The Confluence
Oregon Film's Official Blog: Bringing together the creative streams of film, television, and media in Oregon.
Film Tourism & The Oregon Film Trail – Why The Connection Works For Communities
The fast-growing sector of Film Tourism has been on Oregon Film’s radar for multiple years and was one of the many compelling reasons that motivated and helped develop the Oregon Film Trail. The Trail is now totalling 33 stops (and growing) and stitches together communities, locations, small businesses and notable film sites at iconic filming locations and strategic points across Oregon. The markers create a presence and a point of interest for visitors to gather, take pictures, retell stories, and celebrate Oregon’s rich contribution to filmmaking since the early 1900’s. Many Oregonians worked on, or were part of these productions that have highlighted Oregon on the screen for scores of years, and the exposure has meant that Oregon receives an increasing volume of tourists every year. We are starting to more fully understand what it means to accommodate movie lovers who seek to visit the real-life locations of their favorite favorite films, TV shows, and video games.
This is why the Oregon Film Trail is partnering with SetJetters to elevate what they call “the Reel to Real” experience! As Film Tourism (also known as SetJetting) is becoming more popular and the demand for visiting filming locations is growing, it is becoming clear that building a physical Trail infrastructure and partnering with our communities to accommodate visitors (both local and more far-flung) is worthwhile. Our partnership with SetJetters extends the Oregon Film Trail initiative so that visitors from anywhere in the world can easily find actual scene locations around Oregon via an interactive experience on the Setjetters mobile app. The app not only allows the user to find locations but also to connect to special deals and experiences within our local communites, as well as the ability to caputure on-site location photos “exactly the way you remember them from your favorite films.” (SetJetters.)
The Oregon Film Trail and SetJetters recently had an opportunity to help support a community event – the annual Stand By Me Day celebration in Brownsville. This charming small town was the main filming location for Stand By Me and many visitors from all over the world travel to Brownsville every year to experience the magic for themselves. It is also home to three stops on the Oregon Film Trail, and close by in Eugene and Cottage Grove are multiple locations from other well-known films. As well as enjoying the events of the annual Stand By Me Day we collectively invited the public to immerse themselves in finding as many scene sites as they could from movies filmed in the region by downloading the SetJetters app and playing what we dubbed as the “Tri-City” Scavenger Hunt. Many players visited Brownsville, Eugene and Co
Mike Schwab and Rex Moody on the Oregon Film Trail in Brownsville
We caught up with Mike and asked him a few questions about this community experience:
Oregon Film (OF): How did you hear about the Tri-City Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt?
Schwab: I’m involved with the filmmaking community in Eugene, so I’m in the “Lane County Filmmakers” (LCF) Facebook group. Oregon Film posted about the scavenger hunt in the LCF FB group.
OF:Can you tell us a bit about why you wanted to participate in this Scavenger Hunt?
Schwab: I like to do fun adventurous activities, and I like movies. Considering the scavenger hunt was right around where I live, I had to do it. In Brownsville, it was really fun checking out the cool Linn County Historical Museum. We got some great photos of us dressed up as Oregon Trail pioneers (as men and women). Also, Brownsville was the location of my favorite SetJetters pics, such as the spot where the penny was picked up.
OF:Would you participate in another movie location scavenger hunt, and did you learn anything you didn’t already know about Oregon film history, etc?
Schwab: Yeah, I’d do another one, especially if it was in a different part of Oregon. I didn’t know there was a movie called “Five Easy Pieces” filmed in a Denny’s in Eugene. That was one of the best scenes in the movie, and it was fun to recreate the look. It would have been cool to have some sort of meetup social opportunity for other participants to meet each other. Also, while I gladly accepted the hotel stay prizes, it’s funny to receive free nights in hotels around where I live. This would make more sense if people were coming from far distances to do the scavenger hunt. Maybe some did, but realistically it’s hard to get many people to travel far to do a scavenger hunt like this. Maybe in the future, the prizes would be hotel stays in another part of Oregon where movies were filmed, like Astoria. Finally, an idea for a future scavenger hunt is one where you have to solve clues to know what movie scene locations you need to go take pictures of. I’ve done similar clue based scavenger hunts, and they are a lot of fun.
In a very close second place, was Carlos Hererra and his son, both from Corvallis.
Carlos Herrera and son, on the Oregon Film Trail and SetJetters Tri-City Scavenger Hunt.
