Northwest Production Blog

Film Oregon Alliance and Central Oregon Community College (COCC) present a free lecture entitled “A Sitcom Director’s Adventure,” with Hollywood film and television director Katy Garretson this Saturday, May 10th from 11am-1:30pm at the Hitchcock Theatre on the COCC campus in Bend.
Katy, best known for work as a director on the series Frasier, will describe how she got into the business, how she moved up to directing, how others can break in, and the challenges of being a woman in the entertainment business.
The seminar is open to the public and pre-registration is not required. A VIP reception will follow at The Village Grill on Bond Street in downtown Bend. For further information, visit www.filmoregon.org.

SIFF Screenwriters Salon May 14th
Seattle International Film Festival’s monthly Screenwriters Salon will be held next Wednesday, May 14th. The salon is a public forum on the craft of screenwriting featuring panel discussions, staged script readings, and other events where participants and attendees are encouraged to interact and discuss all manner of screenwriting and film topics. Past participants have included Sherman Alexie (Smoke Signals) and Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects).
Screenwriters Salon is held at the 911 Media Arts Center screening room, located at 402 9th Avenue North, in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle. For more information and ticket prices, visit www.siff.net.

From May 6 – 15, Autodesk®, a world leader in 2D and 3D design software, will be touring the West Coast to showcase their latest solutions. Attendees of the events will learn how leading game development facility High Moon Studios used Autodesk 3D solutions to bring Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy to life. Randy Stebbing, technical art director at High Moon Studios will talk about why his team chose to use Autodesk 3D solutions, where they were used and how you can implement them into your game engine for unmatched efficiency, productivity and interoperability.
Attendees will learn how to:
*Create and animate assets in Autodesk 3ds Max®, Autodesk Maya®, Autodesk MotionBuilder™, and Autodesk Mudbox™
*Use Autodesk HumanIK® technology to seamlessly integrate your creative assets into the runtime game engine and solve complex character problems
*Utilize the platform-independent Autodesk FBX® file format to integrate content written in a wide variety of formats
*Optimize your creative pipeline to save time and money

The tour will be stopping in Seattle on May 14 and Vancouver on the 15th. For more information and to register, visit www.autodesk.com/gametour2008.

Oregon Media Arts Fellowships Awarded to Two Filmmakers
The Oregon Media Arts Fellowship, established to recognize and support the work of Oregon film and video makers, announces its 2008 awards: $10,000 and $5,000 fellowships to Portland filmmakers Chel White and David Walker, respectively.
Funded by the Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Public Broadcasting and the Gordon D. Sondland and Katherine J. Durant Foundation, with additional in-kind support from the Oregon Film & Video Office and Chambers Communications, the fellowships are a collaborative undertaking by Oregon’s public and private agencies dedicated to the development of Oregon’s film, video and creative potential.
“Chel White and David Walker were selected from an incredibly qualified applicant pool for their thoughtful and innovative proposals and the promise evident in their past accomplishment,” said Eric Hayashi, one of five jurors and executive director of San Francisco’s Film Arts Foundation. “All of us look forward to seeing the new projects supported by this Fellowship and know that the community will be inspired and impressed by their work and how it reflects the high caliber of independent filmmaking in Oregon.”

Two Seattle Moviemaking Teams Sweep Doc Competition
Seattle production teams Reel Grrls and Team Juicebox recently won top awards at Toronto’s Hot Docs Film Festival. Both teams competed in the International Documentary Challenge—a competition that tests over 120 teams from 16 countries to create a short documentary in five days. This is the second year in a row that a Seattle moviemaking team has won top honors in this timed filmmaking competition. Their films will be screened in Seattle on July 10 and in Portland on May 7th.

Seattle-made film Diggers is a semi-finalist in the NOW online film festival, and the festival competition is now open for voting. Diggers, written and directed by Cheryl Slean and produced by Mark Titus and Susan LaSalle, won the IFP-Seattle Spotlight Award in 2005.

To view the film, go to www.myspace.com/nowfilmfest and then vote by clicking on the numbers below the Diggers icon—1 being the worst, 5 being the best. The voting will last two weeks and you can only vote once. Stay tuned for results.

Julie Williamson, president of the Oregon Media Production Association
(OMPA), Oregon’s trade association for the film, video and multimedia production industry, announced the selection of Tom McFadden as the 28-year old organization’s executive director. McFadden replaces Dona Jennison, who recently announced plans to retire after helming the OMPA since 2000. As Executive Director, McFadden will be charged with helping to grow employment and business opportunities in Oregon’s creative and media production industries by promoting the value of Oregon’s talent and resources.
Tom McFadden’s new appointment will be celebrated at an OMPA member meeting on Thursday, May 15th at 6pm.

