Industry News: Hollywood sets up permanent base in New Orleans....

January 31, 2011

New Orleans has taken another step toward establishing itself as a permanent hub for the film industry.

A top Hollywood visual effects company has opened an office in New Orleans.

Michael Hecht, President and CEO of GNO, Inc, says Factory VFX is a major player, having worked on films like '2012,' and post-producing the upcoming 'Fast and Furious.'

"This part is part of the legacy of George Lucas and Industrial Light and Magic. This is about as good as it gets in the visual effects industry."

He says it's another milestone for local film industry, meaning companies won't just come here to shoot, but will stay for post-production work as well, and create permanent jobs in the area.

"It's one thing to have people come in and shoot films here. That's nice, but the fact is, they come in and they shoot the film and then they tend to leave," says Hecht.

Listen to Don Ames' conversation with Hecht:
Listen:




"This actually makes Hollywood South much more permanent. It not only builds on it, but it really adds to its longevity and chances for long-term success."

Factory VFX will base production and industry specialists in the area.

"This is brick-and-mortar. It's staying here. And so, you're creating permanent jobs," says Hecht.

Factory VFX will initially bring a group of visual effects artists from California to open the New Orleans office, but the company plans to hire up to 50 new employees in the coming years as it expects operations to grow quickly thanks to its client base.

The company made the decision to expand to Louisiana due in large part to the state tax incentives available for qualifying productions.

Factory VFX has an outstanding track record of work in a number of visual effects areas: compositing, plate reconstruction, wire and rig removals, matte paintings, rotoscoping, and match moving.

Working with sister company RotoFactory, Inc. in their California offices, Factory VFX has completed work on over 60 feature films, commercials, and episodic television series since 2006.

Factory VFX's clients include Columbia Pictures, Fox Studios, Universal Studios, Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Studios.

The New Orleans office will be located in the Nelson Building Complex on Prytania Street, a centralized location for production crew during the filming of major projects.

Thank you.

A.
www.chicas-productions.com