Reeling in Louisiana

A $200-million deal designed to encourage filmmaking in Louisiana -- and, not incidentally, boost the state's Katrina-ravaged economy -- has been struck by Los Angeles-based Element Films and New Orleans-based LIFT Films. But wait, there's more: Major players involved are taking great pains to emphasize that movies made under this arrangement will not be direct-to-DVD fare (like Road House 2: Last Call -- no, I'm not making that up -- which was shot in Sherveport earlier this year). Rather, the goal is to produce as many as 15 theatrical features -- each with "a production budget in the $10 million to $20 million range" -- over a three-year period.