Georgia’s film industry believes the show must go on. After months of being shut down due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Hollywood of the South is back to business, 95.5 WSB Radio reported.
The restart was led by newly minted billionaire Tyler Perry, who had a “Camp Quarantine” at his namesake studios. Perry devised a 30-page plan to bring more than 300 cast and crew members safely back to work.
“So once I started to get the information and understand this virus a lot more, I thought maybe this is possible,” Perry said. “We all moved in and we just finished our first television show successfully with no positives throughout the quarantine bubble.”
Actress Toynal Davis was one of Tyler Perry Studios’ temporary residents. She said they had to test often and wear masks before and during the camp. She added Perry took excellent care of them.
“I’m telling you it was magical,” Davis told a WSB-TV Channel 2 anchor. “Rich people food tastes better. I mean I ate good. … We had church on the lawn with movies on the lawn. We had yoga. … Once it was time for me to go, I wasn’t ready to leave. Like he took care of us. He rolled out the red carpet.”
Her sentiment was echoed by “Sistas” actress K.J. Smith.
“I tell people all the time, I 100% Trust Tyler Perry,” Smith said. “He treats us like we’re his relatives. So I knew that we would be fully protected.”
Officials in the Georgia Film Office believe others are encouraged by Perry’s success.
Lee Thomas is the Deputy Director of the office. She said they have three-times the demand for soundstages.
“Everybody’s a little tenuous, but when they see Tyler Perry pull it off successfully, I think that’s going to help people feel comfortable and move forward,” Thomas told WSB.
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Others like Pinewood Studios and Blackhall Studios in Fayetteville and DeKalb County, respectively, are also gearing up to resume productions.
“So, we have an app that allows each crew member to opt in so they can get daily self-checks,” said Pinewood Studios President and CEO Frank Patterson. “… like last year we’re full. You know we have a couple of big feature films and several streaming projects.”
“Then 2021 will be a year that looks very normal, I think, in the movie industry. In fact, we’re so far behind in our backlog and it probably becomes a logjam,” Blackhall CEO Ryan Millsap said, noting the shutdown had really hurt this year’s bottom line.
Georgia film officials estimate new productions will give the state’s economy a $2 billion boost.
