Hallmark's Record Setting Wyoming Western Gets Sequel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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.