LSU’s School of Theatre was awarded $200,000 to strengthen its film and television program, marking the second investment the department has received from state agency Louisiana Economic Development in 5 years.
According to the press release, the grant was awarded with the aim to “grow the talent pipeline for the state’s film production workforce,” and follows LED’s substantial $1.25 million grant in 2021 to create a virtual production program.
LED is a program created by the state to help strengthen Louisiana’s economy and businesses. According to their website, LED’s mission is to “cultivate jobs and economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana through nine integrated economic development strategies.”
LSU’s film and television program is a part of the School of Theatre that interacts frequently with other programs and degree paths. The grant will focus on improving that program and hiring a new faculty member for the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television. Even though the program is small, the state of Louisiana pays quite a bit of attention to the program in the hopes of developing its entertainment industry.
The $1.25 million entertainment workforce grant from LED in 2021 was meant to be used over a 5 year period to create a virtual production program. According to a press release from 2021, the program was created to help film and television students learn new technologies for a “rapidly changing film and television industry where movies and series increasingly rely on photorealistic gaming technologies for backgrounds and special effects.”
The release cited projects like Disney’s “The Mandalorian” that are using virtual landscapes during the filming process. The grant was meant to allow around 300 students to learn new technologies and techniques for their future film and television careers.
The money comes from the Entertainment Development Fund that was created by former Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2017 to improve the state’s entertainment industry. The 2021 grant’s fruits are now a part of 15 courses across degree paths.
Ever since the Entertainment Development Fund’s creation, the world has seen a few mainstream television programs created in Louisiana, including “Interview with a Vampire” and “Mayfair Witches.”
In the past few years there were also some popular movies filmed in Louisiana. For instance, the film “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” based on the horror franchise, grossed almost $300 million dollars on a budget of $20 million. Two other recently released movies filmed in Louisiana were Nicolas Cage’s “Reinfield,” and “Hitman” starring Glen Powell.
According to the press release from August, Louisiana’s film industry makes about $1 billion per year and creates 10,000 jobs. The release also said Louisiana is one of the fastest growing when it comes to entertainment. The new grant is meant to continue that growth.
