If you are new here and looking for Louisiana swamp locations
that are hard to find and even harder to reach and manage logistically,
above photo of a Little Blue Heron courtesy of Claude Nall
I, Marcus de la Houssaye, can put you, your crew, cast, and all equipment there, on location, in my specialized watercraft designed to reach the hard to reach places.
I am a commercial fisherman turned Louisiana swamp tour guide,
have lived on a houseboat in the Atchafalaya Basin for 10 years.
and I have recreationally fished
in the marshes and swamps of south Louisiana.
Additionally, I have been in film and theater for over 25 years.
A photo copyrighted 1989 by Marc Garanger,
a National Geographic photographer from France,
who took this photo of me in my old wooden skiff, over twenty years ago.
That kind of lifetime native experiences enables me as a scout and consultant for your production, to find nearly impossible architecture and landscapes in uncommon areas, and then predict south Louisiana weather and tidal actions which are sometimes extreme, as seen below,
and thus allowing logistical access for film productions and interaction with hard to reach wilderness wetlands locations, which are 2 of your greatest logistical complications as a producer of Louisiana swamp film and video in our coastal environs.
photo below taken on location at a recent shoot of a teaser production
I can provide rental for specialized, customized, and historically accurate watercraft for any period in history as seen by the work of art, solid cypress pirogue below.
The above photo is a recent location(11/2013) for a teaser production of an as yet untitled film, and I can't guarantee the birds will be there every day of the year, but that day, this is what greeted us at the bayou when we go there(photo above).
On that particular 3 day shoot as a location scout, I was also assigned at noon on the first day, the task of locating a wooden pirougue for the next days shoot at 7AM. Now, considering that this is the peak of deer AND duck hunting season in south Louisiana, everyone I asked to borrow their pirougue, advised me that the pirougue was already at the hunting camp(and thus not available), or already in the truck and scheduled for the next days hunt.
So, I went to a museum of wooden boats, and in the photo above, you can see what awed everyone when I got there at 7AM. Because I am a wooden boat builder and the curator knew me, AND a new boat had just come in, we lucked out, and I was given and trusted with an heirloom of our culture that most people can only see in the museums.
I put the principle actor in the wooden boat with a push pole, and we moved out into shallow, stump riddled waters. I then put the camera man, his assistant, and the director with monitors in a 14 foot, flat bottomed, aluminum bateau powered by silent smooth electric motors, or manually push poled by me, and then we hoped and prayed for direct sunlight!
Today, because in the modern world of fiber glass, carbon fiber, and aluminum boats,
wood boats are so rare, and hard to find, who are you gonna call on short notice next time
you need a historically accurate, antique wooden boat for your production?
In this day and age of digital photo/video computer generated images, you may not need me to put your principle actor in an antique wooden boat, on a location with wildlife like you see below.
But... if you do, I am location scout, consultant, security, carpenter, personal assistant, a cultural liason, water craft acquisitions, animal wrangler, and swamp guide, based upon past my film experiences behind the camera. Considering that, and because I am an active professional animal tracker, Louisiana swamp tour guide, fisherman, deer, duck, and wild hog hunter, I know the wilderness wetlands like the back of my hand, AND combine all that with the fact that I have over 25 years in the Louisiana film industry, understand this: I am here to serve your swamp and marshland location production demands when you are in Louisiana producing film and video.
And of course when Hollywood comes to the swamp it demands fog!
And we can make that fog with on demand handheld portable smoke/fog machines.
as seen in the photos above and below,
or better yet, my crew of swamp guides, special effects, and animal wranglers,
can blanket an entire area for hours or even days with smudge pots smokers
to create whatever effect you desire.
I am a swamp tour guide for over 25 years and have been in the business of producing film
for documentaries, TV, and feature film for longer than that.
yes that is me above....and it is NOT photoshopped!
I am not only capable of putting you into locations most people don't even know of, 
...I can also provide and handle all of the hostile plants and animals that are common in Louisiana swamps and marshes.
...I can also provide and handle all of the hostile plants and animals that are common in Louisiana swamps and marshes.
above is me on location in 1990 with a poisonous Cottonmouth Water Moccasin.
I can provide logistical services, security, rental equipment, expert guides
as well as historical, cultural, linguistic, wildlife and environmental consultation.
If you are planning on producing TV commercials, programs, feature and documentary film, or just scouting for photography safaris, I am here to serve you.
Preferably, I do not do business by text so email me,
if you need my guide or consultation services
or to rent equipment.
catahoula1@gmail.com
He is not a business partner to me, nor is he competition.
We can and will work together as we have in the past
to provide all your location scouting and management needs.
Gerrard is an independent businessman in Louisiana film, a local artist, photographer
and a long time personal friend who I met and first worked with on the set of
Belizaire the Cajun, nearly 30 years ago.
You can read his story, see his credits in the site link above and decide for yourself, if we are knowledgeable, eager, competent, dedicated, experienced and qualified enough to handle your Louisiana swamp locations. Please bear in mind that the film industry in Louisiana gets so busy sometimes that I, the swamp man, am called to work in urban New Orleans as a location scout, security/driver for low budget productions because everyone who is employable in film in Louisiana at that time is already on location in an ongoing production. If I am not available, I will do my best and may be able to refer you to someone who is.
