Film Office blog

Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" Films in Wyoming

2012-02-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

The next big movie from Hollywood filmmaker Quentin Tarantino will feature winter scenes from Wyoming. “Django (Jang-o) Unchained” was in Jackson Hole this past week and found several feet of what they were seeking.

“Django Unchained” hired several local people for crew work and brought in veteran movie horse wranglers Robin and Kate Wilshire from Turtle Ranch near Dubois, Wyoming. In addition to a private ranch location, a small part of the crew also shot in Grand Teton National Park and on the National Elk Refuge this week. Tarantino and company have now moved to their primary shooting location in New Orleans. The film is scheduled for worldwide release Christmas Day. Django .mp4

Wyoming - That's Where I Grew Up!

2012-02-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest from local producer Marc Homer, "Wyoming - That's Where I Grew Up!" He's doing important work with the Wyoming Children's Action Alliance, raising awareness about youth issues in Wyoming. This particular film is a series of interviews centering around one question: "Why is your community a good place for kids?" It gets at the heart of what makes Wyoming's towns so special.

Wyoming Triumph

2012-02-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

We just stumbled across this article about KGB Productions's "Wyoming Triumph." See the full top-10 after the jump, and see the full version of "Wyoming Triumph" via the KGB store.

A Top 10 List from KGB's Permiere of 'Wyoming Triumph'
An attempt, by Griffin Post, to break from the mold of 'ranting about the highlights of the film'

KGB Productions premiered its two-year project filmed entirely in Wyoming on Saturday night in Jackson. Appropriately named Wyoming Triumph (and appropriately premiered, perhaps, at The Pink Garter Theater), the film captured one of the worst winters in Wyoming history (2009-10) followed by one of the best (2010-11), going by snowfall totals. Instead of ranting about the highlights of the film—including but not limited to Matt Luczkow’s backflip that had to be pushing 100 feet, Trevor Hiatt spinning and flipping off of everything, or the dramatic cable-cam shots of backcountry pillow lines—I thought I’d take a different approach to this review.

If you’re looking for a blow-by-blow recap of the film followed by some sort of numeric assessment or letter grade, you won’t find it here. What you will find: What the KGB crew did differently, what makes it unique, and what it took to produce the film.
[Commence suspenseful Top-10 drumroll...]
Link to article.

New Location: Bar BC Ranch

2012-02-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

The property is right at the foot of the Tetons, and provides some of the most spectacular views in the valley. Broken up into several small ranchettes, the mountain, forest, river and prairie looks at the Bar BC is as varied as they are beautiful. Check out the full collection of images here, and hit Bar BC website for more details.

All Our Winners

2012-02-01T10:05:00.001-08:00

Think you've got what it takes to win the $25,000 Grand Prize in this year's Wyoming Short Film Contest? Check out all our past winners below, and see how your skills measure up by entering.

2011

2010

2009

2008, One from the winner's compilation of four.

Hallmark's Record Setting Wyoming Western Gets Sequel

2012-01-30T16:51:00.001-08:00

The Hallmark Channel's highest rated movie was a Wyoming western. And it just got a sequel. Check out the footage as star Luke Perry gives an interview about “Goodnight for Justice: The Measure of a Man”.

Luke Perry to star in Hallmark Movie: wpri.com

Tarantino to Film in Jackson

2012-01-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

Chances are you've already heard the news. The director behind "Kill Bill" and "Pulp Fiction" is set to film scenes of his next movie in Jackson Hole. Here's the interesting bits from the Jackson Hole News and Guide article:

A publicist for the project “Django Unchained” confirmed the director would film in the valley a “brief part of the production” that calls for snow.

Tarantino is best known for his quirky hit flicks, including “Pulp Fiction,” both “Kill Bill” movies and “Reservoir Dogs.”

The director’s latest project is a remake of an Italian spaghetti western about a slave-turned-bounty-hunter who sets out to rescue his wife from a violent plantation owner. The majority of the filming is set to take place in New Orleans next month.

The star-studded cast features Jamie Foxx in the title role, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington, according to the Internet Movie Database website.

Details of when the cast will be in town and where they might be shooting have not been released.

We in the Film Office are particularly excited for this one. The Production Designer for the project, Michael Riva, accompanied us for a familiarization tour last spring, visiting locations around Northwest Wyoming. It looks like the effort paid off.

A number of local crew people have been hired on, but it looks like there will be no extras for the Wyoming portion of the shoot.

Longmire in Production

2012-01-25T11:33:00.000-08:00

Production is scheduled to start in March on A&E's new hour-long drama series based on a popular Walt Longmire mysteries series by bestselliing Ucross, Wyo., author Craig Johnson.

"Longmire" will film in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
A&E ordered 10 episodes of the series from Warner Horizon Television and has set the premiere for this summer, according to a news release from the network.