This is why the Oregon Film Trail is partnering with 
ttage Grove and through the SetJetters app they were able to see themselves in their favorite scenes by using the fun “ShotSync” feature to recreate a unique split-screen image. We asked players to post their images and selfies with the Trail signs and use the #OregonFilmTrail and #StandByMeDay tags. The winner was Mike Schwab (from Eugene) who visitied and posted the most scene sites by the deadline. He received a fantastic prize package that was sponsored by local businesses who saw value in the contest; 
Carlos said, “My son and I enjoy the outdoors and finding movies scenes and I enjoyed seeing the smile on my son’s face posing for the movie scenes. The whole thing was a very good experience for both of us. I didn’t know there were that many movies scenes and movies shot in Oregon.“
More about the Oregon Film Trail: The Governor’s Office of Film & Television (A.K.A.Oregon Film) and the Oregon Made Creation Foundation partnered to create the Oregon Film Trail. To date, 33 markers have been installed, from Astoria to Klamath Falls, Warrenton to Wallowa Lake State Park, and including the Portland International Airport mural and exhibit. All seven of Oregon’s tourism regions are represented on the Trail. Each Oregon Film Trail marker is funded in collaboration with many local community partners and, with matching fund grants (to date) from Travel Oregon, the Oregon Visitors Coastal Association, and Willamette Valley Visitors Association, and with help from Oregon Made Creative Foundation.
More about SetJetters: aims to reinvent film tourism through a location-based app experience. They strive to not only empower existing SetJetters with great new capabilities but also introduce the joy of film tourism to travelers around the world. The mobile app provides travelers with a single point of engagement for their interest and passion in film tourism. Designed for everyone from the most devoted SetJetters to the most casual tourists, the system will empower travelers with a variety of tools and features, such as:
- Browse through and conduct research with our robust film/TV/game location database that covers the entire globe
- Plan your film location travel and gain access to special deals and experiences through our travel partners
- Capture on-site location photos exactly the way you remember them from your favorite films
- Organize, report, and share your SetJetters travels with friends, family, and colleagues
POW Film Fest – Sept 3-6, 2021
POW Film Fest is Portland’s premiere film festival showcasing the work of women and non-binary directors. Now in its 14th year, the festival features some of today’s top directors, while honoring the true pioneers and recognizing the next generation of leading filmmakers. Over the years POW has striven to encourage thoughtful and engaged discourse of the fem perspective while heralding the need for greater parity in the film industry through the keen and discerning eyes of women and non-binary film and media makers. POW was created, in part, to celebrate women in their quest to thrive and grow in the film industry.
The fest also provides a space to strengthen the Portland community of women and non-binary people in film by offering year-found film workshops for youth ages 15-19 with their POWGirls program.
Find out more here.
BendFilm Announces Short Films Curated for 18th Annual BendFilm Festival
BendFilm announced today the 75 short films selected to screen during the 18th annual BendFilm Festival running October 7 – 17, 2021.
New this year, BendFilm Festival is now recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® as one of 64 film festivals in the world (27 festivals in the USA) that is Oscar® qualifying for short films. Following the festival, BendFilm will submit the winning shorts in the following categories to be considered for Oscar® nominations: Best Narrative Short, Best Animated Short, and Best Indigenous Short.
Passes are on sale now for the in-person festival events October 7 – 11 and the streaming events October 11- 17. The film schedule is live with more movie, panel and honoree announcements planned for the coming weeks.
Selin Sevinc, BendFilm Head Programmer, said, ”We are thrilled to be part of a pipeline to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® that champions the short form as an increasingly relevant and important genre of filmmaking. Don’t miss seeing a shorts program that will likely include films that just may show up on Academy® short lists and official nominations. A film festival is the perfect and sometimes only place to showcase the short form genre in theaters and online and we are thrilled to present the largest short film program in BendFilm’s history.”
Audiences will be treated to a special presentation and discussion of the short film Hunger Ward directed by two-time Academy nominated Skye Fitzgerald and produced by Academy nominated Michael Scheuerman. Filmed with unprecedented access within a sensitive conflict-zone in Yemen, Hunger Ward documents two women health care workers fighting to thwart the spread of starvation against the backdrop of a forgotten war. Skye Fitzgerald, Michael Scheuerman, the film’s lead translator Silvia Fadel, and Middle East foreign policy expert Hassan El-Tayyab will host a discussion following the film at the festival which will also be made available to audiences streaming the film online.
EOFF Announces 2021 Festival Line-up
Eastern Oregon Film Festival will be celebrating its twelfth year of independent film and music programming in and from La Grande, Oregon on October 21-23, 2021.
