Film in Florida is a major industry in the State with Florida ranking third in the U.S. for film production (after California and New York, respectively) based on revenue generated (according to 2006 Florida Film Commission Data).[1] Production activity has been generally concentrated in two regions, South and Central Florida (Orlando and Tampa). The South Florida region is famous for large projects like Jerry Bruckheimer's Bad Boys film series and Neal Moritz' 2 Fast 2 Furious. The Central Florida area has recently been featured in The Punisher starring John Travolta and Adam Sandler's The Waterboy.
The State of Florida has a long film history thanks to it year-round sunshine and moderate climate. Film classics were filmed throughout the state, such as Moon Over Miami (1941) and Esther Williams' Easy to Love (1953).
In the early 1990s Orlando experienced a great boom in film production. The construction of the Disney-MGM Studios and Universal Studios production facilities attracted many filmmakers to the area. Films like Ron Howard's Parenthood and syndicated televisions shows like The Adventures of Superboy lead the pack. Soon, the Steven Spielberg series Seaquest DSV and Tom Hank's From the Earth to the Moon called Florida home. During this period Orlando acquired the nickname "Hollywood East" because of its surging film industry.
Just as film production appeared to be on the decline in Florida, the phenomenal success of 1998's Blair Witch Project has led to another boom. While Blair Witch was filmed in Maryland, its entire film crew and director were University of Central Florida Film School graduates. This cult independent film has led to a new wave of film production for the area.
Florida is also the home to a quite a few famous actors. Celebrity residents of Florida include Burt Reynolds, James Best, John Travolta, Michael Winslow, Scott "Carrot Top" Thompson and Sylvester Stallone. There are also quite a few successful film directors located in the state including Daniel Myrick, George A. Romero, and Ken Hastings.
Metro Orlando alone is home to more than 10 state-of-the-art soundstages, making it one of the largest working production facility centers outside of Los Angeles and New York. Complete studio and production services are available throughout Florida, including backlots that can double for just about any national or international locale, production office space and soundstages totaling more than 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2).
Some of these facilities include:
(alphabetical order)