Mi 5 14 web by Media Index Publishing Group

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 26 • OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

PUBLISHER

James R. Baker EDITOR

George Riddell ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Susan Haley Katie Sauro STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Regan MacStravic SALES MANAGER

Katie Higgins SALES

Steve Joseph PRODUCTION MANAGER

John Rusnak PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Kelly Baker DESIGNERS

Dawn Carlson Beth Harrison Sonija Kells (l-r) Grimm stars Russell Hornsby as Hank Grifﬁn, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, and Schakal. PHOTO BY SCOTT GREEN/NBC/NBCU PHOTO BANK

FEATURES

EFFORT UNDERWAY TO RAISE WASHINGTON FILM INCENTIVE CAP

LAGGIES MAKES ITS SEATTLE DEBUT

MOVIE FILMING GIVES BOOST TO ECONOMY IN KLAMATH FALLS

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH LAIKA

BRINGING THE UNDEAD TO LIFE: THE MAGIC’S IN THE MAKEUP TEAM

TUTHILLS TEAM UP FOR FILM FINANCING STORYTIME SITE, MrsP.COM, CELEBRATES 6 YEARS WITH PORTLAND TALENT AWKWARDLY AWESOME SHORT FILMS: COMING TO A COUCH NEAR YOU

COMING ATTRACTIONS: TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL

BENDFILM: 11TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL RUNS OCTOBER 9-12

PTFF WRAP UP

CLATTER&DIN CELEBRATES 20 YEARS WITH ANNIVERSARY BASH

SAN JUANS BOASTS TWO NEW FILM FESTIVALS

OREGON FILM OFFICE NAMES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Q&A: ASK AN AGENT

CASTING DIRECTOR SPOTLIGHT

OREGON PRODUCTION UPDATE: A WRAP AND WELCOME BACK

VOICE OVERS: THE SECRET SAUCE FOR GOOD BRANDING

PARTNERING RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY TO PROMOTE PACIFIC NORTHWEST MEDIA

AMAZON PILOT SHOOTS IN SEATTLE

BLACK ROAD: CRAFTED TO MAKE A PROFIT

DIY DISTRIBUTION IN THE DIGITAL WORLD: A CASE STUDY

EUGENE WELCOMES TRACKTOWN PRODUCTION

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THE SCRIPTEE AT YOUR SERVICE

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

ROLL THE CREDITS

MEDIA INC. INDUSTRY LISTS 32

ANIMATION COMPANIES

POST-PRODUCTION COMPANIES

WEBMASTER

Jon Hines OFFICE MANAGER

Audra Higgins INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER

Lois Sanborn COVER

Florian Perinelle works with the Lord Portley-Rind puppet during production of LAIKA and Focus Features’ family event movie The Boxtrolls. PHOTO BY JOHN LEONHARDT / LAIKA, INC.

Media Index Publishing Group 14240 Interurban Ave. S. Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 (206) 382-9220 (800) 332-1736 Fax (206) 382-9437 Email: media@media-inc.com www.media-inc.com 1219 SE Lafayette Suite 201 Portland, OR 97202 Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. Advertising conﬁrmation deadline is the 30th of the month prior to issue publication. Advertising mechanicals are due the 5th of the month of issue. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Inc. and will not be returned. Subscriptions. Annual subscriptions to Media Inc. (6 issues) are $15 (+$2.20 if sent to WA address); two-year subscription is $30.00 (+$3.30 if sent to WA address). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Inc., or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues of Media Inc. are available at Media Index Publishing Inc. ofﬁces at the cost of $5 plus tax. Copyright © 2014 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in USA

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celebrates

years with Anniversary Bash

eattle-based production services company Clatter&Din turned 20 this year and celebrated with a blow-out bash in August. For more, see Media Inc.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special anniversary section on page 74.

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Oregon Film Office Names Executive Director

he Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & Television Board announced the appointment of Tim Williams as executive director. Williams comes to the job after a lengthy search by the Oregon Film Board and plans to officially start in Oregon Film’s Portland office by October 1. Previously based in London, New York, and most recently Los Angeles, Williams has a long history in film and TV production and finance throughout the U.S. and internationally. He recently worked for Fox Searchlight during preparations for their upcoming film Wild, which shot in more locations throughout Oregon than any other feature film. It was during this time that Williams got to know both the Oregon Film Office

“I’m excited about the people, the talent and the infrastructure that I have met and seen in Oregon.” and the thriving media industry based in Oregon. He is replacing outgoing executive director Vince Porter, who moved on to be Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber’s Policy Advisor on Jobs and the Economy. “I am pleased that Oregon was able to attract someone of Tim’s caliber and experience to join us and to build upon Vince Porter’s great work over the past years,” said Oregon Film Board chairman, Gordon Sondland. “We had an exceptional pool of talent from which to choose, and Governor Kitzhaber and I are looking forward to be able to work with Tim to continue to create a robust and stable ﬁlm and television employment base in Oregon.” “I’m excited about the people, the talent and the infrastructure that I have met and seen in Oregon,” said Williams, “and

I can’t wait to help build on what is already a thriving creative community through a program which seeks to invest in a diverse pattern of both local and outside projects. This is a state I have always admired, having family who live and were born here, but it wasn’t until working on Wild that I saw the strength of the Oregon production community and the diversi- Tim Williams ty of locations that make this such a great filming destination.” Williams has been both an executive and independent producer for more than 25 years and has partnered on projects with companies as diverse as Fox Searchlight, FreMantle Media, HBO, BBC, Vuguru, Hulu, BlipTV, Legendary Pictures and Film Finances. His credits have appeared on many projects, including the Emmy Award-winning HBO feature documentary Manhunt, the ALMA Award Best Picture Piñero, five-time Academy Award-nominated In the Bedroom, and the multiple award-winning online and Broadway hit, Old Jews Telling Jokes. From 1998 to 2011, Williams was a partner, co-president and head of production for GreeneStreet Films, a leading New York-based independent film company. While there, he was involved in the production of nearly 30 features, producing or executive producing most of their projects. Latterly, he managed the company’s opening and running of their Los Angeles office and started their new media initiative, Jetpack Media. Williams started his career as a set production assistant and assistant director in New York on numerous features, commercials and TV shows, and then worked for many years producing and directing new plays on the London Fringe. MI The Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & Television has been helping productions find, secure, and utilize magnificent locations since 1968. The Oregon Film Office’s mission is to promote the development of the film, video, and multimedia industry in Oregon, and to enhance the industry’s revenues, profile, and reputation within Oregon, and among the industry internationally. Visit www.oregonfilm.org for more.

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OREGON PRODUCTION UPDATE:

A Wrap and Welcome Back By Susan Haley Associate Editor

The Librarians ﬁlms in Portland. PHOTOS BY SCOTT PATRICK GREEN.

regon’s crew and vendors are scrambling to fill production needs as two successful TV shows return, and a number of smaller film productions start shooting this fall. The state is happy to welcome back Grimm (season four) and Portlandia (season five), both with production offices located in Portland. Greenroom (Portland), Brother in Laws (Klamath Falls) and Cabin Fever: Reboot (Molalla) are three feature films also in various stages of production. Thanks to Oregon’s legislature and support for the film incentive program, increased filming in the state has allowed businesses to grow as they deal with the demand for gear and equipment. Suppliers are able to add to their inventory and services to meet needs, and that makes for a more sustainable growth. Portland’s Gearhead Production Rentals moved into a new facility last year that includes 15,000 square feet. The company employs four people full time, several part-time employees and has eight trucks that stay busy. Gearhead’s Don Rohrbacker says, “We’ve seen steady increase in long-term projects, television series in particular. Both rentals and sales to feature work and local commercial production remains important. This has caused us to move into the larger facility, expand our offer(l-r) Russell Hornsby as Hank Griffin, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, and Schakal star in Grimm, which is being filmed in Oregon. ings across the board. In addition to the trucks and PHOTO BY SCOTT GREEN/NBC/NBCU PHOTO BANK supplies you may be familiar with, we now offer a two-ton production supply cube, overflow parking and an insert egon also saw The Librarians wrap its first season. This exciting stage soon to be completed here at 4720 SE 26th.” new TV series is from Electric Entertainment, which also proLarger shows also give local crew and cast opportunities to duced the highly popular shot-in-Oregon TV series Leverage, as grow in their own experience and add to their resume. Many well as the TV movie Librarian trilogy. Electric has proven itself then go on to bring their talents to smaller shows. Christina Koras much a fan of Oregon as Oregon has of executive producer tum, of Ravenous Studios, is one such crewmember. In 2006, Dean Devlin and the company. They have consistently made a Kortum had an opportunity to work on a small film. The inpoint of utilizing as much of the Oregon crew, cast and services creased demand for her work allowed her to form her own comas are available. pany in 2009. Since then she has worked on Grimm, The Librar“We had an amazing time shooting the first season of The ians, Portlandia, Wild and numerous local films, and is currently Librarians in Oregon. It was so great being back in the Pacific the key SFX makeup artist for Cabin Fever: Reboot, shooting in Northwest, working with the crew that we love on a project that Molalla, Oregon. is so special to us. I think I speak on behalf of Dean Devlin and Says Kortum, “I feel incredibly fortunate living in Oregon in all the producers of the show when I say that we certainly hope that I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in larger producthat we’ll be back next year. Our fingers are firmly crossed for tions that come to town, as well as more intimate indie projects season two and beyond,” said producer Rachel Olschan. such as Cabin Fever, where I get to be a part of the design proThe Librarians premieres on December 7 on TNT. cess.” Oregon appreciates the return business and is also proud of its In addition to welcoming returning shows and new films, Ortalented crew, vendors and actors! MI OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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Effort Underway to Raise Washington Film Incentive Cap By George Riddell Editor

urrently, the state of Washington is one of 38 states offering film production incentives. Qualifying feature films, episodic TV series and commercials can receive rebates of as much as 35 percent of their in-state expenditures. However, with an annual cap of just $3.5 million, Washington’s incentive is one of the smallest in the country, and can’t realistically compete against states with much larger caps (or no cap in many states). This year in late April, before the popular summer shooting season even began, Washington Filmworks, which oversees the state’s film production incentive program, announced that after just four months, the state’s entire allotment of funds available as production incentives for feature films and TV series had been exhausted. The cap had been met. Washington Filmworks reached the cap for the most part because of two major summer production projects: Z Nation, a 13-episode TV series for Syfy network shot this summer in Eastern Washington, and Captain Fantastic, a feature film shot this summer in Western Washington, starring Viggo Mortenson. Over the next several weeks, Amy Lillard, executive director of Washington Filmworks, watched in frustration as multiple projects that she had been courting to shoot in Washington chose locations in other states, where production incentive money was available. “After we announced we were out of funds, Washington Filmworks continued to receive calls daily from greenlit projects that were ready to hit the ground running in Washington State,” she said. Lillard estimated that “these projects would have had an estimated $55 million of economic impact over the summer months.” The impact is felt in the form of jobs for local actors, film crewmembers, hotel rooms, catering companies, restaurants, rental companies and many other businesses that support the film industry, both directly and indirectly. And she said there has likely been more business lost, as well. Z Nation and Captain Fantastic provide strong examples of the benefits these productions can provide to the Washington film industry and the state’s general economy. These two projects alone employed hundreds of workers this summer. Filmworks estimates that Z Nation provided more than 12,000 worker days to Washington cast and crew during its summer shooting schedule, while Captain Fantastic was expected to employ more than 350 Washington residents. But Lillard sees the potential for much more: “We need to grow the incentive program to keep up with demand.” The demand to shoot in Washington is clearly plentiful among filmmakers, but the competition among states that offer cashback incentives to producers is very high. Lillard knows the key

Washington Governor Jay Inslee poses with zombie extras on the set of Z Nation during a recent visit to Spokane.

to being more competitive is raising the state’s cap. So, while the legislation that created the current incentive program is scheduled to remain in place until 2017, Washington Filmworks is acting now to start the wheels of change moving towards increasing the state’s cap before the current sunset period. Their first order of business was to form an Advocacy Committee, headed by James Keblas, former director of the Seattle Office of Film + Music and now president of Seattle advertising agency Creature, and entertainment attorney and longtime Northwest film advocate Lance Rosen. Rosen and Keblas will work with Lillard to connect with legislators across the state, and work towards a new solution that will make Washington more competitive in the film incentive marketplace. In addition to Washington Filmworks’ efforts, the local film community is stepping up to the plate. What started as a Facebook group called the Seattle Film Industry Caucus is now a group of concerned film professionals that have met numerous times in person, including once with Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. Writer/director Douglas Horn, one member of the Caucus, said the group is committed to engaging elected officials with Washington Filmworks in an effort to develop legislation that supports a more competitive incentive program. They have identified potential tools that can help with this effort, as well. One such tool is the resurrection of the previously dormant political action committee formerly known as Film PAC. Formed in 2010, Film PAC was created during the last round of legislative action by Seattle film industry member and activist Ron Leamon. Today, Leamon is joined by others in the state’s film community in relaunching the organization as WAfilmPAC. Current leadership of WAfilmPAC consists of chairman Leamon, vice chair Lacey Leavitt, treasurer Joanne Ort and secretary Krk Nordenstrom. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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funds along to support the campaigns of candidates who also support that agenda. But Leamon believes there is more to it than that. “Our agenda is not only increasing the incentive, but increasing awareness of who we are as an industry,” he said. “I believe they go hand in hand. This has been the ongoing education of our communities of legislative, film, and nonfilm.” Leavitt and Leamon are big believers in the general economic benefits the state would realize from an increase to the state’s incentive cap. “A local economy that experiences a film, television or commercial project in their area will feel a positive financial impact and, depending on the project, a boost in tourism,” said Leamon. “By supporting these legislators that believe in our industry, we support the economic future of Washington State.” Leamon sees the value of WAfilmPAC in communicating

Providing operators and equipment

Leavitt said WAfilmPAC’s immediate priority is clear. “The film incentive cap needs to be raised,” she said. “Our industry has been so successful at cultivating and drawing production work that we became victims of our own success this year, running out of incentive funds not even halfway through the year.” Leavitt added that the demands to shoot film projects in Wash- (L – R) Douglas Horn and James celebrate as they make the ington State have in- Keblas first contributions to WAfilmPAC. creased over the past several years. “What we’ve been able to accomplish with the fifth-smallest fund in the nation is impressive but we can and should build on the amount of dollars spent on Washington State labor, small businesses and local vendors.” The organization’s stated goals are based around the common objectives of helping elect state legislative candidates who are likely to support the film industry. Like any political action committee, WAfilmPAC exists to help raise money from supporters of its political agenda, in order to pass those

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425-891-8575 Duffel@akteleprompt.com www.akteleprompt.com

these benefits. “It’s an important tool to talk with candidates about industry issues,” he said. “WAfilmPAC also hopes to engage filmmakers, film crew and talent in Washington State to be active and effective participants in government affairs.” The alternative to increasing Washington’s film incentive cap is to continue with the status quo until it reaches the legislation’s sunset in 2017. But the cost could be high for Washington’s film industry. “One of the great success stories of the incentive program is our investment in our local storytellers like Lynn Shelton, Lacey Leavitt and Megan Griffiths,” said Lillard. But, she continued, “as their success has increased, so have budgets for their projects. With only $3.5 million in our fund annually, our homegrown talent is being forced to take their proj-

ects to states with more competitive incentives.” Robust film production in Washington would reap widespread benefits for the state’s general economy, and allow the growth and development of the region’s fertile creative talent pool for years to come. Lillard is determined. (L-R) Mischa Jakupcak, Z Nation star Pisay Pao, Seattle “The production producer Lacey Leavitt, plus unidentified zombies celebrate incentive program the re-launch of WAfilmPAC at the Spokane Happy Hour event. remains the most powerful tool that we have to win motion picture business,” she said. “There is great interest to produce films, commercials and episodic series in Washington State, but not the business model to support it.” MI A series of WAfilmPAC fundraising events is being scheduled throughout the state in the weeks ahead, and will continue beyond. For up to date information about these events and more, visit www.WAfilmPAC.org and follow @wafilmpac on Twitter.

