In LA everyone is working on a screenplay. In Portland everyone is an extra and knows Cole Wagoner.
No doubt influenced by the Twitter bubble in which I’m enveloped, lately I’ve come to the realization that Portland and Oregon have a respectable and growing film and video industry. Portland stars in a Gus Van Sant film every few years, television shows like Leverage and Portlandia excite us from time to time, and animation studio Laika is based here. But I’m most interested in the local indie projects, of which there are legion, which I try to feature occasionally on this blog, like the work of local actress Audrey Walker, and filmmakers Mike Vogel and Chris Wilson.
With this in mind, both for myself and for my dear readers, I thought it would be a worthwhile endeavor to round up all the local film and video industry blogs and websites I could find. With an immense amount of help from Portland-based actor Harold Phillips* and filmmaker Mike Vogel, I present to you the fruits of my research:
Oregon Film and Video Industry Blogs and Resources
The Confluence – Bringing together the creative streams of film, television, and media in Oregon…
“The Confluence” blog was created as a place for the Oregon film, television, and media community to come together and share what is going on locally in the industry.
Oregon Film And TV Dollars (work for ALL of Oregon!)
We’re focused on the economic benefit that Oregon’s Film and TV Industry brings to the state. In an era of unprecedented economic woes for the Beaver State, Oregon’s film industry is growing – hiring thousands of workers state-wide and pumping millions of much-needed dollars into our economy.
Oregon Movies, A to Z began life as a blog kept during the year which preceded the Oregon Sesquicentennial Film Festival at Marylhurst University. Dennis Nyback and [Anne Richardson] co-curated that ten day festival, which focused on expanding the definition of Oregon film to include, not just films made in Oregon, but films made by Oregonians.
OMPA – Oregon Media Production Association
OMPA is the largest nonprofit association for commercial, film and TV professionals in Oregon, uniting crew, talent agencies, producers, directors and others who cater to the industry.
As part of an effort to bridge the indie film makers with the actors to bring a sense of cohesion to the Portland film community we have launched . . . www.portlandindiefilms.com. If you are a local film maker and want to have your trailer featured please send us your information.
A place for actors to get the inside scoop from a working casting director. Featuring upcoming castings, workshops, premieres, audition tips, casting nightmares and acting resources. Find out what it’s like on the other side of the audition table!
PortlandFilm.Org – About local films, events, and people.
PortlandActor.Com – Oregon’s Official Resource Guide to Portland Acting and Film
And last, but not least!
portland craigslist – gigs – talent gigs
* I’m especially grateful for the help of Harold Phillips, who provided so much information when I asked that I was able to harvest enough for at least another future post. Stay tuned!
I Love what I’m seeing here!
The spirit of true Oregonians! I was born in Portland but haven’t been back since the mid 90’s. It’s ironic because I left the Pacific Northwest to pursue a career in entertainment–only to discover this burgeoning creative community evolving around mobile, social and real-time megatrends (my areas of interest).
Carry on! Something tells me I’ll be back sooner than I think.
Hi, you can also add director Jeff Scott Taylor’s networking website http://www.indiepictures.ning.com.
Hello…
I’m a Salem, Oregon writer with a screenplay about an Oregon man I am trying to sell.
Titled “Bat Outta Heaven,” the script is the true story about the late Jake DeShazer, a bombardier on the “Bat Outta Hell,” a B-25 ship that took part in the famous Jimmy Doolittle Raid over Japan in April of 1942.
Captured by the Japanese after the Raid, DeShazer had a religious epiphany in solitary confinement and came to love his tormenting captors. What makes his story remarkable is that after the war he returned to Japan to preach the gospel in the very town–Nagoya–he had had in his bombsites just a few years before.
Even more remarkable about DeShazer is that he was a key figure in the conversion to Christianity of the man–Cmdr. Mitsuo Fuchida–who led the air assault on Pearl Harbor.
While the film has a religious tone, it deals mostly with DeShazer’s training for trhe Raid, his capture and confinement.
At this time I’m looking for an Oregon producer or director who may want to review my treatment and/or script.
I’m hoping you can help steer me in the right direction.
Regards,
John Schmitz