The Confluence
Oregon Film's Official Blog: Bringing together the creative streams of film, television, and media in Oregon.
LAIKA Is 15! Get Tickets For The OMSI Screenings & Interactive Exhibit – Starts Today!
Opening Tonight: 15 Years of LAIKA!
Explore the 15th anniversary and stop-motion fantasia of LAIKA Studios with screenings of all five of its Oscar-nominated films, from Coraline to Missing Link, at OMSI’s Empirical Theater! Delve deeper into the artistry and technical innovation behind the films with key filmmakers on hand for Q&As preceding each film. Walkthrough displays of puppets and sets from each legendary film and explore the meticulous craftsmanship of LAIKA’s creative process. Tickets here.
Oregon Film is Seeking Your Input
Please Respond by Sunday October 24th. Many thanks for your time and candid thoughts.
Evening Classes At The Art of Makeup School
Once a year The Art of Makeup School offers a night schedule. This year’s evening program begins this Monday September 27th. Schedule is Mon-Thurs from 6-9, except for the last day Fri Nov 19th.
The Fashion Makeup Artistry Program includes Corrective Beauty, Fashion & Media, Decade Makeup, and Hairstyling for Production & Media, Career Marketing, and photo shoots throughout. All 4 classes are offered individually and are focused on those seeking a career or continuing education in professional hair and makeup artistry for any path in the industry.
For more information please contact us at [email protected], 503-244-1558 or go to
Eastern Oregon Film Festival – October 21-23
The Eastern Oregon Film Festival will celebrate its twelfth year of programming independent cinema in La Grande, Oregon on October 21-23. The festival will present 52 films over the course of the three days, both in-person and also via a virtual streaming platform. The official selections were announced on August 15th, and include 12 Feature-length films and 40 shorts in a variety of styles, formats, forms, and content. The festival catalog is available for viewing on the festival website. Virtual passes are currently available for purchase.
Selections to note include Kentucker Audley & Albert Birney’s “Strawberry Mansion,” Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe’s “The Beta Test,” and a breathtaking first-time feature, “Everything in the End,” directed by Mylissa Fitzsimmons.
Jim Cummings as ‘Jordan’ and Virginia Newcomb as ‘Caroline’ in Jim Cummings’ and PJ McCabe’s THE BETA TEST. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release. (In-person Screening Only)
The short film selections will have something for everyone and the festival team is working to place selections into blocks that allow for filmmakers to respond to their work with an in-person or virtual audience.
Special musical guests for this year’s event will be Boise, Idaho’s Blood Lemon, and Floating Witch’s Head.
The Regional production team and key EOFF Filmmaker’s Fund recipient Out of Character will present an update on their epic battle to make this film over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In-person passes are limited to Festival Members and Visiting Filmmakers. Virtual passes are available online and grant access to all programming on the virtual platform over the course of the festival weekend.
In-person events may allow for ticketing at the door come October, but the EOFF team will make those decisions the week of the festival.
All information, pass purchasing and complete film guide can be found through the Festival’s Official Website. www.eofilmfest.com
CryptTV and Peacocks’ “Girl In The Woods” Set To Stream October 21st
The first season of CryptTV and Peacocks’ #OregonMade “Girl In The Woods” is set in the Pacific Northwest and follows the character, Carrie’s, escape from her mysterious, cult-like colony that guards the world against monsters hidden behind a secret door within the woods.
Peacock adapted this YA supernatural drama as a streaming series, and Krysten Ritter (“Breaking Bad”) will direct the first four of eight episodes. The series is based on a short film from Crypt TV (2018) titled “The Door in the Woods,” which was written and directed by Joey Greene, and the 2020 sequel “The Girl in the Woods,” written by David Calbert, Van Nguyen and directed by Roxine Helberg.
#OregonMade
SOLDIER Documentary – Trailer Live!
SOLDIER focuses on Daniel Krug: a heroic firefighter, father of five, SWAT trainer, amateur MMA champion and armored combat enthusiast. Daniel is also a former military sniper, with combat, security, rescue and recovery experience in the middle east and Tibet. And in the past 9 years, he’s lost 11 of his close friends to suicide… and almost lost himself to PTSD.
