Central Texas might not have quite the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, but it certainly has no shortage of Hollywood movies that have sought it out as a filming destination. Going back nearly a century, studios have found Austin and the surrounding area to be the perfect location for iconic films and television shows such as Office Space, Friday Night Lights, Sin City, Miss Congeniality, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Dripping Springs has also set itself up as a filming spot for everything from TV shows such as American Pickers to westerns like the 2004 remake of The Alamo.
What Draws Film Crews To Dripping Springs?
With multi-million dollar budgets, it would seem that a movie studio could shoot a movie like the 2008 western Appaloosa or 2010 sci-fi thriller Predators anywhere. So why Dripping Springs? For starters, Texas, and particularly the Texas Hill Country offers the perfect natural landscape for a variety of movies. With a mix of both limestone cliffs and caverns and rolling hills, it can make the perfect backdrop for not only a western, but with the right choreography, a distant space planet.
Central Texas has been a welcoming place for movie studios for decades and a flourishing ground for talent in the area. Actor Ethan Hawke, as well as directors Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez have all lived in the area and made films here. Since 1994, the Austin Film Festival has drawn both film buffs and movie insiders to the city to celebrate Texas film and showcase upcoming projects and talent.
A Film-Friendly Community
Dripping Springs is one of 160 film-friendly communities in Texas. These are towns and cities that have been certified by the Texas Film Commission and are part of “a network for fostering media production in their municipalities.” In short, they’ve let put it out there to the big shots in Tinseltown that they’re open for business.
If a movie or TV studio wants to shoot in Dripping Springs, it simply fills out the proper form outlining the details. These include when and where the shoot will take place, the length of filming, and any other important details such as anticipated needs of city equipment or public areas. Once approval has been given by the Texas Film Commission it’s lights… camera… action!
For film-friendly communities like Dripping Springs, film productions bring revenue and jobs into the community. “When those folks come to town, there’s a huge economic impact,” Adena Lewis, director of tourism for nearby Bastrop (also a film-friendly community) said. “We really enjoy seeing Texans being hired for these projects. Anything that creates jobs is really important for economic development.”
Who knows, you may just spot your favorite actor shooting their next big project while strolling around Dripping Springs.
If you’d like to find out what all the buzz is about when it comes to this Texas town, reach out to the Caliterra team to learn more about our home builders.