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Partnering Research and Industry to Promote Pacific Northwest Media By Mary Erickson Founder and Director of Pacific Northwest Media Research Consortium

his summer, a group of scholars who focus on media in the Pacific Northwest formed an organization to gather their research in one place. I spearheaded the founding of the Pacific Northwest Media Research Consortium in order to highlight the ways in which regional media contribute to the overall cultural makeup of the Pacific Northwest.

City Lights Cinema in Florence, Oregon.

I have been researching and working in film and television in the Pacific Northwest for a number of years, and I have seen a huge growth in the strength and vitality of these industries. For example, in 2013, Moviemaker Magazine declared Seattle as the third best city in the U.S. to make movies. Portland came in at number five. The metro area of Vancouver, BC, regularly hosts major TV and film productions, such as Once Upon A Time, Bates Motel, and the latest Godzilla blockbuster. Meanwhile, new film-related ventures have started across the Pacific Northwest region. The Film Factory opened facilities in Kelowna, BC, to provide a hub for filmmakers and other local creatives. After being closed for over a year, a movie theater in Florence, Oregon, reopened as an independent cinema in August under the new name City Lights Cinema. Such a vigorous landscape of media activity signals interest in and excitement about the region and the possibilities of

homegrown creative production. I see similar developments in other regional industries, such as video games and Internet. There is public interest and pride in supporting locally-based media, both for the cultural caché as well as for the regional economic beneﬁt. There are also numerous researchers doing really great work about phenomena that impact regional media, and this work could make a positive contribution to the media landscape, strengthening it even more. The Consortium is intended to bring these two elements—the research and the industry—together to facilitate and promote active, vibrant media that stems from and gives back to the region. This international network of researchers focuses on media in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, a unique region in its own right with similarities in geography, environment and culture. The scope of media is broad: ﬁlm, television, newspapers,

video games, Internet, radio, and so on. Consortium members bring a range of experience, both academic and professional, to facilitate sustainable, ethical and culturally productive media in the Pacific Northwest. Members specialize in historical, cultural, political and economic dimensions of Pacific Northwest media, including regional minority newspapers, environmental links to media, independent filmmaking communities, Cascadian identities, and the unique relationships that emerge when media crosses the U.S.-Canada border. We have started a blog about Pacific Northwest media to begin to track some of

the phenomena we’ve been witnessing. Some of our articles cover the challenge of establishing public access television in a community; Kelly Reichardt’s 2013 ﬁlm, Night Moves; and the state of independent movie theaters. As it grows, the Consortium is also developing resources for those who research and teach about media in the Paciﬁc Northwest. The website will host an online repository of research articles, books, videos and other sources that focus on locally- and regionally-based media. We are also assembling teaching resources to facilitate increased under-

standing of media in the region. The Consortium is in the midst of developing partnerships with other regionally-focused academic programs, archives and industry organizations. These relationships will help direct our organizational research agenda starting next year, which will focus primarily on the research needs of the region’s media industries. MI To learn more about the Consortium and partnership or member opportunities, visit our website (pnwmediaresearch.wordpress. com), and connect with us on Twitter (@pnwmedia) and Facebook (facebook.com/pnwmediaresearch). OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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Amazon Pilot Shoots in Seattle

n original pilot from Amazon Studios is currently being shot in Seattle and surrounding areas.

The Man in the High Castle, based on the 1962 book by Philip K. Dick, is scheduled to shoot through mid-October, and has already been spotted at Union Station in Pioneer Square, the Old Rainier Brewery in Georgetown, and at the top of Queen Anne Hill, among several other locations. In addition to Seattle filming locations, at press time, the pilot was also scheduled to film in Roslyn, Washington. According to a Daily Record newspaper article dated September 10, crews were set to arrive in Roslyn on September 29 with filming on October 2 and 3. Here is the pilot’s premise, according to Deadline.com: The project is set in 1962 and explores an alternative reality in which Nazi Germany and Japan won World War II and occupy the United States, with the East Coast controlled by the Nazis and the West Coast owned by Japan, and a chunk of the Midwest still up for grabs. The Man in the High Castle is being produced by Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions. Scott has been trying to adapt Dick’s Hugo Award-winning novel for years, and had even struck a

Crew sets up for a scene at the Old Rainier Brewery in Georgetown.

deal for a four-part mini-series in 2010 with BBC, and again in 2013 with Syfy, but nothing ever came to fruition. From writer/executive producer Frank Spotnitz (best known for his work on The X-Files) and director David Semel, the pilot stars Alexa Davalos (Mob City), Luke Kleintank (Pretty Little Liars), Cary Tagawa (Beyond the Game) and Rupert Evans (Hellboy). The Man in the High Castle is part of Amazon Studios’ third annual pilot launch, in which Amazon will determine which pilots will be picked up based on viewer feedback. Sources speculate that although the pilot is being ﬁlmed in Washington State, it is unlikely that the series, if picked up, would ﬁlm here due to lack of incentive funds (see story on page 13). MI

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Laggies Makes its Seattle Debut Photos by Regan MacStravic

enowned Seattle director Lynn Shelton was hoping to screen her latest offering, Laggies, at Seattle International Film Festival, like she has with most of her previous films. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I begged (distribution company) A24,â&#x20AC;? she explained to a rapt audience at SIFFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Women in Cinema festival in September. But the New York-based company, which acquired domestic distribution rights to Laggies after its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year, wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow it to be screened until closer to its release date. But even though Laggies didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t screen at the spring festival, it still got its SIFF premiere when it opened the weekend-long Women in Cinema event on September 18. In fact, SIFF changed the dates of Women in Cinemaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;typically held each Januaryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to accommodate Sheltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ lm. Along with SIFF artistic director Carl Spence, managing director Mary Bacarella, and director of programming Beth Barrett, Shelton introduced her ďŹ lm to a packed house at the newly reopened Egyptian Theatre on Capitol Hill. She thanked her cast and crew, and even welcomed several department heads (including producer Lacey Leavitt, production designer John

Lavin, costume designer Ronald Leamon, composer Benjamin Gibbard, and locations manager Dave Drummond, among others) to the stage after the screening for a Q&A. The ďŹ lm itself is another jewel in Sheltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crown, equal parts comedy and drama, featuring excellent performances from stars Keira Knightley (with a ďŹ&#x201A;awless American accent), ChloĂŤ Grace Moretz and Sam Rockwell. Laggies also features tons of great Seattle locations, including a beautiful scene at Chihuly Garden and Glass, shots in Nordstrom and Sea-Tac Airport, and a boat scene on Lake Union. MI Come see Seattle shine on screen when Laggies opens in 300 theaters nationwide on October 24.

SIFF PRESENTS: WOMEN IN CINEMA T hroughout the weekend of September 18-21, SIFF showcased H[FHSWLRQDO Ă&#x20AC;OPV IURP ZRPHQ around the world.

In addition to Lynn Sheltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Laggies, feature Ă&#x20AC;OP VFUHHQLQJV LQFOXGHG Kelly & Cal from director Jen McGowan, I Am Yours IURP 1RUZHJLDQ Ă&#x20AC;OPmaker Iram Haq, and the award-winning Someone You Love from Danish director Pernille Fischer Christensen, among several other selections. Documentaries included The Last Season from

director Sara Dosa, Stray Dog from director Debra Granik, and Misconception from director Jessica Yu. ,Q DGGLWLRQ WR Ă&#x20AC;OP VFUHHQLQJV WKH HYHQW included special programs such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Going Above and Beyond to Make Groundbreaking Film,â&#x20AC;? a panel discussion about how fePDOH Ă&#x20AC;OPPDNHUV DUH EUHDNLQJ WKH FRQYHQWLRQDO Ă&#x20AC;OPPDNLQJ PHWKRGRORJ\ WR PDNH WKHLU movies. For more information, visit www.siff.net/cinema/women-in-cinema-2014.

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Bill Pullman on set. PHOTO BY LACY JARRELL.

Movie Filming Gives Boost to Economy in Klamath Falls By Holly Dillemuth Klamath Falls Herald and News

etween restaurant meals, hotel stays, catering, and everything in between, the filming of Brother in Laws in the Klamath Basin of Oregon is slated to bring $700,000 into the Klamath Falls area, according to film location manager Michael Chickey.

The economic boost is in addition to added publicity for the town, where many scenes in the movie are being filmed, including at the Klamath County Government Center, Adora Salon and Spa, and a downtown store owned by Linda Warner. “It’s a wonderful industry to have visit here,” said Klamath Falls Mayor Todd Kellstrom. “They rent places and they buy stuff. It’s just a nice, clean economic boost for the industry.” But while Klamath Falls made the final cut for the film, it was only one of several areas that were first under consideration. “They brought me in and basically told me to find a cabin on

a lake anywhere in Oregon,” Chickey said. “It was kind of a dream whirlwind scouting for two or three weeks.” After scouting more than 10 lakes all over Oregon, including Crescent Lake, Detroit Lake, Devil’s Lake, Tenmile Lake and Odell Lake, Lake of the Woods stood out to Chickey. Many of the film’s scenes were shot at a westside Lake of the Woods Resort cabin in mid-August and early September. “Once I got here, I was like, they’re coming here,” Chickey said on the set of the film in Keno in mid-September. And the rest of the film followed, taking film crew and cast— including actors from Saturday Night Live, Bill Pullman and Rita Wilson—all over the Klamath Basin, and impacting a variety of businesses. “We tried to source as much locally as we could,” Chickey said. And that was noticed, particularly by Eric Peterson, manager of the Lake House Restaurant. Peterson and his restaurant staff catered two meals a day for the cast and crew for 15 days at Lake of the Woods, including an all-night film shoot in Keno. He emphasized the film staff searched out ways to utilize local establishments like the Lake House Restaurant at Lake of the OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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ﬂexible. The whole cast and crew were amazing.” Breakfast and lunch times varied from early in the morning to late at night, but the caterers made sure they didn’t leave hungry. “We served anywhere from 70 to 110 people,” Peterson said. “It was a great experience. It was something I never thought that I’d be able to do.”

Cast at the cabin. PHOTO COURTESY INSTAGRAM

Woods Resort. “It was really nice of them to trust us local restaurants,” Peterson told the Herald and News. “They really cared. They ate in our restaurant a lot up here. It would be great to have more ﬁlms (shot) here.” And the menu for the cast and crew was piled with the restaurant’s favorites, such as smoked tri-tip, salmon, cod, tilapia, enchiladas and tacos, as well as salads and desserts. “We tried to change it up,” Peterson said. “They were really

Local coffee shop a favorite Gathering Grounds owner Brandon Sickler has been providing “craft services” to the crew and cast since filming began in mid-August. Sickler has kept busy during the filming of the movie, bringing coffee, tea, sandwiches and soup as needed. “They’re pumping in hundreds of thousands of dollars into this community,” Sickler said, who added that the film has brought in at least $20,000 for his own establishment. “It’s been a perfect thing, we were a newly established business,” Sickler said. On set, he’s had a “backstage pass” to both cast and crew, and he said he has a new appreciation for the hard work they do. “They called me ‘Crafty,’” he said. “I was everybody’s best friend as long as I kept them fed. “They just need the calories to keep going.” He also made sure to provide foods for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free meals. While the Brother in Laws film has created excitement in the Klamath Basin during the last several weeks, it’s not the first time crews have looked at the area for filming a movie. Kellstrom said he remembers the Basin got some consideration for the filming of The River Wild, starring Kevin Bacon and

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The cast of Brother in Laws. PHOTO COURTESY INSTAGRAM

Meryl Streep. But the film was shot in the Rogue River and in Idaho. Some scenes from the film Night Moves, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard, also were filmed at Lake of the Woods in 2012, according to George Gregory, manager at the Lake of the Woods Resort. Last fall, the cast and crew of Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon, were at Crater Lake National Park.

City, county pleased with movie presence The set of Brother in Laws on the Klamath streets and surrounding areas is something welcomed by the city and Klamath County, according to Kellstrom and Commissioner Tom Mallams. “From the sounds of things, the crew has had a good experience here,” Kellstrom said. “That will resonate as they talk to other people in the industry.” Mallams agreed. “It’s a great exposure for the city and the county,” Mallams told the Herald and News. “They’re generating quite a bit of dollars into our community while they’re here.” Mallams also emphasized that the ﬁlm crew is “paying their own way” to utilize parts of downtown Klamath Falls, as well as the Klamath County Government Center. “We want to encourage them to because they’re a business,” he said. “It’s a very good win-win.” MI

Filming Brother in Laws. PHOTO BY STEVEN SILTON

For location information or questions about ﬁlming in Klamath County, contact Klamath County Chamber of Commerce at 541884-5193 or inquiry@ klamath.org. To contact the author, email hdillemuth@heraldandnews.com.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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Bilingual Video Production In Spanish And English With Passion And Cultural Understanding Our services include: Educational & Corporate Videos Promotional & Commercial Spots Documentaries & Special Programs News Coverage with Talent in Spanish Casting Services Translation Voiceover in Spanish or English

P.O. Box 17287, Seattle, WA 98127

(206) 706-1255 www.latinonorthwest.com info@latinorthwest.com 26 MEDIA INC. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Black Road: Crafted to Make a Profit

THE NEW CULTURE OF FILM ENTREPRENEURSHIP, REGIONAL FILM INVESTMENT & ARTISTIC SUSTAINABILITY By Anne Lundgren Guest Columnist

he science-fiction thriller Black Road was filmed this summer over 21 days on a shoe-string budget in the hills of Ashland, Oregon.

