Ambrosia, a new short film by Oregon director Eric Waetjen and production company Intrinsic Media, will premiere at Portland’s Living Room Theaters Thursday, May 31st. The 40 minute film will play on three screens at the living room theaters at multiple times in the evening from 7:30 pm to 10:45 (check the Intrinsic Media web site for more information about specific times.)
Ambrosia transports viewers to a near future where corporations violently battle for control of a breakthrough serum called… Ambrosia. After a failed attempt to hijack the serum it randomly ends up in the possession of a young girl who becomes the target of deadly assassins.
Waetjen tells us that Intrinsic Media spent around $17,000 to make Ambrosia, with much of the funds going to equipment rental, props and locations. “We plan to start hitting film fests very soon,” he says, “and we plan to market it online. Our main goal is to make this film a calling card for financing future movies (with our company and here in Oregon) with bigger budgets by showing what we can do for such a small budget right now.”
Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber Cuts A monstrous Cake For Grimm Cast Members To Celebrate The NBC Show's Second Season In Portland (Photo: Bruce Ely, The Oregonian)
As we mentioned in yesterday’s post, Oregon’s governor played a part in the opening ceremonies for Grimm’ssecond season in Portland. Governor Kitzhaber’s visit to the set wasn’t the only grimm activity happening in Oregon as production on NBC’s supernatural crime show resumes, however.
The day started with a visit to KATU’s AM Northwest from Emmy award-winning actor (and Oregon Film board member) Ed Asner. During the half-hour interview with hosts Dave Anderson and Helen Raptis Asner encouraged the audience to support the film incentive program that brings productions such as Grimm – and the jobs created by them – to Oregon.
Asner moved from the AM Northwest to the Grimm stages in NW Portland (where apparently he did a little flirting with series star Bitsie Tulloch.) He was joined in northwest Portland by the series lead cast, Oregon legislators, business owners and governor John Kitzhaber who toured the set and even cut a cake (purchased from an Oregon City bakery) to kick off the show’s second season of production.
Celebrity blogger Byron Beck was also in attendance, and got some candid photos of the event and the assembled luminaries attending it. While everyone at the Season 2 “kick off” ceremony had smiles on their faces and enjoyed a slice of cake, they all acknowledged the economic benefit Grimm has brought – and will continue to bring – to Oregon. The Oregonian’s Kristi Turnquist broke down the numbers in her story on the event.
…Kitzhaber said that, in its first season of episodes, “Grimm” was the largest production ever filmed in Oregon.
The Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & Television estimates that when final numbers are in for Season 1, “Grimm” will have spent about $50 million in Oregon in 2011-12.
Such spending — on equipment, crew members, construction, lodging and other expenses — is a plus for Oregon, Kitzhaber said. “It’s just a good industry for the state,” he said, and “‘Grimm’ has been a real success.” (Read the entire article…)
Meanwhile, some Oregon actors who have appeared on the show visited the Springfield studios of KMTR TV – specifically, two Talented Animals: Mac the cat and Justice the dog.
GRIMM stars Russell Hornsby, Silas Weir Mitchell and Bitsie Tulloch will join Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber on May 29 to kick off production and celebrate another season of shooting in the northwest.
Also in attendance will be state legislators, members of the Governor’s Office of Film and Television Board, NBC and Comcast officials as well as Oregon business owners who have benefited from the impact of local production. (Read the entire article…)
According to a press advisory issued by the governor’s office, the governor will be visiting the Northwest Portland stages Grimm is shot on at 3:00 today to “kick off” the new season. From the press advisory:
“More and more, the film and television industry is calling Oregon home,” said Governor Kitzhaber. “Productions like Grimm keep capital circulating in our region through local sourcing and supply chains, creating jobs all over the state.” (Read the entire press advisory…)
This will be the second year that NBC’s hit crime procedural has shot in the Portland area. While no precise figures are available on the amount Hazy Mills Productions and NBC- Universal have spent in Oregon to produce Grimm, we know from previous reporting that the show generally spends approximately $2 million per episode on personnel, equipment, materials, and post-production services.
The new season of Grimm is expected to begin airing on NBC stations in August, 2012.
