Episode 109 Alexander Jeffery - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

Filmmaker Alexander Jeffery sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:

 

0:35 1. In 2015, your short film, The Bespoke Tailoring of Mister Bellamy, won the Louisiana Film Prize. I’ve read where you called this a “life-changing moment”.

 

Talk to me about why winning the film prize was so important for you?

 

2:58 2. You moved from Canada to just outside of El Dorado, Arkansas as a kid. How and when did you decide to move to Shreveport?

 

5:17 3. You have directed short films, feature-length narrative and documentary films, promotional videos, and commercials. Simply put, you are one of the most experienced filmmakers in our community. From your perspective, tell me about the state of our film industry.

 

Are there a lot of crew members? Is there infrastructure?

 

We had a boom in our film industry beginning in late 2005. Are we currently in a second boom?

 

7:41 4. How do we grow our local crew base?

 

8:57 5. How do Louisiana's motion picture tax credits currently compare with the rest of the country?

 

13:05 6. You have done promotional videos for BRF, The Port, and Photography by Scarlett, to name but a few. Talk to me some about your process when you are making a promotional.

 

16:16 7. For those out there listening who are interested in film, is this a good place to live and work? And, where and how do you suggest someone network who wants to be a part of the film industry here?

 

20:56 8. What are we currently missing to grow our local film industry?

 

30:40 9. How many places in the country have a film industry as robust as Shreveport?

 

36:40 10. How do you make a movie that puts Shreveport filmmaking on the map worldwide?