Australian actor Robert Taylor, who starred in "The Matrix," will play Walt Longmire, the sheriff of fictional Absaroka County in Northern Wyoming.

For the full article, visit billingsgazette.com.

Wyoming Short Film Contest 2012, Now Accepting Entries

2012-01-23T10:35:00.001-08:00

See that happy woman behind the camera? The one with the big smile? Well that's Jennifer Tennican, and she's smiling because she won $25,000 last year. And now you can too!

The 2012 Wyoming Short Film Contest has officially launched. That means you've got until April 4th to make a short film, rally the voting public, and make your bid for the $25,000 Grand Prize. As in previous years, all entries must take place in Wyoming, feature Wyoming, or present Wyoming as a major character in the storyline. Head on over to www.wyomingshortfilmcontest.com for full rules and regs. And good luck. We in the Film Office look forward to seeing you work.

Casper Filmmaker Charles Conkin

2012-01-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

Via trib.com.

Casper resident Charles Conkin is working on making his second full length motion picture, The Wasteland, in the Casper area. Conkin talked to trib.com about undertaking the project and his plans for the finished film.

Dick Cheney Documentary

2012-01-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

The Showtime television network says it is preparing a new documentary on former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Showtime said Thursday that filmmaker R.J. Cutler, who made “The War Room” about Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992, will make the film. No date was set for airing.

Cutler called Cheney, who was George W. Bush’s vice president, “perhaps the single most influential non-president in the nation’s political history.” He promised a balanced and multi-dimensional look at Cheney.

Last weekend, Cutler placed ads in the Casper Star-Tribune newspaper asking residents if they had any footage or still pictures of Cheney. The former vice president lived in Wyoming as a teen and attended the University of Wyoming. He represented Wyoming in Congress from 1979 to 1989...

For the full article, visit washingtonpost.com.

Film, Dollars, and Jobs

2012-01-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

There's an interesting debate going on about Wyoming's economic development programs, including our own Film Industry Financial Incentive (FIFI). In particular: do these programs create jobs?

A recent study from an organization called "Good Jobs First" ranked Wyoming low in requiring job creation for subsidies, and you can read all the gory details here. That article in turn triggered this counterpoint editorial, and its thesis of Yes, we're getting our money's worth seems like an effective rebuttal. However, there was one quote from this latter article that's especially worthy of scrutiny: "The Film Incentive Program is a revenue and profile building program, not a job creating program. It doesn’t even belong in the consideration of this survey."

It begs the question: What exactly is this film program meant to do? Certainly FIFI acts to attract new business from out of state. It's no secret that this industry revolves around incentives, and FIFI keeps Wyoming in the game, allowing us to stay competitive with places like Montreal and New Mexico. And yes, it certainly counts as "revenue and profile building" when Hollywood comes to town. But when that happens, local jobs are created. They're film industry jobs though, and that means a few weeks or months of highly skilled, well paid positions before the the production wraps. Do those jobs count?

And what about this: most of the companies that have taken advantage of FIFI are based right here in Wyoming. Large productions from California or New York do come to town, but the majority of FIFI dollars have gone to support and encourage our indigenous production companies, and there are quite a few of those. Just because they aren't producing multimillion dollar blockbusters doesn't mean they aren't out there, cranking out extreme sports shows, nature documentaries, and commercials. This program supports those companies. It helps to make those jobs possible.

New Wyoming Reality Show Now On Air

2012-01-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

"For the past year, Craig Conrad has been living a busy life.

Conrad, a Craig resident and former Moffat County High School teacher, was chosen last November as the host of a new outdoor experience reality show, “Wyoming’s Call of the Wild,” produced by Orion Entertainment.

In February, Conrad and Orion began searching to find youth to take out on hunting and fishing trips for the 13-episode series before filming began in May.

Filming wrapped up in November, but for almost seven months, Conrad had to pull double duty...."

For the the full article, click here.

Film Office Editorial: Fam Tours

2012-01-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

They're expensive. They're a pain to set up. A certain amount of cat herding is involved. But you know what? Familiarization Tours are quite possibly the single best tool at a film commission's disposal.

For the uninitiated: a "fam tour" involves renting a van, collecting five to ten location managers/producers/assorted bigwigs, and driving them around your jurisdiction. It's a lot like location scouting, with the caveat that there's no specific project in mind...and more than the usual amount of wining and dining.

Now as a group, we film commissioners are fond of telling one another that this is a relationship business; you can't just sit at a desk and wait for the phone to ring. According to the common wisdom you've got to be proactive. You've got to make a few calls and work your contacts. But what is traditional marketing -- trade magazines and web banners both included -- if not passive? We send our best images and our workshopped pitch lines out into the world, and we hope that all those thousands of impressions will generate a project or two.

