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2010 Orlando Filmbook

The 2010 Orlando Filmbook is here! This is the go-to guide for the film industry in Metro Orlando. Everything about filming in Orlando is included - incentives, sales tax, labor laws, locations, permitting, etc. In addition, the Filmbook provides information on all aspects of the film industry - directors, producers and production companies; backlots, stages and locations; crews and technicians; talent services; equipment; production support; and post production. The Orlando Filmbook is published annually by the Metro Orlando Film & Entertainment Commission - a division of the Metro Orlando EDC. The Film Commission provides the following services: • 24 hour access to the Orlando Filmbook online at www.filmorlando.com • One-stop permitting for location filming • Use of an extensive digital location library...accessible anytime, from anywhere • Preliminary scouting, evaluation of locations, and familiarization tours • Assistance with local hotels and accommodations • Support throughout the entire production schedule Order your 2010 Orlando Filmbook online today! And be sure to connect with the Metro Orlando Film & Entertainment Commission via social networking on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube to stay updated on the latest film and digital media news.

2010 Orlando Filmbook

Event Showcases Digital Media and Simulation Industries

Today kicks off the fifth annual OTRONICON - (O)rlando Elec(tron)ic (I)nteractive Entertainment (Con)vention - event at the Orlando Science Center. A four day event, Otronicon is a celebration of interactive technology using video games to demonstrate the future of how we live, learn, work and play. Otronicon spotlights Metro Orlando's growing digital media and simulation industries and helps introduce those industries to students throughout the region through several game design workshops taught by Full Sail University.

Lights, Camera, Orlando!

Women in Film and Television Florida's recent "Jingle Mingle" event gave the EDC's Metro Orlando Film & Entertainment Commission a chance to do some filming of its own. We asked attendees a question to help in our ongoing promotion of this region as a location for their industry -- Why do you find Metro Orlando a great place for film and entertainment production? -- and captured their responses for posting on our YouTube channel. Jules Keeley, a local freelance production coordinator/ manager, responded enthusiastically: "Our crews can compare with any in the world...plus we have the resources, infrastructure and the Florida lifestyle." More praise rolled in from MedStar, the production company behind TV's Forensic Files, which has twice filmed episodes in Metro Orlando in recent months. "The crew is nice and the best we work with, no attitudes, and they know their jobs ... the locations are all great to work with, friendly and Orlando has the look of anywhere we need to duplicate ... We love it here. We will be back in 2010." Industry satisfaction is important and translates into increased business for the region. In fact, film permits are being processed in increasing numbers by the EDC's Film & Entertainment Commission. Here are a few recent examples:

TV Commercials - Jackson Hewitt, Olive Garden, US Census

Television Series - Forensic Files, Dr. G: Medical Examiner, MTV's 16 & Pregnant

Feature/Independent Films - Touching Lives, Overlap

Up next? The EDC's Film and Entertainment Commission heads to Sundance Film Festival in January to promote Orlando as a location for independent films, and to Washington, D.C. for the Reel Screen Summit to promote Orlando as a site for non-fiction television production. On the Legislative front, the EDC's Legislative Committee will support our Film Commission's efforts to advocate for incentives designed to keep Florida competitive as a film industry hub. The main push this year is to turn the state's film incentive into a rebate, which is the industry standard in the U.S.
Partnerships Set Central Florida Apart

Several events of the past week reinforce again why Metro Orlando is so often envied for its unique collaborations; and how the University of Central Florida has earned its reputation as a leading "partnership university". Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer helped UCF Provost Terry Hickey welcome UF President Bernie Machen to downtown Orlando's growing "Creative Village" last week. Together they officially opened Citylab-Orlando, a research and teaching center from UF's College of Design, Construction and Planning, that will collaborate with UCF faculty. The new program - which is already involved with local urban design projects including redesigning space under Interstate 4 (dubbed "Orlando's Bridge District") - will be housed within UCF's Center for Emerging Media located in the former Orlando ExpoCentre in downtown Orlando. According to Dr. Machen: "Orlando has a special place in this state and indeed the nation. What's emerging here is a new fusion of culture, commerce, imagination and industry." The fusion continued as Valencia Community College and UCF dedicated a new shared facility that allows the nation's third largest university to further expand its offerings on the west side of Orlando. The $23 million, three-story, 100,000-square-foot facility, located on Valencia's West Campus, accommodates classes offered by both institutions, with more than 40 classrooms, a state-of-the-art testing center, computer labs, study rooms, faculty/staff offices and a café. With this opening, UCF now offers complete bachelor's degrees in Nursing, Electrical Engineering, Applied Science, Business Administration, Interdisciplinary Studies and Psychology through the campus on south Kirkman Road. Valencia's engineering programs are also housed in the building.