The Confluence
Oregon Film's Official Blog: Bringing together the creative streams of film, television, and media in Oregon.
KGW8 Reports On Resilience Of The Production Industry During The Pandemic
Katherine Cook, KGW8, reports on how the film, television, and animation industry has shown resilience despite this tough pandemic. Read the full story here.
Contagious Disease Liability Coverage Is Finally Here!
The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the serious threat that contagious diseases can pose to an entire economy. The entertainment and hospitality sectors and supporting industries were some of the hardest hit.
Major projects have been put on hold due to the lack of insurance and the fear of multiple avenues for lawsuits. However, help is on the way. A new Contagious Disease Liability coverage is available and should stabilize the uncertainty that has scared off producers and investors alike.
The new specialty coverage has a high price tag which may put it out of reach for many of the businesses who need it, with minimum premiums starting around $17,500-$20,000. But with the potential for defense costs and claims payments far exceeding that, many companies may decide the price to pay is worth the upfront cost, as it puts a firm budget figure in the film finance package instead of having an unknown contingency cost hanging in the margins.
Pandemic preparedness is essential to minimize operation and supply chain difficulties and builds reserves for expected losses during a pandemic. New OSHA 30 guidelines for contagious disease in the workplace put additional burdens on employers. Before you start your next major event or production, call an experienced hospitality or
entertainment insurance agent who can guide you through your best options.
About the Author:
Justine Avera (CRM, CIC, AIS) is an insurance agent and risk manager with over 27 years in the industry. To find out more and to get a no-obligation insurance quote go to www.abipdx.com, or contact the author directly with your questions at tel: 503-467-4934 or email: [email protected]
A Groundswell Of independent Filmmaking Is Gathering Steam In Eugene.
Eugene has long been an attraction for filmmaking of the Hollywood variety (“Animal House”, “Without Limits”, “Drive, He Said”, “The High Co$T of Living”, “Without Limits”, “Five Easy Pieces”, “Stand By Me” and “Personal Best” to name a few) and more recently there has been a groundswell of independent filmmaking gathering steam in Eugene.
Support is building for many emerging, independent filmmakers, many of whom are members of a Facebook group that describes itself as, “a group of filmmakers who reside near Eugene, Oregon. We produce films and provide them for viewing at local movie theaters and on social media sites. Join us if you want to help make movies and/or you want to keep an eye on our films!” One local filmmaker and Eugenian, Rick Gates, has created, “Scene in Eugene” – a YouTube channel that streams an ever-growing collection of short films, all made locally. Another member of the Lane County Filmmakers group, David Mort, created a YouTube interview series he calls, “Garage Talk,” – where he brings together local filmmakers and fellow creatives in his own garage where they sit and chat about their short films and the process of production as they get “under the hood of the film, and look at all the stuff that happens behind the camera.”
Read more from the Eugene Weekly about this growing film community of Lane County filmmakers.
#OregonMade
EOFF Filmmaker Residency Announces Inaugural Cohort
Eastern Oregon Film Festival is excited to share the selected attendees for the first annual Eastern Oregon Filmmaker Residency Program happening April 30-May 26, 2021 in La Grande. This year’s cohort will be hosted at The Lodge at Hot Lake Springs for the duration of their stay, and will engage with many groups, businesses, and organizations from around the area as they focus on writing screenplays that are informed by their time in our region.
The nearly month-long stay will offer a quiet retreat for our residents, as a means to develop, tune and explore logistics relating to their screenplay and its potential to be produced in Eastern Oregon. “One of the festival’s primary goals has been and will continue to be, building industry interest in our area while nurturing local projects and professionals.” says Festival Director Christopher Jennings. “Over the past 11 years, Eastern Oregon Film Festival has brought more than 100 filmmakers to La Grande for our annual flagship event each October and every one of them has expressed a desire to visit again.”
The inaugural group of EOFF residents is composed of 4 festival alumni, as well as 2 attendees who are new to the Eastern Oregon scene. Listed below, this year’s cohort brings a variety of professional experience, award winning talent, and unique perspectives that will energize creation and collaboration in the enrichment of these artist’s projects.
Local restaurants and individuals have pledged to “feed a filmmaker” as a fun way for the festival, a 501c3 non-profit, to collect donations and provide per diems to the visitors. Jennings says, “These dollars will roll right back into our community and give these influential guests an easy way to discover local businesses, spend money, and promote economic engagement in our downtown.” To donate to this fund and help achieve the financial goal for this project visit https://www.eofilmfest.com/feed-a-filmmaker/
Through planned adventures and engagement opportunities, EOFF’s goal is to build a connection between the artists and our community, laying the groundwork for a potential production in the future. Explorations of some of The Grande Ronde Valley’s outstanding locations, both scenic and historic are planned. A public-facing event will be held in the final week of the residency program at HQ, located at 112 Depot Street (EOFF Headquarters).
Information on attending the public events and more information about this exciting new program can be found on the EOFF website at www.eofilmfest.com/filmmaker-residency or by emailing [email protected].
Earth Day – April 22 – Let’s Restore Our Earth! Read How You Can Get Involved.
The sun is out, the weather is starting to perk up, and during these Covid days, it seems as though many of us are spending more time outside than usual. Let’s keep the momentum going! Earth Day (April 22) is a good way to keep momentum and a call to restore our earth!
There are many things we can do as individuals, and as part of our Oregon production community. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
When was the last time you overhauled your Green Best Practices for your business? (See Oregon Film’s Guide To Greening production.)
