"Star Wars: The Mandalorian" filming on a virtual set. (Courtesy Disney+/Lucasfilm)

Georgia'southward booming picture show and television industry has set a blockbuster record with $4 billion in direct spending on production in the country for fiscal year 2021.

Steve Weizenecker, Vice Chair of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Film, Music and Digital Entertainment as well every bit a partner at Barnes & Thornburg, said the figure was "stunning" to see, and said it was directly related to Georgia reopening for productions even before California.

"I don't think anyone predicted it would exist $4 billion," Weizenecker said. "Shutting everything down and and so getting information technology reopened was quite a process, merely all the streaming networks need to fill their pipeline. There is so much demand for new content to fill up these channels."

Weizenecker said the state's production facilities and soundstages are all booked well into 2022 and he praised the industry for helping to continue COVID numbers low as crews returned to work. He said the positivity rate was below two percent thanks to prophylactic protocol put into identify past studios and facilities.

Georgia's healthy revenue enhancement incentives, diversity of locations, number of soundstages and talent were all central factors in the state'southward continued picture and tv growth, Weizenecker said.

Many of the land's product facilities are looking at or in the process of expanding, such as massive Trilith Studios in Fayette Canton where the Marvel and Disney films are made.

Elizabeth Olsen filming the finale of Georgia-lensed "WandaVision". (Courtesy Disney+/Marvel Studios)

With more viewers now hooked on watching at home or on their mobile devices, Weizenecker said the frenzied pace of productions will continue for the foreseeable future.  And the technology and talent diversity volition also continue to grow.

"I think you're going to see more employ of virtual sets similar they use in 'The Mandalorian', where you lot tin literally put the actors anywhere with the new screens applied science," he said. "It's actually astonishing."

Georgia currently has 2.1 million square feet in purpose-built stage infinite and three.ii million in retrofitted stage and dedicated warehouse space, according to the land motion-picture show office.

Product of expanded forms of content like Esports and video games are too expected to grow in Georgia. "At that place are designers working in the video game industry who are getting offered half dozen figure salaries to come up work in the state's film industry," Weizenecker said.

In the past year, 366 productions filmed in Georgia, including 21 feature films, 45 independent films, 222 television and episodic productions, 57 commercials, and 21 music videos.

Georgia-lensed productions besides racked up the Emmy Accolade nominations earlier this calendar month, with Disney+ and Curiosity Studio'southward hit "WandaVision" leading the way with 23 nominations following by HBO's "Lovecraft Land," Amazon's "The Clandestine Railroad" and another Disney/Curiosity hit, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."

For a list of Georgia-lensed productions currently in theaters, streaming online, or set to premiere, visit Release Dates for Georgia-Lensed Productions. For some of the more than 50 productions currently filming in the state, visit Now Filming in Georgia.

Collin Kelley has been the editor of Atlanta Intown for ii decades and has been a journalist and freelance writer for 35 years. He'south also an award-winning poet and novelist. More past Collin Kelley