Independent Films in Louisiana

It’s true that since former Governor Bobby Jindal’s disastrous changes to Louisiana’s film tax incentive program a lot of the work has left the state. But independent filmmaking and homegrown filmmakers continue to take advantage. The good news is I’m still working plenty – the bad news is, with the far lower budgets,  I’m making far less money. That said, there’s plenty to love about what’s happening here. Last year, New Orleans local actor/director Griff Furst shot Cold Moon, a thriller by the the writer of Beetlejuice. Starring Christopher Lloyd, Candy Clark, Frank Whaley, Robbie Kay, Josh Stewart and Rachele Brooke Smith, the movie’s producer list includes Furst’s father, Steven, best known as Flounder in Animal House.

New Orleans Film Festival 2015

The 26th annual New Orleans Film Festival began last week and continues through Thursday night. The festival opened with the premiere of Louisiana-shot Born to Be Blue at the newly restored and beautifully ornate Orpheum Theatre. A mural for the festival, painted on a stretch of St. Charles near Lee Circle, features the faces of people watching different genres of movies. I was beyond honored to be included as one of the faces reimagined by the super-talented and prolific street artist Brandan “B-mike” Odums best known for his sophisticated and grand “graffiti” work at an abandoned apartment complex set for redevelopment. So imagine how fun it was to find that every screen in the festival has the mural on it as people take their seats and every movie at the festival opens with a time-lapse short film of the artist at work on the faces.

Busy in Hollywood South

I love writing this blog and those of you who follow it know I’m used to being pretty busy and still finding time to write. But, I just finished a movie we shot in November and went straight into another movie and will be filming a TV movie (my first!) at the same time. I’ve missed Saints games at the Dome and dancing with the Pussyfooters in the Krewe of Jingle parade but I’ve been working with 3 home-grown Louisiana productions and loving it.

Hollywood South’s Expo

Hollywood South is hoppin’. Movies starring Will Smith, Kevin Costner, Arnold Schwarzenegger,  Abigail Breslin, Charlize Theron, Ryan Reynolds, Nicolas Cage and many more fill Louisiana’s production calendar and the hit TV show,  American Horror Story: Coven has set up shop here as well. What a perfect time for the 5th annual Film Industry Expo in New Orleans. As a first time attendee and one of the “The Acting Studio Presents…” guest speakers, I got to attend the event on both sides of the podium.

Hollywood South

Louisiana is number 2 in the nation for filming, second only to California, and I just had my most interesting week as an actor here. I’ve worked fairly steadily since arriving and have had to sacrifice only my ego to make enough to stay afloat and keep my health insurance. But this week was a journey for me from an L.A. working actor to a N.O.LA working actor.