Have you registered your green business as a production resource yet? It is free and takes only 5 minutes.
Will you join us and Solve Oregon Thursday, April 29th for a huge volunteer cleanup day in Portland? This is an opportunity to get our city ready to go back to work! Films, theaters, music venues etc…we ALL need a clean city for our productions and our patrons.
The Green Spark Group has put together a survey to gage interest from production companies as to their interest in a sustainability workshop/action plan development so they have a roadmap for consistently integrating sustainable practices on their projects and a tie to their company goals. Would you take five minutes to take a survey?
The IATSE Green Committee is offering The Spark – a sustainable production primer – for free on a limited basis.
Want to find more ways to RESTORE OUR EARTH this Earth Day? Go here.
Sign Up Now To Help SOLVE The Clean Up Of Portland – April 29th.
Founded in 1969, SOLVE Oregon brings Oregonians together to improve our environment and build a legacy of stewardship. SOLVE restores and preserves Oregon’s environment by mobilizing the power of volunteers and partners with the generosity of donors. Across the state, they bring diverse communities together to improve the health and safety of our neighborhoods and natural areas including our coast, rivers, parks, and forests.
As many of you know the last year has taken a toll on our beautiful City of Portland. Well, its time for a Spring Cleaning!
Leaders from our Film and Entertainment Industry are joining Solve Oregon on Thursday April 29th for a HUGE volunteer cleanup day.
This is an opportunity to get our city ready to go back to work! Films, theaters, music venues etc…we ALL need a clean city for our productions and our patrons.
This is also a chance to show how special our film & entertainment community is and the pride we have in our city and state.
Who’s invited?
All crews, productions, actors, theater staff, musicians, agents…literally ANYONE involved in film, commercials, theater, and entertainment!
Providence Park – https://www.solveoregon.org/opportunity/a0C1I00000QFQVC
Tom McCall Waterfront Park –https://www.solveoregon.org/opportunity/a0C1I00000QFQVs
Solve Oregon also encourages folks to check out our Oregon Spring Cleanup in celebration of Earth Day if they can’t make it to the downtown cleanup. We have a ton of events to attend from April 10-25th.
Oregon Production Careers Were Well Represented At The 17th NW Youth Careers Expo
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The New Normal – How Our Production Community Is Adapting To Covid-19 – Christina Kortum at Ravenous Studios
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 Christina Kortum at Ravenous Studios.
Ravenous Studios is one of the Pacific Northwest’s go-to character makeup and prop-making shop based in Portland, Oregon, and now also Los Angeles. Ravenous is owned and operated by Christina “CK” Kortum and offers a wide variety of makeup fx to all levels of budget. Christina has been working in the film and entertainment industry for over 14 years, on projects located around the world and has worked on such shows as “Grimm”, “Portlandia”, “Leverage”, “The Librarians”, as well as numerous independent feature films. With her prior background in manufacturing production planning, she also has years of experience with supervising teams, organizing projects, managing budgets, and meeting deadlines.
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?
Ravenous Studios (RS): The loss of suppliers for materials in our regional area. I now have to ship in 90% or more of what I need for the business.
OF: What are the main modifications you have had to make to accommodate this new normal? (Which ideas have worked/been successful, which ones not so much…)
RS: I have had to downsize because of safety and close working quarters. This has put an extra workload on me personally, which I still have not solved. However, I do like the modifications I have made to my makeup kit and think I will keep them past the pandemic.
OF: Are there any surprising areas of growth in your business since the pandemic started?
RS: In some ways, I had more opportunities because I was willing to work during this time when others were not.
OF: Have you had to implement new training for your staff?
RS: Yes, all staff had to be retrained on cleaning and sanitation.
OF: If there has been any impact on staff morale, how have you successfully been able to mitigate this?
RS: We keep in the forefront that we are lucky to have goals and purpose during an incredibly difficult time.
OF: What are you most proud of doing well during this challenging time?
RS: Overcoming major supply chain issues and difficult conditions to still deliver a quality product.
You can also reach Christina at Ravenous by email ([email protected]) or by phone at (503) 887-5198. If your matter is extremely time-sensitive, e-mail or a text is the best way to reach her.
http://www.ravenousstudios.com/
Oscar Nomination For “Hunger Ward” – “Best Documentary Short Subject”
Congratulations to Oregonian, Skye Fitzgerald on the Oscar nomination for “Best Documentary Short Subject”, for the documentary, “Hunger Ward” (MTV Documentary Films). Skye has created an impressive collection of documentaries one of which is, “Lifeboat” which was nominated for an Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category 2019. “Hunger Ward” is 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. #OregonMade
‘For All Mankind’ Season 2 – Visual Effects done in Portland – Streaming on Apple +
The hit series ‘For All Mankind’ is back and now streaming season 2 on Apple + . ‘For All Mankind’ presents an aspirational world where NASA astronauts, engineers and their families find themselves in the center of extraordinary events seen through the prism of an alternate history timeline — a world in which the USSR beats the US to the moon.
Local visual effects studio Refuge was a big part of effects for season 2 which continued from March 2020 through to April 2021. The Refuge team pivoted to a remote workflow during Covid in order to keep the project moving forward, until some final reshoot could be done. Refuge provided a myriad of effects from solar flares, the digital helmet visor replacements, and the retro 80’s video phones that appear throughout this alternate reality universe that was created.
For All Mankind was immediately picked up for season 3 after the first episode aired.
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