Wyoming native wins Oscar for documentary

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (WTW) — Daniel Junge's phone hasn't stopped ringing since Sunday night.

The Cheyenne native won an Oscar at the 84th annual Academy Awards for his work co-directing the short documentary "Saving Face." On Monday, it seemed like everyone wanted to send their congratulations through a text message, an email or a phone call.

"They just keep coming in," he said.

His acceptance speech Sunday was short, thanking a handful of people, including his wife, before yielding the floor to his co-director, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy...

...Michell Howard, the manager of the Wyoming Film Office, said she hoped her office could continue to support filmmakers like Daniel Junge in the future.

"The goal of our office is not to just bring filmmakers to the state, but also to promote those filmmakers already in the state like Daniel," she said. "He is a very talented filmmaker."

For the full article, visit the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

Local Networking

If you're a film office, you've got to make friends. Permitting officers and property owners are your best buddies, and you've got to work hard to keep those relationships healthy. Here in Wyoming, we're based out of the State Office of Tourism, and that is a huge advantage. Especially today. 

We're blogging live from the 2012 Wyoming Governor's Tourism Conference, and we're at a table full of brochures and road maps. Local vendors -- restaurateurs and chambers of commerce, hoteliers and tour guides -- come streaming through the doors, in and out of sessions and lunches and keynotes. And as a film office, it is HUGELY relevant.

These are people with a vested interest in their locations. They want to show off their dude ranches and their small town squares, and they get it. They understand that film is good for business, and they're happy to provide photography from all around the state. Every year we come away from this conference with new images and new friends. It's an ideal meeting place for like minded people, and the brochures are going fast.

Major award boosts Wyoming girl's acting career

By Star Tribune staff Writer Kelsey Dayton

"RIVERTON — She expected to hear a name she knew so well: Betty White or Laurence Fishburne.

It was enough that she was there, in a black and pink dress far fancier than anything she had ever worn, even in her days of beauty pageants. “This was a red carpet dress.”

The day had already been more than anything she had ever experienced at home in Riverton — someone styling her hair and photographers shouting her name, blinding her with flashes.

And then they called her name: Kirstin Dorn, the recipient of the Grace Award for television movies."

Click here for the full article.

Wyoming Filmmaker: Preston Randolph

Preston Randolph began his film making career at Cody High School, where he remains the only student to have won the statewide Wyoming High School Short Film Festival three years running. We first heard of him here in the Film Office way back in 2008, when he entered into our first Wyoming Short Film Contest. He's back for 2012 with an early bird entry and another waiting in the wings. But what's really exciting in Mr. Randolph's career is his feature-length documentary, "Wind Chases the Sun."

The film exposes the case of Native American activist Leonard Peltier, and his ongoing 36 years of imprisonment. Shot on the Red One and scheduled for theatrical and DVD release in 2013, the film features new evidence and new testimony that Peltier was wrongfully convicted. Watch the video summary here, and head on over to www.wyomingshortfilmcontest.com to see Randolph's entries in this year's contest. Voting goes live April 5th.

Zombies Protest at the Capitol

Remember when we blogged about zombie auditions earlier on in the week? Well here are the results. Thanks to the intrepid survivors at the Tibune Eagle for picking up the story. 

Link to full story. 

Wyomign Crew News -- Winter 2012

 





Django Unchained
The next big movie from Hollywood filmmaker Quentin Tarantino will feature winter scenes from Jackson, Wyoming. “Django Unchained” hired several local crew people and brought in veteran movie horse wranglers Robin and Kate Wiltshire 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. For more information, check the page at IMDB.
And on a personal note: We in the Film Office would like to take the time to thank all those who were hired onto the production. The production team was very happy with all of their local hires. You guys are wonderful ambassadors for the Wyoming film industry, and we're grateful to have so many professionals in our state.
2012 Wyoming Short Film Contest
The 5th Annual Wyoming Short Film Contest is now accepting film submissions thru Wednesday, April 4, 2012. Filmmakers can submit their videos online at www.wyomingshortfilmcontest.com. A $25,000 Grand Prize will be awarded to the winning entry with a storyline that takes place in Wyoming, features Wyoming, or presents the state as a major character.
Central Wyoming College
Central Wyoming College in Riverton just kicked off its two year associates degree program in film production. Students are introduced to the art of screenwriting, directing, editing, and mastering filmmaking preproduction, production and postproduction skills. You can watch a short video on the program here.
But more importantly, you can get involved yourself. If you or your company have any room for interns, there's no better way to show these kids that they can make a living as filmmakers in Wyoming. If you're interested, call John Little, CWC Film Production Professor.
John Little
Assistant Professor
Film Production
Central Wyoming College
(307) 855-2212
Program Website
Brain Farm Emmy
Congratulations are in order for Brain Farm's Curt Morgan and Jared Slater. They were both awarded Emmy's for their cinematography in National Geographic's "Great Migrations." Working with the Cineflex and Phantom HD, they were able to capture some truly spectacular footage of Wyoming's pronghorns, and bring a bit of recognition to the talent in the Cowboy State. Way to go guys!

For more info on the prize winning project, check out the Brain Farm Blog.
Join Our Online Directory
When projects like Modern Family or Django Unchained come to town, they use our database as a resource to hire locals. Make you and your company more visible to incoming production with a free listing on our Crew/Support Directory. Sign in to update (or sign up to create) your listing from the Film Office web site at www.filmwyoming.com under the Crew/Support tab. If you’ve forgotten your password, just email info@filmwyoming.com to get your login information.
Spotlight Location: Sunrise
Property owner John Voight is offering up this entire abandoned town in Southeast Wyoming as a filming location, free of permitting hassles and full of personality. The property boasts beautiful, abandoned brick buildings, homes, landscapes, a YMCA (complete with auditorium, activity rooms, and beat up bowling alley), and ruins of what was formerly the worlds longest garage. So give it a look. This might just be your next location. And give a call. Voight likes nothing better than giving a tour of the property. sunrisemine.blogspot.com.