Shreveport - Film & Media Industry (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: 2014, credit, good hotel)

[shreveport]

Shreveport welcomes the film and media industry to our city! Shreveport and Northwest Louisiana are the perfect place for your next production. You’ll find a little of everything here, from swamps and cypress trees to antebellum plantations to a modern skyline with casinos and high-rise office buildings. Our people are friendly and always eager to help. Our great weather and excellent locations makes filming possible year-round without any interruptions.Shreveport welcomes the film and media industry to our city! Shreveport and Northwest Louisiana are the perfect place for your next production. You’ll find a little of everything here, from swamps and cypress trees to antebellum plantations to a modern skyline with casinos and high-rise office buildings. Our people are friendly and always eager to help. Our great weather and excellent locations makes filming possible year-round without any interruptions. //pics3.city-data.com/forum/ima...ons/icon14.gif

[jlshot]

Not Sure What To Write Here,new At This.would Love To Get My Art Homes In A Louisiana Movice

[jlshot]

Love To Get My Art Homes In A Louisiana Movies

[BeenThereDunThat]

For anyone who has pulled this thread up in researching the Shreveport-Bossier TV/Film Industry, here's an update:

Most of the TV/Film production has shifted to the New Orleans area. While Shreveport has Millennium Studios... they really handle mostly post-production work these days as principal photography is shot elsewhere. Some productions still do come the Shreveport-Bossier / NW La. but not to the extent they did back after Hurricane Katrina forced production to NW La. to complete projects. It was a nice 2 or 3 years but the local area just doesn't offer the kind of hospitality amenities in the same volume or caliber as does a city the size of New Orleans. The local Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) doesn't offer direct flights to L.A. or NYC which is a real biggie for the entertainment industry. AND ... it's easier to keep stars and top-level talent and crews happier when you have superior hospitality and nightlife to offer. Both of which are in short-supply in Shreveport-Bossier.

The local communities just don't have the commitment beyond being all smiles and friendly with open arms and cooperation with enticing film companies to come and shoot here. But at the end of the day, it's all about those things that film-types expect on a day-to-day basis that keeps them coming back. The logistics and higher cost of airtravel, the limitations of really good hotel resources and hospitality amenities have hurt the area. It may be enough for the smaller, independent companies...but even they like to run where the big dogs play... for them it's as much about the experience of "where" they'll be working as the work itself.

Back when the film-biz was booming here... I attended a forum where some location managers spoke to locals about how to beef up their area and make it more attractive for filmmakers. While the Hollywood folks were polite and said that everyone here was really nice and easy to work with, they did say there were more than a "few challenges" in making films in NW. La. One Location Manager went so far as to say: "Can anyone put together a decent location coffee service with barrista?" He said that was something that was never an issue in L.A. or other locales but that a portable coffee with genuine barrista was something that was sorely lacking and apparently an amenity that filmmakers have grown accustomed to getting on location.
And so it goes.

[BeenThereDunThat]

Adding to this update, re: the status of Shreveport's Film Industry growth or lack thereof.

A recent article in the Shreveport Times newspaper revealed that the big plans for Millennium's Studio into a "walled-in 20 acres with backlot, etc." has been placed on hold or postponed indefinitely. Seems that the otherwise normally expressive president of Millennium Studios-Shreveport, Diego Martinez declined comment on the story---which is telling in itself. It seems that for the time being, Millennium isn't going to expand as per the original plans touted some 7 years ago when it first started. I recall that the construction site lay dormant for up to a year pending the state of Louisiana's reimbursement plans for infrastructure development in filmmaking was in limbo at the legislature. It got approved and Millennium somehow got the funding in time to pour concrete.

As to the surrounding area of vacant homes and empty lots? City of Shreveport officials are saying some phases of the original plans could happen in a year's time. But that's anyone's guess at this point....nothing definite, or so it seems.

To read more, here's a link:
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/...nclick_check=1

[BeenThereDunThat]

Another recent update regarding Film/TV Tax Incentives -- Are they really good for the state or for studios?

Are film tax credits good for Louisiana or only for the movies? James Varney/Thursday chat | NOLA.com

Movie Production Incentives & Film Tax Credits: Blockbuster Support for Lackluster Policy | Tax Foundation

[annie_himself]

I think they bring more to the state than what we pay them. Once (if) the industry builds enough infrastructure like California, they won't be able to pick up and leave.

