USA TODAY examines Why Louisiana is te new filming Hot Spot

I never imagined a Twilight Movie being filmed in Louisiana, but it is (partially at least) and it's not th eonly film. So many productions are heading south, and USA Today explores some reasons why.

Twilight Lexicon writes:

Lots of fans were baffled when Louisiana was announced as a filming location for Breaking Dawn. We even openly scoffed at the idea on Twitter. [Mandy's Mind - me too!]

USA Today gives a bit of an explanation:

“The boom is most visible around New Orleans. In 2009, 22 movies and TV shows filmed there. Records have already been broken in 2010; by July, 24 projects had shot there.

“We’re way ahead of the curve in the New Orleans region,” says Katie Gunnell, interim director of the city’s Office of Film and Television. “The city has seen an incredible bump in applications for 2011 as well.”

Across the state, work is consistent and year-round, despite hurricane season and blazing summer temperatures. “We’ve maintained 20 to 25 productions at any given time during the year,” Stelly says. “We’ve doubled for New York City, Los Angeles, the Northwest, basically Anytown, USA.”

Those who have shot there point to several factors contributing to the region’s appeal: diversity of scenery, financial incentives and proficient crews.

“You can get an 1800s look, you can get a Parisian look,” says Todd Lewis, producer of The Chaperone. “You can get suburbs, you can get the country. It’s got a little bit of everything.”

See MUCH more on USA Today.