Director gives Nicolas Cage space to improvise in 'Port of Call New Orleans'

This is a great story about The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans which opens Friday November 20,2009 and filmed in New Orleans. Nicolas Cage will be back in Louisiana filming The Hungry Rabbit Jumps in New Orleans and then in Shreveport for Drive Angry.

By ARIN MIKAILIAN, Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Independent
Story Published: Nov 19, 2009 at 4:38 PM PST

Werner Herzog creates an unpredictable universe in “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” where he puts audiences on a trip at least as intense as the one taken by its drug-addled protagonist.
Opening Nov. 20, the film is set in the mean streets of The Big Easy and follows the story of Terrence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage), a local police lieutenant who always, secretly skims a little bit of the evidence off the top.
Terrence is literally high on a smorgasbord of drugs throughout the movie as he pursues the killer of a family of five.
He gets by with the support of his girlfriend, Frankie (Eva Mendes), a hooker and fellow addict who freeloads off of whatever he brings home for the night in his goody bag.
But the drugs eventually catch up as Terrence begins to notice things that aren’t there and lands in trouble with just about everyone he meets thanks to his erratic behavior.
Some critics are already hailing Cage’s performance as his best in years, mainly because he nailed the portrayal of an addict.
His gradual decline depicts him as an occasional user in the beginning and by the end, his voice is shaky and cracks and his posture becomes noticeably deformed.
Cage said he got drunk for his role in 1995’s “Leaving Las Vegas,” where he played an alcoholic who plans to drink himself to death, a role for which he earned an Academy Award.
This time around he says was completely sober and credits Herzog for giving him the leeway to play Terrence the way he wanted to.
“I just felt I was in the zone,” Cage told a group of reporters at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. “I came in prepared knowing I had to do what I to do and I thank Werner for letting me go. I didn’t need to be pushed or pulled.”
Outside of Cage’s performance, the whole film is filled with surreal moments that seemingly blend what Terrence is experiencing in his head with his day to day encounters.
You’ll know when you see the lizards.
The end result is a movie that hearkens back to the style of 1998’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”
“It is a demented fantasy which I liked to create,” Herzog said.
The German director said much of that motif came from allowing for improvised dialogue from his cast.
“We always kept things open for the unexpected,” Herzog said. “Nic Cage had complete liberty to have his own voice to improvise. Those are the really convincing and strong moments of the film.”
When asked about his experience about shooting in New Orleans, he said the city that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was filled with a “strong sense of recovery.”
“I remember very often when we were filming outdoors, people would come by and were like ‘Are you making a movie? Welcome!’” he said. “It’s wonderful, the music is coming back and movies are coming back. … There was a void in New Orleans, it was culture, vibrant culture, that will be the guiding light for New Orleans’ recovery.”
The past few months for Cage have been the toughest in a while for the 45-year-old actor.
Amid a personal financial crisis, his father, August Coppola, died on Oct. 29 at the age of 75.
Many of his other demons are caged in Louisiana, according to Cage, and shooting an entire movie there last year let him “face his fears.”
“I wanted to go back there and confront it,” he said. “I knew I would channel that and it would either be a disaster or something beautiful, so I was up for the challenge.”

Louisiana seeing busy fall filming season

Good news for the South Louisiana filming. North Louisiana has a slower last quarter but there are a few good productions working before the end of the year. Next year is looking very promising for all of Louisiana.

Source: Greater Baton Rouge Business Report Daily Report

With hurricane season ending, film and TV production in south Louisiana is picking up, and New Orleans is on track to break last year's filming record. David Simon, creator of The Wire and Homicide: Life on the Street, started shooting the first season of his HBO series Treme in New Orleans this month, and actor Jason Statham had a downtown office building bustling with production of a scene for the action thriller, The Mechanic. They are among at least eight film and TV projects in the New Orleans area this fall—and more than a dozen statewide—providing an end-of-the-year boost after a sluggish summer, says Sherri McConnell, head of the state film office. "Summer is usually a slow time for us," McConnell says, citing higher production costs during hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30, as a factor. But this year film industry strikes, the economy and uncertainty over the future of Louisiana's entertainment tax credit program were also to blame, she says. Before the state Legislature approved a 5% boost in incentives for movie and TV makers this spring, the 25% tax credit was set to drop to 20% in 2010 and 15% in 2012. McConnell says her office received 25 applications for projects in the first half of 2009, but since July 1 more than 60 have come in. If all the projects get under way before the end of the year, the state might reach its filming record of 84 projects, set last year.

Filming: 2009 Early 2010 in Louisiana. Updated Novmber 19, 2009

This is what is in Pre Production or Filming in Louisiana during the last months of the year. More to come for the New Year.

Mirrors 2 Filming Baton Rouge more to come
Green Lantern Pre Production New Orleans zmbfilmworks@yahoo.com
Delta Blues Pre Production New Orleans, more to come
Fight or Flight Pre Production Lafayette marquisprod@gmail.com
Shotgun Wedding Pre Production Shotgunweddingcrew@gmail.com
Earthbound Pre Production New Orleans 504-734-3793
The Americans Pre Production Shreveport cygnetfilm@yahoo.com
Treme Filming in New Orleans blowndeadlineprod@gmail.com
Mortician Filming in New Orleans info@filmsinmotion.com
Falling in love Filming in New Orleans fallinginloveproductions@gmail.com
Swamp Shark aka Jaws of the Mississippi filming in Lafayette jobs@bulletfilms.com
The Hungry Rabbit Jumps Filming in New Orleans
Medusa Pre Production in Lafayette jobs.bulletfilms@gmail.com
Brothers keeper Filming in New Orleans
Battle Los Angeles Filming Baton Rouge battlelosangeles@gmail.com
Secretariat Filming Lafayette secretariat.themovie@gmail.com
Monster Wolf Filming Lafayettemailto:Lafayettejobs@bulletfilms.net
The Big Show Project/Knucklehead Filming New Orleans wwenolallc@gmail.com
Ticking Clock Filming
Unearthed Shreveport (Wrapped)
The Mechanic Pre Production New Orleans themechaniceresumes@yahoo.com
Video Girl Filming in Baton Rouge k2.miket@gmail.com
Ultimate MMA Fitness Filming in Baton Rouge k2.miket@gmail.com
Underground Comedy Champs Filming in Baton Rouge k2.miket@gmail.com
Clunkers Filming in Baton Rouge k2.miket@gmail.com
Pregnancy Pack Filming in New Orleans pactproductions2009@gmail.com
Beat the Course Filming Baton Rouge K2.Miket@gmail.com
Chesterfield Pre Production New Orleans chesterfieldfilm@gmail.com
Flag of my Father Pre Production Monroe cheryl@r2films.net
Julia X Filming Shreveport Juliaxproduction@gmail.com
Keep It Together more to come
Super is in Pre Production Shreveport more to come
Drive Angry Pre Production in Shreveport more to come

Nicolas Cage to film Drive Angry in Shreveport.

Nicolas Cage is getting the 3D treatment.
The actor has signed to star in "Drive Angry," a revenge action movie that Patrick Lussier will direct for Nu Image/Millenium Films. Michael De Luca is producing with Adam Fields.
Written by Lussier and Todd Farmer, the story centers on a man (Cage) driven by rage who is chasing the people who killed his daughter and kidnapped her baby. The vendetta/rescue spins out of control as the chase gets bloodier by the mile, leaving bodies strewn along the highway.
Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Avi Lerner and Boaz Davidson are executive producing for Nu Image/Millennium, which is planning to begin production in April in Louisiana; the company has a new $10 million studio in Shreveport, La.
"Angry" will be the first foray into 3D for Nu Image/Millenium and marks a return to the format for Lussier. The director, who got his feature start editing horror movies for Wes Craven, last directed "My Bloody Valentine 3D," which grossed $51 million domestically this year.
For the CAA-repped Cage, "Angry" is the third collaboration with Nu Image/Millenium. The latest, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," hits the festival circuit beginning with Telluride before going on to Venice and Toronto.
www.heatvisionblog.com

The Green Lantern Going to New Orleans?

Production had been rumored for Canada
By Phil Guie Wednesday, October 21, 2009
www.cinemaspy.com


Probable destinations for the Green Lantern movie are bouncing around as fast as the Emerald ring-wearing heroes themselves: first we hear Mexico, then Canada.
But according to The Times-Picayune, at least part, and maybe all of the production is going to take place in Louisiana. An official at New Orleans’ Second Line Stages told the paper he has been contacted by the film’s producers, and Green Lantern production offices could be set up there as early as next week."The rumors are correct," said Kevin Murphy, the manager of studio operations at the Lower Garden District facility, who added production would occupy sound stages in December. Sets would be built that month, with principal photography to begin in March 2010.
"We are working out the details, and we have a nonrefundable contract" to rent stage space, Murphy said. "It would be, paint dries on one day, they're moving in the next. It's an awesome opportunity."Warner Bros. officials were not prepared to comment. If Green Lantern does move to Louisiana, it would mark the second time a Warners/DC Comics project came rolling into town. Over the summer, Jonah Hex filmed in the state; no word if the experience helped the studio settle on it for Green Lantern, but on the closing days of the shoot, producers Andrew Lazar and Ravi D. Mehta reportedly had nothing but positive things to say about their time there.Green Lantern had been scheduled to film in Australia, but the falling dollar caused Warners to explore other locations. Still, given the movie’s big budget, its arrival would be a boon for Louisiana, which has been offering incentives to movie productions.

Vampire Film Fest finally rests in N.O.

By RACHEL JONES
Special to 2theadvocate.com
Published: Oct 22, 2009

Vampire folklore has captured the imagination of fans of the supernatural for centuries. From the classic literature of Bram Stoker to HBO’s television series, “True Blood,” to the “Twilight” phenomenon, these tales of myth and mystery have intrigued the fantasy lover in all of us.
But for all the cultural significance and international fervor, there hasn’t been a tribute to the creatures of the dark in the very city that has become the backdrop for all things gothic, historic and unexplainable – until now.
For the first time, the Vampire Film Festival is making its home in New Orleans during which four days of film, art and entertainment will take over the city.
Festival director Asif Ahmed has been a part of the festival since its beginning six years ago and hasn’t let the dream of a Vampire Fest in New Orleans die.
“The goal was to launch a new film festival with the international appreciation of the vampire genre,” Ahmed said. “It started back in 2003 in Los Angeles, and it was in L.A. with the goal to always travel with it and bring it to New Orleans. Obviously we know what happened with the hurricane in 2005, so it actually fell apart in between those years and we’ve finally brought it back from the dead.”
Oct. 23–26 has been designated to bring to life all things vampire.
Ahmed describes his love for the Big Easy and why it is the perfect stage for the Vampire Film Festival this year.
“I love the city and spent many Halloweens there over the years. There is no other place to be during that time of year. New Orleans, partially due to Anne Rice, has a vampire quality and culture, as well as the whole gothic culture with the above ground cemeteries and gothic architecture. It just seems like it’s the perfect match.”
With more than 50 films from 11 countries, Vampire Fest will include screenings of several feature films and multiple shorts each day that were selected by panels of filmmakers, film critics and even a couple of vampire aficionados who made sure that each film gave an original spin to the well-known myths.
“What’s great about vampire films is there really is some classy, high-quality work that has A-list stars, and it’s not just what I call sloppy horror movies,” Ahmed said.
Not only are the films coming from around the world, but many of the filmmakers themselves will appear with their films at the festival.
“We have filmmakers coming from Spain and Austria and all around Canada to the festival. All the filmmakers are invited to speak and do a Q & A after their films and sort of discuss the filmmaking process,” Ahmed said.
Sunday, Oct. 25, will feature a panel of vampire novelists with authors such as Erin McCarthy, Sue Dent, Van Jenson and local debut novelist Nicole Peeler. A “Shoot Louisiana” panel will be held afterward in partnership with the film commission to discuss filming in Louisiana.

“We want to bring upcoming and established writers together to discuss their inspiration, the genre, where it’s headed and what they’ve added to it. We’re also inviting new filmmakers, as well as filmmakers in Louisiana, to come out to our filmmaking panel to talk about shooting in Louisiana,” Ahmed said.
“Our goal is to bring that group of filmmakers and that group of writers together with a reception after the panels to facilitate further storytelling so hopefully they’ll make the next vampire film for next year’s festival,” he said. Not only will panels and discussions take place on Sunday, but a full vampire ballet is scheduled with three different show times.
“Even though we are first and foremost a film festival, we are moving toward becoming a whole vampire arts festival,” Ahmed said. “We’re bringing a 14-person ballet troop from Phoenix, Lisa Starry’s ‘A Vampire’s Tale,’ and it’s what they call the nutcracker of Halloween. It’s the story of a girl who is getting seduced into the whole vampire culture through ballet, modern dance and a couple of Cirque de Soleil style aerial feats that they do.”
If you want to tease your pallet with a clip of the ballet, you can check out Vampire Fest’s Web site at http://www.vampirefilmfestival.com/ and find the video under the living artist section.
Along with the ballet, another part of the living artist section is the New Orleans jazz funeral with the Tornado Brass Band that will be held in the French Quarter as well as a scavenger hunt and midnight showing parties.
“We are trying to create a party like atmosphere for the midnight film series. We’re going to have live musicians and a costume contest for each show,” Ahmed said.
While it has taken a long time and hard work for the festival to make its way to the Big Easy, the future of the festival could establish New Orleans and Vampire Fest as an international phenomenon.
“Getting anything off the ground in L.A. is a challenge and it’s hard to get media splash and excitement unless the top celebrities are there. The fact that we have all this excitement in New Orleans from the film commission and the tourism bureau and the city council people reinforces that this is home for the festival,” Ahmed said. “Our goal is to become the Sundance of New Orleans; to create a four- to seven-day film arts festival that promotes and highlights this genre that leads into Halloween.”
Before Halloween hits be sure to check out all the feature films and shorts on Friday, Oct. 23, and head to the opening night party at 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, kicks off with the Vampire Jazz Funeral at 11 a.m., the scavenger hunt at 12 p.m., and a slew of feature films and shorts as well as the costume ball party.
Sunday, Oct. 25, kicks off with the literary panel at 2 p.m. and then the “Shoot Louisiana” panel at 3:30 p.m. with a party mixer of writer and filmmakers afterwards.
More shorts on Sunday leads to the vampire ballet with the first show starting at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, is the last day to hit the festival and get your fill of vampire and gothic shorts and your last chance to catch the vampire ballet before the closing party at 10:30 p.m. For more details on the schedule of events or to pre-order tickets be sure to check out their Web site at http://www.vampirefilmfestival.com/.

Criminal charges possible regarding film tax-credit abuses, Iowa official says

By LEE ROOD • lrood@dmreg.com • September 21, 2009 Des Moines Register



A state official said Monday criminal charges could be forthcoming in the wake of widespread mismanagement and abuse reported in Iowa’s tax-credit program for filmmaking.“I would not rule that out,” said Chief Deputy Auditor Warren Jenkins. “It appears there was a failure to do what is required by law."Gov. Chet Culver on Monday asked Auditor David Vaudt’s office, the Department of Revenue and Attorney General Tom Miller to assist in a review of a state tax-credit program run out of the Iowa Department of Economic Development’s film office.

“I am very troubled by reports of the lack of oversight and accounting procedures of tax credits under this program,” Culver said. “My first priority on this issue is to the taxpayers of Iowa, and I know that Attorney General Miller and Auditor Vaudt will help us to quickly identify changes that need to be made and how we can best move forward.”Failure to perform duties required by law is a crime in Iowa. Those who exceed the authority of their office, make contracts “that contemplate expenditures ... known by the person to be in excess of that authorized by law” or who fail to report receipt or expenditures of public money are, at the very least, committing serious misdemeanors under existing statutes. Knowingly making false records of any sort (documents, certificates or receipts) amounts to a felony.Neither the auditor’s office nor Iowa’s Department of Revenue was consulted by economic development officials about problems in the mushrooming film program until problems surfaced last week, according to both revenue Director Mark Schuling and Jenkins. (Auditor David Vaudt was tending to a medical emergency in his family.)“I think it’s very unusual to not be informed or at least involved,” Jenkins said. “And to me, it’s unusual to hire an auditor without even talking to us.”Culver on Friday froze the tax-credit program, officially known as the Film, Television and Video Promotion Program, administered by the Iowa Department of Economic Development. The state’s DED director, Mike Tramontina, resigned his post after a still ongoing audit uncovered poor management and record-keeping and apparent abuses by film producers.Tom Wheeler, manager of the Iowa Film Office, was placed on paid administrative leave. Wheeler was juggling a reported 50 to 60 current projects and proposals for projects.Culver said new tax-credit certificates would not be issued until questions about the administration of the program were answered.“This is not about harming the growing film and television industry in Iowa, but about protecting public funds and the best interests of Iowans,” Culver said.A memo from auditors investigating irregularities in the program suggested producers and film executives took personal advantage of the program as state administrators paid little attention.

Tramontina resigned after he informed the governor and other state officials of sloppy record-keeping and abuse of the program, including allegations that filmmakers had purchased luxury vehicles for themselves.According to a memo about the audit's initial findings obtained by The Des Moines Register, auditors found a long list of bookkeeping lapses in the program, which has authorized $32 million in tax credits for at least 20 film projects since its inception in 2007.The program was aimed at promoting filmmaking in Iowa as a way to contribute to the local and state economy.The program could cost the state up to $300 million, an Iowa lawmaker said over the weekend. That’s because movie producers rushed in May and June to get $208 million in tax credits committed before a new spending cap began July 1.Schuling said he could not answer a question on the minds of many movie makers and their workers: Which tax-credit projects will the state ultimately honor?“That’s a tough legal question. It’s something that we have to take a look at,” he said. To what extent will we be disallowing tax credits? I don’t have answers to that. It’s just real premature.”Jenkins said he believes the state will be obligated to live up to any legal contract that it signed.Iowa Fiscal Partnership, an arm of the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that analyzes budget and tax issues, issued a statement Monday saying it supported the suspension and investigation of the film credit program.“The initial investigation has exposed the film credits, as currently in place, as a boondoggle that is draining our state treasury,” a statement from the partnership said. “This is coming at a time when our state leaders are anticipating budget cuts. All spending — including spending through the tax code — needs to be on the table when considering cuts to the budget.”Mike Owen, communications director of the Des Moines-based partnership, said the film-credit program is one of many tax-credit programs in the state that should raise questions with taxpayers. “One of the problems with this program ... is that these tax credits spend money but aren’t subject to regular review or scrutiny like other programs within state government,” he said.Aside from lax management, there were some fundamental policy questions thatneeded to be answered even before abuses were discovered, Owen said. State leaders, can’t tell the public whether the program is achieving what it was intended to do, he said. “Without better transparency and scrutiny even by legislators, how are we going to get the information?”The Iowa Department of Economic Development’s last state audit was for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2008. The audit identified no problems within the film program, but that was before the film office was deluged with more than 100 applications for tax-credit projects.Jenkins said the audit for the 2009 year is not complete. Especially when programs undergo big increases in activity, he said, state departments have a responsibility to tell auditors where a closer look is needed.
The tax credit program – officially known as the Film, Television and Video Promotion Program – had been administered by the Iowa Department of Economic Development. The state’s DED director, Mike Tramontina, resigned his post on Friday.Culver said he has asked the state’s Economic Deveopment Board not to approved further tax credit certificates until questions about the administration of the program are answered.“This is not about harming the growing film and television industry in Iowa, but about protecting public funds and the best interests of Iowans,” Culver said.