BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – There was a time when Louisianians who were interested in filmmaking had to leave home and plant new roots in places such as Los Angeles and New York.

But these days, the Bayou State is also known as Hollywood South. Within the last decade, directors like Rob Reiner and Elizabeth Banks have filmed movies in the capital area. It also isn’t uncommon for locals to spot actors such as Jada Pinkett-Smith, Will Smith, Tom Hanks, or Gerard Butler while they’re visiting the state to work on a production.

Louisiana’s transition to a place that’s attractive to Hollywood’s finest is thanks to a series of motion picture tax incentives lawmakers have passed in recent years.

So, producers and directors from other states are happy to film here. But how do locals feel about it?

This is a question the Louisiana Film Entertainment Association endeavored to answer. To hear the public’s opinion on the state’s film industry/tax incentives, the Association had JMC Analytics and Polling conduct a survey.

Some of the survey questions and results are featured below.

Q: Would you be more or less likely to watch a movie if it was filmed in Louisiana?

  • More Likely: 78%
  • Less Likely: 2%
  • Makes No Difference: 21%

Q: Do you agree or disagree that productions and films shot in Louisiana benefit the state?

  • Agree: 87%
  • Disagree: 4%
  • Unsure: 9%

Q: Do you favor or oppose Louisiana’s universities’ expanding their educational curriculum to include film and/or digital media classes?

  • Favor: 83%
  • Oppose: 4%
  • No opinion: 12%

Q: Do you favor or oppose tax incentives to help develop the film industry in Louisiana?

  • Favor: 66%
  • Oppose: 14%
  • Undecided: 20%

Q: How often do you and your family watch a movie each month?

  • One to five movies: 48%
  • Five to ten movies: 19%
  • More than ten movies: 23%
  • Never: 4%
  • Unsure: 6%

Essentially, the survey results seem to indicate that at this time, most locals feel Louisiana’s film industry is valuable, and they’re willing to support it.

Click here to view all of the survey results.