By Kimberly Powell

As evidenced by the recent announcement that NBC's hit show, "The West Wing," will be filming part of this year's two-hour premier near Pittsburgh, more and more filmmakers and television producers are discovering that the western Pennsylvania region is a great place to film. A phenomenal diversity of geographic movie locations and architectural backdrops, plus the necessary actors, equipment, and production crews to support a major movie shoot, come together to form the infrastructure that filmmakers are looking for, making Pittsburgh a one-stop shop for filming a movie.

Varied and Unique Locations...
Shooting in western Pennsylvania offers a tremendous variety of movie locations, from glass skyscrapers and historic mansions, to log cabins and rushing streams, all within a short, easy drive of each other. A trip from downtown Pittsburgh to rural, rolling farmland takes just minutes, rather than the hours it takes in New York City. Pittsburgh and its surrounding counties also have a chameleon-like ability, having been cast as Detroit (Movie - "The Temptations"), Baltimore (Movie - "The Silence of the Lambs"), the Ukraine (Television Movie - "The Oksana Baiul Story"), rural Mississippi (Movie - "The Piano Lesson"), Chicago (Movie - "Hoffa"), San Francisco (Movie - "Desperate Measures"), and even sister city, Philadelphia (Movie - "Money for Nothing").

Benefits and Incentives...
Pennsylvania offers plenty of incentives to producers looking to film in the state. Shooting on state-owned property, from the 19th century Allegheny County courthouse built in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, to the 1868 grain mill at McConnell's Mill State Park, is free. In Los Angeles, on the other hand, you need to pay for a permit just to be allowed to film a movie. A sales-tax exemption for feature films, independents, and documentaries also makes it easier and cheaper than ever to shoot in Pennsylvania.

Accommodating Communities and Governments...
In response to the intensive shooting schedule for "Inspector Gadget," the city of Pittsburgh rerouted four different parades and closed the 6th Street Bridge, now known as the Roberto Clemente bridge, for three weeks. "In most other metropolitan areas we would have been laughed out of town for even asking," the producers said. A similar situation happened in the town of Kittanning, when residents agreed to a 30-day closure and detour route around the town's main bridge in order to accommodate the filming of the movie, "The Mothman Prophecies."

Talent and Experience...
Pittsburgh became an important film production center in the 1980s, largely through the efforts of George Romero, Pittsburgh resident and director of the horror-movie classic, "Night of the Living Dead." He chose to shoot his movies here, and his productions provided a training ground for what has become a very talented local crew-base. A multitude of talented actors and experienced extras is also available.

Leading the Way...
Since its inception in 1990, the Pittsburgh Film Office has worked to attract and facilitate the production of movies, television programs, commercials, documentaries, and independent films in Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania, and have steered over 50 feature film and television productions into our area. The office provides personalized assistance with securing local permits and permissions, scouting movie locations, securing supplies, and anything else you may need, including photos and driving tours.