Unoriginal Films, a local film production company founded by four LSU graduates, is gearing up to produce its first feature.
Co-owner Joe Carleton has returned home from New York City, where he worked in production for Amazon, Netflix and the BBC, in hopes of being part of the growth of the homegrown film sector.
In the film, which has the working title Beware the Box People, a journalist who is investigating a political scandal involving a sanitation strike discovers a subculture of people living among the trash. Unoriginal Films has received a local investment to cover part of the $50,000 cost and plans to crowdfund the rest. Plans are to shoot entirely in Baton Rouge—primarily downtown—this fall.
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Carleton says his company made some contacts at the Cannes Film Festival in France this year and has a good shot at getting the film into the festival’s marketplace next year. From there, getting a six-figure return on the investment is entirely reasonable, he says, and that money could be rolled into the next project.
Hollywood productions may spend a lot of money locally, but then they pack up and leave, Carleton notes. He says building a thriving homegrown film sector needs to start with the indie scene.
This story originally appeared in a June 8 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.