Let’s face it, 30 years of anything is cause for celebration, whether it’s an anniversary, a birthday or the number of years in business. This fall, Film Cincinnati has 30 years of movie-making to celebrate with its “Backlot 30” street party scheduled for Saturday, September 23 in the Findlay Market neighborhood.
If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to work on a movie set, this is your chance to experience it firsthand. From the time you arrive until the time the director says, “It’s a wrap,” you’ll be treated like a star at “Backlot 30,” starting with a red carpet photocall entrance.
Once on the “back lot,” you’ll be immersed in the magic of movie making as directors set up shots, extras scurry from one scene to the other and special effects set the mood. It’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime look at how movies are made, right here in Cincinnati.
Of course, as movies are made, crews get hungry, so we haven’t forgotten “craft services” as food stations and specialty bars will be set up along the movie lots and a DJ and dance floor will be part of the evening.
It’s a fun way to celebrate movie making’s past and future here in Cincinnati, but there’s an important message that goes along with the party: Film Cincinnati is big business in our area. The movie industry contributed $38.3 million to the local economy in 2016, its largest impact yet and twice as much as the industry’s economic impact in 2015.
That same economic impact study from the University of Cincinnati Economics Center also mentioned that the 10 productions filmed in the Cincinnati area last year added the equivalent of 409 jobs to the local economy and increased earnings of $13.6 million. As film crews take advantage of the talented extras and skilled crafts workers based here, the industry is expected to grow exponentially as more producers find out about the resources available to them in the Greater Cincinnati area.
So Saturday, September 23 is our day to celebrate with you. Sunday, September 24, it’s right back to work finding more productions for our area for the next 30 years. No matter how you look at it, from cast members to crew, from donors to corporate partners, it’s simple: Film Cincinnati means business.