Film industry produces flood-recovery help
FRENCH SETTLEMENT, La. — With tens of thousands of southern Louisiana homeowners beginning to clean up after devastating floods tore through their homes, the Louisiana film industry has figured out a way to lend a hand — or a few thousand hands.
Moved by the many stories of loss from floodwaters and the overwhelming task of restoring the 40,000-plus houses damaged by the flood, film industry executive Will French is mobilizing his fellow moviemakers.
French, who is president of Film Production Capital LLC and a member of the executive committee of the Louisiana Film & Entertainment Association trade group, said there are thousands of capable crewmembers looking for work.
The state's film industry has taken a dive since 2015, when the Legislature imposed an annual cap on the amount of money the state would pay out in tax incentives, according to TheTimes-Picayune. The cap led many productions to move to other states.
“Most people think that a film is composed of actors and directors and cameramen, but really the hard work that is done on a film set is carpentry building sets, and electricians setting up the lighting, and the wiring and plumbers and equipment operators,” French said.
He is building a registry of thousands of unemployed film industry professionals and matching them with people and organizations wanting to hire them.
“As opposed to hiring people from outside Louisiana to come in and do the work,” he said.
People like caterers, who could use the extra work, French said.
“Each catering truck can serve 5,000 meals a day and we’ve got four of them sitting unused right now,” French said. “If we have people who can’t make food in their own houses, their own kitchens, they're displaced, or if we have a workforce that needs to be fed, catering trucks can do it.”
Recent entertainment filmed in Louisiana includes Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, 12 Years a Slave and Dallas Buyers Club, according to the tourism website Louisianatravel.com.
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