Monday, August 29, 2011

North Carolina Sound Stages And Becoming Involved In Its Acting Scene

By George Harris


North Carolina sound stages have more than 30 sound stages and seven major studio complexes. North Carolina is the number 3 moviemaking state, following only California and The Big Apple. Screen Gems Studios, found in nearby Wilmington, North Carolina, has been in existence for more than 20 years and has produced more than three hundred movie, television, and commercial productions. Perhaps this is the reason why Southport, North Carolina appears in a lot of movies. Or perhaps it's just Southport's tree lined streets, historical settings as well as lovely scenery that makes filming in Southport so popular.

North Carolina is one of the most busy states for filming films and tv outside of California and New York. Actually, it has the most soundstages (1,000,000 Square Feet's worth) and production sites of any state in the union beyond the borders of California. Through the years it has played host to over seven hundred feature movie productions and 14 major tv shows. Do not be surprised if 1 day while strolling along the sidewalk in Southport, North Carolina you pass Tom Cruise. Why? Southport, North Carolina is a very famous place for movies. A lot of movies have utilized Southport as their primary setting. There are also numerous films which use Southport for a part of their scenes.

So, just how can you become involved in the flourishing acting scene in North Carolina? The first and most practical step you could take is to move to Charlotte. It's a great city which has a large community of actors and entertainment experts, and it is within driving distance of just about any production or audition in the state. It is also in close proximity to many other major Southern Cities. Charlotte also has the most production companies as well as ad agencies of any city within the Carolinas, which do a big volume of commercial and model casting. You can also find a number of professional Equity theatres in the city that run stage shows year round that are maintained by a professional and amateur acting group referred to as First Friday.

Many of the roles and jobs available for actors in North Carolina are non-union, which has both advantages and disadvantages. On the good side, non-union jobs are easier to acquire, more plentiful, improve your resume, and enable you to side step cumbersome union rules as well as work qualifications. The main downside is that these types of roles don't pay union scale, and won't necessarily assist you in getting a SAG membership.

North Carolina sound stages are where films such as Being There, The Fugitive, Forrest Gump, The Last of the Mohicans, Cold Mountain, Firestarter, Dirty Dancing, and The Patriot have been shot mostly or entirely in North Carolina. Dawson's Creek, probably the most successful show ever to air on the now defunct WB network, was shot in NC for 6 years. One Tree Hill currently is in production there too. In all of these cases many roles were cast from the locals, and almost all of the background actors were pulled from local neighborhoods. This really is a great opportunity for natives of the Carolinas. Independent production also is ramping up significantly; since 2001 more than 100 independent films and shows have been filmed in-state. The Science of Cool, starring Scott Bakula, currently is in production in NC, and is also a high-profile HD feature.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment