Studio official says Louisiana needs better workforce training

The local film industry needs better education and workforce development to reach its potential, says Patrick Mulhearn, director of studio operations at Raleigh Studios Baton Rouge and president of Louisiana Industry for Film and Entertainment. “The state can’t train people fast enough unless there’s a mechanism to place the labor on the productions and have them learn on the job,” he says. “It’s unfortunate there’s not really a true system in place for doing that.” Classroom instruction at schools such as Baton Rouge Community College and Bossier Parish Community College is helpful, he says, but more formal partnerships between Louisiana schools and major production companies and studios are needed. One problem for Baton Rouge and LSU is that the University of New Orleans is the official film school of the LSU system, “so everything here is theory-based training,” Mulhearn says. He also says the local film crew union needs to let more people in. “Right now they all have guaranteed jobs,” he says. A stronger local talent base would help attract small to mid-range projects. In a related story, the Los Angeles Times looks at how Louisiana’s generous film tax credit helped Louisiana land the film Battle: Los Angeles. “Battle: Los Angeles is the latest and perhaps the most embarrassing example of how L.A. has been losing feature productions to more than 40 states that offer more attractive film tax credits and rebates,” the story says. Read the story, via the Miami Herald, here. —David Jacobs