The film is the third that we’ve made in Southern Oregon, after the baseball comedy Calvin Marshall (2010) and the road drama Redwood Highway (2014). It’s set in the year 2049 and stars Sam Daly as a cyborg drifter hired to protect a mysterious woman from her evil ex. Black Road was crafted from the early stages of script development to make a profit. Unlike our first two films, it is a genre movie and was made as cheaply as possible with the intention of being profitable. Many will cry: Heresy. Sell-out. True art cannot be limited by profitability. Filmmaking by nature is limited, no matter the budget. It is a collaborative, chaotic art form produced in a finite number of labor-intensive, mind-numbing, 12-hour-plus days. The creative team makes hundreds of decisions and calculated compromises each day. It is the talent of this team and the force of the vision that create great art, not the budget. Therefore, a film can be made for almost any amount. When we set out to make Black Road, we knew we would have to be creative in our financing strategy. Even after having two features released theatrically and widely available on DVD, VOD,

and Digital (Netflix, Amazon, iTunes), independent film financing still proves difficult. Our first film, Calvin Marshall, was released between 2008-2010 when independent distributors were going out of business and consumers were transitioning from buying DVDs to digital formats. At one point, our distribution consultant said, “I can’t recommend a distributor, because I don’t know who will be in business next month.” The film was released and is still available on DVD and digital, but its pre-2008 budget did not match the reality of post-crash revenues. Redwood Highway was made for a conservative budget, was released theatrically in 2014, and is now available on digital and DVD outlets. It is by most counts very successful, but it will be a few years before we know if it is profitable. Independent producers are faced with a new world of changing distribution models, shrinking budgets and skeptical investors. And who can blame the investors? To them, the film industry is a black box, confusing and risky, with non-traditional business models often unexplainable even by industry experts. What’s an independent filmmaker to do? Building a long-term career and earning a living wage can seem all but impossible, and filmmakers often despair and give up. We were faced with this proposition in 2013 when it seemed that no one was willing to take a risk on an independent film, especially without the guarantee of blockbuster revenues. Instead we began to live by a new mantra—if we want to keep making movies, we must show profits. Really, this is just good business sense. We based the budget on what we knew the film could make within the first couple of years, including a good OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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profit margin, and the script was written with budget in mind, having limited locations and speaking roles. Black Road is a genre film, but ultimately the characters and story still convey heartfelt humanity and meaning, as in writer/director Gary Lundgren’s other films. As artists, we can’t help but be true to the art form. That will always take precedence. But now we also have the opportunity to focus on business elements and embrace a new culture of film entrepreneurship. In the end, the financing for Black Road reflects a tapestry of generosity by the friends and communities of all of the cast and crew. The budget is made up of sponsor donations, in-kind services, Kickstarter funding, and investor equity. Most of the food for the shoot was donated by local restaurants. Brammo let us use their Empulse electric motorcycle for the filming, the Ashland Springs Hotel sponsored hotel rooms for our out-of-town actors, and all of our equipment was donated. In addition, Black Road is a cast-and-crew-owned movie. We put together a tiny team, many of whom we’ve worked with for over 10 years. They sacrificed higher paying summer jobs to work for minimum wage and own a piece of the film. We raised half of the funds through Kickstarter from friends and family of the cast and crew and an incredibly supportive community. The other half of the funding came from a group

28 MEDIA INC. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

of regional investors who helped us build a business model that made sense to traditional, savvy, risk-adverse investors. They guided us, trusted us, took steps to learn about a new industry, and invested in our team and the hope of building a new regional film economy. Everyone on the crew wore multiple hats and worked their hearts out to make the best film possible. It was hard, but worth it. When we wrapped, a good friend (and one of our investors) asked, “So next time you’ll have a bigger crew, wear less hats and pay everyone real wages, right? You can’t ask everyone to do this again, can you?” I hope for higher budgets, but for now, the answer is that we have to earn them. The budget can only increase once our films, our audience, the market, and new distribution streams prove that profitability can be achieved at a higher budget. Otherwise we risk all that we’ve worked for—a prosperous, sustainable, artistically creative life—and the only thing we’ve really ever wanted all along: The opportunity to make the next film. MI Anne Lundgren is an independent film producer living in Ashland, Oregon. In addition to working on national commercials and music videos, she produces for her husband, writer / director, Gary Lundgren. Together they have made the features Calvin Marshall, Redwood Highway, and Black Road.

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Behind the Scenes with LAIKA OREGON ANIMATION PRODUCTION STUDIO TAKES US INSIDE THE MAKING OF THE BOXTROLLS

eleased on September 26, The Boxtrolls is the latest animated masterpiece from Hillsboro, Oregon-based LAIKA. Shot on-site in 3D, The Boxtrolls is a stop-motion, hand-drawn, and CG hybrid movie based on Alan Snow’s bestselling fantasy adventure book Here Be Monsters. The ﬁlm is several years in the making, including three years from pre-production to release. Part of the reason for this is the meticulous process of stop-motion animation. Single frame by single frame (and there are 24 frames per second in a motion picture), animators subtly and painstakingly manipulate tangible objects (characters, props, sets, etc.) on a working stage. Each frame is photographed for the motion picture camera—twice, if the camera is a 3D one, as on The Boxtrolls. When the thousands of photographed frames are edited and projected together sequentially, the characters and environment come alive. With 79 sets and over 20,000 handmade props, The Boxtrolls is the biggest production ever to be made in stop-motion animation, and is only the fourth stop-motion movie to be made in stereoscopic 3D following LAIKA’s own Coraline (2009) and ParaNorman (2012) as well as Aardman’s The Pirates! (2012). Here, LAIKA takes us behind the scenes of The Boxtrolls.

(L to R) Creative Supervisor of Puppet Fabrication Georgina Haynes explains the background on one of the puppets to voice talent Isaac Hempstead-Wright while Director of Rapid Prototype Brian McLean listens in. PHOTO BY LAIKA, INC.

30 MEDIA INC. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Michael Hollenbeck works on one of the Red Hat puppets during production of LAIKA and Focus Features’ family event movie The Boxtrolls. PHOTO BY JOHN LEONHARDT / LAIKA, INC.

A painter adds some green paint to carrot stocks. PHOTO BY JOHN LEONHARDT / LAIKA, INC.

Director of Photo graphy John As hlee Prat adjus reямВection. PHOTO ts a backlight BY JASON PTA SZEK / LAIKA, INC.

David Pugh works on the extensive Market scene. PHOTO BY ERIC ADKINS / LAIKA, INC.

Danail Kraev works on the Eggs puppet. PHOTO BY JOHN LEONHARDT / LAIKA, INC.

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eed animation or visual effects for your next project? Look no further than these Oregon and Washington companies.

Ackerman Films LLC Portland, OR 503-504-4499 dan@ackermanfilms.com www.ackermanfilms.com

Cinemagic Studios Portland, OR 503-233-2141 joe@cinemagicstudios.com www.cinemagicstudios.com

Animation Kitchen Seattle, WA chris@animationkitchen.com www.animationkitchen.com

Cinesaurus Lynnwood, WA 425-830-3545 info@cinesaurus.com www.cinesaurus.com

Arkitek Studios Seattle, WA 206-286-0337 beth@arkitek.com www.arkitek.com

CMD Portland, OR & Seattle, WA 503-223-6794 info@cmdagency.com www.cmdagency.com

Feel Good Anyway Portland, OR 503-236-7130 hello@feelgoodanyway.com www.feelgoodanyway.com

Marshall Arts Portland, OR 503-288-6791 designers@marshall-arts.net www.marshall-arts.net

Funnelbox Oregon City, OR 503-595-5901 hello@funnelbox.com www.funnelbox.com

Martin Arts Sammamish, WA 425-269-2729 smartin@martinarts.com www.martinarts.com

Hamilton Studio Spokane, WA 509-327-9501 info@hamiltonstudio.com www.hamiltonstudio.com

n/fek/tious Seattle, WA 206-956-0902 contact@nfektious.com www.nfektious.com

Happy Trails Animation Portland, OR 503-590-7377 hta@happytrailsanimation.com www.happytrailsanimation.com

NC3D Newlands & Co., Inc. Portland, OR 503-287-8000 donald@nc3d.com www.nc3d.com

HERENOW Creative Network Portland, OR 503-222-5551 design@herenowcreative.com www.herenowcreative.com

NiemannWorks Animation Portland, OR info@niemannworks.com www.niemannworks.com

B47 Studios Seattle, WA 206-501-3054 info@b47studios.com www.b47studios.com

Creative Media Alliance Seattle, WA 206-709-1667 info@creativemediaalliance.com www.creativemediaalliance.com

Bad Alien Productions Bothell, WA 206-383-6217 studio@badalienproductions.com www.badalienproductions.com

Deco-Studios Seattle, WA 206-547-2421 patm@deco-studios.com www.deco-studios.com

Bend Studio (part of Sony Computer Entertainment) Bend, OR www.bendstudio.com

Deep Sky Studios, LLC Portland, OR 503-943-5999 info@deepskystudios.com www.deepskystudios.com

Hitchings Design Milwaukie, OR 503-342-6707 info@hitchingsdesign.com www.hitchingsdesign.com

Pipeworks Eugene, OR 541-393-3500 pr@pipeworks.com www.pipeworks.com

Digital Double Redmond, WA 206-697-7120 info@digitaldouble.com www.digitaldouble.com

Hive FX Portland, OR 805-895-0282 gretchen@hive-fx.com www.hive-fx.com

Playfish Media Seattle, WA 206-455-5783 info@playfishmedia.com www.playfishmedia.com

Digital Elf Studios Portland, OR 503-977-1921 info@digitalelfstudios.com www.digitalelfstudios.com

HouseSpecial Portland, OR 503-225-1130 hello@housespecial.com www.housespecial.com

Tom Price/Storyboards Seattle, WA 206-937-3151 darkcartoon@comcast.net www.storyboardcity.com

Digital Foundry Portland, OR 503-235-3456 edit@pixthis.com www.pixthis.com

Kalakala Co. Langley, WA 360-221-0161 hello@kalakala.co www.kalakala.co

The Ranch Studios Seattle, WA 425-780-5897 danny@theranchstudios.com www.theranchstudios.com

Blue Plate Digital Seattle, WA 206-388-0174 brian@blueplatedigital.com www.blueplatedigital.com

The Edge Creative Seattle, WA 206-448-2222 sayhello@theedgecreative.com www.theedgecreative.com

KIRK TV, Incorporated Seattle, WA 206-789-0401 kirk@kirktv.com www.kirktv.com

red jet films Seattle, WA 206-282-4534 sue@redjetfilms.com www.redjetfilms.com

Cardboard Castle Portland, OR 503-764-9862 info@cardboardcastle.com www.cardboardcastle.com

EMA Video Productions, Inc. Portland, OR 503-241-8663 sales@emavideo.com www.emavideo.com

LAIKA Portland, OR 503-615-3344 ask_us@laika.com www.laika.com

Rex Post Portland, OR 503-238-4525 info@rexpost.com www.rexpost.com

CartoonMonkey Studio Portland, OR 971-227-7997 chadessley@gmail.com www.cartoonmonkey.com

Fashionbuddha Portland, OR 503-490-4787 studio@fashionbuddha.com www.fashionbuddha.com

Liquid Development Portland, OR 503-223-8500 info@liquiddevelopment.com www.liquiddevelopment.com

Run Studios Kirkland, WA 425-828-8822 run@runstudios.com www.runstudios.com

Bent Image Lab Portland, OR 503-228-6206 rayd@bentimagelab.com www.bentimagelab.com BLARE Productions Seattle, WA 206-438-9788 info@blaremedia.net www.blareproductions.com Blu Room Advertising, LLC Steilacoom, WA 253-241-8912 charles@bluroomadvertising.com www.bluroomadvertising.com

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Hinge Digital Portland, OR 503-820-3503 contact@hingedigital.com www.hingedigital.com

Panic Button Pictures Seattle, WA 206-464-1104 webster@panicbuttonpictures.com www.panicbuttonpictures.com

Sierra Media Everett, WA 425-259-4429 info@sierra-media.com www.sierra-media.com

Starfire Animation and VFX Seattle, WA 206-225-8369 coleman@starfireanimation.com www.starfireanimation.com

SuperGenius Oregon City, OR 503-303-5761 info@supergenius-studio.com www.supergenius-studio.com

Simuloid Visualization Inc. Portland, OR 503-490-8776 greg@simuloid.com www.simuloid.com

Straightface Studios Seattle, WA 206-282-4360 info@sfstudios.com www.sfstudios.com

Talk It Up Productions Seattle, WA 360-815-3916 anny@talkituptv.com www.talkitupproductions.com www.talkituptv.com

Stroma Studios Seattle, WA 770-846-8451 blair@stromastudios.com www.stromastudios.com

Victory Studios Seattle, WA 206-282-1776 info@victorystudios.com www.victorystudios.com

Sly Studios Kirkland, WA 206-953-8460 highersly@slystudios.com www.slystudios.com

Studio Kate Portland, OR hello@studiokate.us www.studiokate.us

Visualclay 3D Studios Seattle & Spokane, WA 360-265-7008 sales@visualclay.com www.visualclay.com

Sparkworks Media Seattle, WA 206-284-5500 info@sparkworksmedia.com www.sparkworksmedia.com

Studio216 Inc. Seattle, WA 206-718-9798 info@studio216.com www.studio216.com

VMG/Studio520 Bellevue, WA 425-457-7100 info@vmgstudio520.com www.vmgstudio520.com

Spin Creative Seattle, WA 206-686-6278 contact@spincreativegroup.com www.spincreativegroup.com

Subversionz Media Seattle, WA 206-920-1394 goldie@subversionz.com www.subversionz.com

Voda Brands Seattle, WA 206-441-8158 info@vodastudios.com www.vodastudios.com

Sketchbook, Inc. Bend, OR 503-740-2494 joe@sketchbookinc.com www.sketchbookinc.com

Wallace Creative Inc. Portland, OR 503-224-9660 info@wallyhood.com www.wallyhood.com Wattsmedia, Inc. Seattle, WA 206-456-6553 david@wattsmedia.us www.wattsmedia.us WideAngle Studios Vancouver, WA & Portland, OR 360-601-0215 contact@wideanglestudios.com www.wideanglestudios.com Workhouse Creative, Inc. Seattle, WA 206-402-4889 info@workhousecreative.com www.workhousecreative.com yardVFX Portland, OR 503-688-5345 yardwork@yardvfx.com www.yardvfx.com Don’t see your name on the list? E-mail editor@media-inc.com.

Corporate communications specialists. Deep experience throughout the Northwest. • Digital Cinema/Crews • Studio/Greenscreen • Post, Animation, EFX

sierra-media.com

425-259-4429

Everett, WA OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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POST-PRODUCTION COMPANIES

Allied Video Productions; Salem, OR 503-363-7301; fax 503-363-6477 scott@alliedvideo.com www.alliedvideo.com

Scott Hossner, CEO

B47 Studios; Seattle, WA 206-501-3054 info@b47studios.com www.b47studios.com

Kevin Maude, CEO; Norma Jean Straw, director content dev.; Bennie Soto, director business dev.

