A short conversation with Aaron Syrett, the director of North Carolina Film Council.

1) What is the impact of the North Caroline film festivals on North Carolina’s community?

The main impact of North Carolina Film Festival on North Carolina community, is , it gets people talking about film. It engages conversation and that is key to having a successful film industry. If your community is not backing your industry, it will be difficult for an industry to thrive. That is the great thing about North Carolina the community gets it, they appreciate it and they support it. This is one of the reasons North Carolina has enjoyed strong film industry over the past 30 years.

2) How do the North Carolina Film Office and Film Council interact with independent production companies, and what kind of help do they give to filmmakers shooting their projects in North Carolina?

The North Carolina Film Office gives the exact same service to independent filmmakers as it does to the Hollywood studio film. We are here to help guide and consult to make sure the filmmakers experience is a positive one while here in North Carolina. Our goal is to get that filmmaker back to North Carolina. So we are not only concerned about the current project but the future of that filmmakers success, and take pride in the fact that North Carolina played a part in the success. Also, Independent filmmakers have the same access to our film incentive program as the studios. When the designers of the incentive were drafting the legislation it was important enough that they had the foresight to make sure the independent filmmaker had the same opportunity.

3) To what extent do you take advantage of the internet to spread the word about your services?

To the highest extent. The internet has changed the way the world does business. If we are not utilizing all the technologies that we have access to, we are not serving our constituents best interests. In fact, we are getting ready to launch our new website on January 18th 2008. And later in March we are adding some pretty impressive tools that will make our ability to serve our clients and constituents much more effectively.

For further information on North Carolina Film Office, please visit www.filmannex.com/NCFilmOffice