With its tax incentives, international airport, film crews, mountains, coastlines, small towns and big cities, Georgia is getting more business as a film location — already in 2009, more feature films have shot here than in all of 2008.
Gas station customers, commuters and restaurant-goers are learning to adapt to their city as a scene, but some Georgia schools have already learned those lessons. Morris Brown, Clark Atlanta and Berry College in Rome have all gotten screen time, but the star among them is Agnes Scott College — 26 buildings on 100 acres in Decatur that have appeared in at least 25 projects in the last 25 years. It's got a dedicated staff to help organize filming, and a quintessentially college look, and with just 850 students, it's nimble enough to work around a film crew.
In exchange, Agnes Scott is usually paid $5,000 to $10,000 a day, plus pay for workers and student extras. Nearby businesses get a boost, and sometimes they are used as locations. A name in the credits can go a long way, too: It's not unusual for visiting high schoolers to name-drop "Scream 2."
Agnes Scott "has kind of set themselves up to be available," said Lee Thomas, a locations specialist for Georgia's Film, Video and Music office, who calls film projects "found money" for the state. "To sell Georgia right now is very easy. The challenge is the logistics of keeping everyone happy."
Challenging enough that Agnes Scott has implemented new policies for filming on campus, standards that could become an example for other campuses. It's hard enough to match 24/7 film schedules to school hours, but there can be problems, too, with what's in front of the camera.
Late last year, Agnes Scott student and alumnae tempers flared when the still-unreleased, direct-to-DVD movie "Road Trip II: Beer Pong" filmed on campus. Students at the women's college complained they were treated disrespectfully by the crew, and about content, like the "Lesbians Until Graduation" scene that needed extras, and promotional material that focused on a woman's breasts and pelvis.
"Agnes Scott College, the supposed World for Women, has become the cesspool for Hollywood's C-list sequels," Agnes Scott senior Louisa Hill wrote in a piece that appeared in Southern Voices, on The Bilerico Project blog, and spread through LiveJournal, Facebook and other Web sites.
She wrote about oversexed portrayals of women, offensive treatment of lesbians and the threat she thought the film posed to her school's reputation.
"Agnes Scott women already face the insulting stereotype of girls pillow fighting in silky pajamas," she wrote. "How are we supposed to be taken serious as an academic institution when the production team won't let us in the library because they're filming barely dressed women running around on our quad?"
A short, silent protest was held on campus on the final day of the five-day shoot, but the controversy continued online. Sara Peralta, a 2007 Agnes Scott graduate who once worked to raise funds for the school, called for a donation boycott. About 150 people joined her, and more hopped in to say they wouldn't withhold cash, but didn't like the school's film practices.
"I was absolutely appalled that we were participating in a movie in such poor taste," said Peralta, who now lives in Austin, Texas. "That's just hard for anyone to see something they love so much in a negative context."
Agnes Scott president Elizabeth Kiss says it was "a little tough" to see the anger fester, and to keep from being too defensive. But the "healthy debate" led to new policies for filming at the school that Kiss says bring more groups into the decision.
When a project comes up, an advisory group including students, staff and faculty now judges whether it's a good fit for the school, although final say goes to Kiss and school leaders. The new policy also requires responsibility training for crew members and extras and at least one educational opportunity for students.
It has been called to action once so far, for an ABC television pilot shot this month. By all accounts, it went smoothly.
Hill, the senior, wrote a follow-up blog post that called the new plan "exciting." Peralta, who ended the boycott after she learned of the new policy, said shoots are generally fine, and although some remain skeptical of the changes, she usually looks forward to seeing her alma mater on screen.
"I watched one episode of 'October Road' and felt nostalgic," she said. "The movies represent Agnes Scott to the world."
FILM AND TV PROJECTS SHOT AT AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE
1955
"A Man Called Peter"
1978
"The Double McGuffin"
1980
"The Four Seasons"
1983
"The Bear"
1985
"One Terrific Guy" (TV)
1987
"From Father to Son"
1988
"The Unconquered" (TV)
1988
"Invictus" (TV)
1988
"A Father's Homecoming"
1988
"Town and Gown: The Oakmont Story" (TV)
1989
"Murder in Mississippi"
1989
"Driving Miss Daisy"
1990
"Decoration Day" (TV)
1991
"White Lie" (TV)
1991
"Fried Green Tomatoes"
1991
"The Nightman" (TV)
1992
"A Kiss to Die For" (TV)
1993
"I'll Fly Away" (TV)
1995
"A Season in Purgatory"
1997
"Scream 2"
2000
"Young Americans" (TV)
2002
"The Adventures of Ociee Nash"
2003
"Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius"
2006
"Revenge of the Nerds"
2007
"October Road" (TV)
2007
"Why Did I Get Married?"
2008
"Van Wilder III"
2008
"Road Trip II: Beer Pong"
2009
TV project currently titled "Brothers and Detectives"
Source: Agnes Scott College
