Jul 6, 2026
Northwest Pennsylvania might not be the first place filmmakers think of when scouting locations, but Erie and its neighboring towns might just surprise you. Within a short drive, you’ll find sandy beaches, historic lighthouses, charming main streets, and plenty of natural scenery ready for your crew. Add in a passionate film community, easy travel, and a possible 25% film tax credit, and Erie starts to look like a pretty smart place to shout “Action!”
Check out the top reasons to film your next project in our region.
25% PA Film Tax Credit and Affordability
Pennsylvania’s generous 25% tax credit has provided a huge boost to film production in our state. It’s brought in recent shoots like “Mayor of Kingstown,” “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and "Task,” but it could also be helpful to creators with tighter budgets.
For film projects shooting in Pennsylvania, including Erie, you can apply for a tax credit equal to 25% of “the production’s total Qualified Pennsylvania Production Expenses.” In other words, the tax credit is eligible for the expenses incurred within our state. Here are some other quick details on the Pennsylvania tax credits for filmmakers.
— To be eligible, film projects have to spend at least 60% of their total budget in Pennsylvania.
— Eligible expenses include equipment rental, lodging, hiring cast and crew, and much more.
— It must be a project that’s intended for a national audience. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the project can range from “a feature film, a television film, a television talk or game show series, a television commercial, a television pilot or each episode of a television series.”
According to the tax credit program guidelines, applications are evaluated on several levels, including: how many Pennsylvania jobs you’re creating; how many preproduction and postproduction days you’ll have in the state; the “anticipated total number of room nights in Pennsylvania hotels” for cast and crew; your state tax compliance; and more. The “Task” production recently received $49.8 million, the largest tax credit ever awarded to one television show, while producing “more than 3,700 jobs.” Not all projects have to be this expansive though, as tax credits have been given to “small-budget films with production budgets under $15,000.”
Emerging filmmakers looking to develop their dream project are actually Rhoxon’s ideal partners in Northwest Pennsylvania, as we can guide you toward a responsible budget and connect you with folks that assist with the tax credit application.
You can see more details on the tax credit at the Pennsylvania Film Office.
Alongside this tax credit, Northwest Pennsylvania offers other ways to save money and stay on your filmmaking budget. For example, you can book affordable hotels or rentals in Erie for your cast and crew. Hotel booking data suggests that travelers to Erie typically pay around $120–$140 per night for mid-range hotels, with budget options often under $100 and 3-star hotels averaging $135–$155 per night. This pricing does depend on season and demand (we have an influx of summer tourists). Meanwhile, CoStar reports that the average U.S. hotel price was $159 a night for the week ending on February 28th, 2026. Staying a little bit longer? Well, Apartments.com tells us that rent in Erie, PA is “41% lower than the national average rent of $1,627/month.” Meanwhile, you can also “expect to pay 3.0% less for groceries.”
Our friends over at Film Erie also note that our city has “lower location fees & permit costs” and “free or low-cost parking & staging areas.” We’ll dive deeper into those locations in our next section.
It’s important to note that like anything, once word gets out, pricing for filmmakers could increase. Right now though, Erie is an untapped resource and you could get in on the “ground floor.”
Diverse Filming Locations in Erie, PA and Northwest Pennsylvania
From beautiful waterfronts, to lush woods, to city streets and small towns, Northwest Pennsylvania offers a diversity of shooting locations. Plus, with four distinct seasons, these locations transform throughout the year into just about anything your film production might need.
In the spring, Presque Isle State Park reawakens, with beaches, a historic lighthouse, and plenty of scenic landscapes available for your project. Film a first date picnic or the protagonist’s morning run in our beautiful state park. Because of that state status, you may need a permit, but reach out to Rhoxon for more information. Conneaut Lake State Park in nearby Crawford County is another landmark that blossoms at this time of year.
