Building on a record 2012 for Savannah filmmaking, “Royal Pains” now shooting here

From the City of Savannah’s press release yesterday, “Savannah breaks records for film production in 2012”:

Savannah set records for the number of media projects shot within the City last year, according to the recently released Savannah Film Commission 2012 Annual Report.

The City of Savannah Film Office worked with 242 separate projects in 2012, which spanned 715 shoot days. Total economic impact to Savannah was $26 million, which includes $12.2 million in direct spending. All were new records.

This included everything from major feature films such as “CBGB” and “Killing Winston Jones” to television shows such as “Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America” and “Royal Pains” (which has returned to shoot again in Savannah this week) to national advertising campaigns from the Express and Louis Vuitton.

“2012 was the best year Savannah has ever had for media production in all measurement categories,” said Savannah Film Office Director Jay Self. “This was made possible through the hard work and professionalism of our local crew, the support of the Mayor and Council and the Film Commission, the cooperation of many community partners, and the hospitality of our citizens.”

“There is no better indicator of client satisfaction than a repeat customer. The return of Royal Pains for another two weeks of filming this year is an excellent example of this. Media production is a growing segment of our local economy and continues to provide opportunities for individuals and businesses alike.”

The report recognizes a trend in the industry toward lower-budgeted productions that employ local crew both in greater numbers and at elevated positions.
“We believe film, television and advertising productions remains a vital and increasingly significant component of our local economy,” said Film Commission Chairman Michael Jarema. “This industry benefits our community on so many levels.”

The annual report from the Savannah Film Commission also contains some fascinating data that’s a lot more detailed than what’s in this press release — I’ll likely mention some of that in my City Talk column Tuesday.

As noted above, the USA TV show “Royal Pains” is currently back filming in Savannah. I suppose that’s what has filled up the parking lot of the old Sears the last few days.

In the pic here embedded from Facebook, you can see a scene of the shoot on Monterey Square. But take note! That’s not the Stephen Williams House, which is at the corner of Liberty and Barnard. The sign might be from the Stephen Williams House, but the exterior is Alex Raskin Antiques at Bull and Gordon.