In total, Oregon recorded over $62million of spending on film, television and commercial production in 2009 - thanks in part to the legislation that increased the cap on our incentive program.  For the first time ever, a film from Oregon was nominated for a Golden Globe (“Coraline” for best animated feature).  And commercial production remained relatively strong even with a downturn in the advertising industry due to the recession.  Oregon’s entire creative industry is finally receiving the notice it has deserved for many years.  I’ve been at the film office for a year and a half now, and there is one trend that keeps showing up as I talk to people in the industry.  There is a tremendous amount of creative talent living in the state for lifestyle reasons, but a lot of this talent remains tied to either California or New York to “work”.  In the last year, I’ve seen this group making the choice to remain in Oregon and make it work here.  The end result is a promising future for 2010.

I expect 2010 to be an even better year for Oregon’s film and video industry as we will have a full year with the expanded incentive program.  We have already secured the third season of TNT’s “Leverage” and there are several other projects showing interest.  There is still some room for more work, so I encourage you to check out what we have to offer.  I also expect there to be rowth in Oregon’s animation and visual effects industry in 2010.  I will not be surprised if there are three companies established in Oregon this year with Visual Effects talent from projects like “Yes Man”, “Pineapple Express”, “Where the Wild Things Are”, and “Watchmen”. The commercial production industry will continue to evolve and innovate as the advertising world adjusts to the new world order of advertising.  In this newsletter, we have asked several professionals from Oregon to write about their experience working in Oregon.  They come from all facets of the industry and their work spans all over the U.S. and even other countries.
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Whether it’s dropping a camera off a 100 story building in New York City for “Spider-Man” (see video to the right) or flying a camera over a waterfall in Mexico for “Apocalypto”, Spydercam is in the business of moving cameras.

Their innovative camera system utilizes wenches, weights, cables, and computer software to move their cameras in ways that are fast, safe and extremely accurate.  With a camera system that can travel over any distance at up to 60 miles per hour, and move in any direction, they truly are the premiere suspended camera company in the industry today.  They were notably recognized for their outstanding work in 2005, when they received an Academy Award for Technical Achievement.

Founded in 1998, Spydercam became a well known company in that same year working on Stephen Spielberg’s “Artificial Intelligence.”  Since then, they have grown to be an elite company working on big budget productions including concerts, commercials, the x-games, and over 60 major motion pictures, including the “Spider-Man 1-3”, “Mission Impossible 1-3”, “Live Free or Die Hard” and “Superman Returns.”

Today Spydercam is run by Oregonian Todd “Hammer” Semmes, based out of Hood River and known by those in the film industry as “Hammer.”  Hammer worked as a professional sailor before starting Spydercam.  His experience with ropes and wenches, paired with his love of film making makes him the perfect man for the job.

As Hammer and the Spydercam team look to the future, they are creating a company that will flourish in the ever advancing technology of the movie making industry.  As films become more and more reliant on visual effects, Spydercam can keep up on the set, whether it is outside and on location or in a sound stages' virtual environment.

One member of the Spydercam team is native Oregonian and local business owner, Tim Lawrence.  Tim wants to make sure more of this type of on location filmmaking is done here in Oregon.  After starting his own media company, Digital Works, in 2005, Tim became aware of Spydercam, and joined up with them in 2007.  Tim wants to help educate filmmakers not only about Spydercam’s suspended camera system, but also about the benefits of filming in Oregon.

Spydercam may have worked on films and productions all around the world, but they definitely have roots in Oregon and they only appear to be deepening. < View additional Spydercam Demo Videos Here >
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The Associate is a boutique Marketing firm based in Portland with a satellite office in Los Angeles.  While their experience and knowledge is wide spread, they specialize in media relations, product placement, entertainment liaison, and brand integration.  Their goal is to help their clients connect through traditional and non-traditional marketing efforts.  The Associate’s clients, past and present, range from high-end fashion brands, the beverage industry and even to high-tech medical devices.

The Associate offers more than just the traditional marketing efforts.  They find ways to connect their clients with the entertainment industry.  Their close ties with Hollywood, various media outlets, and their access to the fashion, music, hospitality, food, and beverage industries allows them to generate cross promotional opportunities and product placement tie-ins along with national and international media exposure.  Additionally, they can help to coordinate pre and post production events including high-end private screening parties and specialized gift giving opportunities.