Cover Art For The Oregon Documentary “The Politics Of Sand”
It’s Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer. While today is a time of remembrance for those who’ve served our country, it’s also the beginning of the beach season here in Oregon. With that in mind, director Tom Olsen Jr. contacted us to say he thought today would be a perfect time to bring people’s attention to his documentary The Politics of Sand.The film, which was produced for Oregon’s Sesquicentennial (1859-2009) is now on sale through Amazon.
The Politics of Sand examines the process by which Oregon’s entire shoreline became open to the public. “The story,” Olsen tells us, ”centers on the Oregon legislative session in May of 1967 that worked to pass HB1601 (the public’s right-of-way to the Oregon coastline).
Memorial Day would be a significant time for people to watch this film. It’s usually when folks begin visiting the beach, and would be an important reminder of how special this law is. It will also be the 55th Anniversary of the HB1601′s passage… Governor Tom McCall (who helped shepherd this bill) also celebrates his 100th Birthday next year.”
Olsen says that the film, which was made for the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum and ran at the museum from 2009-2010, was shot throughout Oregon, but most notably in Portland, Cannon Beach, Salem, Eugene, and Gearhart. The production employed a half-dozen Oregonians during the 3 year Olsen spent making the project, and was made for under $10,000.00
As James Hibberd’s story on EW.com notes, this ratings success comes as something of a surprise when we think back to the speculation surrounding the series when it first premiered (appropriately enough on Halloween, 2011.) While Oregonians were cheering their “hometown show” on, many in the television world were predicting that Grimm wouldn’t last because of another fairytale-based show on the air (ABC’s Once Upon A Time.) As the Oregonian’s Kristi Turnquist put it in her series finale “preview” article Friday:
Down came the prediction from the experts: This TV town wasn’t big enough for two fairy tale shows. Plus, there wasn’t enough room for three fantasy shows on Friday. “Grimm” would be lucky if it lasted a month.
While it’s a little early to say that “Grimm” lived happily ever, the show turned out to be a sleeper success for NBC. So we come to tonight’s Season 1 finale knowing that Season 2 is on the way. The ratings haven’t been spectacular, but they’re steady: “Grimm” averages 6.4 million viewers overall. According to an NBC spokesperson, it’s the top scripted series among the broadcast networks in the 9 p.m. Friday timeslot for viewers aged 18-49, the demographic advertisers most value. The show also gets a bump when time-shifted DVR viewing is added. (Read the entire article…)
Obviously, this ratings success has brought good things with it to Oregon. While final numbers on production spending and hiring aren’t yet available for the first season, we do know from previous reporting that the show can spend as much as $2 million per episode in Oregon on salaries and purchasing goods and services from local businesses such as Oregon-based PlyVeneer, which provides plywood for the show’s sets.
Grimm’s use of PlyVeneer’s products also stands as an example of the show’scommitment to sustainability and “Green” production practices. This commitment to maintaining environmentally friendly practices was highlighted May 10th when TravelPortland awarded the production its 2012 ”Green Tourism and Hospitality Industry Awards.”
By contributing to Oregon’s economy on such a grand scale ensuring they leave as small an ecological footprint as possible, Grimm has proven to be a welcome addition to Oregon’s film and TV industry. Many are looking forward to welcoming the show back for season two – which should, according to Portland casting director Lana Veenker, be happening any time now…
It’s Saturday, which means it’s time for our weekly look at some of the news about film incentive programs around the country. Now, you know the focus of this site is Oregon’s film and TV industry, and its effect on the state’s economy. It’s important to keep an eye on trends nationwide, though. The film and TV industry is an interdependent organism; what happens around the country affects Oregon’s industry, and what happens in Oregon affects the rest of the country as well.
While each state’s incentive program is different, it’s important to see the “big picture” by keeping an eye on the choices other states have made – to learn from their successes and their mistakes.
So With That…
California continues in its quest to stem what it calls “runaway production” – the migration of film and TV production from the Golden State to other states offering incentives to the industry. While a bill before the state’s legislature seeks to extend California’s film incentive program, some in the state are urging Sacramento to offer more to the industry.
An effort in Nevada last year to create a film incentive program failed in the Silver State’s legislature – but a new Las Vegas production company is urging a renewal of that effort as it seeks to make the state a more viable location for film and television production.
Alabama’s Republican legislators are holding up their support for the Yellowhammer State’s increased film incentive cap as one of the parties legislative accomplishments during the 2012 session. The Alabama legislature increased the program’s cap from $10 million to $15 million during the past session.
