Bonnie and Clyde Settle Down in Louisiana 12/14/2011
 Director, Tonya S. Holly is planning to remake the 1967 classic movie, “Bonnie and Clyde”. The original picture included Hollywood legends, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. But the remake will be out with the old- and in with the new! Holly has decided to cast two new stars whose careers are definitely on the rise. Playing the role of Bonnie will be Lindsay Pulsipher of HBO’s “True Blood”, and her co-star will be Sean Faris of “Never Back Down”. Holly had originally planned to cast Hilary Duff in the role of Bonnie, before casting Pulsipher recently. According to sources, some of the movie's original setting was destroyed in the recent tornadoes and because of the new schedule neither Duff nor the originally cast-Kevin Zegers were able to take part. Despite these setbacks, Tonya S. Holly is excited to move forward with her new cast in 2012! The movie will be filmed in the Gulf South, around the areas of Alabama, Mississippi, and… you guessed it, Louisiana! There isn’t a lot of information about this film available yet, but for the full article visit moviehole.net! Add Comment  In October, the city of New Orleans hosted its 22nd Annual Film Festival. This month, several of the films shown are making their television and big-screen debuts. Locally, two of the movies, “Take Shelter” and “The Big Fix” are already playing in theatres. But it is the October winner for best documentary, “Marathon Boy” that is scheduled to play on HBO in November- including their On-Demand channel! These recent success has got this Southern Celebrity Gossiper wondering… New Orleans Films- where are they now? For winner “Goodnight Irene” the answer to that is the Golden Globes in Portugal! This film received the award there for best actor. The movie received the NOFF award for best narrative before earning the Golden Globe in ’09. Also, the independent film “How To Be”, which stars “Twilight”’s Robert Patterson received an audience award here in NOLA before going on to win two awards at the Washington D.C. Film Festival the following year. The movie helped Patterson to break away from his sultry role as a hunky Vampire- instead portraying a gawky, awkward 20-something going through a “quarter life crisis”. For more information on this movie and others that have participated in the New Orleans Film Festival, you should check out their website. All and all, the local festival seems to be helpful in launching independent films both nationally, and internationally. This festival has also helped the movie industry grow here in New Orleans… which makes this city the perfect location for anyone aspiring to be in this creative field!  50 Cent has announced that he will star in the action film The Pursuit, produced through a partnership between Emmett/Furla Films and Cheetah Vision Films. In the film, "a cop and a criminal inadvertently team up to track down an escaped bank robber as each his own personal vendetta against the man. Meanwhile, a determined US Marshall hunts the men to prevent them from killing the convict and instead ensure that he is brought to justice the proper way". Additional cast members will be announced in the coming weeks. Continue reading here Film production company expands in Louisiana 08/08/2011
Active Entertainment recently added substantial production space when it moved into Raleigh Studios at Celtic Media Centre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Emerging into the Louisiana market four years ago, Active has since completed 12 feature films. Its latest features have had great success around the world, delivering some of the highest television ratings in its history. In addition, Acitve has expanded its contracts for international sales to include three more films in 2011. Patrick Mulhearn, Director of Studio Operations for Celtic Media Centre, said, "We are extremely pleased to welcome Active Entertainment as a true anchor tenant to Celtic Media Centre. Their seasoned management team, proven track record and volume of work currently in production and in development make this an exceptionally big win for Raleigh Studios and the Baton Rouge area." The extraordinary facilities at Raleigh Studios, couple with Active's team of production and post-production talent, which is led by COO Daniel Lewis, will give producers around the world a great opportunity to enable their projects to be financed, filmed, and delivered with amazing quality and lower cost. Continue reading more about Active Entertainment here "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer got a taste of Lousiana when Summit Entertainment set up shop in Baton Rouge late last year to shoot the two-part "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn." Here's hoping she liked what she saw -- because it appears she's coming back. In a news release yesterday (June 27) announcing its acquisition of the big-screen adaptation of Meyers' non-"Twlight" tale "The Host," fledgling distributor Open Road Films revealed that the film will shoot in Louisiana and New Mexico starting in February. Chris Stelly of the state's office of film and video confirmed late today that his office has, indeed, been contacted by the production, but he said it's unclear where exactly the film would shoot, adding that it has yet to file an application with the state's tax-incentive program for filmmaking. The Host, published in 2008, was Meyer's highly anticipated follow-up to her "Twilight" series, which as a film series has grossed over $1.4 billion in worldwide box office ticket sales to date. Continue reading at NOLA.com This is an older article I found from USA Today in August 2010 about the film industry in Louisiana. It's still a great read and everyone should check it out! "Even before the economic recession hit Hollywood, the state of Louisiana had been quietly gaining stature as the place to make quality movies and stretch dollars. "We have the largest number of productions outside of Los Angeles and New York City," says Chris Stelly, director of film for Louisiana Entertainment, a division of the state office of economic development. The consummate versatile character actor, Louisiana has also played Utah, Washington, D.C., and London. "The film industry wants to find places it can reinvent and make look like anything it needs," Lussier says. "There's a lot of opportunity do that in Louisiana." Movies shooting in Louisiana range from mega-budget blockbusters to quirky indies. Films shot this year include testosterone-fueled action-adventure The Expendables, which