'Game Change' Shoots in Baltimore, Premieres in D.C.

The new HBO political drama "Game Change," about the 2008 John McCain-Sarah Palin presidential ticket, exemplifies everything that is wrong about Washington, D.C. as Hollywood's favorite storytelling subject but least favorite filming location. This blog and other news sites have documented the stunning lack of film incentives and massive amounts of red tape that leave location scouts with a sour taste for shooting in The District.

"Game Change" was primarily shot in Baltimore, Maryland along with Wilmington, Delaware and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The only time the film's stars set foot in the Nation's Capital was for the premiere at the Newseum. It is bizarre that a political film had its red carpet premiere in Washington but decided not to shoot there.

But can you blame Playtone producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman for saving on production costs by shooting in Maryland, a state that offers generous tax credits and rebates?

It's just a shame that Charm City has to stand in for the Nation's Capital time and again because The District is so unfriendly to film shoots. It would have been a big economic boost having Julianne Moore, Ed Harris and Woody Harrelson here in Washington for the "Game Change" film shoot.

Perhaps one day change will come to Washington in the form of more aggressive film incentives and a streamlined permitting process.

Here is the trailer for "Game Change."

Washington Post Examines Why Films Don't Shoot in D.C.

Today's Washington Post takes a look at why the Nation's Capital misses out on many Hollywood film and television productions. The two biggest reasons are the lack of aggressive tax incentives and the bureaucratic maze location scouts and filmmakers must navigate to get permission to shoot in the shadow of the Capitol dome or other monumental locations.

The most disturbing part in the decline of TV and film shoots in The District is that storylines involving political intrigue and scandal are in demand. But Baltimore—Washington's blue-collar neighbor to the north—is increasingly used as a stand-in for D.C. because Maryland's film incentives are so much more competitive.  The Old Line State offers a rebate of up to 25% in the form of a grant for productions spending a minimum of $500,000 in-state and shooting at least 50% in the state. And last year Maryland increased their film incentive budget from $1 million annually to $7.5 million.

The D.C. Film Office has recently lost out on two Washington-set HBO series because of a lack of film incentives. "All Talk" is a comedy pilot written by acclaimed novelist Jonathan Safran Foer and starring Ben Stiller, who will also direct and executive produce. "VEEP" is a political satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whose local ties include a move to D.C. when she was eight-years-old and graduating from Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland.

Washington, D.C. is losing out big time on job creation and economic impact, and Baltimore and other areas of Maryland are happily reaping the rewards of offering better incentives. It really shouldn't be this way. You cannot replace the majestic Lincoln Memorial or Washington Monument on a sound stage in Burbank. But you can shoot almost every other scene somewhere else. By not offering more aggressive incentives and not streamlining the permitting process, the Nation's Capital is missing out on a monumental chance to lure Hollywood productions at a time when Tinseltown is more interested than ever in what is happening in Washington.