Yesterday, at the Hammond Marina, Warrenton, the 8th sign on the Historic Oregon Film Trail was unveiled.  For film buffs, Oregon is a haven of locations and stories from more than 100 years of filmmaking. Inspired by these nostalgic backdrops, The Historic Oregon Film Trail, launched in Astoria earlier this year was designed to identify iconic set locations around the state. The latest addition to the trail—highlighting the scenic Columbia River views from “Free Willy”— will be in the neighboring town of Warrenton, Oregon.

#OregonMade, “Free Willy”, which premiered on July 16, 1993, tells the story of a boy who learns that a beloved orca whale is to be killed by its aquarium owners and he risks everything to free the whale. The breakwater at the Hammond Marina—where the eighth Historic Oregon Film Trail sign is to be installed—was used as the backdrop for the iconic escape scene when the boy helps the whale jump to freedom. The City of Warrenton and Marina Staff were eager to accept the sign and see it as a promising effort to help support their goal to welcome a variety of community members and visitors to the marinas.

Film enthusiasts (even some all the way from Florida) representatives from the Oregon Film Office and local community leaders attended an informal dedication ceremony at the edge of the Marina.  Mayor Henry Balensifer, took the opportunity to announce the upcoming master plan for the Marina, its beutifictaion and expansion of camping and fishing and mooring facilities among other projects.  The Historic Oregon Film Trail sign was a perfect kick off to the development of this beautiful marina.

Oregon Film, in partnership with the OregonMade Creative Foundation, created the Historic Oregon Film Trail featuring signage located at strategic points around the state. Showing Oregon’s unique and varied locations − from the coast to the desert − new markers will be rolled out one location at a time to reinforce the correlation between the film/TV industry, economic development, and tourism. Development of a Digital Trail Experience as well as a Trail Map is in the beginning phase of development.

“Historical markers are typically about famous people and events. Movies filmed here are also an important part of Oregon’s history and culture, so this trail offer a twist on that convention. The new signs will provide interesting insight into this history to passersby while acting as a beacon to visitors seeking out film locations and stories,” said Tim Williams of Oregon Film. “Placed at photo-worthy locations, we hope the signs will encourage fans to learn more and share about our state’s film destinations.”

The Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Oregon Film Office developed the initial concept and identified several regional movie locations in partnership with the Oregon Film Museum. Oregon Coast Visitors Association provided additional funding for the coastal signs. As the Trail expands across the state, signs will be installed in partnership with Cities, Chambers, Destination Marketing Organizations, Travel Oregon, Travel Portland, Oregon State Parks, USFS, among others.   To date the Historic Oregon Film Trail signs can be found in; Astoria, Warrenton, Gleneden Beach and Brownsville. Next month there will be two more installed at Ecola State Park, with more coming to Cottage Grove, Ashland, Eastern Oregon and Eugene.

About Oregon Made Creative Foundation:

The OMCF is a program of The Charitable Partnership Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. It was founded through the efforts of Oregon Film (a/k/a the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & Television) as a stand alone non-profit foundation focused on providing opportunity and grants for #OregonMade creators through strategic partnerships and creative connections. www.oregonmade.org

About Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce:

The Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce has served the local business community since 1873. Today, with 570 businesses joining forces for common benefit, it also provides visitor services and tourism promotion for the area. For more information, call Astoria (800) 875-6807 or visit http://www.oldoregon.com.

About the Oregon Film Museum:

Ready for your 15 minutes of fame? Housed in the old Clatsop County Jail, the museum celebrates the art and legacy of Oregon film and film making. Visitors learn about the film industry and get to make their own Oregon movie on three “hot sets.” Opened in 2010 by the Clatsop County Historical Society, the museum has experienced stunning growth in attendance. For more information, call 503-325-2203 or visit www.oregonfilmmuseum.org.

About the Oregon Coast Visitor’s Association: (OCVA) is the official Regional Destination Management Organization (RDMO) and promotional entity for the Oregon Coast, as designated by the Oregon Tourism Commission, DBA Travel Oregon.  Our association is comprised of Chambers of Commerce, Visitors Centers/Bureau, resource management entities and 100+ (approx) private tourism businesses along Oregon’s 363 miles of coastline. We advocate on behalf of the coastal tourism industry by facilitating industry alignment, coordinating industry management efforts and by engaging in cooperative promotional activities which achieve maximum, measurable benefits for our coastal economy with minimal negative impacts on its quality of life and natural environment.

More information about the Hammond Marina.

OPIF Tax Credit Auction – Sept 30 to Oct 4, 2019
$14M in state tax credits are available.

Dates for the tax credit auction for the Oregon Production Investment Fund have now been set: Monday, September 30 at 9a to Friday, October 4 at 5p. You can sign up for the OPIF Tax Credit Auction Newsletter here.