The first film in the tour, which will play at each of the eight McMenamins theaters in the Northwest from May 19 – 26 (Check the McMenamins web site for specific locations and showtimes) will be Adventures In Plymptoons, a new documentary about a true Oregon original: animator Bill Plympton. All screenings include a Q&A with the film’s director and producers - plus special guests. Tickets (and Hotel packages) are on sale now through McMenamins.
Adventures in Plymptoons tells the story of legendary Oregon animator Bill Plympton from the perspective of 44 animation industry legends, including Marilyn Zornado, Will Vinton, Jim Blashfield, Mary Sandell, Lloyd Kaufman, Ed Begley Jr., Moby, and Weird Al Yankovic.
OMPA Executive Director Tom McFadden tells us that the organization has been working on a way to partner with McMenamins for years. “McMenamins really captures that spirit of Oregon’s creativity,” McFadden tells us. “They’re all about craft beer and old buildings… in fact, the Mission Theater was the first combination theater/ pub in the US. Now they’ve grown to include eight theaters in Oregon and Southwest Washington.”
McMenamins’ Director of Theater Programing Mike Wyant agrees that the new program highlight’s Oregon’s creativity, and looks forward to highlighting new Oregon-made films in the company’s network of theaters. “We wanted to put newer movies into McMenamins theaters that don’t yet have distribution,” he says. “The program is patterned after McMenamins successful Great Northwest Music Tour, which opens our historic properties to up and coming Northwest bands. We wanted to do the same thing for Northwest filmmakers, and give them a chance to gain some funds through a split of the box office.” Wyant notes that the majority of ticket sales for films screening at the Great Northwest Film Tour will go directly to the film’s producers after McMenamins recoups its costs.
McFadden and Wyat are still determining what the next offering of the Great Northwest Film Tour will be. “I’d like to make it a quarterly, or even monthly program,” says Wyant. McFadden adds that the program is an effort encourage profitable theatrical releases of independent films by Oregon producers. To be considered for the tour, these Oregon-produced films must be commercially viable and ready for distribution. “They need to have their materials together,” says McFadden. “They need to have the rights secured, they need to have an electronic press kit… all the things any other distributor would ask for.” Oregon producers interested in submitting their films for the Great Northwest Film Tour should contact Wyat at mikewy@hq.mcmenamin.com or McFadden at tom@ompa.org for more details.
Editor’s Note: Due to some personal business, we weren’t able to get our weekly round-up of the week’s film incentive news posted on Saturday as is our usual practice. Sorry about the delay!
It’s time for our weekly look at some of the news about film incentive programs around the country. Now, you know the focus of this site is Oregon’s film and TV industry, and its effect on the state’s economy. It’s important to keep an eye on trends nationwide, though. The film and TV industry is an interdependent organism; what happens around the country affects Oregon’s industry, and what happens in Oregon affects the rest of the country as well.
While each state’s incentive program is different, it’s important to see the “big picture” by keeping an eye on the choices other states have made – to learn from their successes and their mistakes.
So With That…
Before we start this week’s round-up, a report from Ernst and Young and the Motion Picture Association of America was released this week which evaluates the effectiveness of state film tax credit programs across the country, and finds that most programs benefit the economies of states that offer them. This report stands in stark contrast to many reports published by groups that call the efficacy of film incentives into question.
Arizona’s Film and TV workers, however, aren’t celebrating the news that governor Jan Brewer has signed a budget which doesn’t include a new film incentive program. The Grand Canyon State has been without a film incentive program since its legislature allowed the existing program to expire at the beginning of 2011.
The embattled New Mexico film incentive program, which was the source of much controversy during the 2011 legislative session, is going to be put under a microscope. Governor Susana Martinez has ordered a study of state tax credits for the film industry, and their impact on tourism, education and job creation in the Land of Enchantment.
As Michigan continues to adjust to its recently pared-down film incentive program, the Wolverine State is going high-tech with its efforts to connect with filmmakers interested in shooting there. The Michigan Film Office announced the release of a new IPhone app this week which will provide a mobile database of crew and locations in the state.
While film officials in Ohio are happy about The Avengers’ strong showing after it shot in Cleveland last year, they acknowledge that there’s much work to be done if the state (and Cleveland specifically) is to create “a film industry… that’s 24/7, 365 days a year.”
