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Friday, 16 March 2007 |
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Colleges combine resources to train students for film industry It’s been a year and a half since the film industry exploded in the Bossier/Shreveport area, and that progress shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Because the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita stole south Louisiana away from filmmakers, the northern portion of the state has stepped in to fill that void. Since then local faces and places have shown up on the big screen, and two local education institutes are now pairing up to provide specialized training for the film industry.
Bossier Parish Community College and Louisiana Technical College introduced Tuesday the Northwest Louisiana Film Institute, a pairing of the two schools to provide specialized and specific training in order to establish a strong workforce.
“It’s a great day for workforce development when we can see this type of partnership emerge,” said Charles Strong, regional director for Louisiana Technical College region seven.
Since the onslaught of move productions in the local area, BPCC has stepped up their training and flown full force into preparing their students for a job on the movie set. However, Larry Powell, dean of telecommunications for BPCC, said there are some areas where their school was unable to adequately train. And that’s where the technical college comes into play.
“We know there is an area where we need some help,” Powell said.
Utilizing their instructors, equipment and space, both entities hope to train students on work that goes on behind the scenes of a movie by teaching carpentry, electricity, make-up and many other specialized crafts.
“All of these things have a place in putting together a movie,” Powell said.
By joining forces, Strong said they hope to provide a fast track into one of the fastest growing industries in the area.
Currently there is a class turning one of the rooms at the technical college into a sound stage, and this summer it will be set up as a courtroom for the filming of “Criminal Justice 101” by BPCC.
Powell said a courtroom will be beneficial to other filmmakers as well, as it is sometimes difficult to find a courtroom facility in which to film.
Both Powell and Strong believe the marriage of the two schools with their different areas of expertise will help build a strong foundation of experienced workers for the film industry in the Bossier/Shreveport area.
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