After 10 months of filming, the official SOLDIER trailer and GoFundMe campaign launched this week. And we’d love for you to be part of the team. Without further ado, please visit…
From COVID conscious sets to an array of Portland post processes, the trailer embodies the hard work of a number of creators over this past year. And we’re not quite done with production yet! At least two more shoots ahead and plenty of editing left to accomplish, what with the 40+ hours of 4K footage and the massive amounts of archival material we’ve gathered.
None of which would be possible without kind and generous partners across the board. In these – let’s call them unique – times, hats off to anyone capable of creating anything, period. For our part, we’re forging ahead with something we believe in, and hopefully will affect real change.
Enjoy tons of behind-the-scenes pictures here: www.facebook.com/SOLDIERdocumentary
And please share the SOLDIER documentary campaign with your communities, stay safe… and thank you in advance for your help!
“Bird, Louise & Somebody Else.” | An award winning high school student film | In association with Portland Oregon’s Benjamin Franklin HS film program
Two kids entangled in the pursuit of young love find themselves colliding with the life of a woman experiencing a crisis in a new short film.
Written & Directed by: Quintana Jones and Harrison Hathaway
This is my first time, Quintana’s as well, just making something. I could write pages and pages about how much went in to this, and how much we failed to do. I had just graduated Senior year at High School, and Quintana was moving into Sophomore year. Pretty much zero experience with anything we were doing, but we shot for the stars. There are so many people I want to thank, but the credits couldn’t handle it. Here’s to many more… We made this with about $800, but the big 500 went into a sound designer to help wrap up loose ends. He gave us a fantastic discount since we are so young, honestly shout out to Jebari Dean for humoring all my curiosities with it as well. The remaining 300 was an estimate from the production and set costs.
Behind The Scenes:
Fall Is Almost Here – St. Helens’ Spirit Of Halloweentown Fest Returns – Now A Featured Stop On The Oregon Film Trail!
The lighting of the giant pumpkins is a must-see during the Spirit of Halloweentown Festival. (Photo: City of St. Helens)
This fall the annual St. Helen’s Spirit of Halloweentown festival will transform this small Oregon town into a spooky, family-friendly destination for six weekends beginning September 18 and running through October 31. This year celebrity guest appearances from Ashley Greene, (Alice Cullen) “Twilight” and movie actors J. Paul Zimmerman and Phillip Van Dyke from“Halloweentown” have been added to its abundant offering of family-friendly events. As well as the magical transformation of the historic Riverfront District to all things Halloween, and an homage to Disney’s “Halloweentown” and the vampire movie “Twilight,” you can now find two commemorative Oregon Film Trail signs in the downtown area.
While general admission to the festival includes a variety of activities such as a haunted house, costume contest, live performances, vendors, and photo ops, each weekend features unique activities which are only available for a limited number of days.
Oregon Film Trail – St. Helens
St. Helens, Oregon was the filming location for several scenes in the first “Twilight” movie, including the house of Bella Swan’s father, the Petite Jolie dress shop, the Thunderbird and Whale bookstore, the Bloated Toad Italian restaurant, and the location where Edward saved Bella from her would-be attackers in an alleyway. St. Helens also starred in Disney’s popular TV movie, with Debbie Reynolds, “Halloweentown.” (To find and navigate to scene locations download the Film Tourism app from SetJetters.)
On Saturday, October 23, Ashley Greene will be available for exclusive photo ops, autographs, and a VIP meet and greet. Actors J. Paul Zimmerman and Phillip Van Dyke will be at Spirit of Halloweentown on October 23 and 24. Zimmerman co-starred as Marnie’s brother Dylan and Van Dyke played the braggadocious love interest in the made-for-tv movie. Both actors will be available for a VIP lunch and a question and answer session.
The most popular event of Spirit of Halloweentown is the lighting of the giant pumpkins. Help kick off the start of the holiday season with your family by counting down the seconds until two giant pumpkins are lit in the city’s historic town square. In 2021, the Pumpkin Lighting Ceremony takes place on Saturday, October 2. One pumpkin is a replica of the giant pumpkin featured in “Halloweentown” and the other is an enormous work of steampunk metal art. The pumpkins, which both stand over six feet tall, are available for photo opportunities every day until the end of October.
