The DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (MPTD) launched today its new website at www.film.dc.gov with a number of enhanced features and services, including Reelscout, an online software utility created expressly for film offices. It provides a state-of-the-art location management and location assistance tool that gives MPTD the ability to effectively track, manage, and promote local crew and businesses that provide production support services for film, television, and new media production companies seeking to film on location here in the District of Columbia.
ReelScout has become the “gold standard” of location application software, and is currently used by more than 60 film offices and commissions in the United States. New features available to the public through this tool include location specifications, mapping and key word searching capabilities.
“Adopting these new features will allow MPTD to remain competitive and offer the same level of service and assistance as other film offices in the region and around the country,” stated MPTD Director Crystal Palmer. “MPTD has some really exciting initiatives planned for the spring and summer – the height of the filming season here in the District – and these new online features will help take our new initiatives to a whole new level.”
MPTD will also offer public access to DC locations through a mobile phone application (or “app”) managed and maintained by ReelScout. The new mobile app for iPhone will give users access to location and crew list information right from their mobile phones. A feature called “Reel Crew” will allow filmmakers and other crew members to be featured on the app free of charge. MPTD will be one of the first film offices in our region to introduce this feature.
Other new web site features include easy-to-navigate links, online submission forms for casting and crew opportunities, and a soon to be released RSS feed for production alerts.