Industrial design students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette may see their work on the silver screen soon.
Dr. Jerome Malinowski, industrial design professor, said he was contacted in December by a Los Angeles production company filming in New Orleans.
The film crew is working with Bruce Willis on the movie “Looper,” which deals with time travel.
“They were looking for some futuristic products which could be used within the movie set and they asked if we had any student work that could be applied,” said Malinowski. “As a consequence, we put together a portfolio.”
Several student projects have since been chosen as background props for the movie.
He noted what a great opportunity this is for students and their work. “This opens up avenues for diverse design opportunities in the entertainment industry.”
Michael Buquet, a senior industrial design major, said this may be a way for students to continue to work in the film industry here in Louisiana.
“To get in the film industry is definitely a really exciting venue to have an opportunity to jump into especially locally,” he explained. “A lot of students are really pushed to move to other areas due to the job market. You’re not really sure how close you can really stay to home to get a job and actually work in the film industry. It’s pretty exciting to actually work in the film industry in Louisiana.”
The movie is set in the near future and features a group of killers (called Loopers) who work for a crime syndicate. It is expected to be released in 2012.