New Film Office Camera

We've got a location scout coming up next week, and we've got a new camera for the job. Introducing the Nikon Coolpix P520. From the manufacturer:

42x zoom power, professional-quality photos and videos, endless capabilities. For those seeking a comprehensive compact camera for zoom, image quality, versatility and technological innovation, look no further than the COOLPIX P520. Create pro-caliber photos and Full HD 1080p videos from mind-boggling distances, even in extremely low-light conditions. Track your travels and explore points of interest with built-in GPS. Take control of your vision with full P, S, A, M exposure modes. Add the optional WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter and share your shots in an instant, or control the camera with your compatible smartphone or tablet. From its superb 42x zoom NIKKOR glass lens and 18.1-megapixel low-light CMOS image sensor to its D-SLR-inspired design and 3.2-inch Vari-angle LCD, the COOLPIX P520 delivers the pinnacle of performance and zoom.

We're particularly excited about the GPS functionality. It should make sorting all of our shots onto Reel-Scout a breeze.

Film Tourism: Longmire Days Sweepstakes

This is a competitive business, and that means we don't always land every project. The hit A&E show Longmire, for example, is set in Wyoming but shot in New Mexico. Sad times for us. Fortunately however, that isn't the end of the story. There's a reason that the Film Office is housed within the Office of Tourism, and nothing sum it up better than this:

LONGMIRE DAY SWEEPSTAKES

We've partnered with the folks at A&E to give away a Longmire themed Wyoming vacation. Tourism is running the contest through their Facebook page, and the network types are promoting it. The phenomenon of "film tourism" is very much in effect, and the interest drummed up by this campaign will translate to more tourism dollars for the Cowboy State.

Announcing the Winner of the 2013 Wyoming Short Film Contest

"Requited,” a short film written and shot by Mark Christian and directed by Madeline Puzzo, is the winner of this year’s Wyoming Short Film Contest. Shot on location in Benson, Ariz. and Bedford, Pa, the film is set in The Territory of Wyoming in 1875. A western, the short tells a classic frontier story of crime, betrayal, and vengeance. 

The Wyoming Film Office is proud to award the $25,000 Grand Prize to the filmmakers who will now have the opportunity to produce another film in Wyoming with the proceeds. “The ‘Requited’ crew is ecstatic about winning the Wyoming Film Contest, but even more so, thrilled that people connected with our story,” says Christian. “We will be bringing something bigger and better next!” Puzzo added, “I’m so happy that ‘Requited’ could be seen and enjoyed by so many people. That’s what we do this for.” 

So congratulations to the filmmakers behind "Requited." It was a very competitive contest this year, and here at the Film Office we couldn't be happier with the talent and creativity on display. Thanks to all of the 2013 contest entrants. We hope to see you back in the 2014 contest.

Free Screening: Opening Night of the Cheyenne International Film Festival

The Cheyenne International Film Festival begins on May 16th at a free community reception hosted by Wyoming Community Media and the Paramount Cafe. There will be malt beverages and soft drinks and appetizers, along with live music.

Following the reception, the CIFF begins with a screening of several Wyoming movies.

"Last Drop" - TRT 7minutes - USA WYO - Producer T-Bird TV - The Shoot Out Cheyenne under 17 winning movie about the trials and tribulations of high schools faced with alcohol use and abuse.

"Picture Perfect" - TRT 7minutes - USA WYO - Producer Chris Hulme - The Shoot Out Cheyenne over all "Best Picture winner from 2012.

Wyoming Short Film Contest winner - The winner of the $25,000 contest will be announced the film screened.

"The Stage Coach Bar: An American Crossroads" - TRT 57minutes - Producer Jennifer Tennican - The Coach in Wilson, Wyoming has long been welcoming an eclectic and evolving cocktail of characters - from cowboys to millionaires. The film paints an intimate portrait of a roadhouse and crossroads that has been creating its own brand of community for more than 70 years in ways that both define and defy our visions of the Wild West. Producer Jennifer Tennican won the Wyoming Short Film Contest in 2011 and this is the final project.

Click here to register to attend. 

New In Reel-Scout: Spring 2013 Edition

In our ongoing effort to get the entirety of Wyoming on film and categorized, we've taken to plundering Wikimedia Commons for photography. As such, we've got a few new locations up and running. Click the captions to see the full listing:

College Inn Bar

Cheyenne Regional Airport

BPOE 1353

Park County Courthouse

Superior Union Hall Ruins

Small movie theaters struggle to switch from film to digital

Edit Rollings, WY Theater Owner

Going to the movies has been a favorite pastime since the dawn of film… but Hollywood studios expect to stop printing movies on actual film before the end of this year. They’re switching over to a digital format, which requires all-new equipment… and the cost of the transition is proving prohibitive for some small Wyoming theaters. Wyoming Public Radio’s Rebecca Martinez filed this report.

(struggling to open reel box)

EDIE ROLLINGS: They come in on these. These are they reels that they come in on. Then we take the film off of the reels and we put it on the platter. And so this particular movie was seven reels.

REBECCA MARTINEZ: Edie Rollings owns the Ritz Entertainment Center in Thermopolis. She’s unpacking the reels of the Oscar-winning “Lincoln” from a pair of boxes in the projection room at her single-screen movie theater. Like a handful of other small theaters in Wyoming, the Ritz still shows movies on good old-fashioned 35 millimeter film. Rollings says she has to wait until after bigger first-run theaters use the reels before she can get them, and reels are getting scarcer...

Click here for the full story.

CWC Student Film Festival is Wednesday, May 1

(Riverton, Wyo.) – A variety of student-produced films are showcased at Central Wyoming College’s Student Film Festival Wednesday, May 1.

Students enrolled in production, editing and documentary film, and television courses show their work during the 7 p.m. festival in the Little Theatre, located in the CWC Student Center.

Films include short narrative works, silent films, documentaries, commercials and “re-mix” trailers, said instructor Jeremy Nielsen.

The festival is open to the public and there is no admission fee.