The Confluence

The Oregon Department of Revenue will be holding another auction for approximately $1M in tax credits for the 2018-19 Oregon Production Investment Fund (“OPIF”). The auction will be held for 3 days only from Wednesday to Friday, December 5-7, 2018. The credits will be sold in $500 increments and the minimum bid will be 95% of face value (i.e. $475 for a $500 credit). Multiple increments can be purchased. The auction site will open at 9a on Wednesday, December 5 and will close at 5p on Friday, December 7th.

You can find out more about the auction by visiting the Oregon Film website both here and here.

Also, we have put together a quick one-sheet for the program and the process – you can find that here.

Thank you.

Riverfolk! Cinema lovers! Don’t miss this epic film showing the awesome grandeur of Oregon on the silver screen! Bend Of The River, starring Jimmy Stewart, is one film every Oregonian (and transplants) should see at least once.

Get on your western duds and join the Human Access Project for this vintage classic shot in Oregon – with the best scenes of Mt. Hood, area rivers, and “Portland” ever put on film. Released in 1952, it’s a rip-roaring western – with danger, reward, romance, and “viewpoints” seen through the eyes of settlers on an Oregon Trail wagon train.      

The evening is a fundraiser for the Human Access Project (HAP), Portland’s local nonprofit transforming Portland’s relationship with the Willamette River (also host of The Big Float). Dress western and attend this epic screen sensation. It’s your river and your state – get into them both! Please share.

The Hollywood Theatre on Sunday  12/09/18 at 6:30 pm. Tickets and screening information here.

View trailer:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfa6dEYSVrU

Format:  35mm

Length:  91 minutes

SourceOregon is a statewide directory of industry professionals. It’s a great way to get found for your services, but it’s also OMPA’s best promotional tool to advocate for the industry. Show policymakers how many jobs are at stake!

Create a listing at sourceoregon.com/getlisted. Deadline November 15.

If you have any questions, I can be reached at [email protected].

A new trailer has been released for LAIKA’s latest project, “Missing Link.” Starring Hugh Jackman, written and directed by Chris Butler, music composed by Carter Burwell, producers are, Travis Knight, Arianne Sutner and will be released April 12,2019.

“The charismatic Sir Lionel Frost considers himself to be the world’s foremost investigator of myths and monsters. Trouble is, none of his small-minded, high-society peers seems to recognize this. Hoping to finally gain acceptance from these fellow adventurers, Sir Lionel travels to the Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature known as the missing link.”

The #OregonMade Creative Foundation and Comcast are proud to be supporters of Lower Boom’s Diversity and Inclusion Writing Initiative. This project is focused on giving diverse and historically disenfranchised writers an opportunity to write for TV. Currently, six writers are gathering on a weekly basis to work on the pilot and series script for an original, home grown prestige drama, Portland Dark.

On October 20th, Lower Boom held a gathering looking to raise both awareness and funding in support of Lower Boom’s Diversity and Inclusive Initiative.  Despite a good time had by all, Lower Boom and this initiative are still shy of their goal.

Fortunately, some of the writers were there, and spoke about the project and what it means to them.

See them speak here.

Lower Boom is trying one more time to see if they can garner support in Portland for Portland Dark.

They are asking for your help to raise $5000 by this Friday, November 9th.

Your tax-deductible donation will go to help pay for stipends to the writers, as well as kick off Phase 2 of the project: A short film set in the world of Portland Dark, which will premiere February 10th at the Hollywood Theatre. In addition to that, a % of your donation goes directly to the Hollywood Theatre, so you are supporting that Portland icon as well.

Donate here.

There is no minimum, and every donation helps – and remember it’s tax deductible.

Rocky Garrotto on location

Spotlight on Rocky Garrotto

Location Scout and 1st AC

“I love location scouting – it’s like a treasure hunt.”

In a smaller market like Southern Oregon, you have to wear multiple production hats to work year-round, and so in addition to still photography I also shoot video, edit, and often work as a 1^st AC. But I really love location scouting – it’s like a treasure hunt. Being versatile and tech-savvy comes in handy when using various software and logistical GPS app tools, such as “Where Am I” for longitude, latitude, altitude and address information. Being able to stitch together panoramas and uploading them to professional sites for producers in near real-time is also important. When scouting sites having the right professional equipment and the right skills are essential. For instance, there was a producer of a major motion picture who wanted video to see exactly what a sunrise and a sunset looked like over Wizard Island in Crater Lake. A trip memorable for both its beauty and the cold!

