Features correspondent
Long an artistic hotbed, Louisiana’s largest city is becoming known as “Hollywood South”, acting as the setting for more than 60 feature films in 2012.
A group of
people huddled by a nondescript wrought-iron black door on a quiet street in
New Orleans’ French Quarter, whispering excitedly and peering up towards the building’s
second storey. Next to the doorbell, someone had scrawled “Angelina”, enclosed
in a heart.
In 2007, celebrity
power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie purchased this 1800s mansion in New
Orleans, sparking a wave of high-profile home buying in the city. Star sightings
have become increasingly commonplace in the Big Easy, from seeing Scarlett
Johansson in the grocery story to having A-list neighbours such as Nicolas Cage
and Sandra Bullock.
Long an
artistic hotbed, New Orleans has recently emerged as an epicentre for the film industry, earning the
nickname “Hollywood South,” all catalysed by the film-related tax incentives
that were instituted across Louisiana in 2002. In 2012, 61 feature films were shot in the city, including famed director
Quentin Tarantino’s Django
Unchained and Now You See Me
starring Woody Harrelson. On any
given day, crews can be seen rolling around New Orleans’ streets, working on
the next blockbuster hit or independent flick, or filming television series such
as American Horror Story.
Celebrities first drawn to the city for work often extend their sojourns for
play, lured by the city’s laissez-faire attitude and robust cultural offerings,
from top gastronomy to a rich music scene. Many put down roots, too, such as actor
Channing Tatum who filmed 21
Jump Street in town and now owns the Bourbon Street bar and restaurant Saints and Sinners.
“New
Orleans has grown to be a place where people not only want to come and spend
three to six months making a movie and enjoying the food and culture, but a
place where they want to stay,” said Katie Williams, director of the
organisation Film New Orleans.
“[Tax credits] have created a world where it’s financially viable and incentivises
that.”
New Orleans
has a long history with the film industry, functioning as the setting for
classic films such as A
Streetcar Named Desire, filmed in 1951. But today the city can substitute
for nearly any destination around the world. In June, 20th Century
Fox transformed downtown New Orleans into post-apocalyptic San Francisco for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Such
productions, from large-scale to budget, have the local economy booming. In
2012, $669 million in direct spending from the film industry flowed into New
Orleans. Industries from steel manufacturers to ice producers are reaping the
benefits, and many locals have picked up new professions and hobbies related to
film. “A whole industry has grown up around the process,” Williams said, adding
that about 80% of those involved in a set are locals, from extras to
post-production teams.
Local
Jonathan Ray runs one of the city’s most popular tours: the crowd-pleasing New Orleans Movie Tours. In addition to passing
Brad and Angelina’s house, the tour takes visitors to more than 30 historic locations
related to the film industry. While Ray said he was always was interested in movies,
he did not consider related job prospects until about four years ago, when he
noticed the local film industry was gaining momentum and started the city’s
only movie tour in 2009.
The tour takes
in sights such as the city’s iconic streetcars, which Vivien Leigh rode in A
Streetcar Named Desire, and neighbourhoods such as Treme, which became a household
name following the filming of the critically acclaimed eponymous HBO series
that tells the fictional story of the neighbourhood post-Hurricane Katrina. The
2005 film Dukes of Hazzard –
set in Atlanta – was actually shot in New Orleans, including a memorable chase
scene near the Robert
E Lee monument on St Charles Avenue.
Adding
depth to the local film scene also is the annual New
Orleans Film Festival, which is celebrating its 24th year this
October. While still small in comparison to marquee film festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival, which draws
about 400,000 attendees each year, attendance at the New Orleans festival has
more than doubled to 17,000 in the past three years. “There’s a buzz and vibe
that there’s something interesting going on down here,” said executive director
Jolene Pinder.
Following
the success of the film industry tax incentives, the Louisiana government has
expanded them to cover more of the arts, including live performance and music
recording. “People get this feeling that everything is improving in New
Orleans,” said William French,
president of Film Production
Capital, a New Orleans tax credit brokerage company. “Optimists and
entrepreneurs are flocking, starting new restaurants and doing interesting
things culturally.” The ripple effects of such industry growth are sure to be felt
across the city for years to come. And if there is any city in the US that
knows how to celebrate a good thing, it is the Big Easy.