The hotter summer months aren’t overbearing, as Erie’s average temperature in July ranges from a high of 80 degrees to a low of 60. More importantly, summer turns our collection of smaller cities (Edinboro, Corry, North East, Meadville) into picturesque backdrops filled with charm, walkable streets, and front-porch imagery. It also marks the opening of our local zoo and our regional amusement park (Waldameer). As the sun begins to set, you’ll be able to capture penguins jumping into ice-cold water, that brave soul taking a tall waterslide head-on, or far quieter scenes set in our rural areas. The soft breeze and golden glow creates that care-free scene of your summer.
Fall brings about vibrantly colored leaves, perfect temperatures for long shooting hours, and natural lighting that gives your scenes a rich, cinematic feel. Asbury Woods is one of many beautiful spots in Erie County, sporting over 200 acres and 5 miles of trails. Fall is also a great time to visit North East, PA and their vibrant wine scene (let’s get moving on your spiritual sequel to “Sideways”). Plus, this moment of the year is an excellent time to shoot at the Baldwin Reynolds House in Meadville, especially if you need a historic home for exteriors. The building was built in the 1840s and was the home of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Henry Baldwin. Finally, with five universities in the region, you won’t lack for academic shooting locations. When shooting a project in fall, stop by the annual Eerie Horror Festival, which consistently brings in premieres and special guests from horror history.
Winter is fierce, but you may need that for your snow-set masterpiece. You’ll likely have 3 months of uninterrupted precipitation on our Northwest Pennsylvania ground, while we also offer local skiing scenes (Mount Pleasant) and dramatic, frozen lakefront views off Presque Isle and our entire waterfront. Winter shoots for cast and crew can be tough, so just know that there’s plenty of fun activities for them in their off time. The Erie Winter Carnival typically takes place in February and features ice sculpting, ice skating and local business specials. There’s special art gallery nights every month and our year-round indoor water park makes for a great “day off” activity. Finally, Rhoxon puts on their Lake Effect Film Festival in February, and we love to welcome visiting film crews.
If you’re looking for a quick snapshot of potential shooting locations, check out Film Erie’s directory.
Now is the time to tap into Northwest Pennsylvania’s geography. Beautiful locations will be relatively new to audiences and local organizations and officials are eager to see our region on screen.
Existing Filmmaking Community
Shooting your project in Erie, Pennsylvania and in the greater Northwest Pennsylvania region provides you access to an existing community of filmmakers and film professionals. Yes, Rhoxon Productions can absolutely help connect you with that community and can help crew your film with locals! From Emmy-winning documentarians, to feature film directors, to filmmaking students looking for internships, we have a plethora of talent to choose from. In addition, we have a thriving theater scene packed full of local, hungry actors.
Rhoxon also has existing partnerships for affordable gear rental, featuring multiple camera options, audio equipment, and more.
In addition, we have a very healthy and robust art community for other production needs. We have celebrated animation houses, an award-winning video game development company, and a diverse collection of fine artists who call Northwest Pennsylvania home. Our artistic community — powered by organizations like Erie Arts and Culture, Radius Cowork and Hatch Hollow — can likely fulfill any other artistic needs you might have.
Seamless Travel and Accessibility
While small, the Erie International Airport is representative of the increased funding and effort being put into Northwest Pennsylvania’s travel options. The airport recently added flights to-and-from Orlando and Chicago, complementing existing flights to-and-from Charlotte. It will not be difficult for talent to fly into Erie, and the airport is looking to add even more flight options in the future. For productions needing more options, three major airports — Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Cleveland — are all within a two-hour drive.
Erie also has Amtrak service as part of the Lake Shore Limited route. This path hits Chicago, New York City and Boston, with Erie being the only stop in Pennsylvania.
Combined, these travel options make Erie, PA a convenient, accessible, and production-ready location for filmmakers.
Shoot your dream project today
Interested in using Northwest Pennsylvania for your next project? Rhoxon Productions is here to help. We’re a one-stop shop for filmmakers that have great ideas and our filmmaking structure is easy to plug into. We can assist with call sheets, securing locations, crewing your film, and much more.
We also love partnering with other small production companies, especially those that want to shoot their film in our region.