The Associate’s Kristy Bauer, a veteran of the fashion and entertainment world of Los Angeles and now based in Portland, is all too familiar with what Oregon has to offer.  “With the current film production schedule slated for Oregon, it only makes sense that we find a way to bring recognition to the area as well as the area products with cross-promotional efforts and tie-ins,” states Bauer.  “If a production needs a certain brand or product, they come to us.  We will find it for them, negotiate the placement and coordinate the cross promotional media opportunities.” 

The Associate’s Trudy Suski says, “It may seem like a wide range of clients, but our broad reach serves to benefit all of our clients and the gatekeepers we reach out to. We love what Oregon has to offer and we’re ready to let the rest of the world know about it too!”.

The Associate seeks to promote Oregon through the use of their contacts and their client base.  They want to create a “buzz” about their clients by keeping them connected to TV and Film.  “Cross promoting works”, says Bauer.  “You see it every day in the clothes you wear, the wine you drink, and the music you listen to.  It’s a formula that works.”
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My best friend is writing a musical called RAIN. He's a master at irony and his show is set in a globally-warmed future when rain no longer falls in Portland. Its anthem is “What’s Portland Without the Rain?” Obama had to have his John McCain / Send out Lewis without a Clark? That’s insane / Would you Bogey without Bacall / What’s a Taj with no Mahal / So what’s the point of Portland without the rain?(1)

Too bad Danny Kaye isn’t still around. My friend’s show would have been a great 21st century sequel to “Singin’ in the Rain.”
There are many myths about Oregon’s rain. Like “home of the rain tan” or “most taverns per capita due to a melancholy-inducing perpetual mist” (but look what that gave birth to: the microbrew center of the universe! I know there’s a movie in there somewhere, a “Sideways” ode to Oregon IPA?).

Ah, but the myths are false.

If it rains so much here, why would William Friedken spend god knows how much money rigging Portland’s Hawthorne Bridge with a thousand sprinklers to film Tommy Lee chasing Benicio in a downpour? (BTW, I found “The Hunted’s” IMDb tagline amusing: “In This Game Of Hide And Seek, If You're It… You're Dead.” Perhaps better to have read, “If You’re It… You’re Wet.”)
Still, I have to admit, in Oregon there’s much ado about water.

Think about it. This is the state where a killer whale can be called Willy. Where Beavers and Ducks are famous mascots. And where, in an arid town east of the mountains where the sun shines 300 days a year, my own high school mascot was called Pelican Pete! All water creatures!

And not coincidentally, as I write this, I’m staring out my window at more water than you can imagine – the mighty Columbia pouring into the Pacific (where Willy’s spirit might still be roaming free). I do a lot of my writing near Astoria – another Oregon town familiar to filmmakers like Richard Donner (“The Goonies”), John Hillcoat (“The Road”), Ivan Reitman (“Kindergarten Cop”) and Sean Penn (“Into the Wild”).

When I was a kid, my parents moved us from the O.C. to eastern Oregon – from Disneyland to a rustic cabin built by some Hollywood set designer who loved duck hunting. No running water. Outhouse. Woodstove. Roughing it on the same side of the state where Joshua Logan filmed Paint Your Wagon.

The things I remember most about that move to Oregon: the farther north we got, the bigger the pancakes, the friendlier the people, the brighter the sun, and the greener the trees (that must have something to do with rain, right?).

Great people, great scenery, great sunshine, great food – no wonder great filmmakers love Oregon. Sure, there may be no Portland without the rain, but rain or shine, every time I launch a production, I’m as happy as Danny Kaye singin’ in the rain.

Writer/Director David Poulshock is the recipient of over fifty regional and national awards for his commercial and entertainment projects and screenplays, and is a member of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. His production company, Red Door Films, is based in Portland, Oregon.

@Large Films, Inc. is an award-winning, national, fully integrated production company based in Portland, Oregon. Our clients include Nintendo, Ubi Soft, Nike, Adidas, and Peter Piper Pizza, as well as many other national and regional companies.

We have had great success at marketing Portland as a reason to work with @Large Films. There are many reasons why an advertising agency or corporation would consider shooting in Portland; and a few of them may surprise you.