16th Annual Seattle Polish Film Festival
The 16th Annual Seattle Polish Film Festival will be held from April 18th through the 27th at Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall. Last year the SPFF featured the screenings of a variety of films, ranging from commercial successes (The Collector), to critically acclaimed films (The Perfect Afternoon), to independent films (The Devil). Accordingly, the SPFF hosted actors and directors associated with the films, including Andrzej Chyra, Przemysław Wojcieszek, and Tomasz Szafrański, respectively. For ticket and schedule information, visit www.polishfilms.org.

Portland’s YOUthFILM Project
Short films from the Second Annual YOUthFILM Project will screen before a live audience at 6:30pm April 29, at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland. The student filmmaking contest, presented by the Multnomah Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section, gives budding student filmmakers an opportunity to show off their creativity, knowledge and skills by producing a short film on the rule of law. YOUthFILM is in its second year, and has already proven to be a huge success. www.theyouthfilmproject.org.

Steve Winiger, a familiar face in NW film and video passed away March 15, 2008, in Longview. He was 55 years old.

Steve was born in Long Beach, Calif., June 30, 1952, and was raised in Kelso by his mother and stepfather, Verna and Albert Winiger. He graduated from Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma in 1970, and from Evergreen State College in 1974 with a BA degree in video/media production.

After graduation, Steve held various jobs in video and media production. He may be best remembered by those working in Seattle film and video, from his time at Oppenheimer Camera in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. He worked as a camera assistant and video assist, until he moved back to the Olympia area. Many in the production community will remember him from NFL Films shoots. He was an avid basketball and football fan (nobody could “BOOOO!” a bad call like Steve) and he followed the local college teams throughout their seasons. He was a true fan of the Evergreen State Geoducks.

Steve was one of a kind. He was passionate about film, jazz, politics and a number of other topics, particularly sports. On film shoots, Steve traveled several times to Cuba, a country whose music, culture and people he loved. He often mentioned how he wanted to return. He was sometimes not the easiest person to be around, but he was always a true, loyal and generous friend. We’ll miss you Steve.

Steve is survived by a sister, Penny Massey (Alan) of Kalama; two brothers, Chris Winiger of Bremerton and Dan Winiger (Susan) of Columbus, Ohio; his stepfather, Albert Winiger; and an uncle, Tim Vermilye of Des Moines, Iowa. He also leaves behind many dear friends in the Olympia area whom he considered family.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Verna Winiger, in 2003.

A celebration of Steve’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6 in the Longhouse Cultural Center at Evergeen State College. For directions, call (360) 673-2087.

Arrangements are by Columbia Funeral Service.

Please sign the guest book at www.tdn.com/obits

– Submitted by Jim and Laurie Sander

WashingtonFilmWorks is pleased to announce that the state legislature unanimously passed SSB 6423. The bill, prime sponsored by Senator Lisa Brown (D-Spokane), goes far to improve upon the legislation passed in March 2006. In the House, the legislation was sponsored by Rep. Phyllis Kenney (D-Seattle). The bill as passed makes the following changes to current law:
• Allows the B&O tax credit to remain at a dollar for dollar amount rather than decreasing the credit to 90 percent starting in 2009
• Eliminates the $1 million per production cap
• Changes the investment requirement for TV commercials from $250,000 to $150,000
• Modifies the governing board to staggered 4-year terms

These changes become amended in mid June.
For more information, visit www.washingtonfilmworks.org.

NW Documentary Student Showcase this Friday!
Come to McMenamin’s Mission Theater & Pub this Friday, April 4, for an evening of 100% locally produced short documentaries. Sit back, relax, enjoy a beer and burger, and be the first to see the latest batch of shorts from NW Documentary’s Exploring Documentary Production workshop.

WHAT: NW Documentary Student Showcase
WHEN: Friday, April 4, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan
HOW: $5 at the door (21+ only) to support the ongoing educational efforts of NW Documentary, celebrating its fifth year!

Learn more about these community workshops at NW Documentary Arts & Media’s Web site, www.nwdocumentary.org.

Surviving the Strike
(submitted by Diane Matson)

Congrats on surviving the strike! Onward and upward!

Things to do during a writer’s strike:

#1 - Get new headshots
To see the headshots, go to www.dianematson.com. You can download or print them from there.
Thanks to: Jamie Rose for hair and makeup! The Bill Murray behind the camera for the fabulous photos! Rocket Repro for printing them up!

#2 - Put latest footage into a new reel
In a new 2.5 min. reel, I perform:

Comedy: Crazy lady - adored by a normal guy (Seattle International Film Festival)
Action: Lara Croft besting baddies (Awakenings)
Horror: Crazed murderess (feature (Ray of Darkness)
Drama: Dying wife, tasting death through an out-of-body experience (The Waiting Room)

Edited by the wonderful and amazing Brad Tollefson!

