Gubernatorial candidates briefly discuss film industry

For shreveporttimes.com, I recorded audio at tonight's gubernatorial forum at LSUS. (I'm the newsroom's self-proclaimed audio nerd.) The forum was broadcast on KTBS/KPXJ and Red River Radio and covered by every local news outlet.

One of the questions was: "What will you do to continue the growth of the film industry in northwest Louisiana?"

If you saw or listened to the forum, you'll remember this was the point when Bobby Jindal and Walter Boasso started getting mad about "the lies and the charges" and generally exciting blah, blah, blah.

The forum nearly turned into a debate -- which it should have been anyway -- but forum moderators restored order.

Below are transcripts of what the candidates said about the film industry. If you'd rather listen to the generally exciting blah, blah, blah -- good for you -- click here and then here and listen to both in full. (The argument spilled over two questions.)

For clarity's sake, I've parenthetically removed the generally exciting blah, blah, blah.

Frankly, I expected much sharper answers all around. Nonetheless, I was thrilled by the generally exciting blah, blah, blah.

QUESTION: What will you do to continue the growth of the film industry in northwest Louisiana?

BOBBY JINDAL: Look, the tax incentives have been great. I’m glad that a lot of the companies, the productions that have come up here aren’t here temporarily. They’re here permanently. We’ll continue to support that. (Argues with Boasso about previous question.) I think the legislature did a good job by providing incentives. It shows that when we level the playing field, we’ve gotten $900 million of movies, TV and commercial work. What we need to do now is to make sure that those incentives are tailored to encourage post-production work to bring the higher paying jobs. We’ve got sites like Camp Minden. I know the city is providing a facility here in Shreveport.

WALTER BOASSO: I think the film industry has been very good for Louisiana, and Shreveport has become a great home for the film industry. With the addition now of a movie studio, that is the most important thing is that when we get those land-based opportunities. We have to continue to provide funding for the programs to make sure that we have people here trained to work in the movie industry themselves. The last challenge that I will work for as your governor is that you got to have a connecting flight coming from Los Angeles into Shreveport. I’m going to have to do something to help increase the frequency and increase the availability of air flight into Shreveport, because that is critically important to the movie industry.

FOSTER CAMPBELL: I support the industry. It’s started a lot here in Shreveport. We used to have all the movies being produced in New Orleans. After the storm, they came here. They like it here. People are friendly here. It’s thriving here. Everything that I can do to make it better and bigger, I’ll do it. I’ll support it in every way I can.

JOHN GEORGES: The movie industry is a perfect example of the north and the south of this state working together, because it all began down at the University of New Orleans at the Nims Center, which was named after my business partner Bob Nims. The Nims Center has become a catalyst, and now it’s up here in Shreveport. I met with your Sen. Lydia Jackson today. She gave me a tour of the city, and I was very proud to see the benefits. But we shouldn’t just stop with the film industry. Broadway South is another similar concept that I would support. These are good economic opportunities, but it’s also a good example of the south working with the north. And as your congressman, excuse me, as your governor from the south, I’ll work together to bridge the north, and that’s how I-49 became working together by getting the senators in the south to vote with the senators in the north to vote for completion of I-49. And it’s working together, not bickering and arguing and defending and accusing. It’s working together and leading this state is what I will do as your governor.

PHOTO CREDIT: Louisiana gubernatorial candidates (from left to right) Walter Boasso, Foster Campbell, John Georges and Bobby Jindal answer questions during a gubernatorial forum Thursday at the University Center at LSUS. (Douglas Collier/The Times)