Virginia Film: Past, Present & Future
History of Filmmaking in the Virginia Borders
See a list of the film and television shows shot in Virginia.
Just as Virginia’s history often mirrors the history of the country, so does its film history:
In 1891 acclaimed inventor Thomas Edison began producing moving pictures under the Edison Company name. After a bitter dispute, Edison’s chief inventor, William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, left to found a rival company, the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. In the late 1890’s both companies produced short silent moving pictures that were usually less than a minute long and took their subjects from life. They brought their rivalry to Virginia in 1897 and 1898, when the Edison Company came to Fort Meyers in Arlington to shoot several short films using the Sixth Cavalry as subjects, while the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company shot scenes of the shipyards and the launch of several Navy ships in Newport News and Norfolk. The Lubin Film Company, another prominent motion picture company of the era run by Sigmund Lubin, was also in the state in 1899, filming President McKinley and his cabinet on the reviewing stands at Camp Alger in Dunn Loring, Virginia
One of the earliest 20th century pictures to use Virginia as a location was another groundbreaking project entitled The Colored American Winning His Suit. Produced by the Frederick Douglas Film Company in 1915, it was the first feature length film produced and acted in by African Americans.
In the early part of the 20th century, the film industry migrated to Los Angeles and New York. However – there were a surprising number of feature films that were shot in Virginia. Some of the great names of early American film came to Virginia: Lionel Barrymore, DW Griffith, Oscar Micheaux, Walter Huston, Jane Wyman, Ronald Regan, Humphrey Bogart, June Allison, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Pryor and Charlton Heston were a few of the luminaries who came to the state to make their movies.
Some of the more notable films that were shot later in the 20th century were D.W. Griffith’s America, starring Lionel Barrymore, Brother Rat starring Ronald Regan, Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie with Tippi Hedron and Sean Connery.
Beginning in 1980, Virginia was at the forefront of a relatively new movement in film production. The Virginia Film Office was created and was one of a handful of film commissions actively recruiting the film, video and television industries to their jurisdictions.
Although the three most active areas of the state for production are currently Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia, films have been shot in all areas of the state. Several films have been shot in the Southwest including Lassie in Tazewell County, Dirty Dancing starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey at Mountain Lake Resort in Giles County, What About Bob? starring Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray at Smith Mountain Lake, and Crazy People with Dudley Moore and Darryl Hannah in Chatham and Roanoke.
The Shenandoah Valley has seen such high profile films as The Four Seasons with Alan Alda and Carol Burnett, Sommersby with Richard Gere and Jody Foster, Gods and Generals starring Robert Duvall and Jeff Daniels, and War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise.
Hampton Roads has also had its share of major feature films. Minority Report starring Tom Cruise shot in Gloucester County and Mission Impossible III also starring Tom Cruise shot at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The New World, starring Colin Farrell was shot near Jamestown.
Northern Virginia has also had numerous high-profile projects such as Deep Impact with Robert Duvall, Silence of the Lambs with Jody Foster and Anthony Hopkins, Random Hearts with Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas, Forces of Nature with Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck, and Flags of our Fathers directed by Clint Eastwood.
The Richmond area sees the most feature film production because of its wide variety of architecture and because it can double as Washington DC. Some of the many films shot in Richmond include Dave with Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver, The Jackal starring Richard Gere and Bruce Willis, The Contender with Jeff Bridges and Joan Allen, First Kid starring Sinbad, and Hannibal and Hearts in Atlantis, both starring Anthony Hopkins.
However, big budget feature films only tell part of the story. Virginia’s thriving industry also includes made-for television movies such as HBO’s Iron Jawed Angels and mini-series including Sally Hemings: An American Scandal and A Woman Named Jackie. Because Virginia is so rich in history, many documentaries are also shot here, and the state’s spectacular scenery makes it an exceptional location for national commercials, music videos and catalogue shoots.
Virginia has also been successful in attracting network and cable television programming. The pilots of two television shows airing on ABC, Commander in Chief and Line of Fire were both shot in the Richmond area, while the Northern Virginia area has been the scene for network television programs such as The West Wing and The Wire. Reality TV has also found a home in the Commonwealth with numerous reality programs shooting episodes in the state.
Not all of the projects shot in Virginia come from outside the state however. Two studios located here have been the home for a great deal of production. New Millennium Studios in Petersburg has been responsible for several television and film projects while New Dominion Pictures in Suffolk is the home of popular cable television programs such as New Detectives, Navy Seals and FBI Files.
MovieMaker magazine, a publication for independent filmmakers, has several times saluted Virginia’s strong and growing independent film community. Local filmmakers throughout the state are part of a growing trend – that is, the production of film and television outside the major production areas of New York and Los Angeles.
One of the reasons that Virginia’s industry is so strong is the proliferation of in-state production and post-production companies to support the industry. Virginia-based companies shoot commercials, documentaries, television shows and films while post production companies provide essential services such as editing and sound production. In fact, the majority of Virginia’s revenue from the industry comes from local companies providing these kinds of services.
Virginia has come a long way from the early days when pioneers of the silent film era came to make those first ground-breaking motion pictures. The industry is an important part of the rich cultural and historic heritage that is Virginia – and will continue to be a valuable part of our culture, providing economic benefits to the state, and enjoyment to everyone who loves filmed entertainment.
Yes, it’s true – Virginia is for Film Lovers.