PITTSBURGH — For years, film and TV workers based in Pittsburgh had to leave town to find work. Now, a miniboom in Pittsburgh's film industry not only is keeping them busy, but also luring out-of-towners to the region.

Four movies are being filmed or are about to be shot in the Pittsburgh area — the Kevin Smith comedy, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," the supernatural thriller, "Shelter," the postapocalyptic drama, "The Road," and the DreamWorks romantic comedy, "She's Out of My League."

In addition, "Superbad" director Greg Mottola recently filmed "Adventureland" in and around Pittsburgh. Part of "Homecoming," starring Mischa Barton, was filmed in nearby Washington County.

Local crews used to go elsewhere for work and "now we're a hot spot," said George Jaber, head of the local film workers union. "It's amazing."

Because electricians, set dressers, painters and other crew members work on more than one film at a time, the miniboom also is bringing new crews to the area.

"We're not shirking from it and we're not afraid of it," Jaber said. "It's a perfect storm of work opportunity for us."

Pittsburgh Film Office Director Dawn Keezer said things have never been this busy. She said one factor may be studios rushing films into production due to fears of a possible strike by the Screen Actors Guild in June.

State lawmakers in July approved $75 million in tax incentives for such projects. Productions that spend at least 60 percent of their budget in the state get a 25 percent refund of eligible expenses in the form of a tax credit.

"Adventureland," for example, spent $9.9 million in Pennsylvania and received a $2.475 million credit.

"Zack and Miri Make a Porno," "Shelter" and a smaller-budget film are expected to spend nearly $60 million in the region, according to the Pennsylvania Tourism Office.