By Chris Miller,
Correspondent
ANNAPOLIS, Md. 鈥� Maryland is well known for its crab cakes and the Chesapeake Bay. But that鈥檚 not all. Since 2000, 78 films and five television shows have been shot in Maryland, according to the Maryland State Archives.
When people think of movie and television locations, California鈥檚 pristine oceans and rolling Hollywood hills, or the sprawling urban jungle of New York come to mind. Though it鈥檚 smaller, Maryland has more than held its own.
Over the last few years, the award-winning Netflix series 鈥淗ouse of Cards,鈥� starring Kevin Spacey, and HBO鈥檚 鈥淰eep,鈥� starring Julia-Louis Dreyfus 鈥� who attended high school in Bethesda 鈥� have filmed in the state.
The sixth season of 鈥淗ouse of Cards鈥� was about to shoot in Maryland earlier this month, but due to multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Spacey, the series is suspended and Netflix announced that Spacey will no longer be involved with the show.
Two of the earliest films that helped put Maryland on the cinematic map were both released in 1979: 鈥淭he Seduction of Joe Tynan,鈥� starring Meryl Streep and Alan Alda, and 鈥溾�nd Justice for All,鈥� written by Baltimore native Barry Levinson and starring Al Pacino, said Chris Kaltenbach, entertainment reporter for The Baltimore Sun.
It helped that these films had actors with genuine name recognition.
鈥淢eryl Streep within a year or two would be an Oscar winner,鈥� said Kaltenbach.
Since then, Maryland has consistently produced well-received movies and television shows. Some of the most recognizable films include 鈥淪t. Elmo鈥檚 Fire鈥� (1985), 鈥淧atriot Games鈥� (1992) with Harrison Ford, 鈥淪leepless in Seattle鈥� (1993) with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, 鈥淩unaway Bride鈥� (1999) with Julia Roberts, 鈥淭he Blair Witch Project鈥� (1999), and 鈥淲edding Crashers,鈥� (2005) with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.
One of the biggest reasons that productions flock to film in Maryland is because of its close proximity to Washington, D.C., Kaltenbach said.
Washington can be restrictive about what can be filmed due to security reasons, he said, so Maryland is close enough that 鈥渋f you just want to take a day and do a couple shots鈥ou鈥檙e close enough (to D.C.) to be able to do that at a fairly low cost.鈥�
Many shows, such as 鈥淗ouse of Cards鈥� and 鈥淰eep,鈥� have filmed in Baltimore as a stand-in for Washington. 鈥淗ouse of Cards鈥� even transformed the Maryland House of Delegates chamber to stand in for the United States Senate, according to a 2014 Towson University report on the economic impacts of the Maryland film industry.
Maryland is also an ideal location for 鈥渁lmost any sort of scenario you鈥檇 want to shoot,鈥� said Kaltenbach.
Maryland has a variety of locations 鈥� mountains, the ocean, the Chesapeake Bay and big cities and small towns 鈥� that make it an attractive state for filming, he said.
The state is 鈥淎merica in miniature,鈥� said Jack Gerbes, director of the Maryland Film Office. 鈥淪o a filmmaker could get the inner city of 鈥楾he Wire鈥� and in 20 minutes later be in the bucolic, rolling hills of 鈥楻unaway Bride,鈥欌�� he said.
The Baltimore area also has a standing, skilled workforce for film productions to employ, said Kaltenbach. 鈥淐aterers, electricians, casting agents 鈥� all the people you would need to shoot a film or shoot a television show, we have them here in the area,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 important,鈥� said Gerbes, 鈥渂ecause if a project can come to Maryland and hire the crew locally, that saves the production and the producer hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars.鈥�
The first four seasons of both 鈥淗ouse of Cards鈥� and 鈥淰eep鈥� have each hired more than 1,000 Maryland technicians and actors, according to a December 2016 report from the Maryland Department of Commerce.
