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Television and film in New Jersey

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There is a long history of television and film in New Jersey, which is considered the birthplace of the movie picture industry.[1][2][3][4][5]

Film and television "firsts"

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The roots of the industry started in Newark with Hannibal Goodwin's patent of nitrocellulose film in 1887.[4] Motion picture technology was invented by Thomas Edison, with early work done at his laboratory in West Orange. Edison's Black Maria, the world's first movie studio, is where the first motion picture to be copyrighted in the United States, Fred Ott's Sneeze, was shot.[6][7]

The Centaur Film Company of Bayonne was the first independent movie studio in the USA. America's first motion picture industry started in 1907 in Fort Lee and the first studio was constructed there in 1909.[8][9][10] Alice Guy-Blaché, widely considered to be the world's first female film director, worked in the borough. Oscar Micheaux's film The Exile, the first African-American sound film, was filmed in Fort Lee along with many other Micheaux films.[11]

Fred Wesley Wentworth was commissioned in 1914 by Jacob Fabian to build the Regent in Paterson, one of the first theaters built exclusively for the exhibition of moving pictures.[12][13][14] The nation's first drive-in theater opened at Airport Circle in 1933.

DuMont Laboratories in Passaic, developed early sets and made the first broadcast to the private home, documented in Passaic: Birthplace of Television and the DuMont Story (1951).

New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission

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Main article: New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission

The New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission was established in 1976.[15]

Many television shows and motion picture films have been filmed in New Jersey,[16][17][18] with incentives offered by the state.

When Governor Phil Murphy took office in 2018 he reinstated the New Jersey Film & Digital Media Tax Credit Program, which had been suspended by the previous administration. It was expanded in 2020. The benefits include a 30% tax credit on film projects and a 40% subsidy for studio developments.[19][20] Murphy signed legislation in January 2023 increasing the state's digital media content production tax credit to 35% of qualified expenses purchased through vendors in South Jersey and Mercer County. In addition, the bill increased the cumulative annual limitation on digital media content production tax credits from $10 million to $30 million. Beginning in fiscal year 2025, the bill also allows an additional $100 million in tax credits for New Jersey film-lease partners from tax credits authorized under other incentive programs.[21]

Studio complexes

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Filming at the Pathé American studio in Jersey City Heights (1912)

Fort Lee is home to America's first motion picture industry.[4][5] A large number of early films, many silent, were shot at studios and on location in and around the town. With the first constructed in 1909, there were 11 major studios in Fort Lee by 1918.[22][23]

The floor space and height of the Jersey City Armory has led to its use as a temporary studio for many projects, including Robert De Niro's A Bronx Tale, the Faye Dunaway thriller Eyes Of Laura Mars and Laura Brannigan's music video "Self-Control".[24] The expansive floor and high ceilings of the Teaneck Armory has been used for numerous film shoots, including Sweet and Lowdown, You've Got Mail,[25] Bogus, and Stonewall.[26]

In 2010, a new Studio City New Jersey was opened in Trenton,[27] and in 2011, the Ironbound Film and Television Studio was opened in Newark.[28][29]

After the closure of the Meadowlands Arena as a sports and entertainment venue, NBC leased the space and converted it to a major film studio in 2019.[30]

Criterion Group converted a warehouse in Jersey City to the state's largest film studio named Caven Point Studio;[31] it has with three soundstages.[32] In February 2021, Palisade Stages opened its 23,000 square feet studio in Kearny. Supor Studio City in Harrison was converted from seven existing buildings into studios.[33] Another studio opened on Kearny Point in 2022, 10 Basin Studios.[34]

In October 2021, Netflix announced its intention to bid for a redevelopment of a 289-acre parcel at Fort Monmouth to turn it into Netflix's second-largest production complex.[35] Netflix was the top bidder and the plan for the Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth was approved in 2024 with the expected closing date in 2027 and the campus was planned to be completed between 2034 to 2037.[36]

