The Dallas/Ft. Worth region offers expansive locations, a large talent pool and crew base, and extensive equipment and support services. They’re spending $12 billion to renovate the overall city. Now they are offering tax incentive provisions on sales tax exemptions, hotel tax rebates and a state production grant. With these improvements taking place in the neighborhoods, downtown and the 13 entertainment districts, there are already big things happening in Big D.

The hit Fox television show Prison Break has taken full advantage of what Dallas has to offer. “We needed to be able to shoot in one area that could look like somewhere else in another state,” says the show’s producer, Garry Brown. So far 35 episodes for seasons two and three have been shot there since the show relocated from Chicago after season one.  “The Dallas area provides a vast array of looks and with Fort Worth nearby it adds to this,” Brown continues. For a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the show in the Dallas area, we are encouraged to check out the featurette, Turning Dallas into America, which is included in the two DVD box sets of the second season.
Production has rapidly been picking up with popular shows, such as American Idol, the CBS Early Show, Missionary Man, Exit Speed, Celebrity Bullriding, Fissure and Karma Police.

Garry Brown is quite known in the area for producing another popular television show, Walker, Texas Ranger, which shot in several Dallas location sites for eight seasons. “We have a terrific relationship with the city of Dallas and the cooperation has proven to be seamless,” says Brown. He commends the city of Dallas for its help in conjunction with both shows because it “makes things more efficient.”
Another big aspect to consider filming in Big D is the crew base. What would a production be without a very talented and professional crew?  You need not worry because producer Garry Brown says, “There’s an incredible talent crew base that lives in an around the Metroplex. A lot of the crew who work on the production of Prison Break also worked on Walker, Texas Ranger. And Brown, who grew up around the San Francisco area before moving to Los Angeles, adds how wonderful the weather is. “A lot of people think it’s too hot or too cold in this area but it’s really not.” 

As for talent, Dallas film commissioner Janis Burklund boasts, “We have the largest professional talent base in Texas and the most SAG contracts in the state are done for production here.” She also adds, “We have a large number of commercial, corporate and post production companies here, as well as film labs, studios, etc.”

 ReelFX Creative Studios/Radium is a major Dallas-based company that provides animation, graphics and special effects. This turnkey facility, rarely found between the coasts, has been pretty busy with commercials, television, direct to video projects, video games and feature films. They recently provided the pop-up sequences for the 2007 Disney animated film Enchanted, starring Julie Andrews as the narrator, Susan Sarandon and Patrick Dempsey, as well as work on the opening title sequence, transitions and more for the film Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.