Katrina hasn't hurt state's movie business

Thursday, October 12, 2006

By Scott Sternberg

From his office on the 31st floor of One Canal Place , LIFT Productions CEO Malcolm Petal can see across I-10 to the southern side of the Lafitte public housing complex, where he thinks the future of making movies in Louisiana soon will be built.

Petal is planning to build a nine-block-long film studio, bounded by Claiborne Avenue and North Galvez Street , that will include vocational facilities to train film industry workers such as hairdressers, electricians, costume designers, set builders and camera operators.

What Hurricane Katrina swept north to cities such as Shreveport and Baton Rouge , Petal and other industry executives are trying to bring back, while keeping their options open for filming in other areas of the state.

"I just assume there's going to be a Katrina or two slamming into the city every year," Petal said. "Now we tell people straight up we are ready to handle another Katrina.

"We tell them we're mobile, and hurricanes give advance notice. We're not threatened by it."

Statewide appeal

If Katrina was a bad movie, the reviews haven't seemed to hurt the state in terms of its reputation, according to Alex Schott, executive director of the governor's office of film and television development.

"We've been marketing the state heavily as a place that's open for business," Schott said. "We've opened the eyes of other producers to the state and to other parts of the state."

According to figures provided by Schott's office, 12 of the 19 production projects in Louisiana since Katrina wrapped up somewhere other than New Orleans , mostly in the Shreveport area.

"Historically, New Orleans has been at an advantage. The area had the crew base and production services," Schott said. "But North Louisiana has made strides in recruiting the film industry by strengthening infrastructure."

Schott said the New Orleans airport, restaurants and four-star hotels are attractive features for the city, particularly to the talent.

Judy Cairo, producer of the TNT television movie "Perfect Day," which is currently shooting in the area, agreed.

Cairo, who has shot three other movies in the area, including the Golden Globe-winning "Elvis" miniseries for CBS, said it was tough to convince her partners that New Orleans was the place to film "Perfect Day," a Christmas movie staring former West Wing actor Rob Lowe.

"I have to do a bit of a sale," Cairo said. "No one knew what New Orleans looked like in terms of after the storm and whether we would find locations were good for us."

But they did, Cairo said, using a local scout who found them locations to simulate New York and St. Louis , as well as other cities.

But it wouldn't be a Christmas movie without snow, another obstacle Cairo had to overcome.

"CBS did a Christmas movie here last year called 'Snow Wonder,' in which they created a lot of winter-type environments," Cairo said. "They did an excellent job of making New Orleans look like places that could snow."

Peter Levin, who is directing "Perfect Day," his first production in New Orleans, said he expects other movie types like himself to fall in love with New Orleans' hospitality, not to mention its versatility as a backdrop for movies.

"We're shooting New Orleans to represent St. Louis, Cincinnati, New York, Beverly Hills and Atlanta," Levin said. "We can make New York streets here really well. I've shot Halifax [Canada] for the Bronx. I can do that here, too."

Film and television production in general has tapered off this summer, although that's not unusual, Schott said. He seemed hopeful next year would be better.

One deal in particular promises to bolster film activity in metro New Orleans over the next few years.

LIFT and Element Films of Los Angeles announced last month that they will partner on the production of at least eight and possibly as many as 15 films. All of the films will be shot in Louisiana, and as many as possible will be shot in the metro area. The work is expected to bring more than $200 million in feature movie production to the state over the next three years.

Big plans

Back at One Canal Place, in the window of Petal's conference room, is a rendering of what his 320,000-square-foot studio and vocational facility would look like. It's at least a $100 million gamble -- with sound stages, post-production facilities and a three-story parking garage -- that Petal is betting will pay off big time.

"We're going to build something that services in and of itself," Petal said. "This gives people a reason to shoot here even if we didn't have the tax credits."

The tax credits he's talking about are the major incentives launched in 2002 and revised recently to encourage the entertainment industry to do business in Louisiana.

The facility is the first project to receive the State Bond Commission's endorsement under the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act, a federal law passed in December 2005 that authorized $7.9 billion of tax-exempt bonds for businesses in Louisiana. The New Orleans City Council approved sale of some of the land needed for the site in May.

Petal, who described himself as an evangelist, said film production in Louisiana has proved itself as a viable industry in Louisiana and has the power to save the city's economy.

"Compared to the type of money you have to spend to get an auto plant or other industry into the state, the film industry is pretty low cost," Petal said. "(The new studio is) both a centerpiece and a beginning piece for New Orleans."

Petal said he hoped the site of the new facility, which is near Treme, would encourage low-income residents to consider a career in film.

"That's the beauty of these jobs: You don't have to spend $200,000 at Harvard to gain entry to that citadel," he said.

Big-name productions

Despite questions of insurance, Petal said convincing people to locate their movies in New Orleans has not been a problem. Denzel Washington's "Déjà Vu" recently wrapped here and Brad Pitt's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," with a budget of $150 million, should begin production in November.

Schott said Pitt's movie was "a done deal," and would be the largest and most expensive production ever filmed in Louisiana.

"It's a very prestigious picture because it will utilize cutting-edge digital effects," Schott said. "Ideally, we want to have local interns that can work on such a prestigious picture."

"Benjamin Buttons" may set records, but other films will have more than hurricanes to think about when coming to Louisiana, industry insiders said.

Stuart Benjamin, a Hollywood producer who brought Ray Charles biopic "Ray" to the state in 2003, said much of the problem with counting on the film industry to bolster New Orleans' economy and work force is that the tax credits so heavily relied on now face competition from as many as 30 other states.

"It used to be, for those two or three years between 'Ray' and now, everyone was without question going to Louisiana because the credits were so beneficial," Benjamin said. "Now, when a project comes up, it's not simply, 'Let's go to Louisiana,' because New Mexico has something, Georgia, New York. The competition is much tougher."

Benjamin said that Louisiana did get a "head start," though -- enough of a head start that film industry trade magazine P3/Production Update recently ranked Louisiana as the best state besides California to make movies. At the state's heels though, are New Mexico, Florida and New York.

"The key is to focus on that head start," Schott said. "That's why building up local infrastructure is crucial to our development and our long-term success. We have to build on what we've done so far."

Ernest Collins, Mayor Ray Nagin's executive director of arts and entertainment, said the key ingredient to renewing New Orleans' place as "Hollywood South" will be the levees.

"We have to make sure we hold the federal government's feet to the fire," Collins said. "Making sure we get better, stronger levees, and get comprehensive belief of protection."

Collins said that after people believe they are protected, the film industry will help lead the way, fueled by New Orleans' unique culture.

"The film industry complements everything we love about New Orleans," Collins said. "Great food, music and beautiful locales all lend themselves to storytelling."