Maryland also has local businesses that can accommodate the often 24-hour work schedules of many productions that shoot in the state, Gerbes said.
The productions pay for goods and services from these vendors, boosting the local economies of the areas where the filming takes place.
The fourth seasons of 鈥淗ouse of Cards鈥� (2016-2017) and 鈥淰eep鈥� (2015-2016) worked with 1,963 and 1,066 vendors respectively from across Maryland, according to the Department of Commerce report.
The most common vendors for 鈥淗ouse of Cards鈥� were McDonald鈥檚, BP, 7-Eleven and Exxon, while the most common vendors for 鈥淰eep鈥� were Royal Farms, Wal-Mart, Exxon and Dunkin鈥� Donuts.
Maryland tax incentives
Maryland has helped lure film and television productions to the state through various tax incentives.
Maryland鈥檚 original incentive was a rebate program created in 2005. The program offered movie and television programs that shot in the state a rebate of 50 percent of the first $25,000 of each employee鈥檚 wages, up to a maximum of $2 million, said Gerbes.
This rebate existed until 2011, when the Maryland Film Production Employment Act was passed. It replaced the rebate program with a refundable tax credit for direct costs of film production in the state, said Gerbes.
Under the newer law, movie production may receive a credit of up to 25 percent of direct costs, while a television series may receive up to 27 percent, according to the Maryland Film Office.
A television series can receive a higher tax credit than a film production because it shoots around 150 days a year–much longer than a film, which typically shoots 25 to 45 days, depending on the budget, said Gerbes.
And local production crews and businesses understand that a television series will likely be back in the area in the near future to film another season.
For a film or television series to qualify for the tax credit, at least half of the project must be shot in Maryland; the total direct costs of production in the state must exceed $500,000, and the film must be intended for national distribution, according to the Maryland Film Office.
Since 2012, a total of 12 film and television productions have been shot in the state. These productions have generated over $757 million in economic impact for the state, according to the Department of Commerce.
Since that time, about $62.5 million in tax credits have been authorized in the state. Of that, $60 million, or about 95 percent, have been awarded to 鈥淗ouse of Cards鈥� and 鈥淰eep,鈥� according to a 2015 report by the state鈥檚 Department of Legislative Services.
Film-induced tourism
Many fans flock to Maryland to see where their favorite films were shot.
鈥淔ilm-induced tourism 鈥� is certainly something that is a viable economic impact generator,鈥� said Gerbes.
After the success of 鈥淲edding Crashers,鈥� many people called the Inn at Perry Cabin, in St. Michaels, where one of the wedding reception scenes was shot, to try to get married there, said Gerbes.
The small town of Berlin, on the Eastern Shore, was used for 鈥淩unaway Bride鈥� in 1998. 鈥淭hey marketed themselves as the location for 鈥楻unaway Bride,鈥欌�� said Gerbes. When the film was released, the town had billboards on Route 50 promoting people to take a detour to see where 鈥淩unaway Bride鈥� was shot, he said.
The Waugh United Methodist Church, in Glen Arm, was used in one of the climactic moments in 鈥淩unaway Bride.鈥� For a long time, the church鈥檚 welcome sign, where it lists its service times, said 鈥淐ome worship at the home of the 鈥楻unaway Bride,鈥欌�� said Gerbes.
Every year, fans of 鈥淭he Blair Witch Project鈥� meet in October for the Blair Witch Experience, where they travel to many of the filming locations throughout Maryland. This year鈥檚 event was held Oct. 20-22.
Local areas also benefit when stars talk about them.
After filming 鈥淏etter Living Through Chemistry鈥� in 2012, Jane Fonda posted on her blog about how she found Annapolis 鈥渦tterly charming,鈥� and in 2013, Julia Louis-Dreyfus thanked the show鈥檚 鈥渨onderful crew in Baltimore鈥� when she won an Emmy for 鈥淰eep,鈥� according to Towson University鈥檚 2014 report.
Notable Marylanders
Maryland has also produced its share of notable filmmakers, producers and writers.