opens Aug. 13, and the comic book-inspired The Green Lantern, due in 2011. The low-budget horror film The Last Exorcism opens Aug. 27, and the big-screen version of the 1960s TV show The Big Valley arrives next year." Continue reading at usatoday.com Since most of us are now a part of the “real world,” with a job and adult responsibilities (trust me, I am having difficulties accepting this myself), we all could all use a fun day off. In 1986, a smart, cocky kid from suburban Chicago taught everyone a valuable lesson by reminding us that: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." The New Orleans Film Society will host this special FREE outdoor screening of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on Wednesday, June 1 in the park at Coliseum Square (1700 Coliseum Street in the Lower Garden District). The screening is FREE and open to the public. The film will begin around dusk (approximately 8:15 pm). Food/beverage trucks and various vendors will be on hand starting at 6 pm to sell refreshments, so please refrain from bringing your own food and drink.But do bring a lawn chair or a blanket and come out and enjoy this one-of-a-kind film screening. Continue reading on Examiner.com Take a Night Off with ‘Ferris Bueller’ (FREE Outdoor Screening) - New Orleans Indie Movie | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/indie-movie-in-new-orleans/take-a-night-off-with-ferris-bueller-free-outdoor-screening#ixzz1O2pn9cEd Film Production in Louisiana: The Economy 05/30/2011
 “Treme” filming on location in New Orleans Celebrity sightings around New Orleans are becoming almost commonplace as the city attracts more and more film production business, and that must be a good thing. The chance of glimpsing a movie star on the street surely adds to New Orleans’ allure. But according to a recent report, the benefits of our rising star power go well beyond celebrity autographs. “Louisiana’s flagship incentive program has been a catalyst for substantial film production growth statewide,” consultant Cheryl Louise Baxter said in the report. During the period 2008-’10, about 92 films per year qualified for the tax incentives, almost triple the annual number that received the credits during the first six years of the program. Baxter said that total spending by film producers in Louisiana also rose sharply during that same period, to a 2010 estimated total of $674 million. (Last year’s direct payroll spending by producers to Louisiana employees hit more than $5 million, according to the report.) Among the Louisiana-shot feature films of 2010 were local productions that included the Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale thriller Contraband (set for a ’12 release), and the action comedy Red featuring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and Mary-Louise Parker. Some 20 features currently under way in the state include the New Orleans productions Cogan’s Trade, starring part-time New Orleans resident Brad Pitt; 21 Jump Street, featuring Johnny Depp; and Medallion, starring Nicolas Cage. Our burgeoning film industry is still in its youth and only beginning to establish its permanence with the studios, sound stages and support structure that help ensure long-term business and better jobs. Eventually, activity may expand to the point where it’s clear that we have a “real” local film industry. Until then, New Orleans may have to content itself with enjoying those celebrity sightings and knowing that our star is likely on the rise. Continue reading at myneworleans.com Hollywood On The Bayou 05/19/2011
Since the mid 2000’s, Louisiana has been dubbed “Hollywood of the South.” But filmmakers have long been fascinated with Louisiana. By 1898, the film industry recognized that Louisiana’s diverse landscape, history, architecture and culture provided a great backdrop for films. Over the years, film studios expanded the use of Louisiana into every genre, time period and location imaginable. From swamps to plantations, metropolitan cities to western plains, and yes, even other planets. Hollywood on the Bayou has documented over 1,000 films that were made in or about Louisiana. These include feature length films, made-for-tv movies, documentaries and shorts. It covers six specific time periods of Louisiana film history (1898-2010). After a brief narration, the films are listed by title, year, director and other information. An alphabetical listing by title follows. Continue reading at 225alive.com Star Gazing Spurs Movie Tours in New Orleans 05/16/2011
By Jennifer Larino, New Orleans City Business Online On any given day, Jonathan and Michelle Ray can be found sitting in a white van with a group of strangers watching actor Jean-Claude Van Damme fend off a gang of street thugs on Frenchmen Street. The passengers, ranging from Midwestern retirees to Finnish vacationers, nosh on popcorn and absorb the action. Soon the scene from the 1993 film “Hard Target,” set in New Orleans, cuts out from the small television screens attached to the seat backs in the Ray’s customized tour van. A few “oohs” and “aahs” escape as they look out the windows to see the same mismatched music club façades. The Rays, owners of Original New Orleans Movie Tours and its only tour guides, relish these moments. “I like when they’re oohing and aahing because I know they’re enjoying it,” Jonathan Ray said. “You hear them behind me and they’re getting into it.” In its first month of business, Original New Orleans Movie Tours has ushered dozens of tourists through local neighborhoods to the sites where iconic — and perhaps less so — moments in New Orleans film history were shot. Tourists pay $54 per person for the three-hour tour. The business is one of the first in the city to cater to tourists interested in experiencing not just movie history but the movie itself. As live filming becomes more routine in New Orleans, the Rays expect to have some company. City and tourism officials alike have called attention to the impact Hollywood film crews have in improving the city’s economy and its image. Since lawmakers established a state film tax credit in 2002, 139 films have been shot in New Orleans, according to the New Orleans Office of Film and Video. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the movie industry has generated $1.48 billion in economic activity statewide. Continue Reading at lafilm.org | AuthorJohn Robert Powers - New Orleans' premier Performing Arts Academy ~ Acting. Modeling. Singing. Dancing...Life!  ArchivesMay 2012 CategoriesAll 
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