The Spirit of Halloweentown ends the season with a special parade for children. Parents, guardians, and children are encouraged to dress in their best Halloween costumes and join in the Little Trick or Treaters Costume Parade on October 30. The event is free and includes prize opportunities and a chance for kids to parade along the city’s main downtown street in full costume.
General admission tickets to Spirit of Halloweentown, along with special celebrity engagement tickets and a full list of events, are available on the festival’s website. The festival will observe the latest COVID-19 restrictions as changes occur. Masks are currently required to be worn at the festival and we strongly encourage you to check the event website for any COVID-19 changes prior to your arrival.
For media inquiries regarding the 2021 Spirit of Halloweentown festival, please contact City of St. Helens Communications Officer Crystal King at [email protected]
About Spirit of Halloweentown:
In 1998, the riverfront city of St. Helens, Oregon served as the filming location of Disney Channel’s Halloween television classic “Halloweentown.” Each year thereafter, the city has transformed its Riverfront District into the Spirit of Halloweentown, a festival that celebrates all things spooky. This month-long event attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year and is geared toward anyone who loves Halloween. The Spirit of Halloweentown festival is regularly listed as a national destination spot for Halloween celebrations and has been featured on ABC News, MTV, Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, Country Living, Huffington Post, and many other recognized news outlets.
About the Community:
St. Helens is a Columbia River community rich in history and culture. On their expedition to the Pacific Ocean in 1805, Lewis and Clark made a stop in what is now St. Helens. In 1850, Captain H.M. Knighton of New England founded the town, which was first named Plymouth before being rechristened within a year to St. Helens for the town’s magnificent view of Mount St. Helens. Originally established as a river port, St. Helens is located 30 miles northwest of Portland. As the county seat, it is the largest community in Columbia County with a population of about 13,000. Many of the city’s community events are held in the Riverfront District where visitors and residents enjoy an expansive view of the Columbia River, Mount Hood, and Mount St. Helens.
Originally settled by New England loggers, St. Helens’ basalt rock quarry was a major industry in the early 1900s. Because of the industrial operations occurring in St. Helens and its location on the Columbia River, it rivaled Portland as a competing port city. After an unfortunate fire burned the docks of Pacific Mail, a team of Portland businessmen persuaded Pacific Mail to locate in the new port town of Portland, establishing the port of Portland as the dominant port in the region.
The Riverfront District of St. Helens features a Nationally Registered Historic District encompassing 10 blocks, which includes residences and civic buildings dating back nearly a century. The town has also served as the backdrop to many popular films, most notably the Disney Channel television film “Halloweentown,” and the film adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s novel “Twilight.”
Outside the Frame: Riders in the Storm
Outside the Frame hosts a screening of new films from their members – good films about a bad year by homeless and marginalized youth – at the Hollywood Theatre on September 30.
This screening features a variety of short films: music videos about the Movement for Black Lives featuring Mic Crenshaw and the Oregon Symphony, documentaries about grassroots, government, and healthcare efforts during COVID, and more.
Outside the Frame trains homeless and marginalized youth to be directors of their own films and lives.
Book your tickets here: All funds go to support our filmmaking programs.
#OregonMade Film Series – Double Feature: “The Ring” and “The Ring Two”
The next installment in our #OregonMade Film Series at the Hollywood Theatre is the first double-feature we’ve programmed, so get comfy and dig in. There’s no denying the impact and legacy of THE RING (directed by Gore Verbinski) – only part of which was shot in Oregon (but it’s the really good part featuring Yaquina Head lighthouse outside of Newport) – and the somewhat different legacy of the mostly Oregon shot THE RING TWO (directed by RINGU director Hideo Nakata). TWO features Astoria as so many of our great #OregonMade films do. We love them both and that’s why we’re celebrating both. Naomi Watts stars alongside a super creepy water well and an even creepier VHS tape and a highly flexible evil spirit entity in this dynamic duo of turn-of-the-millennium thrillers based on Japanese horror films.
Book your tickets now: https://hollywoodtheatre.org/events/the-ring-and-the-ring-two/
Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test will be required to attend this screening. Learn more here. Most screenings are currently at 75% capacity. Some screenings will be at 100% and, if so, the page for that event will note that. Masks are required while in all common areas, including in your seat when not actively eating or drinking.
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