There’s an article out in Forbes today about how the film industry in New Orleans is not only booming, but presenting a challenge to the LA-area (“As Filmmaking Surges, New Orleans Becoming Serious Challenger To L.A.”).
A Detroit, Atlanta or Dallas might be a convenient and cost-efficient place to make a film or television show, but they lack the essential cultural richness that can lure creative people to stay. The Big Easy is attracting that type, plus post-production startups, and animation and videogame outfits, giving a broader foundation to the nascent local entertainment industry.
“This is different,” notes Los Angeles native and longtime Hollywood costumer Wingate Jones, who started Southern Costume Co. last year to cash in on the growth in production in the state. “It’s the combination of the food and the culture that appeals to people. It must have been a lot like what Hollywood was like in the ’20s and ’30s. It’s entrepreneurial and growing like mad.”
If anyone can attest to this, it’s little ole me — if you follow me on Twitter or Tumblr, you probably know that there’s a Tom Lennon/Ben Garant-directed horror/comedy being filmed in my house right now (more on that to come next week, btw). And there are, of course, extras in the film — who are being paid real money to do that work, not being suckered into paying to be an extra like whatever poor saps fall for today’s Groupon scam.
I’m guessing this is a non-union film?