Bad Animals; Seattle, WA 206-443-1500; fax 206-441-2910 wendi@badanimals.com www.badanimals.com

Dave Howe Mike McAuliffe Tom McGurk

BingoLewis, Inc.; Portland, OR 503-223-2224 info@bingolewis.com www.bingolewis.com

Nancy Anderson

Blue Plate Digital; Seattle, WA 206-388-0174; fax 206-299-3376 brian@blueplatedigital.com www.blueplatedigital.com

Brian Pelzel, owner

Bullseye Disc; Portland, OR 503-233-2313; fax 503-233-4845 curtis@bullseyedisc.com www.bullseyedisc.com

Curtis Kidwell, president

Cinemagic Studios; Portland, OR 503-233-2141; fax 503-233-0076 joe@cinemagicstudios.com www.cinemagicstudios.com

Joe Walsh, president/EP

Clatter&Din, Inc.; Seattle, WA 206-464-0520; fax 206-464-0702 tickle@clatterdin.com www.clatterdin.com

Peter Barnes, president Leigh Eckert, EP Vince Werner, CD

Cross Films; Seattle, WA 206-297-3456 michael@crossﬁlms.com www.crossﬁlms.com

Michael Cross, director/editor

Deep Sky Studios, LLC; Portland, OR 503-943-5999 info@deepskystudios.com www.deepskystudios.com

Jared Hobbs, founder

Digital Foundry; Portland, OR 503-235-3456 edit@pixthis.com www.pixthis.com

John Meyers, chief

Digital One; Portland, OR 503-228-3441; fax 503-224-7413 cameron@digone.com www.digone.com

Eric Stolberg, president

Digital Wave Productions, Inc.; Portland, OR 503-227-9283; fax 503-715-0500 wayne@digitalwave.tv www.digitalwave.tv

Wayne Paige, president

Dubs, Inc.; Seattle, WA 206-624-3827; fax 206-624-3854 contact@dubsinc.com www.dubsinc.com

Charles Core, co-owner Troy Murison, co-owner

The Edge Creative; Seattle, WA 206-448-2222 sayhello@theedgecreative.com www.theedgecreative.com

Peter Howland

EMA Video Productions, Inc.; Portland, OR 503-241-8663 sales@emavideo.com www.emavideo.com

Ed Mellnik, president

Film to DVD (division of Tobin Cinema Systems); Spokane Valley, WA 509-621-0323; ﬁlmstodvd@comcast.net www.tobincinemasystems.com

Clive Tobin, president

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Final Take Productions; Bothell, WA 206-799-6735 john@ﬁnaltakeproductions.com www.ﬁnaltakeproductions.com

John Holmes, president Dan Holmes, VP

Ford Video Inc.; Seattle, WA 206-525-0449 ford@fordvideo.com www.fordvideo.com

Susan Warden Patricia Ford

Funnelbox; Oregon City, OR 503-595-5901 hello@funnelbox.com www.funnelbox.com

Robb Crocker, CEO/founder

Glass Jaw/Michael Gross Productions; Seattle, WA 206-818-5267 mikalgross@glass-jaw.com

Michael Gross, principal

GoodSide Studio; Seattle, WA 206-322-1576 studio@goodsidestudio.com www.goodsidestudio.com

Matt Krzycki, CD

Guenther Group; Seattle, WA 206-938-7903 kelly@guenthergroup.com www.guenthergroup.com

Kelly Guenther

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POST-PRODUCTION COMPANIES

HEARby; Seattle, WA 206-948-0169 info@HEARbysound.com www.HEARbysound.com

John Buroker, owner

ILF Media; Spokane, WA 509-755-4536; fax 509-755-4343 info@ilfmedia.com www.ilfmedia.com

Jim Swoboda, partner/director Daro Walker, partner/computer programmer

John Davidson Color; Seattle, WA 206-782-5114 john@jdavidsoncolor.com www.johndavidsoncolor.com

John Davidson, owner/operator

KIRK TV, Incorporated; Seattle, WA 206-789-0401 kirk@kirktv.com www.kirktv.com

Kirk Schroeder, president

KTVA Productions; Portland, OR 503-659-4417 mail@ktvavideo.com www.ktvavideo.com

Rick Phillips, owner

Lightpress, Inc.; Seattle, WA 206-462-4717 info@lightpress.tv www.lightpress.tv

Jeff Tillotson, president Eric Rosen, VP Shane Dillon

LNS Captioning; Portland, OR 800-366-6201; fax 503-299-6839 mlynde@lnscaptioning.com www.lnscaptioning.com

Carol Studenmund, president/ owner Madeline Lynde

Martin Arts; Sammamish, WA 425-269-2729 smartin@martinarts.com www.martinarts.com

Scott Martin, president

McComb Sound; Seattle, WA 206-774-7915 info@mccombsound.com www.mccombsound.com

Matt McComb, owner/engineer Maggie Garcia, producer

Mission Control Inc.; Portland, OR 503-235-1122; fax 503-235-1133 terry@missioncontrolinc.com www.missioncontrolinc.com

Mike Quinn, president

Mortimore Productions; Spokane, WA 509-327-8384 info@mortimore.com www.mortimore.com

Dan Mortimore, president/DP/ producer; Angela Downey, VP marketing & sales/producer; Ray Gross, sr. editor/audio engineer

MoshMedia; Portland, OR 503-688-1977; fax 503-287-5886 stevewood@moshmedia.com www.moshmedia.com

Steve Wood

Paciﬁc Multimedia; Everett, WA 425-347-4110; fax 425-710-9932 jim@pacmultimedia.com www.pacmultimedia.com

James Campbell

Pilot Rock Productions; Medford, OR 541-776-5802 info@pilotrockproductions.com www.pilotrockproductions.com

Roger Harris, GM

Playfish Media; Seattle, WA 206-455-5783 info@playfishmedia.com www.playfishmedia.com

Jillian Suleski, owner/producer

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POST-PRODUCTION COMPANIES

Producciones Pino; Lynnwood, WA 425-774-7772; fax 425-775-1980 ernesto@produccionespino.com producpino@aol.com, www.producciones.com

Ernesto G. Pino

Production Partners; Seattle, WA 206-441-3773; fax 206-443-5402 john@productionpartners.cc www.productionpartners.cc

John Douthwaite

ProMotion Arts; Seattle, WA 206-938-0348; fax 206-493-2987 info@promotionarts.com www.promotionarts.com

Steve Crandall, managing director Drew Witt, managing producer

Pure Audio; Seattle, WA 206-728-6300; fax 206-728-1433 inbox@pureaudio.com www.pureaudio.com

Paul Goldberg, president Kathy Levin, studio manager

Recording Associates; Portland, OR 503-777-4621; fax 503-777-4622 recassoc@teleport.com www.recordingassociatesportland.com

Jay Webster, partner Chris Webster, partner Bob Stoutenburg, partner

red jet films; Seattle, WA 206-282-4534; fax 206-812-0768 sue@redjetfilms.com www.redjetfilms.com

Jeff Erwin, owner

Rex Post; Portland, OR 503-238-4525; fax 503-236-8347 info@rexpost.com www.rexpost.com

Russ Gorsline

Roam-Studios; Seattle, WA 206-293-2598 dan@roam-studios.com www.roam-studios.com

Dan Larson, owner/editor

Rocket Pictures; Seattle, WA 206-623-7678 les@rocket-pictures.com www.rocket-pictures.com

Les Fitzpatrick

Don Ross Productions; Eugene, OR 541-343-2692; fax 541-683-1943 drossprod@gmail.com www.donrossproductions.com

Don Ross

Sadis Filmworks; Seattle, WA 206-728-1610 stephen@sadisﬁlmworks.com www.sadisﬁlmworks.com

Stephen Sadis

Sparkworks Media; Seattle, WA 206-284-5500; fax 206-284-6611 info@sparkworksmedia.com www.sparkworksmedia.com

Michel Hansmire, president Travis Metcalf, co-owner

SprocketHeads, LLC; Anchorage, AK 907-248-4829; fax 907-248-0239 post@sprocketheads.com www.sprocketheads.com

Loren Church, post production manager

StudioBard LLC; Portland, OR 503-273-2273; fax 503-225-1852 audiospa@studiobard.com www.studiobard.com www.hotspotmusiccompany.com Tim Underwood Productions/ TheWebVoice.com; Bend, OR 877-284-7876; fax 541-317-0496 studio@tuproductions.com www.thewebvoice.com

Michael Bard, head funkologist

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POST-PRODUCTION COMPANIES

Victory Studios; Seattle, WA 206-282-1776; fax 206-282-3535 info@victorystudios.com www.victorystudios.com

Conrad Denke, CEO Saul Mitchell, VP media services

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Kevin Raichl

VMG/Studio520; Bellevue, WA 425-457-7100; fax 425-457-7104 info@vmgstudio520.com www.vmgstudio520.com

Kelly Sparks, CEO/queen bee

Voda Brands; Seattle, WA 206-441-8158 info@vodastudios.com www.vodastudios.com

Josh Courtney, chairman/CCO

Wattsmedia, Inc.; Seattle, WA 206-456-6553 david@wattsmedia.us www.wattsmedia.us

David Mangone, partner/EP/ director Andrew Watts, partner

White Rain Films; Seattle, WA 206-682-5417; fax 206-682-3038 bill@whiterainﬁlms.com www.whiterainﬁlms.com

Brad Bolling, director Bill Phillips, producer

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40 MEDIA INC. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

DIY Distribution in the Digital World: A Case Study By Ryan Davis Guest Columnist

f you’re an independent filmmaker, one of the biggest problems you face is not knowing what you don’t know. In an effort to change that, we’ve been given full access to an independently produced feature-length thriller (made and set right here in the Pacific Northwest!) that is currently available for both rental and sale on iTunes and Vimeo On Demand platforms. We have control over pricing, promotion and placement, as well as access to the full data set associated with each platform. We’ll know how much we spend on digital and social advertising, as well as the ROI for each specific ad buy. And we’ve got the expertise of the indie film community to help develop a set of best practices for a DIY distribution template, which is the end goal of this endeavor. Let’s get started... First off, we’re not going to reveal the title of the film (just yet) in order to keep the data as pristine as possible out of the gate. We’d like to maintain some type of firewall between the case study and the film itself until we’ve turned a few promotional knobs and pulled a few marketing levers in service of seeing what works and what doesn’t for the film prior to announcing it to the world and potentially creating an influx of page views, etc., that could throw off our numbers. Secondly, we’re doing this “live” in an attempt to encourage participation in a lab-like, educational setting as opposed to a “lessons learned” post-mortem after the dust has settled. If some of these tactics are bound to fail, that’s fine, but we’d like to course correct in real-time and keep the curtains open in hopes of learning even more about why certain tactics work and others don’t. It might be a bumpy ride, but that’s sort of the point. As of August 21, 2014, Indie Thriller has amassed the following numbers on Vimeo On Demand since its platform debut on February 3, 2014 :

“Sales” and “gross revenue” are self-explanatory, whereas “trailer plays” and “On Demand plays” account for the number of times the “Play” button was pressed (though not necessar-

ily the number of times the content was watched all the way through to the end). Indie Thriller went live on iTunes on September 21, 2013, where it has tallied the following sales ﬁgures to date:

Total revenue, in USD ($), earned by Indie Thriller on iTunes through August 10, 2014 (date of last unit sale).

As far as total revenue is concerned, Vimeo is responsible for $128.82 and iTunes accounts for $353.69, for a grand total of $482.51 over 11 months. You don’t have to be an economist to see that those aren’t the kind of numbers that lay the foundation for a sustainable enterprise. Most filmmakers don’t launch their digital strategy until they begin to prep for their festival premiere, which is much too late for it to have any real impact. Savvy filmmakers get started in pre-production, and their strategy includes objectives and key metrics that connect their engagement efforts with their overall goals for the film, as well as those of their burgeoning filmmaking careers. Your strategic objectives should include words like “increase,” “establish,” and “engage,” and your key metrics should focus as much as possible on rates, not raw numbers. For instance, engagement rate trumps post “likes,” and audience growth rate is a better indicator of success than total page likes. And there’s a big difference between community management (which typically includes updating channels and responding to comments) and digital strategy, which connects your community management tactics with your overall film (and career) goals. One without the other can only get you so far; you need both to be successful. With those points in mind, we’ll now share with you the ‘top page’ strategy we’ve initially developed for Indie Thriller, featuring a single goal supported by specific objectives, which are, in turn, assessed via measurable key results. Overall goal: A profitable DIY distribution run for Indie Thriller. Profitability, of course, will vary from film to film depending on its budget. In this specific case, we want to focus solely on distribution, so will proceed with the assumption that this particular independent filmmaker was initially given a cash “grant” from a rich aunt, meaning she has no investors to make whole. As such, profitability will be calculated simply by subtracting total costs from gross revenues. We have a small ($500) OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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advertising budget to work with and whatever earned/social media support we can muster. Objective #1: Build awareness for Indie Thriller across multiple online channels within the #indiefilm community. • Engage #indiefilm fans online in at least ten targeted markets between launch of campaign and December 1, 2014. • Build audience of “true fans” that will share updates and take ownership of promoting Indie Thriller as we build momentum both online and off. • Increase social engagement rates ( [shares + comments + RTs] /[total audience reach] ) across all channels. • Create original content, including interviews, film stills augmented with text, and teaser clips tailored to specific audiences in ten targeted markets to drive rentals and purchases of Indie Thriller. • Execute single “thunderclap”-style social blitz at mid-point of campaign, on or around October 30. Objective #2: Drive at least 7,500 rentals (avg. unit price $4.49) and 1,000 sales (avg. unit price $9.99) of Indie Thriller for $43,665 in gross revenues. • Acquire at least 20 4- and 5-star user reviews of Indie Thriller by November 15, 2014. • Secure at least four reviews of Indie Thriller by online film critics by November 15, 2014. • Double the number of links to Indie Thriller’s Vimeo On Demand sales page in social content shared with #indiefilm com-

munity. • Perform weekly network analysis (using NodeXL) centered on specific keywords (including film title, director, etc.) and online influencer accounts to best target promotion and sales efforts. • Launch #indiefilm influencer word-of-mouth social campaign to drive potential customers to Indie Thriller’s Vimeo On Demand sales page. • Launch holiday sale lasting from “Black Friday” through December 15, 2014. Objective #3: Drive Vimeo On Demand metrics that most positively influence sales. • Develop and test hypotheses (via weekly regression analyses) to determine weekly marketing budget allocations and tactics based on increase in Vimeo On Demand metrics (independent variables) that most positively influence sales (dependent variable). That last one’s a doozy, but without data discipline, you can’t say for sure what’s working and what’s not. It might seem painful at first, but once your team gets used to measuring your film’s performance, you’ll find it’s a lot easier (and quicker) to make marketing and promotional decisions. If you’re willing to take the time to build and execute a digital strategy that not only sells your film, but also builds your audience, you’ll find, over time, that you’ve created a sustainable base from which to launch new projects, monetize completed ones, and support the work of fellow filmmakers. MI

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Eugene Welcomes Tracktown Production By Mary Erickson Guest Columnist

n front of a small red house in south Eugene, film crewmembers jump in and out of two moving trucks, one full of gear and the other operating as a mobile office/dressing room/ wardrobe area/wi-fi hotspot. A handful of other cast and crewmembers wait quietly in the yard as scenes are filmed in the house’s living room. This is the set for Tracktown, an independent feature narrative film written and directed by Jeremy Teicher and Alexi Pappas. The film follows Plumb Marigold, a distance runner hoping to qualify for the Olympics; this character is played by Pappas, herself a real-life runner and Olympic hopeful. As Plumb struggles through her demanding training regimen in the lead-up to the Olympic Trials, she meets Sawyer, a local bakery employee, played by Beaverton native Chase Offerle. With him, she begins to explore a world—and a city—outside of what she’s always known. Because the film takes place in Tracktown, USA (Eugene’s alter ego), the filmmakers were committed to making the film in the real locale. Teicher and Pappas partnered with producer Laura Wagner of Bay Bridge Productions, an independent film and theater production company, to develop Tracktown. Together, they connected with Jay Smith, an associate director on Portlandia. Smith grew up in Pleasant Hill, 15 minutes southeast of Eugene, and has been working on films in Oregon and elsewhere for 30 years. Teicher and Pappas appealed to him to work on their film.

“I got to know Jeremy and Alexi,” Smith says, “and I wanted to support them.” He was also excited to contribute to the growth of moviemaking in Oregon. “It’s nice to see production going around the whole state (and not just in Portland),” he says. “I feel like there’s a third wave of filmmaking coming in Oregon…The indie world is very alive and well in the Northwest.” Smith jumped into the production, reaching out to local financiers to get a good chunk of the budget secured, deferring his own salary in the process. The film’s budget comes in under $1 million, a limitation that has actually contributed to creating a positive and creative environment on set. “We’ve been able to bring good people in,” says Smith. “It’s not about money but about being able to be creative.” Kate Smith, the film’s costume designer and Smith’s daughter, echoes this sentiment: “Everyone is in better spirits on this film,” she says. “We’re all just trying to work with what we have.” The community of Eugene has welcomed the film, too. The film production was able to use Hayward Field and the Casanova Center, the university’s newly renovated training center, as locations. “Since Alexi is part of this elite world, we’ve had amazing access,” says producer Laura Wagner. “People at the UO have welcomed us. We found out that’s really rare and special.” Local businesses have donated food and other locations, and people have been excited to see filming in the area. “Eugene is a really nice place to make a film,” says Wagner. “People are excited to see us shooting on the block.” “The town has been so supportive of the project,” says actor Chase Offerle. “Eugene is very welcoming. It’s like one big family here… This place absorbs us and welcomes us. We couldn’t OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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ask for a better situation.” Tracktown is slated to run the festival circuit next year and will be released just prior to the 2016 Olympics, an event in which Pappas aims to compete. A sneak preview will likely happen in Eugene next year as well, giving the community the ﬁrst peek at Eugene on the big screen. MI Mary Erickson is a ﬁlm/media consultant who specializes in distribution, marketing,

research and writing. She is the founder and director of the Paciﬁc Northwest Media Research Consortium, an international network of scholars who research about media in the PNW region. Her book, Independent Filmmaking Around the Globe (co-edited with Doris Baltruschat), will be released by the University of Toronto Press in January 2015. Mary can be reached at mali_bing@hotmail.com.