North Carolina is still riding high on the success of The Hunger Games, and the state is looking forward to a slate of high-profile productions such as Iron Man 3 and a group of television shows. Thanks to the Tar Heel State’s strong film incentive program, production spending in the state has already surpassed 2011′s record of $228 million.
Soon thereafter, Indent Studios announced the addition of a new “Coved” green screen to its Southeast Portland facility. As the studio’s Steve Coker told us, “we have begun to add several amenities focused on bringing some film and photography staples to the Portland market place. Since I started working with the Indent crew in January, there have been several changes within the facility. Revamped bathrooms and lobby area at the Clay Street entrance, a state of the art screening room with 7.1 surround sound and hi-def 1080 projector, an edit bay with final cut seven, and the most recent addition of a coved green screen and white coved cyc-wall. Other changes to look forward to are a new greenroom and dressing rooms whose roof will also serve as another camera and observation platform in the main studio, a make-up and hair room designed after talking to industry professional to ensure that it is set up properly for their needs.”
“Prior to the addition of the green screen cove,” Coker continues, ”we were stuck either working with a flat green wall with no floor covering, or having to rent a large drop cloth and set it to a pulley system. Now clients will be able to walk right into our facility and have a proper screen to work with. The coved wall is 12’ high with a 20’x 20’ base and our white cyc-wall will be of similar dimensions.”
The GOFTV reported on two other investment-related stories today on its OregonConfluence blog, as Elemental Technologies (a company that provides multi-screen content technologies) and New York-based Ensequence (an industry leader in interactive television technologies which maintains most of its workforce in Oregon) both received additional funding.
This isn’t the first time a television show set in Portland has been shot elsewhere, of course. In recent years the CW’s Life Unexpected and the NBC series Perfect Couples and Free Agentshave all had Portland settings while they were shot elsewhere. Since those shows aired, though, Grimm, Portlandia and Leverage (as well as feature films such as Gone) have done a lot to distinguish Portland as a location where quality entertainment is made as well as set. Why, then, did David E. Kelley and TNT decide to shoot their new Portland-set drama in Los Angeles instead of bringing the jobs and income that show would provide to the city Monday Mornings is set in?
The answer, as you might expect, comes down to dollars and cents. According to sources in the Governor’s Office of Film and Television, the producers of Monday Mornings did enquire about shooting the show’s pilot in Portland – but those discussions ended when they learned that all the money in the Oregon Production Investment Fund (Oregon’s film incentive program) was spoken for by the three aforementioned shows.
Situations like this one are presenting themselves more and more often as Portland’s profile as a production center continues to rise. Because the OPIF is capped at $6 million, there’s nothing left to attract new projects and additional production jobs to Oregon. As Leverage Executive Producer Dean Devlin mentioned in a Hollywood Reporter article last October this lack of funding kept another TNT show, the alien invasion series Falling Skies, from relocating to the Portland area as well.
The only bad news these days is that a tough economy forced Gov. John Kitzhaber, who wanted to increase the total incentives available from $15 million to $40 million every two years, to trim them to $12 million, or $6 million a year.
“I was depressed they didn’t raise the cap,” admits Devlin. “Falling Skies considered coming up, but there was no room for new shows under the cap. Why not get production to $1 billion? Portland is a two-hour flight from L.A., it has wonderful talent, and it hasn’t been shot to death. I’m all in favor of it becoming a serious player in the industry.” (Read the entire article…)
We hope the candidates running for the 2013 Oregon Legislature will remember Kelley and TNT’s decision not to shoot Monday Mornings and Falling Skies in Portland as they run for their seats in the House and Senate – and that they put raising the cap on Oregon’s film incentive program on their list of priorities so the state won’t continue to lose the employment and income projects such as these offer.
Ambrosia, a new short film by Oregon director Eric Waetjen and production company Intrinsic Media, will premiere at Portland’s Living Room Theaters Thursday, May 31st. The 40 minute film will play on three screens at the living room theaters at multiple times in the evening from 7:30 pm to 10:45 (check the Intrinsic Media web site for more information about specific times.)
It’s Saturday, which means it’s time for our weekly look at some of the news about film incentive programs around the country. Now, you know the focus of this site is Oregon’s film and TV industry, and its effect on the state’s economy. It’s important to keep an eye on trends nationwide, though. The film and TV industry is an interdependent organism; what happens around the country affects Oregon’s industry, and what happens in Oregon affects the rest of the country as well.