In March 2022, Township of West Orange announced a partnership with, a studio design and development company, MBS Group, to redevelop properties adjacent to Thomas Edison's Laboratory to build up to eight sound studios.[37] In April 2024, West Orange officially approved the studio, which will consist of three to six production stages spanning 20,000 to 30,000 square feet each, as well as office and support spaces, and a large parking facility.[38]

Construction of a major studio at Bergen Point is a planned project in Bayonne. Called 1888 Studios, it will be the largest in New Jersey and the largest ground-up movie studio complex in North America.[39][40][41]

In 2022, the city of Newark announced that a major new film and television production studio to be called "Lionsgate Newark Studios," would open in 2024 on the 15-acre former Seth Boyden Terrace housing project site at 101 Center Terrace in the Dayton section in the city's South Ward. Lionsgate Newark will partner on public relations and community affairs with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.[42][43][44] With this project, Lionsgate became the first to be designated as a state's studio partner which would allow the company to capture additional tax benefits up to $100 million set aside for up to three studio partners.[45]

In 2023, ACX1 Studios announced that it planned to convert the 550,000-square-foot Playground Pier in Atlantic City into a live entertainment and production studio with several ready-to-shoot movie sets.[46]

In 2024, New Jersey Economic Development Authority awarded $9.5 million grants to local municipalities for road, power transmission, and water infrastructure to support developments of new sound stages and production facilities. Those projects included the 1.2 million-square-foot Carteret Stages in Carteret, a 280,000-square-foot studio facility in Jersey City developed by Mana Contemporary, an expansion of Caven Point Studio with three new sound stages in Jersey City, a development of 185,000 square feet sound stages by Atlantic Picture Motion Studios in Egg Harbor City, and a television studio in East Brunswick.[47][48]

Film festivals

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Main article: List of film festivals in New Jersey

Labor unions and entertainment guilds

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A large swath of the state is within the "thirty-mile zone" around Columbus Circle in New York, allowing productions to save on travel cost obligations because a shoot is in the same zone as personnel's residences. Entertainment industry labor unions use the studio zone to determine per diem rates, work rules, and workers' compensation for union workers. Portions of Hudson, Essex, and Bergen counties are in the 8-mile SAG-AFTRA zone running from same location.[citation needed]

Filmmaking programs

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Rutgers University established the Rutgers Filmmaking Center in New Brunswick in 2011. Though it is a relatively new program, the program has been ranked highly among the nation's film schools.[49] Variety named it “one of the top programs in the United States."

Networks based in New Jersey

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Further information: List of television stations in New Jersey
Further information: List of television stations in New York (by region)
  • NJ PBS (known as NJTV until 2021) is a statewide public television network owned by the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority and operated by Public Media NJ, a subsidiary of The WNET Group.
    • The New Jersey Network (NJN) operated public television until June 30, 2011, when it ended operations and its television stations were transferred to WNET.
  • Cable network CNBC originates most of its in-studio programming from Englewood Cliffs. Sister news network MSNBC broadcast from studios in Secaucus from 1997 until late 2007, when the network moved to Rockefeller Center's GE Building in a cost-cutting measure by parent company NBC Universal.
  • The MLB Network moved into the former MSNBC studios in Secaucus in 2009.[50]
  • MyNetworkTV flagship station WWOR-TV (Channel 9) is licensed to and broadcasts from Secaucus; former owner RKO General moved the New York-based station across the Hudson in 1983 in an unsuccessful attempt to retain the station's license.
  • WNET is licensed to Newark
Cable and Satellite
VHF stations (digital)
UHF stations (digital)

