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(BATON ROUGE, La. – November 16, 2021) A program at Loyola University in New Orleans to prepare film students for careers in motion picture post-production is the latest recipient of an award from Louisiana’s new Entertainment Development Fund. Loyola’s Department of Digital Filmmaking will receive $248,975 to purchase specialized equipment to increase training opportunities in post-production in the Louisiana film industry.

Motion picture post-production is the work done after filming concludes to sequence and enhance footage in order to tell a movie’s story. It can involve editing; visual effects (VFX); color enhancement; sound effects and sound editing; music recording and editing; and other processes. Loyola plans to use its award proceeds to obtain equipment for training students in three specific areas of post-production: color and finishing, digital dailies and sound post-production.

“The work of motion picture production doesn’t end when the cameras stop rolling,” Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson said. “Louisiana’s film industry offers many job opportunities in post-production, and these positions often are highly technical in nature and provide good salaries and benefits. With this Entertainment Development Fund award, Loyola University will be able to provide its digital filmmaking students with the latest technology as they learn the technical processes and professional quality standards for today’s digital media production.”

Loyola’s degree program in digital filmmaking features a combination of technical and industry-focused courses within the context of a bachelor of fine arts program. With the EDF award, the university will launch a Cinema Workflow Initiative to give students hands-on experience with software, hardware and camera media that are unique to the filmmaking process.

“Louisiana has a rich tradition of storytelling,” said Loyola Chair of Digital Filmmaking Robert Racine. “Whether told around kitchen tables, campfires or back porches, or in books and media, the stories of Louisiana are in the hearts of its people. These storytellers are the future of the Louisiana film industry, and a well-trained and technologically capable workforce is a needed resource that can help sustain end-to-end film production in Louisiana. We are excited for the opportunity to enable our students to create compelling cinematic stories, using equipment, standards and methods that are in most aspects identical to those employed by major motion picture companies.”

This is the sixth Entertainment Development Fund award announced by LED since the program was launched earlier this year.