News
Breaking records becoming a holiday tradition in Hollywood South, and 2009 is no different!
Crew members prepare to shoot scenes for 'The Mechanic' on Oct. 26 in Covington.
Back in March, New Orleans film industry workers were wringing their hands. After a record-breaking 2008, things were looking dreary, with scarcely a project to be had for the first quarter of 2009.
At the time, the director of the city's Office of Film and Video, Jennifer Day, promised that work was on its way, but, "to be honest, 21 major projects (in 2008) is pretty amazing," she said. "You can't have a record year every year."
Oh no?
With a flurry of late-year production work, the greater New Orleans area will close the books on 2009 after logging 23 major productions -- "major" being defined as projects that surpassed the $300,000 spending limit required to qualify for state tax breaks. That's more than in any other year on record.
"Considering that we're in the midst of a recession, we've done pretty well," Day said Wednesday.
Chris Massoglia, left, and John C. Reilly in 'Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant,' which was shot in New Orleans last year and released in October.
Although those 23 films rang up less total spending than those in 2008 -- an estimated $150 million this year, compared to $230 million in 2008 -- Day said that shouldn't take any luster off this year's final numbers.
Part of the year-to-year spending discrepancy is attributable to the economic downturn, with smaller budgets being the rule of the day on most movies, but the bottom line, according to Day, is that productions are still eager to shoot in New Orleans.
"It's been a great year, and we've had the busiest fall to date."
That busy fall is perhaps the most striking feature of the year experienced by the local production industry. Traditionally, December is the time of year when crews in New Orleans can take a deep breath, reflect on the record-breaking year that was, and reload for the following spring's inevitable pickup in production activity.
This year, however, is anything but traditional. There will be no time for deep breaths or for reloading, as multiple projects keep crews shooting straight through the usual winter lull.
The Jason Statham action remake "The Mechanic" is wrapping up its nine-week local shoot, just as two other major film projects crank up: the Nicolas Cage drama "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps"; and the WWE-financed "Brother's Keeper," starring Patricia Clarkson, Danny Glover and John Cena. On the TV side, David Simon's eagerly awaited HBO series "Treme" is rolling along, just as the TNT pilot "Delta Blues," starring Jason Lee, finishes up.
"And they're coming back," Day said, pointing to the slate of production set for early 2010.
In addition to continued production on "Hungry Rabbit," "Brother's Keeper" and "Treme,' the most notable project on tap is Warner Bros.' "Green Lantern" -- the first major DC Comics superhero film not featuring Superman or Batman. That project, starring Ryan Reynolds ("Definitely Maybe") and directed by Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale"), has already opened local production offices ahead of its March start date.
'12 Rounds' director Renny Harlin, left, discusses a scene -- involving a streetcar and a fiery crash --with star John Cena, right.
Joining it will be the Kate Hudson dramatic comedy "Earthbound," co-starring Gael Garcia Bernal, which will crank up in mid-January and continue through early March.
Day said she's particularly pleased with the vote of confidence given to the local industry by WWE Films' decision to shoot "Brother's Keeper" here. It comes after the company -- the filmmaking arm of the pro-wrestling outfit -- shot "12 Rounds" here in 2008, and it will be the first of at least four films that will be shot here.
"That doesn't happen on a whim," Day said of that repeat business. "They came here for '12 Rounds,' they saw what we had to offer, it pleased them and they made about as permanent a commitment as you can expect in this industry."
A big part of that popularity among filmmakers, of course, is owed to the state's tax incentives for productions shooting in-state, which were bolstered during the 2008 legislative session. Also, however, New Orleans itself is a big draw.
"I think the successful lobbying campaign to secure a competitive incentive rate absolutely has contributed," she said. "But just as important is the strong reputation that New Orleans and our regional partners have worked so hard to establish.
"I always say we're the total package. We have 300 years worth of locations -- we've got rural locations just outside the city limits, the largest crew base in Louisiana, dozens of support vendors and new ones looking to relocate. So our New Orleans -- locations, resources, incentives - it really is the total package."
LIGHTS, CAMERA ...
Selected highlights for the local film industry in 2009:
- Jan. 23: The locally shot, locally set fantasy epic "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" racks up a near-record 13 Oscar nominations. It would end up taking home just three trophies, all in technical categories.
- Feb. 22: Oscar night. Kim and Scott Roberts, the local stars of the Katrina documentary "Trouble the Water," hit the red carpet. With people back home attending the Krewe of Bacchus parade, Scott wears a purple, green and gold bow tie in a sign of hometown pride.
- March 27: 20th Century Fox releases its locally shot, locally set action film "12 Rounds," directed by Renny Harlin and starring pro wrestler John Cena.
- April 13: After a slow start to the year, production-wise, filming begins on the Warner Bros.-backed "Jonah Hex," starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich and Megan Fox, and based on the D.C. Comics character.
- April 27: Production beings on the big-budget "The Expendables," an action film directed by Sylvester Stallone and featuring an all-name cast that includes Mickey Rourke, Jet Li and Jason Statham.
- August: Two indie projects draw a raft of talent to town: Kevin Spacey, Camilla Belle and Johnny Knoxville shoot the dramatic comedy "Father of Invention"; and Ernest Borgnine, Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman shoot the comedy "Snatched."
- Aug. 28: Warner Bros. releases the 3-D horror flick "The Final Destination," which was shot in New Orleans in spring 2008.
- Oct. 10: The wild remake "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Werner Herzog, plays to a raucous crowd at the New Orleans Film Festival. The film would get its full theatrical release on Dec. 11.
- Oct. 14: "The Mechanic," an action remake starring Jason Statham and directed by Simon West, begins its nine-week local shoot.
- Oct. 23: Universal Pictures releases the fantasy-adventure "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," starring John C. Reilly and Salma Hayek, which shot here in 2008.
- Nov. 19: Sandra Bullock hosts a Hollywood-style red-carpet premiere of her film "The Blind Side" at the Prytania Theatre to benefit the local Warren Easton Charter Foundation.