Television shows filmed in or set in New Jersey

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Further information: List of television shows set in New Jersey
  • The Street "The first television series to be shot entirely in New Jersey..."[51]
  • Bar Karma
  • Cartoon Network's Adult Swim cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Toonami cartoon Megas XLR are both set in New Jersey.
  • FOX's animated sitcom Bob's Burgers is said to take place in the fictional town of Seymour's Bay, New Jersey, as indicated by several clues. Most notably that Linda has a stereotypical Jersey accent and New Jersey license plates are seen on several vehicles throughout the show.
  • The opening of the NBC comedy Ed was filmed in Hillsdale and Westfield, New Jersey.
  • In the animated television comedy Futurama, New Jersey is slandered many times by the characters. In one episode, Fry finds a seemingly ideal apartment while house hunting, but later comments, upon finding out that the home is located in New Jersey, that he found "not one place even remotely liveable". In another, when discussing the global garbage problem, a television ad states that "... landfills were full ... New Jersey was full ...", implying a lack of places to store garbage. Additionally, Robot Hell is located in Atlantic City.
  • The Fox show Point Pleasant was based on a fictional version of the town. (It was not shot on location within the actual town of the same name.)
  • The Bravo TV series Real Housewives of New Jersey is a reality show based on the daily lives of five New Jersey women living in Franklin Lakes.
  • The television drama The Sopranos depicts the life of a New Jersey organized crime family and is filmed on location at various places throughout the state. Series creator and writer-director David Chase grew up in Clifton and North Caldwell.
  • The Disney Channel Original Series Jonas is taken place in New Jersey on a fictional J.O.N.A.S. street.
  • The HBO series Boardwalk Empire, a historical drama set during the prohibition era, takes place in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
  • The HBO prison drama Oz was filmed in an old warehouse in Bayonne, with much of the series filmed around the now-defunct Military Ocean Terminal Base.[52]
  • The NBC drama Law and Order: Special Victims Unit filmed police station and courtroom scenes at NBC's Central Archives building in North Bergen,[53][54] and filmed other scenes throughout the county, such as a 2010 episode filmed at the Meadowlands Parkway in Secaucus.[52]
  • The television medical drama House is set in New Jersey and takes place at the fictional Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Overhead images of the building are actually the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University.
  • In his comedy special What Am I Doing in New Jersey?, filmed at the Park Theater, George Carlin comments that he believes New Jersey deserves the title "Toll Booth Capital of the United States of America". He also suggests changing the state nickname from "The Garden State" to "The Toll Booth State".
  • The NBC show Ed was based in the fictional town of Stuckeyville, Ohio, but filmed in various locations in New Jersey. Stuckeybowl, one of the main settings of the show and where they also had numerous sets, was located in Northvale, New Jersey before it was demolished in 2006.
  • The Adventures of Pete & Pete, set in the fictional town of Wellesville in an unnamed state, was filmed in New Jersey. Originally, the school scenes were shot in Bayonne and the neighborhood scenes in South Orange, and Leonia. For the third season, production took place in Cranford. The occasional New Jersey Transit Bus or other such object in a shot would occasionally give this fact away.
  • NBC's medical drama Mercy is set in the fictional Mercy Hospital in Jersey City. The short-lived hospital drama was filmed at a warehouse in Secaucus, a private residence in Weehawken and a public school in Jersey City.[55]
  • The MTV reality show Jersey Shore (TV series) takes place in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as well as other South Jersey locales during seasons 1 and 3.
  • Cake Boss
  • The CW action-thriller television series Nikita is set in and around New Jersey.
  • Wake Up with Marci on CBS owned WLNY-TV 10/55 talk show empowering women url=Awards Winning TV Personality | Host | Show Creator | Executive Producer New Jersey
  • Nickelodeon's Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles often has the main characters (especially Leonardo) slander New Jersey, most notably in "The Evil League Of Mutants" and "Mystic Mayhem".

