The DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (MPTD) launched today the “DC Reel-Crew” iPhone app, which gives users immediate access to location, support services and crew list information right from their mobile phones. The app is managed and maintained by ReelScout, an online software utility created expressly for film offices to provide state-of-the-art location management and location scouting assistance. The app is free of charge and is available to download through iTunes today. MPTD is of the first film offices in our region to introduce this feature.
The ReelScout tool enables the District's film industry workforce and support service companies like hotels, restaurants, dry cleaners and catering companies to showcase their skills and services to producers considering filming in the city. The new DC Reel-Crew feature also gives MPTD the ability to effectively track, manage, and promote DC residents 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. District residents with demonstrated production crew experience and businesses that support the film and television industry can go online and register their information into this database free of charge.
“Adopting this new cutting edge technology will allow MPTD to remain competitive and offer superior services to productions wanting to film in the District,” stated MPTD Director Crystal Palmer. “MPTD has some really exciting initiatives planned for the new fiscal year and these new online and mobile features will help take our new initiatives to a whole new level.”
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. The DC ReelScout feature, which launched in May for crew and businesses to register, is currently open for productions to search a live list of available crew and businesses.
To register, District residents and businesses must go to the DC Reel-Crew page, select “register now” and follow the prompts to enter basic information about themselves or their company and list their skills and services. Once the information is entered, incoming productions can identify DC residents that can be hired to work on productions, serving in essence, as an online production guide or directory.