With SB459 now being signed into law, the minimum bid for each $500 increment in the Oregon Production Investment Fund (“OPIF”) Tax Credit Auction this year is now $450, or 90%.

This means you can bid on a $50,000 tax credit (100 x $500 increments) for as little as $45,000.

Your support of this program helps create jobs, economic activity and promotion for Oregon. During the last fiscal year alone this program tracked more than $120M of in-state spending supporting more than 3000 local jobs while projects like “Shrill” (Hulu), “American Vandal” (Netflix), “Documentary Now!” (IFC) and “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists” (WB) helped promote Oregon as a creative destination to a worldwide audience.

The most important points to note for these auctions are:

The OPIF online auction will begin at 9a on Monday, September 30 and run until 5p on Friday, October 4. The auction site itself can be found here but it will not be updated to conform to this 2019 auction until closer to the auction date itself and it will not go “live” until 9a on Monday, September 30.

No bids will be accepted before or after the designated times.

Bidders must submit payment along with Form TCA by Friday of the week following the close of the auction (October 11). This would mean a certified check and TCA form need to be sent to the Oregon Department of Revenue by the Friday immediately after the close of the online auction – further details of how to do this will be forthcoming nearer to the auction date.

There are an annual total of $14 million in tax credit certificates available.

The credit certificates will be in $500 increments and the minimum bid will be $450.

You can add yourself to the Tax Auction Email List by emailing [email protected] in addition to requesting more information.

For information on our OPIF, iOPIF, rOPIF and Greenlight Oregon incentive programs for production companies, view our incentives page.

The IRS has recently issued final regulations about the treatment of state tax credits. The IRS also issued this clarification for businesses utilizing tax credits. In addition, in 2018, the IRS issued this notice in relation to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as well as issued these proposed regulations on charitable contributions and state and local tax credits. Please consult your tax advisor if you have questions about the IRS treatment of purchased state tax credits.

Actor Caitlin Holcombe plays entitled lava-bound tourist “Jane.” Copyright Stoke, 2018.

Hawai’i “lava drama” Stoke premieres in Portland at the Clinton Street Theater on Friday, July 26 at 7pm, with filmmakers in attendance. I wrote, produced and co-directed Stoke, an island-take on the road film genre as weird and wild as Hawai’i (and Portland) itself.

Shot on Hawai’i island, my home locale and the location of the tumultuous volcanic activity during the summer of 2018, Stoke follows an entitled tourist who hires two wannabe tour guides to take her to the Kilauea volcano, exploring themes of impermanence, grief, and reverence to nature.  

A comedy/drama, Stoke dips between light and dark as the characters journey across island. The film’s wild vibe is what called us to screen in Portland, which overlaps a large portion of community with Puna, ground zero for Hawai’i’s most recent volcanic activity. 

Ka’uhane Lopes as “Dusty” in STOKE. Copyright Stoke, 2018.

Puna residents ourselves, our community’s reverence for the Kilauea volcano is what inspired myself and co-director Phillips Payson to create Stoke.

“We shot an earlier documentary called Aloha From Lavaland that directly addressed our community’s relationship with Kileauea,” says Payson. “With that project, we asked our community the emotional impact of living near the volcano, and the resulting lava tourism. The inspiration for Stoke came directly out of these interviews with community members both born on island or transplanted, as well as the tourists called to visit.”

Stoke was shot in 2017, but the 2018 flow re-contextualized its themes for many Hawai’i island residents–myself included.

Stoke would be rated R for nudity and language. Tickets for the screening are $12 and can be purchased directly here. 

More information on Stoke can be found at Facebook.com/StokeTheMovie and www.StokeTheMovie.com.

Opal Creek. (photo: John Waller)

Congratulations to, John Waller’s Uncage The Soul team with their winning pitch – “Teens In Trees”   – the Outdoors and Health Film Grant 2019-20 was awarded this week.  This new grant, provided by the #OregonMade Creative Foundation, and in conjunction with Travel Oregon,  offers $15,000 in funding to make a short film that explores the notion that spending time outdoors can improve health outcomes for us all.

Uncage The Soul’s team, lead by John Waller, in partnership with Expedition Old Growth, and assisted by Friends of Outdoor School, will create a short film that will, “follow three urban adolescents from Portland as they ditch their devices and adventure offline into Cascade old growth forest to spend the night high in a tree canopy. They will explore how this disconnection from digital media and immersion in nature lends itself to an emotional charge that shifts their self-awareness, and intensifies their relationships with others and with the natural world. A certified forest bathing instructor will be working with the group of teens just prior to their canopy experience to prepare them to fully absorb and appreciate their overnight stay in the trees.” (Grant proposal.)