It is all about resources. Portland has a creative and technical resource base that cannot be matched, especially in a city of Portland’s size and accessibility. We have the latest digital technology in cameras and equipment. Our crews work on feature films, national commercials and television series, but have chosen to base themselves in Portland. They love working on Portland based projects and are trained at the highest levels. If you need it for your shoot, we have it here in Portland.

We also have great diversity. Our on-camera pool has grown significantly in the last 5 years, especially in the 18-35 range. Our talent pool includes Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, African Americans, Pacific Islanders and more. And with Oregon’s continued popularity as an exceptional place to live and work in the United States, we can only expect the region to increase in cultural diversity.

Oregon has amazing locations. Portland’s physical location, midway between Vancouver, BC and Los Angeles, is definitely a drawing factor. Combine that with Oregon’s divergent natural and urban landscapes and you have a very appealing location base. One hour east of Portland are snowy mountains; 2 hours West, the Pacific Ocean; 3 hours East, the desert; and yes, we even have an active Volcano just 1 1/2 hours north!

Portland also has much deserved popularity. The word is spreading about Portland being an ideal shooting location. Notable recent productions are Harrison Ford’s feature film “Extraordinary Measures”, and TNT’s “Leverage”, starring Timothy Hutton. The “Twighlight” series has filmed in Oregon as well as parts of “The Road”, starring Viggo Mortenson. The groundbreaking animated film “Coraline” was created in Portland as well.

So the secret is out; and Portland should be on any short list for a Producer to look at in respect to bringing their project here. With an active state film office, we are truly “film friendly.” Consider us for your next project and if it is a commercial, give @Large Films a call!
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On behalf of the crew, equipment providers, and post production services available to serve your business in Oregon, we welcome you and thank you for considering producing in our state. If you aren’t already aware, OMPA publishes the SourceOregon.com directory, online at www.SourceOregon.com, where you will find a list of personnel and resources, all of which are vetted for professional experience.  Both the Governor’s Office of Film & Television and the OMPA will gladly provide hard copies of the SourceOregon.com directory for you and your production managers to use in crewing up.

You probably already know of Oregon’s reputation for having beautiful and diverse locations, and as being a place where technology and creativity meet in the spirit of entrepreneurism.  Those from outside of Oregon may not know that Oregon is home to experienced crew, equipment, acting talent and infrastructure that has provided resources to countless commercial, TV, feature film and new media productions.  A concentration of educated creatives and technology engineers make Oregon a vibrant place for generating content for the entertainment industry and solutions for the business community.

The Oregon Media Production Association was formed almost 30 years ago, and is an example of how Oregon’s production industry works together.  Crew, service, and equipment providers work collaboratively to share their best practices, and have helped establish Oregon’s reputation as one of the best places in the world for producing.

And Oregonians don’t just work on projects from out of state.  Oregon’s native production companies employ our crew and resources regularly - keeping skills fresh, minds sharp, and equipment and resources readily available year round.  Oregon is also increasingly becoming home to “above the line” services, with savvy distribution, marketing, and finance professionals adding to the mix of services to lend to the success of our projects.

We welcome you to join us with your project; or, like so many creative and production professionals, to relocate yourself and your business here.  At any point along the way, I and the other members and board of the OMPA make ourselves available to facilitate the success of your enterprise.  (Once you do come, just remember to recycle your materials when your project is done.)

 Tom McFadden is the Executive Director of the Oregon Media Production Association (OMPA), Oregon's trade association for the film, video, and new media industry.
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Oh Stumptown...

A video to sell Portland. Tough. If you are familiar with the region, you know what an easy sell it is. Ohhh, but try condensing it into a 3:00-4:00 minute video. Sockeye has deep Portland roots—so it was a labor of love. After 15 months of shooting at countless locations, and 80 hours of footage they clearly left a lot on the cutting room floor.

The goal was to show the evolution of Portland. Sure people know it is green, western and outdoorsy. But do they know that Portland is a national hotbed of cutting edge restaurants with a vibrant nightlife and a unique indy culture. You can’t pin Portland down, but this gives you the feel…

The video was created by Sockeye Creative for Travel Portland in the fall of 2009.
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