But this is a small industry. There are only a handful of people in the world that we need to reach -- a few hundred major locations managers, scouts, production designers, and producers. And what better way to make a lasting impression than in person?

I don't advocate pulling all of your marketing dollars from print and web. They're important parts of the total marketing package, but they're only a part. If you haven't tried a fam tour yet, give it a whirl. There's a great page on the Locationa Managers Guild of America site with advice. And remember, it doesn't matter whether you're a location based commission (Wyoming) or infrastructure based (Atlanta). Finding an excuse to wine and dine decision makers is the best way to make an impression. It's an argument for quality over quantity, and it certainly deserves a try.

Art of Flight Snowboarder Travis Rice Up For National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year

2012-01-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

National Geographic runs an annual "Adventurer of The Year" contest, and it looks like pro snowboarder Travis Rice is in the running. A group of 10 finalists are up for a public vote now through Jan. 18, 2012. The winners will be announced in February.

So if you'd like to vote for the guy behind everyone's favorite viral ski video, get in here. Watch the clip below, pick up your jaw, and then vote for Rice HERE if you think he is The Adventurer of The Year.

Brain Farm - The Art of Flight Trailer from Brain Farm on Vimeo.

From Grassroots Films and Wyoming Catholic College: "Wisdom in God's Country"

2011-12-30T11:36:00.000-08:00

Great little promo film for Wyoming Catholic College. Some beautiful cinematography in there, and the central metaphor of enlightenment through nature couldn't have a better setting.

There's an interview from the Brooklyn-based filmmakers here as well.

CreditScoutApp announces “Hometown Filmmakers Lab”

2011-12-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

This is cool and you should look at it. A company by the name of "CreditScout" is running a submit-a-pitch style contest. "Over the month of January the CreditScoutApp team will be accepting submissions for its Hometown Filmmakers Lab, ultimately selecting three films which it will help to budget, advise and prep for production using film tax incentives via its powerful credit estimating application. Other filmmakers will be eligible for a slew of prizes including free memberships to the App for use on their films."

Sure would be cool to get a Wyomingite on the short list.... For full details and to enter, hit the link.

This Year's Contest

2011-12-26T15:35:00.000-08:00

THE

2012 WYOMING SHORT FILM CONTEST IS COMING.

GET EXCITED.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW.

Adventure Film Festival 2011

2011-12-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

New festivals seems to be popping up all the time, and as much as we'd like to make them all, the gas money / hotel bill / per diem just don't jibe with budgetary realities. Hate to miss them though, especially when they have such excellent posters.

Anybody out there get a chance to go? How was it? Sound off in the comments.

Friends of the Beartooth

2011-12-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

Updating photography. It's a problem all film commissions struggle with. In our office for example there are still files of old images -- literal files, full of dust and (gasp!) actual paper. They're spliced together with scotch tape and scanned into the hoary recesses of some backup drive in a forgotten drawer, deep in the bottom left corner of my desk.

The point is, running on a state budget, we don't always have the resources to hire a new photographer or get out on the road ourselves. That's where web-based location scouting comes in. That's where we met the Friends of the Beartooth (FotB).

This highway is one of our most popular for incoming production, but our photography has always been spotty. Once every few years a automotive spot would discover the road, marvel at its alpine glory, and promptly bring the cameras. Now, with a few phone calls and a little diplomacy, we've got the photography to do the place justice. You can see it in the original on the FotB galleries, and we'll have the re-sized version live on our Reel-Scout listing within the next couple of days.

Matt Herriger and ‘Winter’s Wind’

2011-12-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

By Matt Hansen

"Meeting up with Matt Herriger in downtown Chamonix is a lot like getting zapped by lightning—the enthusiasm he gives off is electric. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. First of all, lightning bolts aren’t friendly. Nor do they have huge smiles, or wear bandanas, or sweep you into the underbelly of the greatest ski town on the planet. They don’t have a gleam in their eye when talking about traveling in some far off distant place. And lightning bolts certainly don’t leave you with a desire to go do something crazy and rad and memorable. Like skiing some beautiful line that requires utmost focus—what Herriger calls Jedi training—or ditching all that you know to head off into the unknown. But that’s exactly what it feels like to get to know the guy everyone calls “Moo.”

Herriger, 46, is a cinematographer who has spent his entire adult life chasing down the dream. Kids don’t ask for his autograph, but the truth is that he has been integral to TGR’s films for more than a decade. As one of the premier big mountain and steep skiing cameramen in the world, his recent credits include work on Seth Morrison’s The Ordinary Skier, and Jeremy Jones’ Deeper and Further..."

Read the full article at Powder Magazine.

Wyoming’s Call of the Wild to Premiere December 31

2011-12-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

Cheyenne—The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s newest TV series—Wyoming’s Call of the Wild—will premiere on the Sportsman Channel on December 31. This 13-episode series focuses on getting kids and their families into Wyoming’s great outdoors.