Not every scouting trip is for a big-budget production. Oregon sees a range of productions from local car commercials to micro-budget Indie films to features like “Wild”. The important thing to a Producer or Director, especially one from out of state, is that the local scout knows his area, and understands details like crew access and proximity (or not) to electricity or bathroom facilities. And over time, a good scout builds up a useful library of sites providing timely answers to inquiries.

The beauty of shooting in Southern Oregon is its diversity. A production can find any landscape in any season: high desert to the ocean; sand dunes or caves to rivers; mountains to lush farmlands and vineyards; small rural towns to urban landscapes. We even have a 9,000 acre ranch that is perfect for historical pieces away from traffic or power lines. Whatever ‘look’ you have in mind, I can find it in Oregon.

http://imdb.com/name/nm1710422/

Create your own Virtual Reality / 360 Documentary!

Starts October 30!

NW Documentary is excited to be launching our DIY VR/360 Documentary program. This is the only program of its kind in Oregon.

Use the code “PDXFF” to get $50 off the workshop!   

Guided by experts in the field, this 5-week program will give you a solid foundation of immersive storytelling, shooting, and editing 360 documentaries. You will finish the course with an understanding of fundamental camera techniques, the stitching workflow, editing, and choreography between scenes in a 360 space.

 Read More »

2018 National Arts Marketing Project Conference
November 9-12
Seattle, WA

This November 9-12, the National Arts Marketing Project Conference is coming back to Pacific Northwest for the first time in 5 years! More than 600 arts marketers from across the country will meet in Seattle to explore the latest in storytelling, cultural equity, immersive technology, revenue generation and more.

30 inspiring and challenging sessions, 3 must-attend keynotes, leading marketing experts and the best arts marketers from across country – the only thing missing is you! Don’t miss out on the arts marketing conference of 2018. Register Now>>

 Read More »

Oregon Media Production Association (OMPA) is holding a fall membership drive leading up to the deadline for the 2019 SourceOregon production directory on November 15. The goal is to reach 1,000 members! Will you be one of them?

The media production industry is thriving now and we want it to stay that way. Keep the work coming by supporting a nonprofit that works day in and day out to strengthen your industry.  

A strong collective voice matters. Your membership matters. Sign up now at bitly.com/OMPA1000.

More About OMPA

The majority of our funding comes from membership. Without your support, we truly could not do the work we do day in and day out, advocating for, connecting, and promoting Oregon’s world-class media production industry.

Our strongest promotional tool is SourceOregon, our fully-vetted, statewide directory of industry professionals. Check out our Top 5 Reasons to List.

Make the smart move and become a part of OMPA today! Or, if you’re not big on benefits, you can still list in the directory without being a member. Sign up now at bitly.com/OMPA1000.

On September 18, 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Allison (Solberg) Buckmelter, a Portland native, and her husband Nicolas Buckmelter, won the prestigious 2018 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship award.

Three individuals and one writing team have been named winners of the 2018 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition. The fellows will each receive a $35,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards Presentation & Live Read at Beverly Hills’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Thursday, November 8.

Allison and Nicholas’ winning screenplay, “American Refugee,” was 1 of only 4 selected out of 6,895 scripts submitted worldwide. Next to receiving an Oscar, winning the Nicholl Fellowship is the highest honor a screenwriter can receive from the Academy. Allison graduated from Jesuit H.S. in 2001 and the University of Oregon Clark Honors College in 2005, where she majored in English, and minored in film studies. She currently lives in Ventura CA with her husband and 2 children

The 2018 winners are (listed alphabetically by author):

Allison Buckmelter and Nicolas Buckmelter, American Refugee
Joey Clarke, Jr., Miles
Grace Sherman, Numbers and Words
Wenonah Wilms, Horsehead Girls

A total of 6,895 scripts were submitted for this year’s competition. Nine individual screenwriters and one writing team were selected as finalists. Their scripts were then read and judged by the Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee, who ultimately voted the winners.

For the sixth consecutive year, an ensemble of actors will read selected scenes from the winning scripts.

Read more at Hollywood Reporter here.