Q: WHY ARE A FAIR NUMBER OF TV SHOWS AND MOVIES SET IN INDIANA BUT SO FEW FILMED HERE?
A: Mostly because movie and TV productions are attracted by tax breaks and local production facilities—neither of which Indiana offers in abundance. That’s why a series like Stranger Things, the first few seasons of which took place in the mythical Indiana town of Hawkins, was actually shot in Georgia. The Peach State has made a multi-decade push to attract such projects, and it shows. In 2021 Georgia hosted 95 films and 107 TV series, compared to Indiana’s three movies and seven series. “We are simply not as competitive as other states,” says Greg Sorvig, artist director at Heartland Film. “But there has been momentum for expanding our tax incentives and infrastructure to attract more high-profile productions, both set in and out of Indiana.” We’ll know we’re in the big leagues when a movie set in Atlanta is filmed here.
