The Confluence

Summary: Historic marker on the Oregon Film Trail will be unveiled in downtown Klamath Falls in recognition of the film “Phoenix, Oregon” (shot in Klamath Falls in 2018) with a day-long celebration on Saturday, Feb. 27.

Event Details:
WHAT: Oregon Film Trail marker unveiling and “Phoenix, Oregon” film screening

WHERE: The Daily Bagel (1 p.m.), 636 Main St., Klamath Falls. Ross Ragland Theater (2 p.m.), 218 N. 7^th St.

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 27, 1 p.m. Available in-person and online livestream

COST: $10 tickets for virtual livestream or theater seat (limited to first 100 people)

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – An historic marker will be formally unveiled as part of a full slate of activities in celebration of the film “Phoenix, Oregon” on Saturday, Feb. 27 in downtown Klamath Falls with a simultaneous livestream.

Multiple events are planned for the official addition of the latest historic marker on the Oregon Film Trail – a network of recognizable signage placed in many iconic filming locations across the state, stitching together film history, communities, and celebrating Oregon’s contribution to filmmaking since 1904.

The sign to be placed in Klamath Falls is the 33rd historic marker designated in the State of Oregon, but only the third in Southern Oregon – two were placed in Ashland in 2020. Additionally, the program has created a large exhibit and mural at the Portland International Airport honoring Oregon’s film legacy.

The Oregon Film Trail marker identifies the making of the film “Phoenix, Oregon” as well as other notable films at least partially made in Klamath County. The markers serve as an economic driver and recognition of cultural heritage and are actively promoted as tourist stops for film fans. The Oregon Film Trail markers are intended to strengthen the correlation between the film/TV industry and Oregon communities for its economic and cultural impact.

 Read More »

A bunch of broke nobodies making a film in rural Oregon isn’t an easy proposition…

Sometime in 2016 I spoke to a group of confidants about making a movie on the sly. The plan was to keep expectations low and develop something we could be proud of but not, per se, something that should or would be released. I was at a pretty low place at the time, honestly. My previous filmmaking endeavours hadn’t exactly set the world on fire and I was now a parent supporting himself and family with manual labor jobs and barely scraping by. Most of my conspirators were probably in a similar place in one way or another.

The production began on the page. The idea was simple: we lose people because the world around us and inside us changes and with it we change. We often grow apart before we even know that it’s occurred. I then imagined that instead of being awash in the randomized whims of fate and modern life there was an intelligence behind these life events one as inexplicable as with that big universe around but one with motives. The immediate response would be to seek an audience with this force, to beg redress for wrongs committed. This was the kernel that grew into the story of Jay and Talia, it grew out of long coffee fueled conversations between myself and lead actress Sara Robbin.

What begins as a film that would seem to be about a couple on a cozy vacation to Mt. Hood is revealed to have a somewhat darker backstory.

 Read More »

This new eight-episode TBS comedy follows a 14-year-old pubescent Persian boy (SNL’s Nasim Pedrad) navigating the freshman year of high school on a mission to become popular. “Chad” shot the first season in Portland partially during the Covid pandemic.  Read more from Oregon Live.

The new series premieres on April 6th on TBS.

The Art of Makeup School evening schedule is offered once a year and begins this April 5th.  All classes are offered in person and following all CDC recommended guidelines and production protocol for makeup artists. You can see what we have been doing here Safety Blog

GRADUATES FOR HIRE

The Art of Makeup School also has a job board for graduates.  Students are trained in beauty, advertising, film, stage and special fx makeup. If you have a production needing a  makeup artist, you may contact us to be placed on the job board. Please fill out this form to Hire a Makeup Artist

Virtual or in person tours are available. For more information please call 503-244-1558, or email [email protected], and read all about our programs & courses on our website www.artofmakeup.com

We’re almost LIVE! #MSFF2021!

Get Ready with Important Festival Supplies

An excellent question! Being in Willamette Valley wine country, we here at MSFF love a good tipple of vino. It can complete a meal, spur lively conversation, and delight the senses…just like film!