#3 - Get cast for the lead in a New York movie
Scheduled to shoot Fall, 2008.

#4 - Audition for an international, best-selling author’s next movie
He loved it. Now to charm the director…

Thanks For Reading!
Diane Matson

Known as the festival “where filmmakers are Gods,” the BendFilm Festival has announced its 2008 call for entries. Slated for October 9–12, 2008, the festival annually features more than 70 films, filmmaking lectures, and a frenzy of parties and special events for an audience of over 10,000 patrons of independent cinema.
The festival is critically acclaimed, and was even named one of MovieMaker magazine’s “20 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” (Spring 2007).
Entries are now being accepted at www.withoutabox.com, with a tiered pricing structure and a 50% discount (subtracted from the appropriate fee based on date of submission) for films produced primarily in Oregon or Washington.
Costs and deadlines for submission are as follows:
Earlybird Entry: April 4, 2008 $30.00
Regular Entry: May 23, 2008 $60.00
Late Entry: June 20, 2008 $70.00

Meet Current TV
Tomorrow, Wed., March 26th, come meet Current TV in the 911 Media Arts Theater in Seattle for an exclusive screening and Q&A for independent filmmakers.
Current is the first television network created by, for, and with its audience. Roughly one-third of the network’s on-air broadcast comes directly from short-form (three- to eight-minute), nonfiction video “pods” submitted by viewers. Current buys the content directly from viewers via its online studio (www.Current.com) and broadcasts it in over 50 million homes worldwide.
At tomorrow’s event, Current will screen short docs and meet you to discuss your short doc film ideas. Learn about Current, pitch your concepts, and network with the Seattle film community.

On Friday, March 21st, creative executives Kevin Chang (Misher Films) and Matt Skiena (Village Roadshow Pictures Group) will be coming up from Los Angeles to speak at our monthly meeting about what their companies do, how the production system works, what they’re looking for, how best to present yourself and your concepts, and how to pitch.

EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Friday, March 21
Time: 7-9PM

Location:
Clear Channel Building
351 Elliott Ave West
Seattle, WA 98119

Cost:
NWSG Members: FREE
Partner Film Org Members: $8
General Public/Non-Members: $15

On Saturday, March 22nd, NWSG Compendium Members will have the opportunity to pitch Kevin and Matt in individual, 5-minute private sessions at The Clear Channel building. This is a limited, first come first served, free opportunity for paid-up NWSG Compendium Members only.

EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, March 22
Time: 11AM-3PM

Location:
Clear Channel Building
351 Elliott Ave West
Seattle, WA 98119

What They Want:
Pitch meetings will last 5 minutes:
2-3 Minutes for the pitch itself
1-2 minutes for feedback and constructive criticism

Megalomedia, Inc. is looking to hire the following crew/production positions for a contract job.

Production Manager (must have documentary series/reality experience)
Field Producers (must have documentary series/reality experience)
Camera Operators (must have large format HD experience)
Digital Imaging Technician

The shoot is May 15th-Sept. 30th.
Location – Missoula, MT.

Please submit resumes to to jana@megalomedia.com. Field Producers and camera operators may also submit reels. Include weblink to reel in email or mail to:

Megalomedia
Attn: Jana
6207 Bee Caves Rd. Ste. 125
Austin, TX 78746

Michael Seiwerath, executive director of the Seattle-based non-profit Northwest Film Forum, has announced his plans to step down from his position within the next several months. Seiwerath has been a part of the organization for 12 years and has held the position of executive director since 2001.
Under his leadership, NWFF completed a $625,000 capital campaign for the build-out of its current home, helped raise over $1 million for the production of local films and grew the organizational budget by 80%. During this time, NWFF has increased its national presence, distributing films (Police Beat, Walking to Werner) and establishing two festivals, Local Sightings and the Children’s Film Festival Seattle.
NWFF was shaped in large part by Seiwerath’s efforts, and the organization will continue to benefit from the lasting impacts of his untiring hard work and excellent leadership.

Portland International Film Fest Wraps, Announces Award Winners
The 31st Portland International Film Festival wrapped up its 18-day run Sunday, February 24, with more than 30,000 people attending screenings of 74 features and 38 shorts from over 30 countries.
Following the festival’s conclusion, PIFF announced the Oregon Live Audience Award winners, which include Jan Sverák’s Empties (Czech Republic) for Best Feature, as well as Eran Kolirin’s The Band’s Visit (Israel) for Best New Director. Eran was in attendance at the Opening Night Party sponsored by Hollywood Video. This year’s Best Documentary Award went to Alex Gibney’s Taxi to the Dark Side (U.S.), and the Short Film Award winner was Belgian filmmaker and Oscar nominee Guido Thysn’s Tanghi Argentini.