Motion pictures filmed in New Jersey

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On location in Newark, 2004

Locations

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Further information: List of films set in New Jersey
Further information: Category:Films shot in New Jersey

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Brooks, Robert P. (April 1959). "The Birth and Early Development of the Motion Picture". Passaic County Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  2. ^ Fassett, Caroline (July 22, 2021). "Step aside NYC, the Garden State is growing its own reputation as a mecca for film and TV". NJ.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "Hollywood on the Hudson: book details". Rutgers University Press. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Spehr, Paul C. (1977). The Movies Begin: Making Movies in New Jersey, 1887-1920. The Newark Museum. ISBN 9780871001214.
  5. ^ a b Koszarski, Richard (2004). Fort Lee: The Film Town. Rome: John Libbey Publishing. ISBN 9780861966530. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  6. ^ "A Sneeze Caught on Film". American Treasures of the Library of Congress. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
  7. ^ "Edison: The Invention of the Movies". Kino.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  8. ^ "Fort Lee Film Commission - Fort Lee, NJ". FortLeeFilm.org. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  9. ^ Horst, Carole (December 9, 2021). "How New Jersey Became the Birthplace of the U.S. Movie Industry". Variety. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  10. ^ Kiniry, Laura. "Was this the US' first film town?". www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  11. ^ "Fort Lee Film Commission honors pioneer African-American filmmaker". North Jersey Media Group. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  12. ^ "Fabian Theater". Cinema Treasures. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  13. ^ Avignone, June (1999), Downtown Paterson, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 9780738563237
  14. ^ "KEY CLIENT—JACOB FABIAN". fredwesleywentworth.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  15. ^ Olivier, Bobby (February 22, 2019). "41 blockbuster movies you didn't know filmed in New Jersey". NJ.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  16. ^ "NJ filmography". Nj.gov. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  17. ^ Anderson, Betsy (March 24, 1991). "And the Winner Is . . . New Jersey, as a Location for Top Films". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  18. ^ Kannapell, Andrea (October 4, 1998). "Getting the Big Picture; The Film Industry Started Here and Left. Now It's Back, and the State Says the Sequel Is Huge". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  19. ^ Bergeron, Tom. "Every state is looking to take business from Georgia — here's why N.J. has legitimate chance to do so". ROI NJ. Archived from the original on April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  20. ^ Marcus, Samantha (June 3, 2018). "Murphy wants to reverse Christie on this hot issue: Jersey Shore!". NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  21. ^ "Lionsgate Will Get Extra Tax Breaks To Make Movies, Shows In Newark". Patch. January 5, 2023. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  22. ^ "11 Number of the Day: Major film studios operating in Fort Lee by 1918". New Jersey Spotlight. January 4, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  23. ^ "A summary of the studios and films that were produced in Fort Lee, NJ". Barrymore Film Center. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  24. ^ "Studio Productions In New Jersey : New Jersey a Studio Center? Temporarily and Permanently!". New Jersey Television and Movie Commission. October 1996. Archived from the original on July 12, 2002. Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry,"Getting the Big Picture; The Film Industry Started Here and Left. Now It's Back, and the State Says the Sequel Is Huge". The New York Times. October 4, 1998. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017. Terry Kinney's Diminished Capacity, "Diminished Capacity". Jclist.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2011. and A Perfect Murder by Andrew Davis. "Shooting the Apple", A Perfect Murder, Warner Brothers, 1998
  25. ^ Ivry, Bob (June 17, 1998). "Filmmakers Descending on New Jersey". The Record. Bergen County, New Jersey. Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2024. When Randy Sokol Sweeney was asked to find a New York-area spot in which to shoot the indoor scenes of "You've Got Mail", a romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, she tried the usual studios in Queens, but they were booked. Then she checked out Teaneck.
  26. ^ "New Jersey a Studio Center? Temporarily and Permanently!". New Jersey Television and Movie Commission. Archived from the original on July 12, 2002. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  27. ^ Kulkin, Joey (May 21, 2010). "Hollywood meets Trenton at Studio City New Jersey". The Trentonian. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010.