John Waters grew up in Baltimore and has directed 18 films 鈥� all of them shot in the city. Arguably his most famous film, 鈥淗airspray鈥� (1988), was later adapted into a Broadway musical and won eight Tony Awards.
Barry Levinson was also born in Baltimore and directed numerous notable films including 鈥淕ood Morning Vietnam鈥� (1987) and 鈥淩ain Man鈥� (1988), which won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture.
Four of Levinson鈥檚 films were shot in Baltimore: 鈥淒iner (1982), 鈥淭in Men鈥� (1987), 鈥淎valon鈥� (1990) and 鈥淟iberty Heights鈥� (1999).
Both directors have had an outsize impact on the film industry in the state.
鈥淵ou can thank, I think, Waters and Levinson for really establishing the film industry here in Maryland,鈥� said Kaltenbach.
He said many of their films that were shot in Baltimore were about growing up in the area.
鈥淭hey kind of planted the seed and in fact most 鈥� of the people that work in film in this area (Baltimore) trace their beginnings back to either John Waters or Barry Levinson,鈥� said Kaltenbach.
University of Maryland alumnus David Simon created the HBO crime drama 鈥淭he Wire鈥� (2002-2008) based on his experiences as a crime reporter at The Baltimore Sun. Television critics lauded the series, with many naming it one of the best television shows of all time. Rolling Stone in 2016 named it the second-greatest television show, behind only 鈥淭he Sopranos.鈥�
The NBC television series 鈥淗omicide: Life on the Street鈥� aired from 1993 to 1999 and was based on one of Simon鈥檚 books, 鈥淗omicide: A Year on the Killing Streets,鈥� about the Baltimore Police Department Homicide Unit.
Like Simon, Eduardo Sanchez is a native Marylander who made a name for himself as a director and filmed in the state. Sanchez grew up in the Takoma Park area and directed the horror classic 鈥淭he Blair Witch Project鈥� (1999). The movie was shot around the state, including Seneca Creek State Park, near Gaithersburg, and the small town of Burkittsville.
Maryland also is home to young directors such as Baltimore native Matt Porterfield, whose most recent film, 鈥淪ollers Point,鈥� premiered in September at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain. It鈥檚 Porterfield鈥檚 fifth film and stars actor Jim Belushi.
Though Jed Dietz is not a film director or producer, he loves Maryland films鈥攕o much that he helped create the Maryland Film Festival.
The festival is an annual five-day event each May in downtown Baltimore. It is a gathering of the Maryland film community to watch films that have just come into the marketplace, said Dietz.
The filmmakers are present for the showing of each film. 鈥淪o you get to see the films plus interact with the filmmakers,鈥� he said.
During this year鈥檚 festival, more than 40 films, many of them rare and international, were shown, according to the Maryland Film Festival鈥檚 website.
John Waters was at this year鈥檚 festival and presented the film 鈥淩oar鈥� (1981) to the audience. Directed by Noel Marshall and starring Tippi Hedren, the movie is similar to 鈥淛aws鈥� 鈥� except with vicious lions and tigers. Billed as 鈥渢he most dangerous movie ever made鈥� on its film poster, at least 70 members of the crew were attacked by the animals during the shooting of the film, according to the festival鈥檚 website. Though it was released in Australia and some European countries in 1981, the film was first released in the U.S. in 2015.
About 10,000 people typically buy tickets for the festival each year, said Dietz.
Dietz is also vice-chair of the Maryland Film Industry Coalition, 鈥渁n organization solely devoted to advocating for public policy that encourages more film and television production in the state as an economic engine,鈥� he said.
One benefit that cannot be measured — the pride that people have when film crews come to their communities to shoot.
While many associate the film industry with celebrities, the film industry is really about 鈥渢he (local) people and the businesses,鈥� said Gerbes.
鈥淚t makes people feel a little better about themselves and their towns,鈥� said Kaltenbach.
