High school students created their own movie concepts for poster competition

For the second year, The Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition has honored three Louisiana high school students for their artwork submitted to the “Create Your Own Movie” poster competition in conjunction with “Art of the Film: Louisiana Film Industry Expo” which took place at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, January 20 and 21.

The mission of the student competition was to celebrate the movie poster as an integral component of the film industry, and to showcase students’ artistry and creativity in illustrating an original film concept or a sequel to an existing production. Movie Poster Archives Executive Director Linda Thurman served as the judge for the event.

The First Place winner was Slidell High School junior Connor Carollo’s “Minnie the Moocher.” Taking Second Place was Homelife Academy sophomore Jaden Payne, and Northshore High School senior Isaiah Jones received Third Place for “The Outlook Hotel.” Winners received $250, $100 and $50 respectively for First, Second and Third Places. The posters were framed and displayed during the Expo.

The Art of the Film: Louisiana Film Industry Expo was presented by Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition in partnership with The City of Slidell. The event was supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the St. Tammany Parish Commission on Cultural Affairs. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The mission of the Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition is to facilitate growth, development and increased awareness of the cultural economy and its impact by focusing on coalition building, public policy, business support, outreach, advocacy and arts education. Membership is free and open to all cultural economy workers, organizations and businesses.

Event offers informative and entertaining presentations for all

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to serve as an extra in a movie or to delve into acting? Are you interested in learning more about the many facets of the film industry including production, music, songwriting for films or listing your property for consideration in productions? Perhaps you’d enjoy a behind-the-scenes peek at the happenings from Hollywood to Hollywood south? Art of the Film: Louisiana Film Industry Expo is a two-day event that will cover all of this and more. The two-day event will be held Friday and Saturday, January 20 and 21 at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public with preregistration on the Expo main page, here.

The event will kick off with the Business of Film luncheon featuring keynote speaker Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser on Friday, January 20 at noon in the Slidell Municipal Auditorium. Doors open at 11:00 am. Tickets to the luncheon are $40, available here.

Art of the Film Expo speakers include Christopher Stelly, Executive Group Director, Louisiana Entertainment & Digital Media; Trey Burvant, President, Louisiana Film & Entertainment Association; Carroll Morton, Director, Film New Orleans | Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy; Ed and Sue Poole, Hollywood on the Bayou, film accessory researchers; Linda Thurman, Hollywood veteran, author and Movie Poster Archives executive director; DeAnna Charett, Founder, Bad Habitz Organization veterans filmmaker training program; Reid Wick, Membership and Industry Relations, Recording Academy/GRAMMYs; Jay Weigel, Composer, producer and conductor; Greg Barnhill, Composer, songwriter and master vocalist; Donovan Williams, Chief Technology Officer, JammAround music collaboration platform; Veleka Gray, Master acting coach; Eric Lamulle, SAG actor; Kody Chamberlain, Writer and story artist; Hunter McHugh, CSA, Casting director, On the Hunt Casting; Dan Zweben, Location scout; Mickey Lambert, Location manager/scout; Roberta Carrow-Jackson, St. Tammany Film Commissioner, featuring Reel Scout; and Dr. Ben Redwine, Classical and jazz musician and composer.

Sessions will cover a broad spectrum of topics including Louisiana film industry’s economic impact and opportunities for individuals, businesses and communities; the state’s film and digital entertainment tax incentives; music production, collaboration and songwriting for movies; scouting for talent; location scouting: intellectual property; scoring silent films; and entertaining presentations celebrating the state’s rich history in film. The complete event schedule and speaker bios are available on the website.

The event will lead into two Expo After Hours live entertainment events, Friday from 7 to 8:30 at The Wine Garden, featuring Greg Barnhill and friends, sponsored by Ozone Songwriters Festival and Saturday, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, with the Northshore Community Orchestra, sponsored by the City of Slidell. Concurrently, Hollywood on the Bayou and Movie Poster Archives will present “Art of the Poster,” an exhibition of uniquely designed movie posters, hosted by the City of Slidell in the George Dunbar Gallery in the Slidell Cultural Center at City Hall, directly across the street from the auditorium, with extended viewing hours during the Expo.

Art of the Film is presented by Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition and the City of Slidell, with title sponsor St. Tammany Tourist and Convention Commission. Additional event sponsors include St. Tammany Corporation, Northshore Media Group/WYLK 94.7 FM, Slidell Magazine, The Northshore Collaborative, New Orleans Entertainment Coalition and Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board.

This event is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the St. Tammany Parish Commission on Cultural Affairs. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Students invited to “Create Your Own Movie” poster competition

The filmmaking industry extends far beyond the camera and the big screen, and the industry is thriving in Louisiana. Many of its career options and opportunities available will be showcased at the upcoming “Art of the Film: Louisiana Film Industry Expo” to be held at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, January 20 and 21, 2023. High school students are invited to be part of the event with a “Create Your Own Movie” poster competition.

Students are challenged to showcase their creativity with posters illustrating their own original film concept or a sequel to an existing production. Poster designs should be submitted in jpg format, 11” w x 17” h and can be submitted via email to Poster@NorthshoreCEC.org.