“Across the nation, we have been experiencing a decline in the number of people participating in hunting and fishing,” said WGFD Public Information Officer Eric Keszler. “This show is one way we’re working to get people excited about getting outdoors and enjoying Wyoming’s wildlife. People who hunt and fish contribute more to conservation and management of wildlife than anyone else. So getting people off the couch and into the outdoors is vitally important for our outdoor heritage and for the future of our wildlife resources.”

Each episode of Wyoming’s Call of the Wild features a different youth hunter or angler on an outdoor adventure somewhere in Wyoming. Kids from all over the United States applied to be on the show, at one of several “casting calls” hosted around the country or via the internet.

“We had hundreds of applications from youngsters all over the country,” said Keszler. “It was very difficult to choose a handful of kids to participate in the show. We eventually picked kids both from within Wyoming and from other states to participate. We looked for kids who had interesting stories and who we felt would benefit from an experience in Wyoming’s great outdoors.”

The first episode features a turkey hunt in northeastern Wyoming, hosted by WGFD Game Warden Matt Withroder and Biologist Joe Sandrini. The guest on this episode is Jake Bullock, a teenager from Colorado who lost his father to cancer. Jake recently won his own battle with cancer, and is looking to the outdoors to help heal some of the scars accumulated during his young life.

The host of this groundbreaking series is nationally known author, lecturer, and teacher Craig Conrad. Known for his inspiring presentation “The Unstoppable You,” Conrad has devoted his career to helping youth reach their full potential. Conrad’s innovative 26-year teaching career has earned him six nominations for the Who’s Who Best Teachers in America, the receipt of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from Colorado Governor Roy Romer, and the first-ever Tradition of Excellence Award.

The WGFD contracted with Orion Entertainment to produce this series. Orion is the country’s largest producer of outdoor adventure programming. “Wyoming is a state that clearly understands that to effectively manage fish and wildlife resources you must first have the support of conservation-minded anglers and hunters,” said Orion President Chris Dorsey. “And growing the ranks of sportsmen and women is vital to creating future conservation advocates.”

The Sportsman Channel reaches 27 million U.S. television households and is a part of the nation's largest multimedia company targeted exclusively to serving the information and entertainment needs of outdoors enthusiasts. For specific episode times, check your local listings or go to www.thesportsmanchannel.com.

For more information on the show, visit callofthewildtv.com or at Wyoming’s Call of the Wild on Facebook.

Modern Family: Rerun and Sweepstakes

2011-12-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

Two things to do tonight: watch the shot-on-location-in-Jackson-Hole rerun of Modern Family, and enter to win your own dude ranch vacation. The popular sitcom shot at Lost Creek Ranch, and it looks like the property owners are happy with the exposure. In their own words:

"While our favorite shows are running repeats, we're celebrating! We can't wait to see Lost Creek Ranch again in Modern Family's reshowing of their Jackson Hole Season Premiere on December 14th at 9pm EST.

To celebrate we are offering another great giveaway. That's right, you have a chance to win a FREE WEEK STAY for 2 at Lost Creek Ranch for the Summer of 2012!"

Head on over to the Lost Creek Ranch website to enter.

Brain Farm wins Emmy for work on “Great Migrations”

2011-12-09T02:05:00.000-08:00

We're a little behind the times on the news, but the Film Office would like to throw out a congratulatory blog post anyway. Way to go Brain Farm!

"Curt Morgan and Jared Slater of Brain Farm were both awarded Emmy’s for their cinematography for Nat Geos show Great Migrations. They were working with the Cineflex and Phantom HD to capture the migration of Wyoming’s Pronghorn. You can see the footage in the Race to Survive Episode."

Read more about the 32nd Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards at the Brain Farm blog.

Locations Trade Show 2012 Announced

2011-12-06T13:57:00.001-08:00

Save The Date!

The Association of Film Commissioners International is delighted to announce that our annual Locations Show event will be hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center, opposite the LA Live Complex, on Friday-Saturday, June 15-16, 2012!

More Exciting News!

A key driver of choosing the Los Angeles Convention Center is the opportunity in 2012 to align our event with the prestigious Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF), which is produced by Film Independent (FIND). LAFF attracts over 90,000 visitors over their 10-day event, almost 40,000 of whom are film industry professionals. The Festival showcases independent, international, feature, documentary and short films as well as music videos, and screens more than 100 feature films. The event also includes world premieres, panels and seminars, and free outdoor screenings. In 2011, the Festival showed over 200 films, music videos and shorts from over 30 countries.

AFCI is planning for members to receive special rates and offers from the Festival, which will provide you with access to the many remarkable panels and films. Film Independent (FIND), the association for independent filmmakers, has been eager to join with AFCI and its members to create an unprecedented industry event.

For more info and details from the AFCI, see the full newsletter.