Posted 30 August, 2008 in LA News
Louisiana incentives and a growing vendor and crew base continue to strengthen the state’s film and TV production.
Shreveport-Bossier City production numbers boosted the city’s ranking to No. 3 on MovieMaker magazine’s 2008 edition of its “10 Best American Cities to Live, Work and Make Movies” list. The 24 film/TV productions for 2007, which included feature pics “Harold Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay,” “Cleaner,” “The Great Debaters,” “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” and TV pilots “True Blood” and “Cheerleader Camp,” generated $182 million for the city and northwest Louisiana, creating 2,000 crew positions and 557 production days.
Thus far, 2008 has launched 18 projects, with budgets totaling $209 million, including “Soul Men,” the remake of 1956’s “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” and Oliver Stone’s “W.”
“We have more (film/TV projects) coming in for the fall and winter, and we should have another great year,” said Arlena Acree, director of film, media and entertainment, Office of the Mayor. “We also have 300-400 crew that live here now.”
Adding to its production allure, Shreveport has witnessed the growth of the city’s local vendors and welcomed new ones such as Paskal Lighting, Cinelease and Panavision.
Complementing the city’s five existing studios, Nu Image/Millennium Films broke ground in April on its new studio. Construction will begin with 6.7 acres and eventually expand to a 20-acre full-service facility with two soundstages, production offices, hair and makeup room, mill space, full-service kitchen/dining and prop house.
Similarly, New Orleans hosted 14 major productions in 2007 that included 20th Century Fox TV series “K-Ville” and Disney’s “Imagination Movers” and feature pics “Meet the Spartans” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
The city’s 2008 tally to date is 13 productions, including the John C. Reilly-Salma Hayek starrer “Cirque du Freak”; Jim Carrey-Ewan McGregor starrer “I Love You Phillip Morris” (which also shot a few days in Shreveport’s wave pool); Tyler Perry’s Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard feature “The Family That Preys”; the WWE’s John Cena pic “12 Rounds”; and “Bad Lieutenant,” with Eva Mendes, Nicolas Cage and Val Kilmer.
Production revenue continues to climb, registering $250 million, with local spend an estimated $185 million.
“In addition to our bustling feature film industry, New Orleans sees a tremendous amount of episodic television work,” said Jennifer Day, director, Mayor’s Office of Film and Video for the City of New Orleans. “New Orleans’ status as a destination city, world-renowned for its cuisine, architecture and arts scene continuously draws networks such as BET, VH1, the Travel Channel and the History Channel to the Crescent City.”
Day also Filmneworleans.org as the city’s new production website.
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