[BeenThereDunThat]

Actually our infrastructure incentives have played out back around 2009 I believe. If you'll recall Millennium Studios in Shreveport took forever to get built because the studios were trying to get additional funding AND it was all hinging on whether or not the state was going to keep / honor the infrastructure rebate. Now the tax credits are towards in-state hiring & expense. There's rumblings about why have we cut higher ed to the tune of $700 million, cut healthcare bennies to the elderly, poor and children...BUT we're paying out to out-of-state companies who'll clear out in a heartbeat? TV / Film studios pledge their allegiance to the dollar. And outside of Millennium...what other studio has broken ground and poured concrete? I posted earlier that the big expansion plans that Millennium had originally made have been put on "indefinite hold" and their studio chief who has never missed a media query in the past hasn't made any comment at all when asked.

Remember-- TV/Film companies are very, very mobile and provisional...not like someone like GM ....oh wait...they built a zillion-dollar plant and they're gone!

Just remember... a lot of California folks moved to La. for the work and they can (and will) do it again.

[annie_himself]

Well Shreveport is not doing so well in the film industry. Baton Rouge has Celtic Media Center and Louisiana filmed 18 of the 108 major productions released to theaters in 2013. That number puts us above Los Angeles and New York.
Louisiana outpaces Los Angeles, New York and all others in 2013 film production, study shows | NOLA.com

The industry isn't leaving Los Angeles depsite cost of living and doing business, that's because of the infrastructure and talent that the area attracts.

[Chance and Change]

California has all the foundational post production systems, skills and the wide array of sub support systems. We have locations, which can mimic many other places as well as land to build what they want to build. But when it comes to POST PRODUCTION.. We have not considered the expanse thats involved in attracting the investments to build these things.

Currently, we don't have A Dedicated Film Center for Production and Other Film People to utilize, where the heads of these productions can come and do their communicating and work in the ways they have in California.

Cultural and Social Climate
We also don't have a level of connectivity in culture blending which can be beneficial, to attract the skills and systems to want to move here or invest and make this a second home like set up. We have still a vast amount of social segregation (which we try and deny), but its overtly visible to any visitors within the industry, who can spot that divisiveness in a eyes blink. We can do and we can be better in these regards.

LATELY, with the general "living condition of weather", I don't see many giving up the California Good Weather, for the up and down and extremes of the South. ( although, the rest of the nation has not seen much better).
Our City and Area is great for production. But for upscale style development, we'd have to solicit big time developers to come and make it attractive. It can be done, but are we willing to do the outreach work to get it underway.

Louisiana would need to do some very strong PR and Marketing work. Many people still "think of Louisiana" as being with too much "social segregation". Except for New Orleans. Yes, Shreveport has the power to change it.

We have nothing of a promotional campaign to sell ourselves to other regions, The Bass Classic reaches mostly the fisher type groups, but the over-all multi functional programming, is coming up short. "We" have the power to change it.

Some things we are not going to be, but it may be better for us, if we figure out how to unite and upgrade in a full circle manner.

I think the groups who are pushing the development of the Shreveport Commons, has the right kind of ideas, they just need help.

No one seems to be reaching out to the big developers from Major cities, what has happen is the people with money in this area, bought up all the property in the Commons, and some sat on it for years, waiting on the area to build up so they can cash in, they are not interested in building, only in cashing in on rising property values. Its the same thing downtown, the owners of much of that property is just sitting on it. We need a way to impose some nature of process, that mandates them to fix it or sell it, and "some cities have great plans in this regards". They simply penalize the blight, until the owners either get off their butts and fix it or sell, because it become a costly matter to sit there doing nothing. But we sit silent and let the "Names sakes" sit on it, waiting on a windfall, while they do nothing but promote further downfall. Some locations attach that multi $1000 yearly penalty. Then, and only then will some of the 'blocker and stick in the mud types", get out of the way and support growth and progress. We need to do the same.

Heck, even in the blogs, people are reluctant to engage anything, for the fear they think someone might get some recognition from participant bloggers. Whether we want to accept it or not, we have a very 'negative environment", SADLY of far too much resentfulness and what ever else which can be conjured up, to avert supports as a truly interactive community.
We have so much of: My Church is better than Your Church silliness, which is underlying in far too broad of a tonality. Many ministers don't help any, because they are competing to build the biggest congregation to support the biggest church building, even it they have to do it directly next to or across the street from the another one. These things become issue whether we want to acknowledge it or not. From this outgrowth, many attitudes do prevail and I don't know what the solution is.

Hopefully we can continue to attract the production crews to come and shoot their film.

If people really knew Los Angeles, they'd also know it is a big disjointed city, with a high level of cut-throat games and area cliques; which in many ways is problematic. What the hype shows and what is the reality is two very different things. We could easily out perform them in the social interaction nature if we get back to understanding and appreciating what the concept of "Southern Hospitality" true embraced as to social warmth. But we have to embrace it in a multiracial and multicultural nature and realism. ARE WE TRULY WILLING TO DO SO. It's actually far easier than many may think it to be. If only they will be motivated to be so.