#1. Chicago, IL
It may be bitterly cold off the shores of Lake Michigan this time of
year, but when it comes to moviemaking, Chicago is as red-hot as they
get, setting a city record in 2012 with 235 projects filmed there and
$184 million in budgetary spending. And the city is projected to have
eclipsed that in 2013, with a host of titles like
Jupiter Ascending, Divergent, Jack Ryan, The Vatican Tapes, Transformers 4, and
A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island.
Find a place to film.
Filming a outer space epic in your dorm room would be difficult, as
would filming your gritty film about a street hustler in the mall. Look
at what locations are available to you, and consider what stories might
evolve from that location. The film "Clerks" revolves around a bunch of
apathetic guys working at a convenience store, and hanging out. Without
access to said convenience store, it would have been difficult going. Businesses and restaurants are often hesitant about letting amateur
filmmakers use their property for filming, but you can always ask.
Often, people will be excited about the idea of being included.
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