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Tuthills Team Up for Film Financing

liver W. Tuthill Jr., president of Blue Wood Films LLC, has teamed up with Cody L. Tuthill, owner of Bellen Snow Productions LLC, to focus on completion funding for feature films with budgets ranging from $1 million to $20 million. Cody, who holds a Master’s Degree in Producing from the Seattle Film Institute, met Oliver there in 2012 when Oliver was teaching Blocking and Staging for Camera for the institution. Two years ago Cody briefly worked with Oliver on a social media campaign for his feature film in development titled Constantine the Great. Cody also briefly assisted Oliver and Tim Rhys, owner and publisher of MovieMaker Magazine, as a consultant on their documentary feature Fighting Blind: The Sugar Ray Seales Story, which is in development. In April of 2014, Oliver helped a music producer friend find a funding organization for a feature film the music producer was working on that he wanted to shoot in Seattle. Oliver discovered he wanted to help other filmmakers find funding for their films and began contacting various organizations that dealt with film production and film funding. He soon realized the job was far more complicated and complex than he realized, and he asked Cody if she would like to work with him on finding film producers in need of procuring completion funding for various film projects. Cody said yes, and a new partnership was created. Cody brings extensive experience to the job with her background in fiscal analysis and financial reporting while working as a budget and financial analyst at the University of Washington. In 2013 and 2014 she worked as a producer at Painted Monkey Productions and brought a creative and consultative approach to her work with film projects at all different stages of the process, from development to post-production. She worked on short projects, web series and full-length features. Cody brings a skilled, studied presence to every project she works on. “She is very talented and understands how the film business works,” Oliver stated while overseeing the production of the new soundtrack he is composing for his historical feature,

Constantine the Great. “She works well with all kinds of people, and I also think she is a natural as an actress too, although she wants to concentrate on the business end of production.” Cody seems pleased with how Oliver goes about the delicate Cody (left) and Oliver Tuthill. and complex business of funding and producing films. “He works hard, and he understands film production and all its nuances,” she says. “I can count on him to do what needs to be done. We spend a lot of time talking with film producers and film financiers from all over North America and Europe.” Oliver has raised funding for and produced a number of films, including award winners Wounded Heart: Pine Ridge and the Sioux featuring American Indian actor and activist Russell Means, and the crime thriller The Right to Bear Arms starring John Savage. His films have been distributed by Entertainment 7, Passion River Films, Reality Entertainment and Aquarius Productions. At the time of this writing he was in active negotiations for production of his newest crime thriller, Cottenhead. The Tuthills, who say they can trace their heritage back to Jamestown when their family members landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, look forward to serving film producers throughout the United States and Europe. Already they are working on numerous projects that are multiple levels of negotiations. “We have to deliver when it comes to getting films funded and produced,” Cody said after ending a call with several bankers in New York. “Oliver and I are both in this for the long term. We are a team. I know I can count on Oliver, and he knows he can count on me. We understand it takes a while to start a business like this, and we look forward to helping bring slates of new films to the domestic and foreign markets.” MI

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48 MEDIA INC. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Storytime Site, MrsP.com, Celebrates 6 Years with Portland Talent By Susan Haley Associate Editor

rsP.com, the award-winning children’s website shot in live-action video with TV actress Kathy Kinney—best known for her role as Mimi on The Drew Carey Show— playing the part of Mrs. P, is designed to expose children to literature and foster a love of reading. From the site’s launch in November of 2008, the company has used the same local Portland talent to make the website come to life. Since the website’s inception, everyone involved has continued to grow together as technologies and skill sets have evolved. Miles Sprietsma, a filmmaker, musician and artist, continues to edit the online story videos and prepare various file formats for licensing deals of audio and video books. As the technologies have changed, he keeps the site abreast of the latest compression algorithms, for example. Website designer Mark Luvass has helped make the site more accessible to Mrs. P’s education audience. The site’s initial design was very interactive—almost a game-like interface—with streamed content and required a broadband connection to view it properly. As it became clear that schools were the main audience using the site, a focus group determined teachers wanted a simplified interface and a more standard platform. While MrsP. com is very simple now, it works for the education segment. Once YouTube started having channels, it allowed for the creation of playlists for teachers to go along with Mrs. P’s Reading is Cool

blog containing class projects and thought-provoking questions for students. This led to the creation of a teacher page, so educators didn’t have to do a lot of searching around to find ideas for their classrooms. Illustrator Robin Robinson (www.robinillustration.com) has become the mainstay illustrator for Mrs. P’s classic renditions. Robinson met Dana Plautz, one of the founders of the site along with Clay Graham and Kathy Kinney, at the Portland Art Institute during her final portfolio review. She has also illustrated all the original stories that are part of the annual Be-a-Famous Writer Contest (contest.mrsp.com) for K-4 classrooms. Robinson even helped the company create their own book, Mrs. P’s Four Favorite Fairy Tales & Funny Stories, formatting it for digital print on demand. Recently, Robinson illustrated L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz for Penguin Young Readers, and wrote her own indie picture book called Wanda’s Wart, which will be the first contemporary picture book filmed by Mrs. P for her magic library. The story, about navigating friendship and bullying, will be part of Mrs. P’s October playlist bringing awareness to National Bullying Prevention Month. “The collaborations with the local talent in Portland have proved to be very fruitful for Mrs. P,” said Plautz, who produces the website. “With technologies changing every day, you have to be nimble and able to find fresh ways to bring your content to your audience. You need a knowledgeable talent pool to achieve that goal and we have found that here in Portland.” MI

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FILM FESTIVALS It’s hard to tell who’s photographing whom in this shot of Couch Fest founder Craig Downing and the festival team posing—where else?—on a couch.

Awkwardly Awesome Short Films: Coming to a Couch Near You By Stephanie Hoover & Crystal Foley Guest Columnists

hile the title “Couch Fest Films” might stir ideas of a few guys huddled around a computer watching the latest viral videos, don’t let the name fool you. Couch Fest features some of the best short films of the year. Craig Downing, Couch Fest’s founder, began the festival as a way to bring people together in strangers’ homes to enjoy great films. “It’s an unpretentious approach to pretentious films,” said Downing. Couch Fest is the largest single-day short film festival in the world, featuring shorts of up to eight minutes. As opposed to traditional venues, films are screened in living 50 MEDIA INC. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

rooms and community spaces around the globe. Anyone can apply to be a host with what they think might be a good screening area. The entire selection of ﬁlms will be shown in roughly 10 venues in Seattle, where the festival is based. Selected hosts outside of Seattle will be sent a condensed “best of” package to screen. Downing got the idea for the festival after he moved from Austin, Texas, to Seat-

Couch Fest Films founder Craig Downing.

tle in 2004, and experienced what many have dubbed the “Seattle Freeze.” He found it hard to meet and connect with new people. “I was trying to ﬁgure out how to ﬁt into a place that was a little bit more reserved than I was used to, which kind of stirred the idea of Couch Fest,” he said. “I knew it was going to be kind of awkward

in people’s houses, so originally the tagline was ‘awkwardly awesome,’ but we kind of embraced that.” Downing’s passion for film began when he participated in South by Southwest’s (SXSW) Make a Film in a Weekend (MAFIA) contest, in which filmmakers are given 48 hours to shoot a short without editing on Super 8 film. The festival got him hooked on film, but he continued to work as an elementary school teacher, which he was still doing when he came to Seattle. “The whole time I was lying to myself. I was like, ‘I’m not a third grade teacher, what am I doing? I wanna make films,’” he said. “I felt bad for my students; I would be writing lessons but then writing screenplays on the side in class. They’re doing coloring books and I’m doing storyboarding. It was terrible.” Shortly thereafter, Downing started getting involved with Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum, competing in contests and eventually making screenplays and a trailer for them. “Then I was like, ‘wait a minute, I think I’m a filmmaker,’” he said. “So I got tricked into it.” Prior to Couch Fest, Downing had no experience or knowledge of running a film festival, but he knew he wanted to foster a sense of community in Seattle, not only for his fellow Seattleites but also for himself. “I knew I loved shorts, I knew I wanted to do something that was community-based,” he said. “The trick is… it’s not really a film festival, it’s a community development project disguised as a film festival.” The festival started with just 10 houses in Seattle in 2008,

Couch Fest Films founder Craig Downing during his elementary school teaching days in Austin, Texas.

but soon word caught on. Downing soon began to receive emails from people across the country interested in the festival, asking him to bring Couch Fest to them. At ﬁrst he brushed the idea off, but after moving to Iceland he realized the festival could easily be screened there—or anywhere else in the world, for that matter. Thus far the festival has been met with great enthusiasm, and in past years has reached venues as far away as a community center in Nepal, a castle in Berlin and a packed boat in Iceland. “I would love it to be in a cave, in a tree house, anything,” said Downing. “Just as long as it’s an opportunity where people can publicly, collectively come together.”

Because many people are venturing out of their comfort zone by attending a film festival in a stranger’s home, Downing said he feels obligated to give them what he describes as “the best reward ever.” The reward, as you may have guessed, is outstanding films. The films shown are a combination of submissions, darling shorts from larger film festivals and Couch Fest staff picks. “We mine the Internet, we mine film festivals, we go everywhere to try and get films,” said Downing. “It doesn’t matter if it’s from USC film school or some basement in Pensacola, good film is good film, I don’t care.” The total number of films selected has ranged from 40 to 65 in past years, but Couch Fest doesn’t commit to a quota. “Honestly, if we looked at all the film festival films and all the films that were submitted and we only saw 10 that were good, we’d only have 10 films that year,” he said. “Unfortunately, we accept very few films. But if we accept your film, you have got a loyal, fanatic person on your side.” As the selection criteria are broad, Downing and his team look for films they would “get in a fight for.” “We’re looking for something that’s fresh and original that punches you in the gut,” he said. “And you want it to punch you in the gut again.” Couch Fest will take place on December 6, 2014. The festival screens all of the titles in Seattle, with a 45- to 90-minute selection sent to the rest of the venues around the globe. Locations outside of Seattle are free to attend. However, because Seattle attendees have a chance to see the entirety of the films in the festival, they will need to purchase tickets for a nominal fee (last year’s cost $10). Tickets will be available at couchfestfilms.com

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starting late November. Each Seattle venue will feature a uniquely themed program of shorts, which will play throughout the day, on the hour, allowing visitors time to circulate through all of them. Venue locations change annually but are typically restricted to one area of town, dependent upon where the host applications are coming from that year. Regardless of the venue, A Couch Fest Films screening. there is an obligatory intermission in which festivalgoers are encouraged to discuss the films and give feedback, which are accounted for in the Couch Fest awards. Additionally, a jury judges the films. Films receive a weighted algorithm score based on staff, jury and audience ratings, and the top three highest rated films receive a gold, silver or bronze couch. However, Downing doesn’t want any of the filmmakers to walk away without a prize. Every competitor receives an award highlighting what the staff loved most about that film, whether it was longest title, best soundtrack or anything in between. The top film receives a small cash prize, as well as “clout, industry opportunity and silliness,” Downing said. In the past, jury members have also judged for SXSW and Seattle International Film Festival, allowing plenty of easy networking opportunities for

the filmmakers. Additionally, they have a chance for their film to be seen by audiences around the world. “It is a film festival, but it’s also a distribution model,” said Downing. “Oh, people like your film in Seattle? How would you like it played in 50 places around the world? That’s kind of like an instant distribution model. Congratulations, Couch Fest just signed your film for a global contract.” Downing said he wishes he could give the winners larger monetary stipends, but the festival is not about profit, for the festival’s staff or the filmmakers. “We’re not making money,” he said. “At this point it’s basically a project that we believe in and that we believe in the films and we want to connect that.” Motivation for attending the festival could be the novelty of an unconventional venue or a love of short films. Whatever the reason, Couch Fest aims to nudge people a little outside their comfort zone and a little closer to the stranger next to them on the couch. “By default most people are good, especially if it’s someone who is paying to go see shorts in a stranger’s house,” he said. “I have a good feeling they’re probably kooky-awesome. And you probably want them on your couch.” MI

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FILM FESTIVALS

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

Tacoma Film Festival

he Tacoma Film Festival, running October 9 – 16, is a celebration of independent film mirroring the diverse and eclectic sensibilities of Western Washington’s second largest city. Including live action, documentary, and animated short and feature films from the Pacific Northwest and all over the world, TFF prides itself on showcasing the connectedness of local, national and international film. All screenings are held at The Grand Cinema in Tacoma.

This year, TFF welcomes legendary film critic and historian Leonard Maltin as its special guest. Most well known for his work on television and as an author, Maltin is also a widely published journalist, film professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and a voting member of the National Film Registry. Local cinephiles will have two opportunities to meet Maltin throughout the opening weekend of TFF, including: Friday, October 10: TFF Primetime Friday with Leonard Maltin Pre-film reception at the TFF Lounge with Leonard Maltin catered by Maxwell’s Restaurant & Lounge, followed by a screening of the dramatic thriller The Two Faces of January starring Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac. Following the film, Maltin will lead an in-theater film discussion.

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Saturday, October 11: Saturday Afternoon with Leonard Maltin Join Leonard Maltin in The Grand Cinema’s lower lobby for an intimate book signing and meet & greet. Only 30 tickets will be sold and will include a signed copy of Leonard Maltin’s 2015 Movie Guide and admission to the afternoon screening of one of Maltin’s all-time favorite films, State of the Union (1948). “We’re extremely excited to welcome one of the most accomplished and beloved film critics of our time to Tacoma,” says TFF festival director Laura Marshall. “Almost our entire staff has read at least one of his books and his reviews are read and watched widely by our patrons at The Grand Cinema.” Adds Grand Cinema executive director Philip Cowan, “It will be the first time that TFF and The Grand have welcomed a film personality of this prestige to Tacoma and we’re hoping that Leonard will be the first of many. As not only a television personality, but also a critic, historian and scholar of film, Leonard very much embodies the culture of film dialogue, education and exploration that we try to cultivate at both TFF and The Grand.” Other major TFF events include opening night, which kicks off at 7pm on Thursday, October 9, with a screening of the highly anticipated romantic comedy Laggies starring Keira Knightley and Sam Rockwell. Acclaimed director Lynn Shelton is a Seattle native and filmed Laggies in her hometown, making it both a “local” and “major indie” feature film that fans of coming-ofage comedies are sure to enjoy. Immediately following the screening, join filmmakers, festival sponsors and local cinephiles at the TFF Lounge for the Opening Night Mixer, which will feature a cash bar and music by a local DJ. MI For more information on TFF events or on any of the 100 film selections, visit www.tacomafilmfestival.com.

FILM FESTIVALS

BendFilm: 11th Annual Festival Runs October 9-12

endFilm, Central Oregon’s premier and celebrated film festival, announced the full slate of films selected for the fest’s 11th year, marking a new era under the leadership of director Todd Looby.

