Shooting with hometown pride!

I am so full of hometown pride that I am practically bursting. A decade ago, filmmaking on the Gulf Coast was close to non-existent. Nowadays, thanks in part to local tax incentives, cameras seem to be everywhere. Check out this impressive looking local spot for Bishop State Community College.


I shouldn't be surprised, though. Mobile has always been beautiful, but under a lens, the city is tres belle. As I plan my own documentary, C'est la Mort, I can't help but to fall in love with the city's classic charm all over again.

But if you shoot in Mobile, you gotta deal with the heat...

As you shoot your own hometown, try to imagine what makes your city unique. Is it the geographical location? The people? The culture? You have to show a little hometown pride in order to pull off your hometown shoot effectively. Why? Because you are used to your own town and you need to showcase your film in a way that is intriguing to both locals and non-locals. A friend of mine, Brian Nelson, shot his award-winning thesis film in his hometown of New Orleans.



Keeper of the Flame showcased part of New Orleans culture that not even those native to the city know well. Even if you live in the most boring city in America, there has to be something interesting there. Perhaps, the world's largest wad of chewing gum?

Happy Filmmaking.