You’ve browsed our film listings and you’ve bought your passes and tickets (if not, no fear, you can buy them here), and now you’re ready to watch some amazing films! But wait: essential supplies are still needed to ensure you fully enjoy our first all virtual festival. Stock up on popcorn of course, call dibs on your favorite comfy seat, and plan out your #MSFF2021 adventure. And of course: don’t forget the wine!

Behold… our recommended wine pairings to accompany your films by screening:

Drama – an Oregon pinot noir: the Goldilocks of wine grapes. Temperamental grapes, sensitive and finnicky to make, absolutely delightful to drink. We’re loving the 2016 Reserve Pinot Noir from Yamhill Valley Vineyards, just a hop, skip, and a jump from us here in McMinnville!

Comedy – a light & fruity white blend, enjoyable and doesn’t take itself TOO seriously, from our winery friends throughout Oregon.

Suspense-Horror – something dark and brooding. A bold red blend would do the trick, but try not to look it directly in the eyes! We love the 2017 Oregon Roan from Laurel Ridge, a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel.

Environmental – a wine with “earthy” flavors, and/or made naturally without additives or filtration. Minimal intervention with these wines; the winemakers let the grapes speak for themselves. Our pick is the 2018 Denison Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, unfined and unfiltered, that represents this diverse wine region.

Documentary – an aged gamay noir, from an historical Oregon winery, which tells the tale of the Oregon Trail – and the storied history of our local wine industry. A Gamay Noir from the nearby Ribbon Ridge AVA would be the perfect complement to thoughtful documentaries.

Native American – a beautiful syrah with earthy tones, wrapping you with warmth, connecting you to the land from whence it came. A Syrah from Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley AVA would fit the bill!

Experimental – an unexpected blend of different red grapes, clones, or vineyards. A winemaker’s wacky idea, that often turns out amazing – just like experimental film. Our choice: 2017 Björnson #21003 Pinot Noir, a “field blend” of all of their planted clones of pinot noir in the nearby Eola-Amity Hills AVA.

Animation – a playful, energetic sparkling wine, delighting your tongue with its effervescent brightness. Our choice: 2017 Benza Brut Sparkling Wine from the newly-approved Laurelwood AVA in the Willamette Valley.

Tell us what you’ll be drinking during #MSFF2021 on social!

Instagram: @macfilmfest
Facebook: @mcminnvillefilmfest

Celebrate our 10 year anniversary with this special label Pinot Noir from Stoller Family Estate! By purchasing this beautiful bottle of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, you are contributing to the future of the MSFF.

$38 per bottle

Purchase in-person from our partner The Gallery at Ten Oaks, located at 801 SW Baker St, McMinnville, Oregon.

Need it shipped? Email James at Stoller Family Estate, and he will make the arrangements for purchase and shipment!

The Northwest Film Center and Portland Art Museum are pleased to announce the annual Cinema Unbound Awards 2021. This year’s honorees are Steve McQueen, Garrett Bradley, Gus Van Sant, Mollye Asher, and Alex Bulkley: boundary-breaking multimedia storytellers working at the intersection of art and cinema.

The awards will be presented on March 4, 2021, kicking off the 44th Annual Portland International Film Festival running from March 5 to March 14, 2021. This year’s Cinema Unbound Awards will be offered both in a Virtual Experience, available for free worldwide, and in a Drive-In Experience at Zidell Yards in Portland, Oregon. Ticket sales directly support the work of the Northwest Film Center and the Portland Art Museum.

Steve McQueen, the Academy Award-winning British filmmaker and artist whose anthology film series Small Axe recently won Best Picture at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, says he is grateful for the support of artists’ creative exploration.

“I feel particularly honored to receive this Cinema Unbound Award from Northwest Film Center and Portland Art Museum at a time in my own creative journey when I have gone back to my true source and inspiration with Small Axe and felt more unbound creatively than I ever have,” says McQueen. “The work NWFC and PAM do in supporting creatives across different mediums in discovering their own artistic identity is vitally important.”