The festival released the names of the films, totaling 16 narratives, 17 documentaries and 61 shorts. The films were selected by Looby, board member and programmer Juli Hamdan, and their screening team. BendFilm is proud to announce that for the first time in the fest’s history they are partnering with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to screen two Native American-themed films at the reservation, Winter in the Blood and Return of the River. “I am continually in awe at how strongly the Central Oregon community supports BendFilm,” said Looby, a recent transplant from Chicago. “With this kind of support, this festival has the potential to do even more amazing things in Central Oregon and in the national independent film scene. With indie havens like Portland and Seattle so close, there is a bright future for independent film exhibition and filmmaking in Bend, the Warm Springs Reservation and the surrounding area. Our outstanding 2014 program is a strong sign that we are pushing ahead.” Opening Night Film Portland-based director Beth Harrington’s SXSW breakout, The Winding Stream, traces the ebb and flow of the Carter Family Dynasty’s influence on American Country Music, including the marital alliance with Johnny Cash and the efforts of the family to keep this legacy alive.

Special Engagement Spend an afternoon with Tony Kaye (American History X). Kaye will attend the festival and screen his acclaimed 2011 film, Detachment, starring Adrien Brody. Afterword, Kaye, a fiercely independent director, will discuss his experience working both within and outside of the Hollywood system. In competition for this year’s cash prizes are 11 narrative features, 12 documentary features and 53 shorts. Brooks Resources Corporation is once again sponsoring the $5,000 cash prize for Best of Show—an amount unique among four-day regional film festivals. Indie Women for Independent Film will sponsor additional $500 cash prizes in multiple categories. Panavision has also donated an impressive camera package worth $60,000 to go to the Best Narrative Feature. The festival’s jury includes some of the “Best of the Northwest” filmmakers and personalities: cinematographer Ben Kasulke, producers Mel Eslyn and Lacey Leavitt, film journalist Erik Henricksen, Academy Award-nominated animator Mark Gustafson, and shorts programmer for several key festivals Hebe Tabachnik. In the spring of 2014, MovieMaker Magazine once again included BendFilm in the “Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.” On the heels of its 10th anniversary celebration, BendFilm seeks to expand to a greater year-round presence in Central Oregon. BendFilm has already boasted a wildly successful screening of Alex Gibney’s The Magic Trip on the 50th anniversary of Ken Kesey’s iconic bus trip across the U.S., and, in conjunction with the Tower Theater, hosted a packed screening of Steve James’ acclaimed documentary, Life Itself. BendFilm also aims to expand its educational programs all over Central Oregon. MI BendFilm is made possible by a dedicated crew of volunteers and generous sponsors. For more information, call 541-388-3378 or visit www.bendfilm.org.

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FILM FESTIVALS

PTFF Wrap Up

The Free Outdoor Movie on Taylor Street is a PTFF tradition.

By Jan Halliday PTFF Director of Development

he Port Townsend Film Festival (PTFF), which one metropolitan daily called “Sundance by the Sea,” kicked off the morning of Friday, September 19, with a soft opening of independent films. All theaters were filled to capacity at the first 9am screenings, with lineups for tickets by 8am.

By noon, filmmakers were speaking to students in four district high schools, followed by director John Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi filling 250 seats in the well-used Port Townsend High School auditorium for a lively and candid conversation moderated by film scholar Robert Horton. Opening ceremonies at 4:30pm featured 60 film professionals, the mayor and the tribal chairman of the Lower Elwha Tribe introduced to the welcoming crowd as they stepped from the Rakers restored classic cars. Salmon dinners were served on Taylor Street to 625 guests and festival pass holders, both of these a PTFF traditional welcome since its inception 15 years ago. By 6:30 Friday evening, PTFF had sold out all six indoor houses, including the world premiere of Return of the River. Simultaneously, John Sayles’ Secret of Roan Inish flickered on the big screen set up at the end of Taylor Street, the free outdoor movie offered each night of the festival. Sayles and Renzi’s films and Q&A played to full houses both days. Meanwhile, New York fashion blogger Ali Seth Cohen received a standing ovation for his film, Advanced Style, to a standing room only crowd. Programming director Jon Gann also had standing room only at his Sunday, 9:15am “WA to WA” screening of favorites from his DC Shorts Film Festival. The festival also employed Skype for Q&As with Lynn Shelton, director of Laggies; Marshall Curry, director of Point and Shoot; and several other films whose directors could not attend. Technology played a huge part in the success of this year’s festival. The pre-show slides, which were set to music, shorts, feature narratives and documentaries were burned to Blu-ray discs, packaged as a complete program and sent to each theatre manager. Flawless software was written over a period of three months, and on the spot as needed, by retired Microsoft tech wizards Chris and Pat McFaul to handle the festival’s enormous load of paperwork, details and pass generation. Over 300 com56 MEDIA INC. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Director John Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi (center) in an impromptu interview with Mara Lathrop on Taylor Street.

munity volunteers did everything from projection to setting up straw bales for seating in the outdoor theatre. The festival this year also hosted their first two Film Fellows with a three-month residency so that they could edit their work, and gave festival scholarships of two nights lodging paid for by a donor and festival passes provided by SAGindie. More than 22 film reviewers narrowed 400 entries to 83 films screened September 19-21, in Port Townsend’s walkable National Historic District. Winner of best narrative film, awarded by jurors, was The Invisible Collection from director Bernard Attal, and best documentary was The Ballad of Shovels & Rope from director Jace Freeman. MI The PTFF program and other awards can be seen at www.ptfilmfest.com, along with highlights on the festival’s Facebook page.

FILM FESTIVALS

San Juans Boasts Two New Film Festivals

his fall, two film festivals will take place in the San Juan Islands, featuring film screenings, Q&As with filmmakers, networking opportunities, and more. The first annual Orcas Island Film Festival – Off the Edge (www.orcasfilmfest.com) takes place October 10-13 in the arts-rich village of Eastsound. Venues include the Orcas Center, the Sea View Theater and the Music Room at the historic Rosario Mansion. The festival will focus on films of the avant-garde, art house, trans-media and emerging edge film culture from around the world, featuring the most progressive directors, stories, techniques and ideas. The second annual Friday Harbor Film Festival – Stories from the Pacific Rim (www. fhff.org) will be held November 7-9. Set to debut are three powerful new films, The Barefoot Bandit Documentary, Fragile Waters and Material of the Future. An additional 30

films and 13 shorts will also be screened. Other highlights include the wildly popular Filmmakers Forum. Over 30 filmmakers will participate with the audience in commentary and Q&A periods. A Young Filmmakers Project will screen and critique the work of young filmmakers who have worked with filmmaker Laszlo Pal and islanders Sandy Strehlou and Noreen Ignelzi to produce short films. The focus of the entire festival is on films that: “Entertain – Inspire – Enlighten” viewers about the cultures and environments of the Pacific Rim. Four venues within easy walking distance of the ferry terminal and each other present the opportunity to discover Friday Harbor’s waterfront charm without needing a car. Awards will be presented for the best documentary, best short, best film representing “Tales of the Heart,” “Explorers and Adventures,” “Issues to Consider” and “Local Heroes.” MI

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Bringing the Undead to Life: The Magic’s in the Makeup Team

Zombiﬁed actors (l to r) David Schaefer, Brian McElroy, Nicole Suba, Caleb Miller, and Benjamin Ginsborough-Hron.

alypse, several current zombies have been surviving for a while before being infected; therefore many of them lood, gore and guts—all the have background stories and connecstuff we love about zombie tions with the present survivors. Foster said she and her team have enjoyed flicks—wouldn’t be possible the variety and challenge of emulating without a great makeup team. the characters in the zombie makeup. “Because we’re playing with the idea However, with the exploding popthat their speed is varied based on how ularity of zombie shows, it takes long they’ve been decaying, it makes more than greatness for a series to it a lot funner [sic] in the fact that evstand out. It takes a unique spin on ery zombie kind of has its own style of the oft-created apocalypse, which is movement and personality from each exactly what Syfy’s newest show, Z episode,” she said. Nation, aims to do. Corinne Foster, It’s not enough to just think up an the makeup department head, said awesome looking zombie; Foster must finding the originality in her interalso think about how that zombie will pretation of zombie makeup is her appear after it goes through post-profavorite part. duction. She says she did about 10 “I love the creativity of it, and the makeup tests in order to make the chance to just do something [the zombies look realistic once filters were way] you think it should be, rathapplied. er than what other people think it “We had to find the right color palshould be,” said Foster. “Creating ette that translated through the color zombies gives you the chance to cre- David Schaefer gets made up for a scene in Z Nation. treatment to get that look of what we ate the unknown, so nothing you do were going for,” she said. “In person they’re really green.” is wrong and it doesn’t matter, ultimately, as long as it looks Foster, who heads Synapse FX in Los Angeles, is no strangreally cool.” er to zombie makeup. She has worked on two other zombie Z Nation takes us three years into the apocalypse with a cast specials for Syfy, Zombie Night and Rise of the Zombies. Howof survivors on a mission. As the survivors in the series travel ever, the team has run into a few issues with their preferred across the country, we meet a variety of zombies along the water-based makeup, Kryolan Aquacolor, while on set in way—including nuclear zombies, toxic zombies, oil zombies, Spokane, Washington. Retouching has been a constant, said and dust cloud zombies. Foster, because the makeup isn’t staying on as effectively. She As opposed to many other zombie series and films, many speculates this may be due to the hard water in Spokane or of the ‘Zs’, as zombies are dubbed in Z Nation, are characterpossibly the difference in altitude and elements. ized. Because the show takes place a few years into the apoc-

By Stephanie Hoover & Crystal Foley Guest Columnists

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Actor Tommy Goodwin.

Makeup artist Corinne Foster puts the ﬁnishing touches on actor Derrick Walton-Cooper.

“We definitely have had a little bit more of a rough time in needing to stay on top of their touch-ups and… the fact that the weather changes constantly,” she said. “It’s so hard to figure out, like, ‘how much do we seal them today? It’s a sunny day! Oh wait, it’s raining.’” The makeup team consists of four artists from L.A. and three recruited artists from Seattle. Due to the fast-paced environment and limited budget restrictions for the show, the team uses a modeling technique that is applied with sponges in order to get the right skin texture. Going from human to zombie can take a while. Dependent upon the extent of prosthetic makeup needed, featured zombies may be in the chair for as little as an hour and a half or as long as four hours. Background extras are typically in the chair for 30 to 45 minutes. All the extras are from the Pacific Northwest, Foster said, and are refreshing to work with. “We’ve had a lot of really, really great extras that are all from the Northwest. I feel like the difference in people we have here versus in L.A. is that these people are excited at the idea of being a zombie,” she said. “Having them be excited… makes it that much more fun and just makes it better because they want to be in it and they want to be scary.” Foster has also enjoyed creating the looks for the main characters. Her favorite character to make up is “Murphy,” the only known survivor of a zombie bite, played by Keith Allan. As a survivor he has a few zombie battle wounds, to say the least, and is always in full character makeup. “I think in general creating his look is by far my favorite thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of fun playing with the idea of him and what he is.” Creating the undead every day is no easy task, and makeup has the longest days on set, along with wardrobe and transportation. Foster said her shortest day has been 13 hours, while her longest has been 20 when there are large scenes with a lot of extras. She said one day they had 53 extras, which understandably required all seven artists on set.

Corinne Foster zombiﬁes David Schaefer.

Luckily, Foster said she has had a few chances to unwind and explore a bit of the Pacific Northwest. She enjoyed an introductory visit to Seattle over the Fourth of July and also traveled out to the rainforest and Forks for a little Twilight sightseeing. While the Z Nation crew may be filming in Washington, season one will not be taking us there in the show. However, Foster said there is still hope the survivors may make their way up to the Pacific Northwest. “I believe they cross through on their way to California,” she said. “But that won’t be until season two, if there is a season two!” Z Nation is giving a different perspective on the zombie story. Picking them out of the bumbling hoard, and creating individual characters. Zombie identity is changing and Foster and her team are going to show us what that looks like. MI OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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Need Talent? Seeking Representation?

Call Us Today! TAKE2 represents & reﬁnes talent of all ages. Whether you’re in need of talent for your production, or you’re seeking representation from an agency, I warmly welcome you to TAKE2. Our talented agency is here as your personal concierge, and it’s my personal goal to provide you with the utmost professional & ethical service. - Stacie Overman

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Q&A: Ask An Agent

ooking for local talent for your next production, but don’t know where to start? You’re not alone. Filmmakers—especially those working on their first films—often have questions about hiring talent. Here to answer your who, what, when, where, and why are Northwest talent agents Dennis Troutman with OPTION Model & Media, Topo Swope with Topo Swope Talent, Stacie Overman with TAKE2 Talent Agency, Becky Reilly with Big Fish NW Talent, Tanya Tiffany with Tiffany Talent, and Elicia Walker with Actors First Agency.

Media Inc: What services does an agent provide that I cannot get by hiring actors directly? Topo Swope: There are huge advantages to using an agent! An agent can give the client (producer) the cost, the availability, help in choosing an appropriate actor for the job. An agent can walk the client through the process and handle the job from A to Z. The client gives the agent all of the job details, and the agent is responsible for relaying all Topo Swope the information to the actors. Since the client only has to deal with one point of contact, the agent, it will save them time in that they won’t be saddled by multiple phone calls and emails. It removes the stress from an already stressful process. Stacie Overman: By hiring talent through TAKE2, I help to make your job easier! You inform me of what you’re look-

ing for and I do all the screening for you by going through my checklist: Are they available for all the possible dates of your shoot? Do they have transportation? Do they have the look you want? Do they have the chops you need? I won’t send you anything that doesn’t ﬁt all of your criteria. I do all the communi- Stacie Overman cation with all the talent for you. You only need to communicate your information through me, your talent agent, or as I look at it, your “business partner.” Elicia Walker: I can only write for myself. The service I provide to clients would be my knowledge about my actors. We know our actors’ talents better than anyone else that may present them. I, for one, will not expect the producer to see everyone I represent. It saves the director and the producer a lot of time, and they are able to see talent that a

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casting director may not show. There is a lot of new talent that is in Seattle and sometimes casting directors may not know them yet. So the actors do not get seen right away. I know that I book actors with my personal clients more, because I can talk to the client directly, and tell them about my actors’ strengths and weaknesses for a part. When you go Elicia Walker through my office, I handle the audition process. I do the scheduling of the auditions, make sure actors have their sides, and handle callbacks if needed. I also save time in booking because I send out the calls and all the info the actors need when they are booked. Plus I negotiate the rate for the actor. Tanya Tiffany: Agents in the NW market provide a number of services to a production client, but the most important seem to be Prequaliﬁcation and Accountability of talent. Prequalification: Anyone can call themselves an actor when self submitting to an ad on a callboard. Agents prequalify each of their talent to a degree that nobody who is actively producing work has the time to do on their own.

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Each agency does this to a different degree, some are very picky, some just have a basic minimum, but every agent has a standard that is well above the average submission when doing an open, “self submit” casting. This can save production huge amounts of time and energy looking for the diamond in a whole lot of rough. Find the right agent, let them know what you need, and you can immediately be searching for the best diamond in a field of diamonds. Accountability: If an actor is booked directly, through a callboard, website, or friend of a friend, there is nothing for them to lose (except their day rate) for not showing up, being late, or bailing out early. For an independent actor, “I didn’t feel good,” “I had car trouble,” or “My alarm didn’t go off” are viable excuses to be late, or even no-show on shoot day. MI: Why shouldn’t I cast my project through a callboard service (i.e. TPS, PerformersCALLBOARD, PDXAuditions, Craigslist)? SO: Casting your project through a callboard or social media may have you scratching your head wondering why you did that! You may experience no-shows or talent that isn’t quite what you were hoping for. Under-par, if you will, or they simply do not understand the entertainment etiquette. Sometimes you can find a gem. But is your project worth the risk? There are typically many reasons why talent surfing callboards are without an agent.