John Waller stated, “ We wanted to see first hand how a transformative and intense experience like spending the night in an old growth tree canopy could be a healthy mental and emotional antidote to the busy, digitally connected lives of high school teens.  We’re very grateful that this #OregonMade grant gives attention to the relationship between spending time in nature and our mental health, and we’re excited for the opportunity to bring a thoughtful and sincere short film to this urgent conversation. “

Photo: Canopy Tours

We know that Oregonians and visitors are inspired by nature – it has the power to feed our souls and enrich our well being. Applicants were asked to explore the statement, “the relationship we have with the outdoors has the power to improve the health of everyone,” they were encouraged to use a shortlist of suggestions to find inspiration for their short film pitches, among them were the following:

*Outdoor experiences can reduce inflammation, can combat mental fatigue and reduce the symptoms of depression.
*Walking in the woods (or “forest bathing”) can lower stress hormones and improve immunity.
*Hiking can help improve cognitive ability such as memory recall and can lower blood pressure.
*Exposure to green spaces can reduce the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stress and high blood pressure.  Read More »

Screenwriters & Filmmakers — Don’t miss Emmy-nominated screenwriter Cynthia at ISA’s THIRD THURSDAYS PDX – July 18th!

Yet another ISA PDX coup! Your chance to rub elbows with one of Portland’s most honored writers, with over 30 produced films and 70 sold scripts, including Buffalo Girls and Mark Twain and Me.

WHEN: Thursday, July 18th – 7pm

SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Fest Traveling Show stops through Portland!

Next Friday night (6/21), catch the year’s best computer graphics, along with local firepower from Minimal Massive!

SIGGRAPH is an organization dedicated to furthering the field of computer graphics and 3D animation, and each year at the national SIGGRAPH convention, a highlight is always the Animation Festival and Electronic Theater.  Following the convention, this show goes on tour to spread the year’s best animation work + achievements – and next Friday we’re happy to bring this show to Portland as part of OMSI’s Animation Festival weekend!

Friday night (June 21) at 6:30pm, SIGGRAPH will take over the Empirical Theater screen.  Up first, a fantastic presentation from local motion design outfit Minimal Massive to set the tone!  Brian Smith will take us behind the scenes of their latest project, complete with Q&A.

Then, Larry Bafia (down from Vancouver BC) will present the SIGGRAPH program; the theme of which is Generations, and the Traveling Show begins with highlights from Electronic Theater programs of years past.  Then, we kick into high gear with this year’s selections.

Those who have caught this show in years past, at the national convention or previous Portland dates, know that this program is the perfect way to stay current.  You’ll catch all of the groundbreaking/landmark CG and animation each year in one concentrated dose.  That said, this show is one night only and most definitely a must see!

More information at vfxpdx.com

Tickets at the door or online ($7, $6 OMSI members):  https://bit.ly/2RiHjYx
Or go big and consider a festival pass for the whole weekend! ($19/$16) – full schedule and info here:   https://bit.ly/2XJBR3m

——-
SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Traveling Show (2018), including presentation by Minimal Massive
As Part of the OMSI Animation Festival
Friday, June 21, 6:30pm (doors at 6)
OMSI Empirical Theater
1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR 97214

Dan Eason, The Pearl, Portland

Exploring new places is what keeps Dan Eason moving. His career in film spans Cincinnati, Philly, NYC, LA, and, most recently, Portland, Oregon. As a location scout and manager for film, TV, and commercial productions, Dan adds unique energy to the creative process in prep and on set. His eye for the frame, and mind for the logistics, brings scripts to life in several mediums. He enjoys both the city and nature, but mostly he loves the people he meets scouting along the way.

Dan Eason on Mount Hood.

To contact Dan:

M:310-623-0308

House Special founding partner Lourri Hammack and animator Chris Ohlgren presented a specially made puppet of Gov. Brown and a short, stop-motion video of the Governor taking a quick trip across Oregon to the Capitol in Salem to Gov. Brown herself as part of the Oregon Film, Television and Interactive Industry Day recognitions as arranged by the OMPA. Lisa Cicala, Executive Director of the OMPA and Rosemary Colliver from NW Portland-based animation studio ShadowMachine were also on-hand to discuss the growth of the industry.

Lisa Cicala, Chris Olghren, Lourri Hammack and Rosemary Colliver with Oregon Governor Kate Brown and puppet

The stop-motion animation industry continues to grow here in Oregon. Historically started by the late Oscar winner, Will Vinton and Will Vinton Studios in the 1970’s and then led by Laika Studios with award winning projects like “Coraline,” “ParaNorman,” “Kubo and the Two Strings” and the recently released “Missing Link,” Oregon is now recognized internationally for its artistry, workforce and unique animation studios like House Special, ShadowMachine, Bent Image Lab and Hinge Digital – amongst many others. Production of a single stop-motion animation feature films can provide more than 300 jobs over a three year period. Currently there are three feature length stop motion projects happening here in Oregon, with a fourth and possibly a fifth, still on the way. ShowMachine recently announced production on a new feature adaptation of “Pinocchio” for Guillermo del Toro.  Read More »