The event will be available free to the public virtually throughout the US and internationally by registering at cinemaunbound.org/awards. To purchase tickets and tables for the in-person drive in awards experience to be held at the NWFC’s Cinema Unbound Drive-In in Portland, Oregon, please visit cinemaunbound.org/awards.

Recently announced by the Hollywood Music in Media Awards that Chris Thomas, Bend composer, and Central Oregon Symphony  cellist – has won the Outstanding Original Score – Short Film award for the live-action short, “Imagine Symphony Live.”  The film is set in Oregon and was produced and directed by Evan Sigvaldsen.  The film depicts the story of a child who, while attending a live orchestra performance, is so inspired by the music that he begins to daydream he is outside exploring the majesty of the Oregon landscape – the magic of the music heightening his experience. Musicians, from the Central Oregon Symphony, including Thomas, are featured.  It was conducted by Michael Gesme.

Thomas is an “award-winning film composer with numerous film and television credits. In 2013, his score for Grow Up, Tony Phillips was voted best soundtrack at SXSW film and music festivals. In 2011, Chris won Best Film & TV Music at the eWorld Music Awards in Hollywood and the Gold Medal Prize from the Park City Film Music Festival. In 2010, Thomas wrote music for the documentary, Woman Rebel, which was short-listed for an Academy Award and nominated for an Emmy Award. In 2007, Chris was nominated for Best Orchestrator at the Academy of Film & TV Music Awards in Hollywood.” (https://www.fjhmusic.com/composer/cthomas.htm)

Read more in the Bend Bulletin

Oregonian, Skye Fitzgerald, (now based in Portland and grew up in Eastern Oregon) has an impressive collection of documentaries under his belt including, “Lifeboat” which was nominated for an Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category 2019.  Fitzgerald’s latest documentary, “The Hunger Ward” just made the 93rd Oscar shortlist.  The documentary, set against the backdrop of a forgotten war, takes a startling look at the human-caused famine in Yemen and follows health care workers as they work to save the lives of hunger-stricken children in two therapeutic feeding centers.

In our series of blog posts – the “New Normal” – we are looking at what creative options have been put in place to offset the disruption that Covid-19 has caused for production businesses here in Oregon.  This month we caught up with

Oregon Film (OF): Assuming the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted your business, like so many others, what aspect would you say has been the most surprising?

Limbo Films (LF): The surprising thing to me is that even though our industry reacted swiftly to design and distribute Protocols for safe, responsible sets production that has not seemed to relax client fears, and consequently Production is still far slower than normal.

OF: What are the main modifications you have had to make to accommodate this new normal?
LF: All safe practices can easily be implemented, after all, we are Production! By that I mean, we were already a very adaptable, flexible, and fast-moving industry. The challenge is getting clients to understand that 2 things are critical to the success of shoots more now than ever; time & money. To accommodate things like rapid testing and reducing points of contact, etc., we need more of both, not the same and certainly not less!

OF: Are there any surprising areas of growth in your business since the pandemic started?
LF: No, not that I’m aware of. The services that have sprung up as a reaction to COVID-19 seem logical to me.

OF: Have you had to implement new training for your staff?
LF: Yes, but our standards and Protocols aren’t essentially any different than what other Production Companies are utilizing so the crew members we hire are mostly already educated to this.

OF: If there has been any impact on staff morale, how have you successfully been able to mitigate this?
LF: Again, since a degree of uncertainty and constant change are inherent in the business, I think morale is mostly unchanged.

OF: What are you most proud of doing well during this challenging time?
LF: Adapting, surviving, still staying connected to all our crew and client friends. We are all certainly in this together.

Read more about Gary Nolton
Contact Limbo Films at: 1969 S.E. Ladd Ave. Portland, Oregon 97214   503.887.0893      limbofilms.com