<P> The Last Song entered post-production following the end of filming on August 18, 2009 . Automated dialogue replacement took place in mid-September; Beals and Chaikin stated they had gone in to record on September 11 and September 18 respectively . Chaikin said she had worked for five and a half hours . The director's cut was presented to the studio on October 1, 2009 . The Motion Picture Association of America reviewed the film and issued it a PG rating for "thematic material, some violence, sensuality and mild language" three weeks later . </P> <P> The Last Song had originally been set in Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington in North Carolina . Though they wished to shoot on location, filmmakers also examined three other states and identified Georgia as the next best filming site . Georgia's housing prices were higher, but the state's filming incentive package refunded 30% of production costs such as gasoline, pencils, and salaries . North Carolina's package refunded 15% and excluded salaries of over $1 million . Still, Disney remained interested in North Carolina and offered to film there if the state would reduce the amount the company would save in Georgia, approximately $1 million, in half . North Carolina officials searched for ways to accomplish this, including applying unsuccessfully for state and Golden LEAF Foundation grants . They also introduced legislation to improve the state's refund to 25%, which eventually passed on August 27, 2009 . Disney decided to work within existing incentive laws and agreed to film in North Carolina as long as the film rights they had bought from Sparks counted as a production cost, thereby saving the company an additional $125,000 to $225,000 . Then - North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue set up a press conference on April 1, 2009 to announce N.C.'s victory . North Carolina tax collectors refused to consider the film rights, forcing Perdue to cancel the conference at the last second . "I was hopeful to say that it was coming and now I don't know that I'll get to say that," Perdue said . "Nobody knows what's going to happen (...) I don't know what figures they got from Georgia, but Georgia wants them badly, and we want them badly, and by Monday (April 6, 2009), there'll be four or five other states that want them badly ." Johnny Griffin, director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, explains: "Disney makes feature films . They also make television series; they make individual movies for the Disney Channel . By losing this one project, in essence, we've lost all of those opportunities ." He also notes the loss of jobs and tourism filming would have created . </P> <P> On April 9, 2009, after three months of deliberation, the decision to relocate to Georgia was made final . To determine the specific town, location scouts scoured the state for an aged, isolated, oceanfront property to use as the Miller family's home in the film . After another three months and the discovery of the "Adams Cottage" on the southern tip of Tybee Island, Tybee and neighboring locations became the sites of filming in late March, with the intention of masquerading the area as Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina., The locale proved too unique to disguise . "We had a hard time trying to hide the fact that this was Tybee and Savannah was Savannah," said Bass Hampton, the film's location director . Filmmakers convinced the screenwriters to change the setting of the film and to Tybee Island, thus allowing them to incorporate landmarks such as the Tybee Island Light Station and the Savannah Historic District . The setting of Sparks' novel remained in North Carolina . Though other movies have been filmed in Tybee Island, The Last Song is the first to be both filmed and set in Tybee Island . With the city's name plastered on everything from police cars to businesses, Georgia officials predict a lasting effect on the economy . In addition, The Last Song is estimated to have brought up to 500 summer jobs to Georgia, $8 million to local businesses, and $17.5 million to state businesses . </P> <P> Nelson Coates is the production designer for The Last Song, responsible for all visual aspects of the movie . Coates, who was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on the Stephen King television miniseries The Stand, arrived 11 weeks prior to the start of filming to do prep work . While most of the filming took place on the natural Tybee Island beach or on pre-constructed private property, Coates oversaw the re-painting of the pier and the construction of the carnival and church . </P>

Where was the movie the last song filmed