This year’s submission process saw a record number of submissions, of which 52 films were selected for exhibition. Filmmakers whose work was selected are invited to La Grande to celebrate with the EOFF community, connect with other artists, and represent their work in-person. The festival combines three days of film exhibition, live music events, and special community-minded conversations.
The full program, schedule, trailers and ticket options for #EOFF2021 will be available September 17, following a special ‘Sneak Peek’ and Fundraising event in the evening.
EOFF programming champions authentic voices, experimentation with cinematic form, and hilarious, heartfelt, or otherwise curious genre experiments. The program this year brings together a range of genres, formats, thoughts and imaginations, emotions and contemplations into a weekend packed with a life’s worth of storytelling.
#OregonMade “Lorelei” Opens Today!
The production filmed for 21 days on location in Portland, Clackamas County, Marion County, Multnomah County, and Washington County.
“Lorelei” opens today – find a theatre here.
Union & Guilds Update the “Return to Work” Agreement
While it’s true that new COVID cases are increasing in all 50 states and a focus on caution and safety must still be at the forefront of all productions’ planning, SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild of America, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Basic Crafts, together with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers updated their return-to-work safety protocols.
Last Monday, they reached and released an updated agreement. Relying on facts and data, and guided by science, the agreement extends the protocols until Sept. 30 and makes modifications on workplace practices, taking into account regional transmission rates and employee vaccination status.
We encourage you to read the full agreement here and the summary here.
Hinge Digital & CMD Team Up To Create Charming Alpenrose Commercial
Hinge completed the spot in eight weeks using a combination of digital tools, including Maya, Houdini, Substance, Redshift, Nuke, and AfterEffects, grounded in real camera and stop-motion techniques, including shallow depth of field and animating on 2s and 4s to give it tangibility and charm. We hope you’ll enjoy watching this ode to keeping Portland small as much as we enjoyed making it.
https://hellohinge.com/projects/alpenrose-keep-portland-small/
Get Your Tickets Now For The Buster Keaton Conference 2021 – Aug 12th Two Full Days Of Programming
The Cottage Grove Historical Society presents
Buster Keaton Conference 2021 – Aug 12, 13, &15 Walk in Buster’s Footsteps!
Register By August 10th
Conference Highlights
- Visit the actual locations where Buster filmed The General
- See where Buster played baseball during breaks from filming
- See the hotel where Buster and much of his entourage stayed while in residence in Cottage Grove
- Visit the site of the climactic crash scene
- Mingle with silent film experts and fanatics of Buster Keaton and The General
- Viewing of The General featuring Mark Orton’s ensemble orchestra soundtrack
Guest Speakers
Harry Keaton “Jingles Jr.” Moore
Harry Keaton “Jingles Jr.” MooreA true friend of the Cottage Grove Historical Society, Harry Keaton “Jingles Jr.” Moore will candidly talk about what it was like “Growing Up Keaton”. Harry is Buster’s nephew, son of Harry “Jingles” Keaton.
Larry Telles
Larry TellesRegular presenter, board member, and promoter of the Niles Film Festival will talk about “Where Movies Came From”, “Silent to Sounds: The American Cowboy Stars”, and “Meanwhile at the Ranch”.
Cost
$95 for a three-day event. Buy tickets now (by August 10th). Tickets include all programming from Thursday evening, August 12th, through Saturday evening, August 14th, goodbyes Sunday, August 15th.
Admission Price includes
- Admittance in conference events including a tour of film sites.
- Conference Packet
- Lunch on Friday and Saturday
Location
Enjoy two full days in the beautiful southern Willamette Valley and stay at the prestigious Village Green. (For reservations call 541-942-2491 and ask for the “Buster Keaton rate” – pending current availability.)
For more accommodation options in the local area click here.
Call Event Organizer, Lloyd Williams with any questions about the conference at 541-942-1310 or email; [email protected]
Note from Lloyd Williams:
“Due to the pandemic, we were not sure until a couple of weeks ago if we could have our 95th-anniversary celebration of the filming of The General in Cottage Grove. But as soon as Oregon lowered the COVID restrictions, we jumped at the chance to share a wonderful Buster experience with you. Protocols will be in place to assure you of a safe, fun, and memorable experience. We also hope you’ll understand that we are trying to tie up a lot of loose ends at the moment, but rest assured you will have a good time. We will update you when new program information is available. In the past, the Cottage Grove Historical Society has hosted a similar conference celebrating the 75th, 80th, 85th, 90th, and now the 95th anniversary! So, as they say, out here in Oregon, this is not our first rodeo! Featured speakers include Harry Keaton “Jingles Jr.” and Larry Telles. Along with other great speakers, we’ll visit the baseball field where Buster loved to relax, give both he and his crew a break, visit the hotel where Buster stayed, visit historic downtown Cottage Grove (hint: check out a stop on the Statewide Oregon Film Trail – the parade scene in Animal House!) to see where Buster mingled with Grovers, and become intimately familiar with virtually all the location sites Buster used in The General. To cap off the event, we are planning to show The General, featuring Mark Orton’s ensemble orchestra soundtrack. This is the same program that was performed live outdoors at the 90th-anniversary conference.”
