Rome filming earning a star status
With the area becoming a go-to place for film and television shoots, the visitor’s bureau works to make sure the area shines.
With Georgia becoming more and more popular with Hollywood for film sites, Rome has made headway as a beloved location, a trend that started in the 1980s.
“It’s like a dance,” explained Lisa Smith, executive director of the Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We populate a site called Reel Scout with images from Rome, different angles, places that may be good locations. We are listed on a site called Camera Ready Communities, and we work with the Georgia film office.”
Smith said the bureau works with the film office to get leads about what production companies are searching for. Sometimes, the staff starts searching the area to fill the need, she said.
“For instance, now we are looking for a creek that you can see downtown Rome from,” she said. “Because the production company wants a scene like that.”
Rome and Floyd County have many advantages, Smith said.
“We have beautiful locations and a wide variety of looks to choose from,” she said. “We also offer the tax breaks that are so appealing and we have good word of mouth.”
People who have worked here before pass on that the town is film-friendly, explained Smith.
“I think hospitality has a lot to do with it,” she said. “We are easy to work with, our public safety and public works departments are always helpful. We are hungry and we make it work.”
The town is also affordable, loaded with caterers, office space is easy to find, talent is easy to come by and with so many colleges in town, interns for the production companies are readily available, she added.
“Also, we are close to Atlanta which makes travel easy,” she said.
Smith worked closely with the crew from “Need for Speed,” the 2014 action drama starring Aaron Paul and Dominic Cooper. The film crew challenged the bureau, Smith said.
“They wanted different locations from the typical,” she said. “They used Myrtle Hill and our road to Cave Spring. It was a great chance to show off a different landscape.”
The crew also staged themselves in the Georgia Highlands College parking lot and made themselves comfortable with the community, Smith added.
“They were so approachable,” Smith said. “Admittedly, there were some really cool cars involved in that movie and we had people calling our office all the time asking if they could go watch the filming. Everyone was so psyched about that movie.”
Last year, some filming of ABC’s “Kingmakers” was done in Floyd County, with an estimated economic impact of $1.4 million, according to the GRCVB’s annual report.
“Allegiant,” the third movie in the “Divergent” series was partially filmed at the old Lindale mill last year, with a $522,000 economic impact.
Rome is even referenced on IMDB, the website that is often considered the go-to site for movie information.
A popular location is Berry College, the site of several popular movies, such as “Dutch,” “Perfect Harmony,” “Remember the Titans” and “Sweet
Home Alabama,” as well as several scenes for the pilot of the television series “The Following” starring Kevin Bacon.
The visitor’s bureau website keeps a list of movies, television shows and commercials in which a glimpse of Rome and Floyd County can be caught. The area has also been a backdrop for catalogs.
“We will get calls sometimes from a company in Atlanta, saying they need a spot to shoot a Ford commercial,” said Smith. “We find it for them. It’s fun, because you get to see your town through a visitor’s eyes. You develop an all new appreciation for it.”