The Confluence
Bringing together the creative streams of film, television, and media in Oregon…
Come Experience The New Seats At The Hollywood Theatre!
The new seats have been installed in the main auditorium of the Hollywood Theatre! We’ve also repainted, and replaced the curtains in the theater. These changes are in addition to our new sound system and new screen. A huge thanks to everyone who supported our seat campaign! We never could have accomplished this without you.
We’re extremely excited, and we have some great films and events in the next few days to experience in this auditorium:
Friday Jan 20 at 7:30pm - RED DAWN IN HECKLEVISION
Friday Jan 20 at 10:00pm - PORTLANDIA
Saturday Jan 21 – Sunday Jan 22 at 3:15pm, 5:15pm, 7:15pm and 9:15pm - CARNAGE
Monday Jan 23 at 7:30pm - SATURDAY MORNINGS AT NIGHT
Tuesday Jan 24 at 7:30pm - Kung Fu Theater presents EASTERN CONDORS (only known 35mm print!)
Monday Jan 23 -Tuesday Jan 24 at 9:45pm - DRIVE
And today we started on removing seats in one of the upstairs auditoriums!
(photo courtesy of John Keel)
MoPix – Setting out to Create a Post-DVD Experience – Demos at PIE Demo Day
This past year Portland Headquartered Ad Agency Weiden + Kennedy had a realization. They needed to be better connected to innovative tech startups. So what did they do? They freed up some office space and started their own startup incubator called the Portland Incubator Experiment. With the help of several brands including Coca-Cola, Target, and Google, W+K invited entrepreneurs to apply for a three month stay along with $18,000 and access to some top mentors in the startup world. Today at Portland’s Bagdad Theater, the first round of companies will present their ideas and products to potential investors, media, and the public.
One such company is called MoPix. As CEO Ryan Stoner puts it MoPix is “creating the “post DVD” experience by enabling anyone with film or video content to brand, sell and distribute it in a social-enriched digital marketplace.” Ryan and his partners (including Portland native Slater Dixon) are looking to capitalize on the yet to be determined future of digital distribution. What MoPix brings is an agnostic digital outlet for indie film makers. It is no secret that the DVD platform is slowly dwindling. Sales are down and with traditional DVD storefront stores like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster becoming less common (if not extinct), a key revenue stream for content producers is literally evaporating before our eyes. Will Digital be the answer? Or are we as former NBC Exec Jeff Zucker said “trading analog dollars in for digital pennies”? It’s hard to say but I am encouraged to see that MoPix is looking to tackle this challenge.
Stay tuned for more exciting developments out of PIE, as several companies under the banner are gaining a lot of buzz. Word is that the next application round could come as early as the spring. (UPDATE- at the event it was announced that PIE will begin accepting applications for the next class early in February)
-Vince
All Three Oregon Produced Shows Airing New Episdoes this Weekend!
Are you ready for a weekend full of Oregon produced Television? Starting tonight on IFC “Portlandia” airs episode 2 of its second season. Tonight’s episode includes guest stars Jeff Goldblum, Edward James Olmos, Eddie Vedder, and even an Eddie Vedder tatoo. I had the chance to see the episode early and I have to say that the Portland Allergy Pride Parade is hilarious! Season 2 got off to a great start last week and the ratings were greatly improved from Season 1. We’re all anxious to see how far this show can go and I’m particularly excited to moderate a panel featuring Fred and Carrie at Webvisions in NYC next Friday.
After you catch Portlandia at 7:00 (PST) on IFC, your next stop needs to be NBC with a new episdoe of “Grimm”. According to the promos, it looks like we’re in for a visit from a pretty mean Ogre. The show began production of the back nine episodes for season 1 and will be in production through the middle of April.
You can take a break from watching television on Saturday but be sure to tune in to see part two of the season finale of “Leverage” Sunday night on TNT. The episode will bring back many of the past guest stars from previous seasons for what proves to be a thrilling conclusion. At our annual meeting in December, Dean Devlin announced that the show will be set in Portland next year and they are building a new stage for new sets. So we don’t know how the Nate and his team ends up in Portland yet but be sure to watch so you’ll at least know why.
Hollywood Trades in the City of Stars for the City of Roses
Posted by Carly Petrone, U of O Grad Student
Filmmakers begin to move film and television production up to the Pacific Northwest.
Portland, Ore. – Portland, Oregon is rapidly becoming the next production capital of the west thanks to the hit television show Portlandia, which debuted on the Independent Film Channel last January.
The wildly popular show, set to debut its second season in January 2012, stars comedians Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. Armisen, best known as a returning cast member of Saturday Night Live and Brownstein, a former band member of Portland-based Sleater Kinney, first grabbed viewers attention when the six-episode series aired earlier this year. The show is a mash up of different short films, all focused on Portland culture and the people within it. A-list actors from Kyle MacLachlan to Penny Marshall and musicians like Eddie Veder and Johnny Mars are set to make guest appearances this year.
Official Trailer to the Feature Film “Cell Count.”
Written and Directed By Todd E. Freeman
Produced By The Bros. Freeman and Lara Cuddy
Executive Producers: Roger and Jen Wood
Release Date: 2012
Genre: Sci-Fi / Horror
Studio: Polluted Pictures in association with Wooden Frame Productions
Description: Feature film currently in Post Production.
Plot Outline: Russell Carpenter reluctantly admits his wife Sadie into an experimental treatment facility for her life threatening disease. While locked in this prison like surrounding they, along with 6 others, are unknowingly subjected to a cure that might just be worse than the disease itself.
Starring: Robert McKeehen, Haley Talbot, Ted Rooney, John Breen, Adrienne Vogel, Sean McGrath, Eric Reid, Judd Eustice, Eric Newsome, Suzanne Owens-Duval, Christopher Toyne, and Daniel Baldwin.
