors.
Send your production news to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.