Prizes for the competition include $250 for first place, $100 for second place and $50 for third. Poster designs must be submitted via email by January 10. Winners will be announced by January 16 and winning posters will be displayed at the Art of the Film Expo.

This Louisiana Film Industry Expo is sponsored by Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition in partnership with The City of Slidell. The event is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the St. Tammany Parish Commission on Cultural Affairs. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Three Louisiana high school students have been honored for their artwork in the “Create Your Own Movie” poster competition sponsored by Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition and the City of Slidell. The contest was held in conjunction with “Art of the Film: Louisiana Film Industry Expo” which took place at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium on Saturday, Jan. 8.

Students were challenged to showcase their creativity with posters illustrating an original film concept or a sequel to an existing production.

Taking home First Place and the $300 prize was “Searching for My End” by Remy Cantrelle, a high school senior at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). Coming in Second Place with a $200 prize was “The Jester” by Serenity Bryer, a high school freshman from St. Helena College and Career Academy in Greensburg. Third Place, including a prize of $100, was awarded for “The Dark Knight Resurrection” by Jaden Payne, a high school freshman at HomeLife Academy in Slidell. Judges for the event included Movie Poster Archives Executive Director Linda Thurman, the City of Slidell’s Director of Cultural and Public Affairs Alex Carollo and Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition Founder and Chair Kim Bergeron.

“Movie posters are a personal message from the filmmaker to the viewer,” said Thurman. “The entries were all strong contenders. The winning poster communicates a longing and desire in an ethereal landscape. It brings the viewer into the filmmaker’s world and invites them along on the journey.”

This Louisiana Film Industry Expo was presented by Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition in partnership with The City of Slidell. The event was supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the St. Tammany Parish Commission on Cultural Affairs. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The mission of the Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition is to facilitate growth, development and increased awareness of the cultural economy and its impact by focusing on coalition building, public policy, business support, outreach, advocacy and arts education. Membership is free and open to all cultural economy workers, organizations and businesses.

With millions of dollars in annual economic impact, Hollywood South is alive and thriving in Louisiana. A study commissioned by Louisiana Entertainment, a division of Louisiana Economic Development, indicates the state’s motion picture industry generated annual economic activity of more than $800 million in 2020 alone, despite pandemic shutdowns. Multiple facets of the industry, including widespread opportunities for individuals and businesses to benefit, will be presented when the Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition and the City of Slidell present “The Art of the Film: Louisiana Film Industry Expo” on Saturday, January 8, 10 am to 6 pm at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium. Admission is free.

The stellar lineup of presenters includes Ed and Sue Poole, Hollywood on the Bayou internationally renowned movie experts; Linda Thurman, executive director and author; Greg Barnhill, composer, songwriter and master vocalist; Reid Wick, Membership and Industry Relations, Recording Academy/GRAMMYs, Jay Weigel, music composer, producer and conductor; Christopher Stelly, LEDA Executive Group Director, Entertainment & Digital Media; Trey Burvant, Louisiana Film & Entertainment Association Executive Committee President; Katherine Brooks, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, writer and director; Carroll Morton, Director of Film New Orleans, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy; Jason Waggenspack, The Ranch Film Studios Head of Possibilities (CEO); Bill Rainey, The Holding Tent casting liaison Bill Rainey, actor/stuntman Austin Naulty and actress Nicole Ferrier.

Presentations will include a focus on how to break into the business, creative and unexpected career options, music songwriting, production and placement, behind-the-scenes glimpses, industry incentives, business opportunities, and a focus on women in the film industry.

A panel presentation on casting and actors’ experiences will be presented at 11 am, followed by an opportunity for individuals and businesses to register for film resource directories if interested in serving as move extras and principals, provider of goods and/or services and to list properties for consideration as film locations.

The event also will feature winners of the “Create Your Own Movie” high school student poster competition. Popular Hollywood South food truck, Old School Eats, will be on site from noon until 4 pm.

The Louisiana Film Industry Expo will be complemented by “Fifty Shades of Louisiana: A Filmmaker’s Paradise” movie poster exhibition, presented by Hollywood on the Bayou, Movie Poster Archives and The City of Slidell, in the Slidell Cultural Center, which will be open from noon to 8 pm the day of the Expo, including the opening reception from 6 to 8 pm. Admission is free.

On Jan. 7, The Northshore Collaborative will present “The Business of Film” luncheon featuring Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. Reservations are available through Dec. 30 at NSCollaborative.com. Reservations are available at NSCollaborative.com.

Additional information about the expo is available via the Art of the Film Expo tab at northshorecec.org. The 2021 economic impact study, conducted by Camoin 310, is available at LouisianaEntertainment.gov.

The Art of the Film Expo is made possible by sponsors Louisiana Northshore/St. Tammany Parish Tourist and Convention Commission, Movie Poster Archives, The Northshore Collaborative, St. Tammany Corporation, Slidell Magazine and Northshore Media Group/The Lake WYLK 94.7 FM. The event is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the St. Tammany Parish Commission on Cultural Affairs. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The mission of the Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition, founded in 2009, is to facilitate growth, development and increased awareness of the cultural economy and its impact by focusing on coalition building, public policy, business support, outreach, advocacy and arts education. Membership is free and open to all cultural economy workers, organizations and businesses.