MI: When do I need a casting director to cast my project, vs. calling an agent(s) vs. casting it myself? Becky Reilly: Having great talent options is the goal. A casting director is going to be your best angle to having these options. They will also help you with a variety of concerns and help navigate many dynamics needed to successfully cast your project. Casting, in most cases, is critical and hiring a CD is a big step in doing it right. This will give you the most options for amazing talent that will help your project shine... now and in the future. Becky Reilly Most agents, I would guess, would prefer to work through a CD and there are solid CD options in the NW. Calling an agent can work. This may take more work on your end; there is a good deal of prep that goes into casting. This option limits you to their agency’s talent options. Casting the project yourself adds a great deal of work to your already busy agenda. Using and planning, with a CD in your pre-production is going to reduce your work. Make room in your budget to get help with casting. Talented actors can make your script sing and you look great. Your buddy’s, girlfriend’s sister may not. MI.: How much time do I need to ﬁnd actors before a shoot? Dennis Troutman: In a perfect world, producers, agents

and actors can have up to a week or two to go through the process of submitting, auditions, callbacks and eventual bookings. However, some agents can also help you find an actor as late as the day before the shoot. TS: Of course in our industry, time is a luxury rarely experienced! When a client says, “It’s a Dennis Troutman very short turn around,” and then gives us, say, 4-5 days, we laugh! That is that luxury! Usually we are working on a super time crunch, sometimes getting less than 12 hours’ notice for an actor to get to an audition! So the more time the client has to find actors, the better! TT: The short answer, which is a little different for each agency, is that we’re used to moving fast. Most agents can move very quickly to get talent organized and scheduled to auditions, so for a proper booking agency, a few days is well enough time to make everything happen. Submitting today, scheduling 30 people to audition tomorrow, then booking talent and shooting two days later is our “normal.” Casting directors are also used to moving very quickly, and can multiply your own efforts by reaching out to multiple agents in parallel, and getting you the best talent that the market has to offer in a very short time.

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MI: How can I audition actors if I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a space for them to come to and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford a casting director to do it? DT: Depending on the agency you are working with, you could potentially hold a casting in their ofďŹ ce, though it would likely need to be exclusively that particular agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actors. EW: You are welcome to audition my actors at my wonderful ofďŹ ce in Fremont. I have the space and a waiting room. I am set up to make the client comfortable and also the actors. Producers & directors welcome! MI: How are actors priced? Rates? BR: Good question. We cannot offer rates before getting a better understanding of the scope of your project. Our typical questions for you: â&#x20AC;˘ What is the intended use of the materials that will be produced: TV Commercial, Webspot, Website, Corporate Video, Feature Film, Print, some combination, or other? â&#x20AC;˘ How long will the materials be used: 13 weeks, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years? Please have an end date in mind. â&#x20AC;˘ Where will the materials be used: Local, regional, national, international, internal? â&#x20AC;˘ Which term(s) best describes the character(s) in this project: Spokesperson, Speaking Talent, Non-Speaking Principal, Featured Extra (seen in the foreground), Background Extra (barely recognizable in the background) or other? You can also reference the SAG-AFTRA contracts that are easily found online: www.sagaftra.org/contracts. MI

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rom Grimm and Z Nation to Wild and beyond, Northwest actors continue to shine in the national spotlight. Three local casting directors talk talent with Media Inc.

Eryn Goodman Cast Iron Studios www.castironstudios.com How did your career as a casting director begin? Fresh off a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater, I headed to Chicago where I interned with O’Connor Casting. I was asked if I had a backbone and wouldn’t cry, if I liked actors, and if I could go with the flow and be adaptable. I gave three “yes” responses and jumped in. A year later, I was back home in Portland en route to Los Angeles. My family encouraged me to scope out the film community in the Northwest, and I’m glad I did. Ten days after sending out a handful of resumes and inquiries, I was spending my first days at Cast Iron Studios as a Casting Assistant. Hard to believe that was nine years ago. What’s the biggest name movie or television series that you have done casting for? What has been the most fun project to cast? Depends on who you ask. My little cousins would probably tell you it’s Twilight, but more recently Grimm, Leverage, and The Librarians are the big ones. We had a blast doing the Northwest casting for Wild, and I’m so excited to see our local talent shine. Jean-Marc Vallée has a really clear vision, and was great to collaborate with.

ous. We will absolutely honor your given specs, but sometimes keeping an open mind to the wildcard we throw you could be the best thing that happens to your production.

Nike Imoru Nike Imoru Casting www.nikeimorucasting.com How did your career as a casting director begin? Specifically film, it began when a friend (who was herself a casting director) dropped out of a show I was directing in order to take a gig out of town. She asked me to take her place and cast the upcoming movie. I couldn’t believe that she would drop out of the show and was a little put out that she asked me to take over her casting desk! I’m still thanking her to this day. What’s the biggest name movie or television series that you have done casting for? Each one gets bigger than the last. Currently it has to be Z Nation (Syfy). I am the lead casting director and have cast 95 percent of all the roles, including leading roles, guest and co-star roles with regional talent. What has been the most fun project to cast? As a casting director, probably Knights of Badassdom with Peter Dinklage, Steve Zahn, Jimmi Simpson, and Summer Glau.The River Murders with Ray Liotta was also A LOT of fun to cast. Liotta was the reader at producer callbacks; it was fantastic having him in the studio.

How does the level of talent that you see here in the Northwest compare to the rest of the country? I can’t speak to the rest of the country, but I do know that our out-of-town directors and producers are consistently impressed and surprised by the quality of actors we provide. I think it helps that we’re so close to L.A.: there’s a decent faction of talent who have plenty of professional credits, but when it’s time to raise a family and settle down, they come up here.

How does the level of talent that you see here in the Northwest compare to the rest of the country? Northwest talent compare favourably to actors in the rest of the country, which is why I was able to cast 95 percent of Z Nation with regional talent. That said, I could always do with more actors who are ready to play, who can tackle bigger roles, who are experienced and who are constantly ‘in practice’ or training. In the NW I would also like to see more skilled and experienced actors of colour.

What is the most important thing that a production company should know when hiring a casting director? Not only can we ﬁnd you the best ﬁt for your project, but we can also expand your vision to options outside of the obvi-

What is the most important thing that a production company should know when hiring a casting director? A good casting director is worth her weight in gold! A brilliant casting director... is pure gold.

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Patti Kalles Kalles Levine Casting www.kalleslevinecasting.com How did your career as a casting director begin? I have my degree in Theatre and Education from WSU. While teaching in the public schools, I also worked as a Seattle actress. In 1983, I wanted a change so I saw that there was a need for a casting director here in the NW. I became a Seattle and Portland casting director. I worked a lot of commercials and industrials at first before casting for films. In 19861987, I cast my first film, Harry and the Hendersons. I learned from the best. In 1988, I became a Casting Society of America (CSA) member. I feel fortunate to have worked 30 years with my 2 passions of casting and teaching. What’s the biggest name movie or television series that you have done casting for? What has been the most fun project to cast? I have worked on a lot of big name movies, such as my first one of Harry and the Hendersons, as well as Drugstore Cowboy, Homeward Bound and Say Anything. I loved working on the TV series Northern Exposure, which I won 2 Artios Awards for casting. I am enjoying working now on the Amazon pilot of Man in the

High Castle. I am hopeful that it will return to Washington State to continue shooting. I find all projects to be fun to work on, whether they be small independent films or big budgets. They are all different. How does the level of talent that you see here in the Northwest compare to the rest of the country? I think the NW has wonderful talent. We have a lot of theatre here that our actors perform in, which I think helps them be great. I think the hardest thing for local talent is that they are not getting 10 auditions a day, so naturally they need more coaching to do a great audition. I feel that sometimes they are not given the credit they deserve. Classes are really important for all actors to take to keep their skills sharp. What is the most important thing that a production company should know when hiring a casting director? I think a casting director should know the local talent in the NW. Going to theatre is a large part of knowing the actors. Another thing that is helpful is seeing their class work. I think casting directors should also have a good relationship with the agents. We need to work together as a team. I think being organized and knowing that you can keep a good time schedule on casting days are important. It reflects back on the production company. I think the production company needs to be able to communicate what they want with the casting director to get the best result in their casting audition. MI

EXTRAS AND REAL PEOPLE CASTING

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Voice Overs:

THE SECRET SAUCE FOR GOOD BRANDING

By David Ciccarelli Guest Columnist

hen you’re in business, your brand image, and most importantly, how people perceive it, is everything.

A brand encompasses all that you (and those who represent or work for you) do, from PR to customer service. An effective brand has incalculable wealth to be sure, but just how does your brand assume a life of its own in the image you desire? Before the rubber hits the road, a brand must first be developed and represent something of use that has value or you’ll have nothing to promote, minus the shell of a product. To set the stage for success, you’ll need to consider the kind of language used when describing the brand, names, ad copy, imagery, iconography and the mission of the brand, such as why it exists and how it can benefit people. Good marketers know that they need to build trust and shape perception through public relations. Usually, a marketer finds ways to develop, promote and maintain a brand through mediums such as broadcast, print and, increasingly, the Internet and mobile devices. How does a brand stand out? Each person sees thousands of advertisements every day and it can be very difficult to cut through the clutter of commercial media to drive your message home. One way to stake your ground and deliver your message in a unique, persuasive manner is to include the use of voice overs, one of the most underrated marketing techniques. Although a voice over comprises only one element in post-production, you’d be surprised just how amazingly effective a good voice over is when it comes to shaping perception, communicating directly to the potential buyer, and building trust on an intimate level. Referred to by those in the know as “the secret ingredient” for effective branding, voice overs are able to get inside the head of their listener to present relatable concepts, situations, and resonate with their needs and wants in a friendly yet authoritative way. Without realizing it, the listener receives the endorsement as if the message were being delivered from a friend, not the marketing department, and acts accordingly. When producing a marketing campaign or video for your client, you likely do some research to learn more about who is meant to see the material, its specific goal, and what your client would like to say to their target audience. You may even have an idea of the sort of voice you are looking for to narrate your script. That being said, it isn’t just about the voice, but also about its specific role and how vocal talent can approach the script most effectively. Instead of simply reading the script, your voice talent could be sharing your message in a variety of ways by choosing to interpret the script through the lens of a particular voice over role. There are five voice over roles, including: The Real Person, The Announcer, The Narrator, The Spokesperson, and The Instructor.

Determining which role the voice talent plays in advance will help you to get a better performance from the voice actor and in turn make their read more believable to your audience. The Real Person role has to do with being transparent, trustworthy and intimate. This is one of the styles that is very popular right now for voice overs. Think of how someone would communicate when speaking to a family member, the girl next-door, a friend or an individual they are comfortable around. There is an authenticity to this role that oozes genuine relationship. The Real Person can be portrayed as your best friend, the smart aleck in history class, or the omnipresent voice of reason. Real Person voice overs can also employ situational copy. For example, the voice over is able to present the feelings of someone who is going through a universal experience that we can all relate to, such as buying a home for the first time or back to school shopping. The Announcer role is about speaking authoritatively and with conviction. In most cases, the announcer shares information without any apparent bias and delivers what they are saying as objectively as possible with little to no emotion. This is mainly true of news anchors, reporters and those providing commentary on events. The Narrator is an interesting role because of a narrator’s omniscience. A good narrator knows how the story ends before they get there in efforts to draw an audience in and suspend their disbelief. Narrators, like Announcers, are separate emotionally from the story they tell. Part of the narrator’s job is to let a viewer come to their own conclusions about how they feel. The Spokesperson needs to be confident and trustworthy. This role speaks on behalf of a company, institution or organization, and should be informed, accessible and polished. If you’ve ever seen a corporate or celebrity spokesperson and how they represent a brand, you have an idea for the balancing act they play in terms of advocacy and professionalism. Last but not least, the Instructor role comes from the perspective of an educator, possibly an academic or an expert who can guide the viewer through a series of steps. Many explainer videos are voiced this way in order to present the content accurately, purposing to place a greater emphasis on learning than on developing a deeper relationship with the viewer. As you can see, defining which role the voice talent plays greatly impacts how you plan and script your marketing material. Knowing this ahead of time will also help you to better identify what you are looking for in a voice talent and provide voice actors with clear artistic direction. A little preparation will make a dramatic difference in your ability to communicate more effectively. Voice over, when done well by a professional voice actor, can do all of these things and more for your branding and communications efforts. MI David Ciccarelli is the CEO and co-founder of Voices.com, the industry-leading website that connects brands with professional voice talents. Find talent at www.voices.com/find/voices. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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The

• Industry Standard Formating & Editing For Screenplays • Revisions • Quick Turnaround 218-330-2995 thescriptee@gmail.com • thescriptee.squarespace.com 70 MEDIA INC. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

The Scriptee at Your Service

ill Fey recently moved north from Hollywood to Seattle, bringing her script editing skills with her. Media Inc. caught up with Fey to find out more about her company’s services and what makes a good script. Media Inc.: Who were you working for in Hollywood? Jill Fey: I worked for Warner Bros.’ script processing department. It was quite an experience and so much fun! You never know what you would see on any given day on the WB lot. One time I was eating on the lot and I look around and thought I was back in the 1920s! Everybody was dressed in makeup and hair for the movie that was being shot. Another time I was working in my office and we got to see a monster truck jump cars right outside our office windows! It was an amazing experience and I treasure every moment. Warner Bros. was a great company to work for. MI: Why did you leave L.A. and Warner Bros. and move to Washington? JF: I moved to Washington to be closer to my boyfriend I met a year ago in Hawaii. I still want to be involved in the film industry and work with filmmakers. That is why I started my own company, The Scriptee! MI: How many scripts have you edited? JF: That is a hard question to answer. So many scripts went through the script processing department when I worked there. If I were to also include all the rewrites and revisions I would say hundreds! MI: What do studios look for in a script? JF: Studios look to see if there is already a built-in audience base, such as is the movie based off a book, video game, comic book, fairy tale or famous person? There is already an audience that will come and see the movie. For spec scripts they look for how well it is written with characters and plot, but also how big of a size audience will come to theaters to watch the film.

Studios look for how much a movie will cost to be made. It is okay if you are Christopher Nolan or Zack Snyder because the studios will just throw money at you because they know they will make it back plus more. But it all comes down to money. How much will it cost to make the movie, and how much are they most likely to get back. That is the norm, but sometimes a good script can still make it. If there is truly a good script somebody is passionate about they will be the champion for that script to be made. MI: What are the most common mistakes that you see? JF: I would say the most common mistakes are writers get too specific and elaborate in the direction, and feel they have to write out every single detail about the scene. Secondly, I find a lot of writers like to capitalize, underline and bold as much as they can. That is not needed at all. Just keep it simple and your story will shine through. The one mistake I find rather funny is writers will forget their characters’ names or how to spell them. MI: Do you have a favorite script that you have edited or read? JF: I think one of my favorite scripts that I worked on was Argo. It was interesting to be a part of an Oscar-winning film from start to finish. I was impressed about how little the story changed and how true the writer, director and producer tried to stay to the story. After working on it and reading it through again and again, I was still on the edge of my seat when I got to watch the film in theaters. I also enjoyed working on Clint Eastwood movies because he is a true old school filmmaker. We would only see his scripts come through our department maybe three times, and that includes revisions! Clint Eastwood knows what he wants, and he makes it happen. MI: Why continue editing scripts? JF: I love reading stories and getting swept away in them. I enjoy seeing what comes out of a writer’s head and onto the page. I want to help writers in the creation of their dream and what they hope to do with their script. MI For more information about The Scriptee, visit www.thescriptee.squarespace.com. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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Anniversary Special

hree Northwest companies—a casting director in Portland, a production services company in Seattle, and a soundstage/gear rental company in Portland—celebrated major anniversaries in 2014. Cheers to their success!

