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 movies and television outside of New York and California. Actually, it has the most soundstages (1,000,000 Square Feet's worth) and production sites of any state in the union outside California. Through the years it has played host to over seven hundred feature film productions and fourteen major television shows. Don't be amazed if one day while walking down the sidewalk in Southport, North Carolina you pass by Tom Cruise. Why? Southport, North Carolina is an extremely famous place for films. Numerous movies have utilized Southport as their primary location. There are also numerous films that use Southport for a portion of their scenes.

Now how can you become involved in the flourishing acting scene in North Carolina? The first and most sensible step you can take is to relocate to Charlotte. It's really a great city which has a big community of actors and entertainment experts, and it is within just driving distance of any production or audition within the state. It's 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. Also, there are several professional Equity theatres in the city that run stage shows all year round that are sustained by a professional and amateur acting group referred to as First Friday.

Most of the roles and jobs for actors in North Carolina are non-union, which has both advantages and disadvantages. On the good side, non-union work are easier to get, more abundant, build up your curriculum vitae, and enable you to side step cumbersome union rules and work qualifications. The main downside is that these roles don't pay union scale, and won't always 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.




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