The Confluence

Southern Oregon Film and Television (SOFaT), Southern Oregon’s media industry trade association, introduced its new board last night at their 2013 Wrap Celebration held at the SOU Digital Media Center in Ashland. Members of the organization were joined by prominent members of local government and business to celebrate a very successful year in film and media production in the region, which included a very high-profile day of shooting for the Reese Witherspoon film WILD.

SOFaT is entering 2014 with a very strong outlook and a renewed approach to marketing Southern Oregon as a filmmaking destination, and installing a new board is a big part of that plan. The results of the recently held election are Ginny Auer, Hillary Demmon, Michele Carnes Ellis, Rocky Garrotto and Ron Huffstutter. Continuing board member Ray Robison will remain on as President.

Ginny Auer owns and operates Live Huge Productions in Ashland and has 20 years of non-profit development and marketing experience involving various forms of fundraising.

Hillary Demmon is a video producer/filmmaker. Her projects range from short-form new media to long-form nonfiction films. She recently relocated to Ashland from Washington D.C.

A film graduate of Loyola Marymount University and a prominent member of the Hollywood community, Michele Carnes Ellis now resides in Ashland. She is the owner/Executive Producer of 5m Society, a commercial production company with offices in Ashland and Portland.

Longtime SOFaT member Rocky Garrotto lives in Grants Pass and has 15 years of experience in a wide-range of professional positions, among them Camera Operator, A/C, Editor and Location Scout.

Ron Huffstutter is a recent graduate in Video Production from Southern Oregon University. He was an intern on the movie REDWOOD HIGHWAY and a producer on the indie production COURAGE OF TWO.

A graduate in Film and Television Production from Montana State University. Ray Robison has worked as a professional producer/director in Southern Oregon for over 25 years.
Southern Oregon Film and Television is a membership-based 501(c)6 non-profit made up of film and media professionals, businesses and support services who seek to promote and strengthen the development of film, video, and multimedia production in Southern Oregon.

For more information about Southern Oregon Film and Television or the Wrap Celebration, contact Executive Director Gary Kout at 310-261-5707 or [email protected]

Here’s a little video that our friend from Clackamas Community College quickly put together from last night.

Thanks to all who sponsored the event, the great companies who shared their projects with the attendees, and of course all those who attended the event.  I think it was a great way to celebrate 2013 and an even better way to set the tone for a bigger and better 2014 for all!

-Vince

December 6, 2013 – Portland, Oregon – Oregon Story Board, launched earlier this year by a consortium of research, private, and state groups, today welcomes its inaugural Executive Director Nicholas de Wolff, after a comprehensive national search. Nicholas will be responsible for developing and overseeing the organization’s strategic and operational mission.

“We were incredibly impressed with the quality of candidates that applied for this position,” said Vince Porter, Executive Director of the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film and Television, one of the groups involved with the initiative, “and it became clear early on that Nicholas was at the top of the list. We are really looking forward to working with him to enhance the crucial connective tissue between Oregon’s creative and tech industries.”

Nicholas’s first startup, City Arts Project, was the world’s first 3D online arts community, later responsible for numerous bricks-and-mortar projects, including the world-renowned Los Angeles Performing Arts Festival and several Ovation Award winning productions. Nicholas’ fusion of technological and creative passion drew the attention of the Interactive community, where he soon was producing and directing some of the earliest online games and web-based promotional campaigns for clients including Disney, the Jim Henson Company and Sony, and his work received Promax awards for creative direction and interactive production.

Until recently, Nicholas served as a Senior Advisor to the National Film Festival for Talented Youth, a Not-for-Profit organization that has now become the world’s largest youth film festival and expo. Prior to this, he was a Chief Marketing Officer at Technicolor (formerly Thomson), where he oversaw strategic and tactical aspects of the Group’s technology market position in the U.S, Europe, and Asia. His responsibilities included business strategy, branding, Internet, events, promotions, and public relations.

Concurrent with these ventures, Nicholas has served as a Founding Governor of the Producers Guild of America’s New Media Council; been inducted in to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; and advised such diverse bodies as the CMO Institute, the Charter High School for the Arts, the American Lung Association, and the Business Marketing Association.

“Oregon’s reputation for excellence in creative and technological production is well established,” noted de Wolff, “and I look forward to increasing the visibility and viability of those ventures that already call Oregon home, as well as identifying new initiatives that might represent a worthwhile permanent addition to the professional community. Our job will be to find and pre-qualify these ventures, and find ways to enhance their potential for long-term growth and success, providing resources and assistance they might otherwise not be able to marshal, on their own.”  Read More »

Slater Smith and his band The Weather Machine has debuted their music video this week on Rainn Wilson’s website Soul Pancake.  The project was a creative collaboration between Oregon Parks and Recreation and the Governor’s Office of Film and Television.  On display at our December 5th event will be the music video featuring every state park in Oregon, and a website diving into the story behind Slater’s summer adventure.

The video debuts online December 3rd, and the accompanying website will debut on December 5th.