Celebrating 15 Years Lana Veenker, Cast Iron Studios What does this anniversary mean to you, your staff, and your clients? We held a big blow-out celebration for our fifth anniversary, but our tenth was in the middle of the recession, so we were pretty hunkered down and didn’t do much. For our fifteenth, what I’m really celebrating is that Eryn Goodman (Casting Director) and Ranielle Gray (Casting Associate) have stuck with me through thick and thin all of these years. Eryn just tallied her nine-year anniversary with Cast Iron Studios in September, and Ranielle’s eighth is coming up in February. How did you celebrate, and with whom? Instead of shelling out a bunch of dough for a big party, I’m treating them to a spa day, upgrading their computers, and implementing an employer-matching retirement plan. We all have a lot on our plates this fall, so we decided to hold off on the next blow-out until the 20th. For now, I just want to show my appreciation for all their hard work. How has your business changed over the years? Early on, I was chief cook and bottle washer; doing their jobs plus mine, and working every evening and weekend. Now that we have such a solid and deeply experienced team, I can focus more on marketing and business development, knowing that our clients are in excellent hands. We all have more regular hours as well, especially since advances in technology keep us from having to stay in the office late at night editing, or racing to the airport to catch the last FedEx. What is one memorable moment from your career? There have been many highlights, but walking the red carpet at Cannes for Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park was a big one. I lived in France for many years and still visit often, so Cannes was like the Oscars for me. Being assigned to the same limo as Tilda Swinton was just icing on the cake! What’s next for your company? We are working on putting together a development division, with the hopes of eventually establishing a film fund that would be at least half from Northwest sources, in order to 74 MEDIA INC. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

retain leverage to keep the projects local. It’s a slow process, as we’re investigating an approach that I don’t think has been done in Oregon before. In the meantime, we’re looking for other ways to put our local, national and international connections to good use, possibly by helping to secure distribution for high-quality local content that has already been produced, but has not found a home. We’re taking our time in order to identify the right niche for our skills and resources within a rapidly changing industry.

Celebrating 20 Years Vince Werner, Clatter&Din What does this anniversary mean to you, your staff, and your clients? To me, it means: ‘Twenty years? We must be doing SOMETHING right!’ This isn’t a business that generates huge profits or even predictable revenue, so it’s not that we’re surfing along on a cash cushion. We’ve always operated on a rather squishy ‘fun first - people first’ mantra. We try to create a fun and creative environment for our team here, and for our clients, and it has resulted in low turnover, relative stability and loyal customers. So, I guess 20 years means a validation of that principal. Maybe not quite as much validation as a retirement home in the San Juans, but at the end of the day, I’ll take it. I’m proud of what we are and where we’ve been. How did you celebrate, and with whom? We threw a classic animal-house style kegger, which has always been our style. No maudlin speeches, no security people checking a guest list—just music, drink, food and an excuse for the creative community to come hang out and have a great time. I think there were about 500 or so people here, so of course I didn’t get to spend much time with any of them, unfortunately. Particularly gratifying was seeing several agency principals, colleagues, our past employers—people who have been such a big part of that 20-year history. Maybe 10 percent of the people there have ever written a check to Clatter&Din, and yet everyone there has been an important part of the story, and I’m full of gratitude for all of

them. I’ll always remember that night, but that’s partly because I couldn’t get near the bar! How has your business changed over the years? What HASN’T changed? When we started, we leap-frogged the tech prowess of our predecessors with our whopping total of 9 gigabytes of online media storage. Microsoft was our first client, and we won that with our ability to deliver audio as sound files on Magneto/Optical disks. We were very bleeding edge, although we didn’t even have email, and our first website was years away. Also, the local talent pool was robust, and in the days before Vimeo and FTP, creative teams actually came to sessions! Therefore, the place was hopping with people-energy every day! It seemed like a constant good-time laugh riot. Our connected world has reduced that personal interaction to a certain degree, and I do occasionally get wistful about that. However, the biggest change has been the integration of media creation disciplines. I think we did a pretty good job of seeing that coming, adding ‘light weight’ video and web services, anchored to our ‘heavy’ audio infrastructure. It took a while, but I think we are finally starting to look pretty smart about that!

What is one memorable moment from your career? There are many, but what pops to mind is winning the Radio Mercury award with a spec spot written by Ken Bennett for a long gone Fremont-based brew-yourown-beer place. We beat out Budweiser’s talking frog campaign in the humor category. I got to put on a tux and spend some of the prize money in NYC with Ken and my lovely wife, Mary. That also reminds me of another New York experience: being in NYC for a trade show during the ‘95 Yankees - Mariners series, and watching Edgar’s RBI double bring Griffey around from ﬁrst for the win— all while sitting in Mickey Mantle’s Bar across the street from Central Park. We were even on national TV for about 3 seconds. That was pretty sweet! What’s next for your company? Navigating change while maintaining culture is always the biggest challenge. The landscape for media creation and consumption is obviously being remade, and the disruption is accelerating. We’ll try to be both smart and proactive in keeping ahead of that curve. I think we’ll see continued evolution in what we do, how we do it, and even who we do it for. I DO believe there will most certainly be a 30th Anniversary Party. And you’re invited!

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Celebrating 20 Years Chris Crever, Cine Rent West What does this anniversary mean to you, your staff, and your clients? This 20th anniversary milestone is huge for all of us. The production industry has been completely transformed in the last 20 years. In 1994 very few of us could have predicted the role digital technology would play in producing and distributing video. YouTube was still 11 years in the future. Those of us who’ve been around since the ‘90s can remember weathering several downturns in the industry. But the fact that we’ve not just survived but actually thrived throughout this change is a testament to our staff and clients. In our industry 20 years is worth celebrating. How did you celebrate, and with whom? We took a moment to acknowledge this landmark with our staff, then told everybody to get back to work. We had a big deadline. How has your business changed over the years? When Cine Rent West opened its doors for business in 1994 as a production facility, ﬁlm was king. Gregg Snazelle, who was an icon in the San Francisco ﬁlm community, purchased the building

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from animator Will Vinton and moved his production business to Portland. He outfitted it as a full soundstage, brought in cameras, and set up editing rooms. One of his first major jobs was editing Mr. Holland’s Opus, which received several Oscar nominations. After Gregg’s untimely death in 1999, the facility was run by his son Craig for a year. Then in 2000 he worked out a deal with me (Chris Crever), who was working as a 1st AC and looking to invest in a facility. In January of 2001 I assumed ownership. In the early days we were fortunate to have a steady client base who did big film shoots. We worked with companies like Tyee Films doing long format productions for clients like Bowflex. But in the past ten years, camera technology has improved to require less intensive lighting. And there’s been an immense pressure to cut budgets. We’ve continued to keep busy by being more nimble. Quickly turning around the facility for shorter shoots and smaller crews. At the same time we’ve filled the office portion of the building with industry-specific tenants. We currently provide space for designers, entertainment attorneys, production bookkeeping, and small production companies. What is one memorable moment for you and your company? It’s tough to narrow it down to just one. Our 185 most memorable moments came when we did the Old Spice YouTube campaign with Weiden+Kennedy. Over three days we shot 185 short videos with actor Isaiah Mustafa. He wore his signature bath towel and stood in a rustic log cabin set, while sending out holiday greetings to the world. That was one of three similar campaigns. The last one we shot here was the bathroom showdown with Fabio. What’s next for your company? Twenty years ago it was impossible to predict where the production industry would be today. In just the past 5 years the rate of change has accelerated noticeably. So we’d be crazy to try to predict what production will be like in the next 20 years. In 2034 will they even call what we’re doing “video”? We’re going to keep doing the things that have made us successful to this point: paying attention to and embracing change, working hard to meet our clients’ unique needs, and supporting the next generation in the production industry. MI

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Roll the Credits: Laggies

ilmed entirely in the Seattle area, Laggies is a funny, poignant story about a woman stuck in permanent adolescence. The latest from Seattle director Lynn Shelton hits theaters nationwide on October 24.

Shawn Simpson ... executive producer Raj Brinder Singh ... producer Rosalie Swedlin ... producer Lisa Wilson ... executive producer Music by ... Benjamin Gibbard Cinematography by ... Benjamin Kasulke Film Editing by ... Nat Sanders Casting By ... Liz Dean, Laura Rosenthal

CAST Chloë Grace Moretz ... Annika Keira Knightley ... Megan Sam Rockwell ... Craig Gretchen Mol ... Bethany Kaitlyn Dever ... Misty Ellie Kemper ... Allison Mark Webber ... Anthony Jeff Garlin Daniel Zovatto ... Junior Sara Coates ... Savannah Jodi Thelen ... Linda Dylan Arnold ... Patrick Basil Harris ... Wedding DJ Tony Doupe ... Ofﬁcer Jasmin Savoy Brown ... iPod Kid Louis Hobson ... Theo Hannah Horton ... High School Girl Zoe McLane ... Sophomore Girl Helen Soraya ... Hostess Sara Lynne Wright ... Young Allison Rocki DuCharme ... Young Savannah Jason Lee Daniel ... Police Ofﬁcer David Brown-King ... Pierced ear guy Phillip Abraham ... Young Anthony Larissa Schmitz ... Young Megan Kirsten deLohr Helland ... Danielle Joey Ally ... Espresso Girl Moses Yim ... Parker Maura Lindsay ... Young Danielle Amy Thone ... Mrs. Halpsky Kyle Love ... Dan Tessa Marie Archer ... Wedding Couple Bride (uncredited) Jay Wesley Cochran ... Cellphone Talker (uncredited) Fernando Duran ... Wedding Guest (uncredited) Avery Hackstedde ... Party Goer / Prom Attendee (uncredited) Simon Hamlin ... Urban Wedding Photo Groom (uncredited) Brad Hauser ... Extra (uncredited) Rachelle Henry ... Bridesmaid (uncredited) Taylor Hook ... Gorgeous Girl (uncredited) TJ Nordaker ... Wedding Guest (uncredited) Andra Petru ... Wedding Guest (uncredited) Joseph R. Porter ... Coffee Patron (uncredited) Asha Sawyer ... Reunion Drunk Girl /Wedding Attendee (uncredited) Bryan Sevener ... Dan’s Friend (uncredited) Mark Stoecklein ... Coffee Shop Patron (uncredited) CREW Directed by ... Lynn Shelton Writing Credits ... Andrea Seigel Gordon Bijelonic ... executive producer Craig Chapman ... producer Mel Eslyn ... line producer: additional photography Kevin Scott Frakes ... producer Steve Golin ... producer Paul Green ... executive producer Kyle Dean Jackson ... producer Lacey Leavitt ... co-producer Alix Madigan ... producer Niall McComiskey ... co-executive producer Zubin Nagpal ... co-executive producer Myles Nestel ... producer Jennifer Roth ... executive producer Ankur Rungta ... executive producer Vishal Rungta ... executive producer

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Production Design by ... John Lavin Art Direction by ... Schuyler Telleen Set Decoration by ... Tania Kupczak Costume Design by ... Ronald Leamon Makeup Department Danyale Cook ... additional hair and makeup/additional hair stylist Luce Cousineau ... makeup department head Akemi Hart ... additional hair Nancy J. Hvasta Leonardi ... key makeup artist Jennifer Jane ... key hair stylist Jennifer Popochock ... department head hair Shawn R. Shelton ... assistant makeup artist Production Management Daniel Voltz ... post-production supervisor Second Unit Director or Assistant Director Tyler Beem ... second second assistant director Gretchen Oyster ... second assistant director Lynn Wegenka ... ﬁrst assistant director Art Department Jeffrey W. Crow ... set dresser Antonio Decossio ... art assistant Karl Lefevre ... property master Timothy Oakley ... prop fabricator Aviva Peltin ... production assistant Sound Department Klair Ethridge ... boom operator Vincent Gates ... boom operator Dave Howe ... sound re-recording mixer Michael McAuliffe ... sound effects editor Peter Mullen ... foley editor / foley recordist Ryan Ricks ... foley artist Matt Sheldon ... boom operator Andy Stallabrass ... adr mixer Kelsey Wood ... dialogue editor / sound mixer Special Effects by Stephen Klineburger ... special effects coordinator Visual Effects by Jamison Huber ... visual effects producer: relevantVFX Connor Meechan ... visual effects supervisor: relevantVFX Stunts Kristin Ebeling ... stunt player Sherril Johnson ... stunt coordinator Alex Terzieff ... stunt driver Camera and Electrical Department Mike Astle ... additional grip Derick Avitt ... video assist Shaun Bowlby ... best boy / grip Mark Bueing ... electrician Matt Bunker ... additional electrician Garrett Cantrell ... key grip Kevin Cook ... best boy electric Ronnie Dennis ... camera operator: “a” camera Joey Feffer ... electrician Scotty Frazer ... rigging electrician Coty James ... ﬁrst assistant camera: “a” camera Thatcher Kelley ... digital imaging technician Barbara Kinney ... still photographer

Jason Knoll ... camera operator Keegan Larson ... electrician / grip Margaret Longley ... assistant to cinematographer: Benjamin Kasulke Jeremy Mackie ... gaffer Adam Miller ... first assistant camera Nathaniel Peirson ... electrician (as Nate Peirson) Joel Phillips ... additional first assistant camera Benjamin E. Porter ... additional electrician Chris Purkiss ... lighting technician Arthur Reynolds ... grip Erik Simkins ... still photographer Norman Tumolva ... grip Alisa Tyrrill ... second assistant camera T.J. Williams Jr. ... additional Casting Department Jodi Angstreich ... casting associate Lauren Bass ... casting associate Denise Gibbs ... extras casting Amey Rene Morris ... casting director: Seattle Costume and Wardrobe Department Anastasia Yurievna Armes ... key costumer Frances Kenny ... set costumer Gerard Parr ... costume supervisor Nick Pray ... costume p.a. Linda Scott ... set costumer Editorial Department Natalie Ghariani ... post production coordinator Daniel Hasenstaub ... digital intermediate supervisor Adam Hawkey ... colorist Susan E. Kim ... assistant editor Rain Valdez ... digital intermediate producer Music Department Michael Hill ... music supervisor Transportation Department Sam McMahan ... driver Steve McMahan ... driver John Petty ... transportation coordinator Rick Wiley ... driver: camera car Jason Yarbrough ... driver: hair/makeup combo Other crew Lars Berg Andersen ... production assistant Phil Andrade ... production assistant Jason Aumann ... assistant production office coordinator Joseph Bassi ... additional production assistant Steve Berman ... completion bond Jimmy Canavan ... key assistant location manager Justin Cantrell ... production assistant Jonathan Caso ... assistant to producer: Lacey Leavitt Shannon Clegg ... key craft service Carol A. Compton ... script clearance Cheryl Cowan ... script supervisor Sari Cross ... production assistant Cristina Vázquez de Mercado ... intern Princess Noelle DeCicco ... production assistant André Devantier ... caterer Dave Drummond ... location manager Matthew Dysart ... production finance legal: Sheppard Mullin Amanda England ... production accountant Alison Kelly ... production coordinator Will Lummus ... location assistant Lee Luna ... location assistant David Morgan ... key accounting assistant Keri Owen ... base camp production assistant Marilyn Penn ... post production accountant Justina Renoud ... craft service assistant Greg Ryan ... pick-up production assistant Miri Stone ... production assistant Christopher Tricarico ... finance and production legal Ian Van der Werff ... set production assistant Kylie Walchuk ... office production assistant Angela H. Young ... additional photography production assistant *Information courtesy IMDb

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