  28. ^ "Ironbound Film and Television Studios" (PDF). Ironboundstudios.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  29. ^ Honan, Edith (March 11, 2011). "Newark's film hopes snag on New Jersey budget fight". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  30. ^ Allison Pries (February 9, 2020). "Closed for years, the legendary arena in the Meadowlands has found a new purpose". Nj.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  31. ^ Zeitlinger, Ron (September 12, 2019). "Lights, camera, action! Largest production studio in state planned in Jersey City". NJ.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  32. ^ Fry, Chris (December 22, 2020). "Plans Revealed for Criterion Group's Cinelease Studios in Jersey City". Jersey Digs. Archived from the original on April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  33. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (April 4, 2021). "Hollywood's Georgia Conundrum: Restrictive Voting Laws Threaten To Turn Peach Of A Location Venue Into Pariah". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  34. ^ "Second film studio opens in Kearny". February 21, 2022. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  35. ^ Barnes, Brooks; Koblin, John (October 26, 2021). "Netflix Eyes New Jersey Army Base for Major Production Hub". New York Times. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  36. ^ Kolnoski, Laura D.C. (February 27, 2024). "Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth Plans Approved with Modifications". The Two River Times. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  37. ^ Tobia, Darren (March 18, 2022). "A Movie Studio and Tax Breaks — Is Tory Corner in West Orange the Next Montclair?". Jersey Digs. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  38. ^ Fry, Chris (April 26, 2024). "West Orange Approves New Film Studio Near Thomas Edison's National Park". Jersey Digs. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  39. ^ Israel, Daniel (March 31, 2022). "Bayonne Planning Board approves 1888 Studios at former Texaco site". Hudson Reporter. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  40. ^ Fry, Chris (March 25, 2022). "Renderings Revealed for NJ's Largest Film Production Complex in Bayonne". Jersey Digs. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  41. ^ https://variety.com/2024/film/focus/new-jersey-production-1236127695/
  42. ^ Tully, Tracey (May 17, 2022). "$100 Million Film Studio to Rise From Rubble of Ex-Public Housing Site". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022 – via NYTimes.com.
  43. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (May 17, 2022). "Lionsgate, Great Point Partner For Major New Jersey Studio Complex". Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  44. ^ Strunsky, Steve (May 17, 2022). "Hollywood on Newark Bay? Officials say Lionsgate film & TV studio is coming to Brick City". NJ.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  45. ^ "ICYMI: NJEDA Awards First Studio Partner Designation to Lions Gate Films Inc". State of New Jersey. December 30, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  46. ^ Hughes, Ryan (September 19, 2023). "How this production studio wants to turn Atlantic City into Hollywood East". CBS News. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  47. ^ Munoz, Daniel (April 11, 2024). "Money, lights, camera, action: NJ hands out millions for more local film and TV studios". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  48. ^ "Film and Digital Media Studio Infrastructure Program awarded $9.5M by NJEDA". ROI-NJ. April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  49. ^ Rahner, Mark (November 2, 2021). "TheWrap's Top 50 Film Schools of 2021". Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  50. ^ Hill, Michael P. (October 20, 2008). "MLB Network taking over former MSNBC HQ". Newscast Studio. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  51. ^ Abdella, Frank (February 14, 1988). "New TV Series Stars Newark Police Officers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  52. ^ a b Wright, E. Assata (February 20, 2011). "Getting the film crews back to NJ Gov. to decide future of tax credit that benefited Hudson County". Hudson Reporter. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
  53. ^ Green, Susan; Dawn, Randee (2009), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Unofficial Companion, Dallas: BenBella Books, ISBN 978-1-933771-88-5
  54. ^ Kimpton, Roger. "Hollywood on the Palisades", Palisade magazine, Summer 2010, Pages 12-15
  55. ^ "The Tipsheet: 'Mercy' Brings Jersey City to the Small Screen, AhoraJC, Biking the Studio Tour and More". The Jersey City Independent. September 30, 2009. Archived from the original on October 18, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  56. ^ "Blairstowntheaterfestival.com". BlairstownTheaterFestival.com. July 13, 2007. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  57. ^ "hingepepper.com". Hingepepper.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  58. ^ New Jersey Drive at IMDb
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