#BusterKeatonConference2021 #BusterKeatonTheGeneral #OregonMade
Join The “Tri-City” Movie Location Scavenger Hunt For Your Chance To Win A Weekend Getaway In The Willamette Valley!
Join Us For A “Tri-City” Scavenger Hunt For Your Chance To Win A Weekend Away In The Willamette Valley!
In addition to the Stand By Me Day celebration in Brownsville, OR, on July 23rd we are inviting you to take your chance to immerse yourself in filming locations from not only Stand By Me but many other amazing movies filmed in the region. In the process, you could win a fantastic weekend getaway Prize Package!
How do you start?
- Download the SetJetters app (for iOS/Android).
- Create a free user account on the app.
How do you play?
- Between 9:00 am PDT on Monday, July 19 and 5:00 pm PDT on Sunday, July 25, visit the Oregon Film Trail signs and SetJetters scenes in and around the cities of Brownsville, Cottage Grove, and Eugene.
- While you visit the filming locations, put yourself in your favorite scenes by using the “ShotSync” feature within the SetJetters app to recreate your own split-screen image.
- Post your “ShotSync” image to the app’s main feed and tag the posts with #OregonFilmTrail and #StandByMeDay.
- Make sure that you’re logged into your SetJetters account on the app in order to get credit for your posts!
- And don’t forget to take your selfie with the Oregon Film Trail signs! (Look for the icon on the map to find them.)
How do you win?
- At the end of the contest period, the FIRST person with the most “ShotSyncs” posted to the SetJetters app is the winner!
- BUT – in case of a tiebreaker, we’ll be asking for your selfies taken with the 7 Oregon Film Trail signs at the following locations (look for the Oregon Film Trail icon in the SetJetters app.)
- Brownsville:
- Stand By Me sign at City Hall.
- Stand By Me sign at Linn County Historical Museum.
- Stand By Me sign at Pioneer Park.
- Cottage Grove:
- Animal House sign at Opal Whitley Park.
- The General sign at the Row River Trail and North 14th St.
- Eugene (these OFT markers are not yet installed, but take a selfie at the future location):
- The future home of the “Tracktown” sign – Across from Hayward Field at 17th & Agate.
- The future home of the “Without Limits” sign – Pre’s Trail at Alton Baker Park, Day Island Road.
- SetJetters will tally and verify the results.
- The winner will be notified by 5:00 pm PDT on Monday, July 26.
What do you win?
- The winner will receive a great Prize Package which includes the following:
- One night stay at the Village Green Hotel, Cottage Grove
- One night stay at the Valley River Inn, Eugene
- Gift certificate from Buster’s Main Street Café, Cottage Grove
- $25 gift certificate from Randy’s Main Street Coffee, Brownsville
- Gift certificate for two Stand By Me t-shirts from the Linn County Historical Museum
- OregonMade bandana x2
- OregonMade Orox leather keychain x2
The Prize Package is valid for one year after the contest ends (until July 25, 2022).
The Prize Package must be picked up from the Travel Lane County Visitor Center, located at 754 Olive Street, Eugene, OR 97401. (Visitor Center hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm).
#OregonFilmTrail #StandByMeDay
#OregonMade “The Water Man” Plays at Cinema Unbound Drive In on July 30
The #OregonMade feature film “The Water Man” plays at NW Film Center’s Cinema Unbound Drive-In on July 30.
Gunner (Lonnie Chavis) sets out on a quest to save his ill mother (Rosario Dawson) by searching for a mythic figure who possesses the secret to immortality, the Water Man. After enlisting the help of a mysterious local girl, Jo (Amiah Miller), they journey together into the remote Wild Horse forest — but the deeper they venture, the stranger and more dangerous the forest becomes. Their only hope for rescue is Gunner’s father (David Oyelowo), who will stop at nothing to find them and in the process will discover who his son really is.
Get your tickets here, and, as special offer to people booking from seeing this post, here is a code for 20% off of a ticket price – HOST.
Watch the trailer below:
Recent Posts
Categories
