Red Stick flicks – Blockbusters and our own festival bring B.R. to the movies

Is it weird that Hollywood South is outpacing Hollywood? If you’re California Gov. Jerry Brown it just might be. Brown had all but declared war on Louisiana’s film industry in the press, and that was before the recent report from Film L.A., Los Angeles’ nonprofit film office, stating that of the 108 major studio movies released in the U.S. last year, 18 shot a significant amount of their scenes in Louisiana. That’s three more than California, which, by the way, is tied now with Canada. Gulp.

But if it’s a war Brown wants, he is now in a two-front conflict. Those production numbers don’t lie, and if this year’s Oscars confirmed one thing beyond the combined retweet powers of a celebrity-stuffed photo, it was that Louisiana is a major player in not just quantity of productions, but quality, too.

Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave filmed throughout rural south Louisiana, while Dallas Buyers Club, whose stars Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto both walked away with Oscars, shot far more scenes in New Orleans and Baton Rouge than it did in the Lone Star State. Even Best Documentary victor 20 Feet from Stardom, featuring local singer Merry Clayton, held its world premiere this time last year at the inaugural Louisiana International Film Festival. The Baton Rouge-based cinema celebration returns next month with a fresh slate of screenings and events. Read more about it below.

Last year, despite the loss of Jurassic World and a six-month delay on Fantastic Four—hat Fox tentpole is shooting now—other film and television productions spent a total of $110 million in the Capital City, according to the Baton Rouge Film Commission. Fox’s The Maze Runner, an ambitious sci-fi adventure that could become the next Hunger Games-level phenomenon, was responsible for $44 million of that tally.

“What this means is the rest of the spend is coming from independent features, movies that are utilizing more local crews and putting Louisiana film professionals to work,” says Baton Rouge Film Commission Executive Director Liza Kelso. “A third of these productions coming in staff up with locals in department head positions. That is not the Baton Rouge of 2007, when it was mostly a lot of production assistants from here and the rest from California. That’s a huge change.”

While buzz is just beginning to build for The Maze Runner, Kelso is confident that its filmmakers and Fox executives were pleased with production in Baton Rouge. If the film is as successful as she thinks it will be, Kelso likes the city’s chances of hosting sequels for the duration of the franchise.

“What Mayor Kip Holden has done so well is to show these executives that we understand this is all not just about making a movie for them, but about running a business,” Kelso says. “That means customer service is incredibly important.”

Though he says it is too early to make a blanket prediction for 2014, with three major tentpoles shooting now through the summer, Louisiana Entertainment Executive Director Chris Stelly likes the state’s chances of this year being even better than the last.

“The tax credits are great, of course,” says local actor Ray Gaspard (Lee Daniels’ The Butler, The Iceman), but let’s face it: People are nice here. That’s a huge draw.”

Staying on top is harder than getting there, or so the old sports adage goes. So now that Louisiana is one of the most sought-after and successful film locations in the world, is the pressure really on?

“It’s really about staying the course and building strong relationships as we have done with Fox,” Kelso says. “We bend over backwards to make sure they are connected logistically with the right people and businesses here that they need. They know they are in good hands in Baton Rouge.”

Learn about the Louisiana International Film Festival from executive director Chesley Heymsfield.

On set style
Inspired by the art of moviemaking and shot on location at the Baton Rouge soundstage of Films In Motion, our latest style shoot will give you the perfect cues for acting your best in the fashion department this spring.

Go behind the scenes of Left Behind with actress Nicky Whelan, plus details on Pitch Perfect 2 and Fantastic Four.

Learn more about Zipper starring Patrick Wilson and Lena Headey, Search Party and The Maze Runner.

How well do you know the movies made in your own backyard?

Desperately seeking cinema
225 spoke to three locals who crossed state lines, and even oceans, in search of their big breaks—only to find it waiting for them back home.

Local videographer and photographer Drew Guillory isn’t obsessed with Back to the Future as much as he’s in love with the film’s time machine: a short-lived automotive relic from the early 1980s called a DeLorean.

Made in Louisiana
225 asked Zack Godshall, director of the award-winning documentary Water Like Stone as well as Sundance selection Lord Byron, to share with us his Top 10 favorite films made in his home state of Louisiana.

Movie madness
225 joins a wild bunch to represent Louisiana at the Sundance Film Festival.

Watch videos from 225’s adventures at Sundance!