The New Normal – How Our Production Community Is Adapting to Covid-19 – Gary Nolton at Limbo Films

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 Gary Nolton, Owner/Director at Limbo Films.

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. Continue reading... “The New Normal – How Our Production Community Is Adapting to Covid-19 – Gary Nolton at Limbo Films”

Some Creative Responses To #OregonParkBenchStory. Video Game Writing Presentation Now Expanded.

Late last year, the Oregon Made Creative Foundation, Willamette Writers, Soma Games, and Travel Oregon  came together and asked people to help unpack 2020 by imagining sitting on a favorite Oregon park bench, reflecting on 2020, and posting an image to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using one of the prompts below:

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself for 2020?

What genre would you name your year in 2020?

If 2020 were a video game, what 3 items would you have prepared yourself with? Continue reading... “Some Creative Responses To #OregonParkBenchStory. Video Game Writing Presentation Now Expanded.”

18th Season Of “Top Chef” Set In Portland & Also Featuring Other Oregon Locations – Premieres April 1st!

The popular Bravo series, “Top Chef”, is based in Portland for its 18th season. The show that was filmed last fall is set to celebrate Oregon’s varied and acclaimed culinary scene by also visiting the Tillamook coast, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Tualatin and Willamette Valley wine country. The new season will feature Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons who will serve as the judging panel, as well as some former winners and finalists, in fact, Bravo is touting this season as its most packed yet with (maybe) the “best collection of chefs the show has seen in 18 seasons”.  Continue reading... “18th Season Of “Top Chef” Set In Portland & Also Featuring Other Oregon Locations – Premieres April 1st!”

Stories From The Oregon Film Trail – How Are The Oregon State Museum Of Mental Health, The Oregon Dept. of Corrections & Depoe Bay Harbor Linked?

Film Tourism is growing, becoming a more robust niche sector of cultural tourism every year, and remarkably Oregon has hundreds of incredible locations that have starred in films, TV series, and high-profile commercials since the silent movie days of 1904.  In order to build upon this growing tourism niche, the Oregon Film Trail has been slowly rolling out Trail stops over the past two years (currently at 33) all highlighting the State’s important contribution to the film and TV industry and (seemingly unlikely) community partnerships all across Oregon.

Continue reading... “Stories From The Oregon Film Trail – How Are The Oregon State Museum Of Mental Health, The Oregon Dept. of Corrections & Depoe Bay Harbor Linked?”

The Northwest Film Center’s 44th Annual Portland International Film Festival

The 44th Portland International Film Festival (PIFF 44) is proud to announce the first wave of titles and special events. Taking place March 5 – 14, 2021, PIFF 44 is a program of the Portland Art Museum’s Northwest Film Center, one of the oldest and most distinguished media arts centers in the country. The festival centers on both artists and cinematic storytellers who are bold enough to interrupt the status quo, and focuses on those changing for whom, by whom, and how cinematic stories are told. Continue reading... “The Northwest Film Center’s 44th Annual Portland International Film Festival”

Ashland & Portland Again On MovieMaker’s List – “Best Places To Live & Work 2021”

MovieMaker magazine published their 2021 rankings for “Best Places to Live and Work as a Filmmaker” – both Portland and Ashland made the list for the Large City and Small City categories respectively.

Here’s what they said about Portland: ” famous for all things handcrafted and artisanal, and that extends to filmmaking. The city is home to two stop-motion-animated films due in 2021: Guillermo del Toro’s bold new take on Pinocchio and the Key & Peele reunion Wendell and Wild, from Coraline director Henry Selick. Continue reading... “Ashland & Portland Again On MovieMaker’s List – “Best Places To Live & Work 2021””

Watch Deadline Hollywood’s “2021 Contenders” Panel With the “First Cow” Filmmakers

Not surprisingly, Deadline Hollywood’s “Contenders 2021” series went live online this year highlighting their contender picks for productions in this upcoming award season.  You can still see the interesting session with Todd McCarthy and the “First Cow” filmmakers that took place over the weekend.  The team gets into some of the foodie history behind the film, what Oregon was like in 1820 before it ever became a state, and how Jonathan Raymond’s novel, “The Half-Light” inspired Kelly Reichardt to bring this story to life.  Continue reading... “Watch Deadline Hollywood’s “2021 Contenders” Panel With the “First Cow” Filmmakers”

“Young Hearts” – #OregonMade Feature Film Coming Soon

#OregonMade “Young Hearts” (formerly “Thunderbolt in Mine Eye”) will be released Feb 12th on demand. Shot in around Portland pre-pandemic and screened at the Portland International Film Festival just before COVID stopped our movie-going experience, this love story will touch everyone.

 

The new trailer just dropped yesterday.

Continue reading... ““Young Hearts” – #OregonMade Feature Film Coming Soon”

New Eastern Oregon Filmmaker Residency Program Launches

The Eastern Oregon Film Festival (EOFF) UNVEILS THE EASTERN OREGON FILMMAKER RESIDENCY
LA GRANDE, OR – Eastern Oregon Film Festival, an La Grande based nonprofit, is excited to announce the inaugural year of its Filmmaker Residency program. The residency is a month-long retreat for writers and directors to receive designated time and space to work on feature-length screenplays.

The application for attendance opens on filmfreeway.com on January 17 and closes on February 21, with an early bird deadline of February 7. Continue reading... “New Eastern Oregon Filmmaker Residency Program Launches”

Video Game Writing Workshop Hosted Online By Soma Games & Willamette Writers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ever wondered what it would be like to write for a video games company? Did you even know that you could turn your stories into video game worlds?

Willamette Writers has partnered with Newberg, OR-based Soma Games to host an online no-cost workshop diving into the technical, craft, and business elements of writing for video games…and we want you to be there! Whether you’re considering a writing career in the games industry, or if you’re just intrigued about how stories shape the development of games, this 90-minute workshop will bring you into the minds of Oregon’s leading industry professionals who want to share their stories with you. Continue reading... “Video Game Writing Workshop Hosted Online By Soma Games & Willamette Writers”