Local creative agency Instrument spent part of its summer creating an engaging and  immersive interactive documentary on the Oregon coast called “This Place”.  “This Place” is a film, a photo essay, and an invitation to share your sense of place.  And we recommend that you make sure to experience the project on the Google Chrome browser.  We particularly recommend you experience it on the Google Chrome browser at our December 5 party!

This is one of several great projects Instrument has produced over the past year and we can’t wait to see what they make in 2014!

If you weren’t lucky enough to attend AIGA’s Blurred Lines event during Design Week Portland in October, you’re going to want to come to our end of the year party on December 5!  One of the fantastic projects from Blurred Lines is coming back for our party!  One of the projects on display in October was Downstream Media’s “Reality Remix”.  What’s “Reality Remix”?

“Reality Remix” The challenge of interaction – where it’s going and how technology and the design of physical spaces are impacting individual and shared experiences. Reality Remix offers varying views of reality that are distorted, remixed and set to music. The result is a non-traditional interactive experience—in effect an experiential equalizer—that constantly reacts to the people, ambiance, mood and music in the event space.

It was a big hit at Blurred Lines and it’s sure to be a big hit for those who come Thursday night!

Cast Iron Studios is seeking Northwest-based Filipino talent for on-camera principal (speaking) roles an upcoming episode of NBC’s Grimm.

Link to original Cast Iron Studios post.

We said there would be more great announcements coming regarding the Oregon Film end of the year party and here’s one we’re particularly excited about.  Under the leadership of Andy Mingo of Clackamas Community College, local Game Art Production Studio Supergenius, and the Economic Development team at Clackamas County  a new course will be offered at CCC in January surrounding motion capture.  On December 5 at the Oregon Film end of the year party , you will all get the chance to see the new system on display and even possibly get a chance to animate yourself!  Below is the announcement on the Motion Capture System.

Motion Capture at Clackamas Community College

Create 3D-based motion capture projects through the new Motion Capture class at Clackamas Community College this winter term. CCC, in partnership with Oregon City-based Game Art Production Studio, SuperGenius, is the first college in the state to offer a class in the technology used by leading video game studios, Hollywood blockbusters like “Avatar,” and famed visual effects studios like Lucasfilm -  http://youtu.be/CdsFEMDceNg .

This project-based course will prepare students to work in the field of motion capture via the college’s new state-of-the-art Motion Capture system.  Students will plan and direct sessions as well as process data for maximum efficiency.  They will also learn how to create professional level, 3D based motion capture driven projects that can be used in video game development and the motion picture industry.

Registration for the class (DMC 250, Motion Capture) is now open at http://www.clackamas.edu/schedule/ .  For more information contact, Andy Mingo, the CCC, Digital Media Communications program director at [email protected]

Pretty Exciting stuff huh?

We are excited to be hosting our year end party and introducing many of you to some incredible local digital media companies too.  Making this festive evening possible is a great group of sponsors;

Gearhead Electric, Rogue Ales, Willamette Valley Wineries Association, Elk Cove Vineyards, Sokol Blosser Winery and The Lippman Co.  We also have some fantastic gift basket sponsors; Vance Candles, Lulu Wraps, Sauvie Island Coffee Company, Sunday Afternoons, Hi-Tec shoes, Handful and Vista Hills.

Normally at this time of the year we host an Annual Meeting where we get up in front of an audience and tout all the great work that many of you have performed over the past year. We’ll have a collection of local digital projects to show off as well as a few announcements.

Our new office is in a shared suite with the Technology Association of Oregon and we’re already seeing the great promise of collaboration between the film office and TAO.  So be sure to stop by for a bit and celebrate with us and many of your colleagues.  There will be food, drink, and a lot of fun!

You Are Invited to:

The Governor’s Office of Film and Television
End of the Year Party

Thursday, December 5th, 5:30-8PM

At Our New Office Space!
123 NE 3rd Avenue, Suite 210 Portland, OR, 97232

Update – For those of you planning to attend the Rosey Awards down the street at 7:00 on December 5, we’re moving up the start time so you can stop by our party for a quick hello and head on down to Refuge after.

 Read More »

Join us this Thursday for our annual Holiday Party at The Governor Hotel and help us celebrate another great year of Women In Film Portland. Meet the new board of directors, the 2013 Women’s Vision Grant recipient, and share some holiday cheer with your fellow industry professionals.

Also, don’t miss our guest speaker for the evening Tsui Ling Toomer, Executive Producer at Bent Image Labs who will share with us stories of her glittering career. Check out her impressive bio!

Tsui Ling Toomer has been the Executive Producer at BENT Image Lab since 2005. BENT is an award-winning production house specializing in stop-motion and special effects projects with world headquarters located in Portland. Tsui Ling’s credits include FX producer for Gus Van Sant’s films “Milk”, “I’m Not There” and “Paranoid Park” as well as numerous broadcast, commercial and music video producing credits. She received her MFA from New York University.

When?
Thursday, November 14th
6:00pm – 9:30pm

Where?
The Governor Hotel
614 SW 11th Ave.
Portland, OR 97205

Free for WIF members and guests. Register here on our website or RSVP at our event page on Facebook

Hors d’oeuvres will be provided by Jake’s catering and a no host bar. We look forward to seeing you there!

The WIF Portland Board