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Story Archives: Writer touts northeast Louisiana as good location for movie industry


Writer touts northeast Louisiana as good location for movie industry
posted Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 @ 10:56 pmE-mail Story E-mail Story | Print Story Print Story 
Northeast Louisiana is "open and ready for business" in the film industry, according to a recent article posted on Variety.com.

The article, written by Bashirah Muttalib, focused on northeast Louisiana's array of locations, said Sheila Snow, chairman of the Northeast Louisiana Film Commission.

"The cities, like the schools, vary in location appeal," the Variety.com article said. "Monroe offers art deco and craftsman styles, while its small towns, hard-bottom bayous, lakes and rivers, piney forests and agricultural terrains can pass for just about anywhere."

Muttalib said local universities and high schools "offer a mixture of old and new looks, as well as period architecture."

The film commission has been involved in several marketing efforts to promote the area over the past year. Those efforts include advertisements placed in trade magazines as well as attending various trade shows to promote the region to filmmakers.

Last year, the film commission helped in luring Varsity Inc. to do a documentary on the West Monroe High School Rebels, and it also worked to have other documentaries shot in the area.

The film commission serves the 13-parish region. Whenever a film project is shot in the area, it will provide an economic boost and provide some short-term jobs for residents, according to officials with the Northeast Louisiana Film Commission.

The state film commission's office says filmmakers typically spend 70 percent of their budget in a local community. They also hire local actors as well as painters, electricians and landscapers.

"The film industry is booming in Louisiana right now due to the incentives offered by the state," Snow said. "NELA has a great opportunity to jump in and take part in that boom. We are so excited about this article and the attention it can bring to our area. We are continually working to put our area in the face of the film industry."

The film industry for years had a large presence in south Louisiana, but much of those operations moved north in 2005 following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Shreveport has attracted numerous film projects over the years. Recently, Oliver Stone shot a movie about President Bush in Shreveport.

Film crews shot 24 productions in Shreveport during 2007, totaling more than $185 million in production value.
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