Atlanta’s popular restaurant and bar district in the Virginia-Highland area was crawling with the “undead” on Saturday. Diesel Filling Station, a bar on Highland Avenue known as home of Atlanta’s largest “The Walking Dead” viewing parties, played host this time to the 6th Annual Zombie Pub Crawl.
Hundreds of attendees turned out in full costume, or waited until arrival and got the full treatment from professional make-up artists available at the event. There was a costume contest, performances by a local circus troupe and even the 3D printing company, 3D Personify, brought out their equipment for attendees to get a 3D printed figure of themselves as a souvenir.
Zombie fever took off in Atlanta thanks to “The Walking Dead,” the award-winning show on AMC that may be the most well-known symbol of Georgia’s new status as the new Hollywood. Many movies filmed in Atlanta may actually take place somewhere else with Atlanta as a stand-in. In the case of The Intern, about 15 minutes took place in Atlanta. Ant-Man, a recent high-profile film partially shot in Atlanta, takes place in San Francisco. The Hunger Games is another high-profile film shot largely in Atlanta without ever mentioning Atlanta. The Walking Dead however takes place entirely in and around Atlanta and North Georgia for the first four seasons.
Whether a dsytopic, zombie-laden wasteland is a great representation of Atlanta or not is another argument, but there is no arguing the attractiveness Georgia has for Hollywood and other filmmakers. Georgia continues to rack up television and movie contracts thanks to its film tax credit offerings and existing infrastructure.
Earlier this month, Governor Deal announced the economic impact from filming in the state at more than $6 billion. There were 248 different film and television productions in the state in fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015) that represent $1.7 billion in spending. “These statistics represent job creation, increased business opportunities and the revitalization of communities statewide, and I am committed to building a strong film-ready workforce in Georgia to ensure that the industry continues to flourish here,” said Deal.
Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said “More than 100 new businesses have relocated or expanded in Georgia to support the industry – creating jobs for Georgians as well as economic opportunities for our communities and small businesses – ensuring Georgia’s place in the industry well into the future.”
Burt Reynolds, one of Georgia’s own film icons (he’s from Waycross), was recently honored at the Macon Film Festival with the Georgia Film Legend Award. As Reynolds noted when he took the stage, he was an early fan of Georgia’s potential for filming locations. “Atlanta is just a great city. It can look like New York, if you shoot it right. All you need is a big, tall building and a short actor, and you’ve got New York.” As for Georgia’s new status, Reynolds said he was surprised it’s taken this long, “I’ve been singing Georgia’s praises for a long, long time. But they get it now, and thank God they’re coming here.”
