You may be living
in or near a famous landmark from a movie shot in New Orleans or in Louisiana. It’s very possible given the fact that Louisiana’s
film history dates back over 100 years. So
many movies have used our scenery, buildings, landmarks and unique culture that
you may not even realize how close you are to being in the scene itself.
And you may
not realize that this current filming boom is not the first. Production of movies and film existed in the
city and state long before any of us were born.(unless you were born in the
1800’s)
Most of this
information would be lost if it were not for two enterprising people named Ed
and Susan Poole who, by themselves, have taken on the colossal task of
compiling decades of movie information.
They have written two books on the subject, have a movie poster website
dedicated to Louisiana movie posters, and give numerous speeches and classes on
our rich film history. There part of a
small but global group of researchers who research films for production
companies and studios. And yes, they are
right here in the city of New Orleans.
They have
teamed up with Nicholls State University to put on an first ever, extraordinary exhibit of our
Louisiana Film History. The list of
recent well-known and popular movies is long and make for an exciting read,
however, the list of movies that you would recognize, but didn’t know were filmed here, is very long as well. The exhibit is currently open at Nicholls State University and will run through June 21st. There will also be an official opening March 4th.
Recently I
sat down with Ed and Susan and discussed this new exhibit.
Is the interest in our film history gaining momentum and
interest?
Simple answer – Yes. Fast Enough – NO. Every time we give a lecture on
Louisiana Film History, we get a tremendous amount of thanks and new contacts.
Of course, we wish it was moving a LOT faster. At times, we feel like we’re
shouting in the wilderness. But, we know that it HAS to come for the Louisiana
film industry to become more stabilized. A tremendous amount of jobs in
California are in the history and archival information areas which is a base
for other industries to build on. So, we continue to shout to try to get more
attention.
Will the exhibit come to New Orleans?
I hope so, but it is not scheduled to go anywhere else at the moment.
This exhibit at Nichols State is the first and only exhibit scheduled, but I
hope to find a permanent location for the exhibit and I believe that it should
be in New Orleans.
What is the connection to Nichols?
We have a one hour lecture on Louisiana Film History with movie trailers
and posters that we present to academic groups and historical societies. We
gave a lecture to the LaFourche Parish Historical Society and the archivist for
Nichols was a member and present. He really liked our presentation so after the
lecture, he came over and talked with us about an exhibit. He took us to the
college and showed us their facility. In other words, it was actually THEIR
idea.
Louisiana has a long history in film, what
was the attraction before the film credits?
The first proposed tax credits weren’t until 1993 and
they didn’t work. The first film production crew came to New Orleans almost 100
years before (1896). The first attraction was Mardi Gras. At that time, only
the rich who could afford to travel were the only non-locals that were able to
see Mardi Gras, so it was an automatic draw. But after they came for Mardi
Gras, they saw a lot more. In 1929, when Evangeline was filmed, Edwin Carewe,
the director, stated that the film HAD to be shot on location because the
Louisiana setting couldn’t be reproduced in the studio. So, you could say, our
climate, our diversity of people, our life style, our plantations, our voodoo,
and much more. Where else will you find Cajun living, mardi gras, the French
quarter, jazz, our famous cooking and above ground cemeteries - all in one
place?
Why do you think we don't have paparazzi
here with so many film shoots?
Paparazzi are part of a hype and promotion industry and the hype
and agency groups, along with the supporting foundation aren’t here yet. And we
are more laid back here than California, which I believe the celebrities enjoy.
What do want to see happen in New Orleans
in regards to our film history?
We need markers
for our major film productions for tourist and locals to be able to see what
Louisiana has produced. This will immediately help build the tourist industry.
We need preservation facilities to not only preserve Louisiana films but to
reach beyond the state. We need facilities to create
presentations and permanent and traveling exhibits for the public, schools,
libraries and academic and historical organizations. We need a facility that
not only the ‘learned and curious’ but also the general public can come to
learn all areas of information on the Louisiana film industry.
We are working as fast as we can
to create THAT facility.. AND HOPEFULLY it will be in New Orleans.
The MPAA puts out a report each year on film production
state by state. They haven’t released the 2012 figures yet, but if you look at
the 2011 figures, it shows Louisiana with “8,655 direct jobs and $377.9 million
in wages in Louisiana, including both production and distribution-related jobs.
Over 3,400 of the jobs are production-related”
The 2012 figures are supposed to be a lot better. If you remember,
Senator Landrieu praised the film commission for their great job last month. We
supposedly had more new production in 2012 than Los Angeles. So why isn’t
California upset at losing the new production?
Well, maybe the 2011 figures for California will give you a hint. Now
remember, we are getting close to matching their new production figures. THEIR
overall figures show California has “191,146 direct jobs and $17.0 billion in
wages in California, including both production and distribution-related jobs.
Over 129,000 of the jobs are production-related”.
So what’s the difference? The FOUNDATION that supports it. Let me give
you a quick example. There has been recent discussion (problems?) about the
production companies having to clean up after their production is over. In
other words, what to do with all the props and sets? In California, there are
salvage yards that snatch up ANYTHING after a production and sell them to new
low budget production companies to save them money. WE DON’T HAVE THAT YET!
We’re barely getting our first movie tours and even THOSE aren’t even marked
for tourist to see.
We’re doing well with new production support. Companies like Hollywood
Trucks is one of the fastest growing in the nation, but NOW we also have to
focus on the support foundation to start getting the more stable, more
reliable, foundation money.If you would like to hear a radio interview with Ed and Susan discussing their new book, please click the link below.
http://flipthiscity.blogspot.com/2012/08/louisiana-film-history-dates-back-to.html
For classes, group or special tours, please contact library archivist Clifton Theriot at (985) 448-4621 or email clifton.theriot@nicholls.edu
