Updated Photography: Cody Stampede and Fairgrounds

Since the turn of the century, rodeos and parades have been part of the Fourth of July in Cody, Wyoming.  For 90 plus years, starting officially in 1919, the Cody Stampede Rodeo has been held every summer.  2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the nightly performances.  These two benchmarks establish Cody as not only one of the longest running successful professional rodeos, but also the only place in the country that has a rodeo performance nightly.  The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association named the Cody Stampede "Best Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year" in 1998 and 1999.  In 2001 the Cody Nite Rodeo was nominated for "Best Small Outdoor Rodeo of the Year".

The arena is on the northern edge of town, just south of Shoshone Canyon. If you want to see more images, hit the full listing here.

And the Finalists Are...

The polls are closed, the voting round is over, and our judges are reviewing the finalists. It's not exactly been a smooth ride this year. Technological difficulties have plagued us at every turn, and I know that many of you had strong opinions on how we should got about keeping the contest fair. In the end, we felt that the only equitable solution was to stick to our original design: only ten films advance; only the votes cast by signing into the system count.

We realize that many users who wanted to vote were unable to penetrate the system, but it's important to note that all films -- including those in the top 10 -- had to deal with those same difficulties. Over 4,000 total votes were cast, and we feel that makes for a pretty good voting sample.

So once again, we apologize for the hassle of this year's voting round. We're already discussing our options for next year, and while the platform is open for discussion, I can assure you that we will move to a different system.

All that said, we still feel that this year has been a resounding success. The point of this contest is not just to award one filmmaker $25,000. Rather, it's our goal to provide exposure to all the talented filmmakers out there, to help them network and meet up with one another, and show off the Wyoming production community to the world at large. And with over 66,000 total views between the 42 contest entries, we feel that we've achieved that goal. There is an exceptional amount of talent on display in this contest, both from in-state and out-of-state filmmakers. We could only send 10 films on to the judges, but in our opinion, all our filmmakers deserve recognition. Not least of all for putting up with our website.

But now, it is our pleasure to announce the 10 finalists from this year's contest. These entries will move on to our Judge's Panel and a shot at the Grand Prize which will be announced on May 10th.

• A Tiny Day in the Jackson Hole Backcountry
  A ski video shot at JHMR, this entry features trick photography to make the mountain appear miniature.

• Back to Fort Russell
  In 1870's Wyoming, Marshal Foster tracks down a young woman accused of murder. On the journey home he learns the details surrounding her crime and finds himself conflicted with the idea of justice vs. self-defense. The stakes are raised as he confronts his own personal demons and must make a decision that will effect both of their lives.

• Brewstravelers
  Join Brother Ted and Tofte as they travel to Colorado to search for the heart and soul of beer culture in order to make Wyoming a better beer state. 

• Matchless
  Alan, a concert pianist, is moving to Chicago. Alan's Girlfriend Sarah doesn't know how to ask him to stay and he doesn't know how to tell her that everything will work out. In the end we discover what makes the two of them and Wyoming home.

• Pieces of the Hindenburg: Treasure Hunting in Wyoming
  A documentary about the surprising, previously undiscovered treasures that the filmmaker found in the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming.

• Preserve
  A very Wyoming sort of drama, all about the land and the people who call it home.
   
• The Great Wyoming Jackalope Hunt
  There's a controversy brewing in Wyoming, and it's all about a hunt for a mythical creature.

•  The Summer of '81
  A touching film by filmmaker Preston Randolph telling the unique life and struggles of Wyoming local, Bob Taylor.

• Undead Lovers
  A Cowboy and Cowgirl come to clean house at a zombie brothel, but get their clocks cleaned when the Frontman of the band gets distracted from playing the soothing tunes that keep the undead escorts' appetites at bay.

• Western Wandering
  Mark Pedri takes his camera and survival gear on a 700-mile mountain bike ride around Wyoming to discover what truly defines the state he was born and raised in. From the desert to the mountains, sunshine and rain, he sets out with an idea about what he thinks defines his state, only to find out that he only knew half of the real story about Wyoming

An Open Letter From a WSFC Entrant

As this year's short film contest draws to a close, I'd like to congratulate all the filmmakers.

I'd also like to invite you all to join my posse of merrymakers and march upon Colin Stricklin.  As... thanks... for managing a site that has made each bowel movement feel like porcupines squeezing through our respective sphincters.  You definitely made the Christmas list this year, hoss.

For my part, "Undead Lovers" was borne just after Jalan Crossland had asked last May if he could get a music video out of all the songs we'd discussed using in our feature film.  I'd already planned on shooting a short version of our feature for this year's short film contest, but Jalan's song is so much more fun than anything I could write on my own.  I'll share the spotlight with as many Cowboy State artists as possible.  Any day.

It should thusly be made clear at this time that, out of all the people whom we somehow forgot to credit, we didn't even think to properly reach out to Will Ross, who recorded the audio for Levi Wells' YouTube video of Jalan's performance at the What Fest.  None of the past year's success with "Undead Lovers" would be possible without this recording. We will only make "Undead Lovers" available from now on with these updated credits.  And without the intro I added to kiss the judges' asses in an effort to make up for our lack of landscapes.

Reading some of the snarky comments on one another's pages, I'm somewhat relieved to know that I'm not the only one whom this contest has brought the Fear & Loathing out of in the past few months.  Me.  Ow. 

I feel you. I want this $25,000 so badly I can taste it with my Gonzo leprechaun breath.

But every time that "Oh noes" geyser appeared on each of our screens, we were crashing the hell out of the server with numbers the Film Office had never come across before. They've been doing this for five years now, and we caused some Van Dammage to whatever voter turnout they'd extrapolated from previous contests.  Do a little shake, rattle, & roll for that, if nothing else.

No matter who wins this purse and its associated honors, I've got a feeling that money will be going back into most of us. Each film in this contest, particularly a few struggling in votes right now, deserves acclaim.  Kyle Plummer's camera work and editing as a high schooler makes me leap with pride at the future of Wyoming filmmaking.  The story told in "Let the Land Speak" is exactly why I look forward to leaving LA for good to establish my production company in Wyoming full-time.  And I can only hope to seduce Levi Wells into shooting any of my future projects.

Some of us are better at acting, producing, pre-production, editing, directing, what have you... heavy sits the crown made of all these hats worn at once.  Each film has its own merit-- let the votes be damned.

What this contest shows is a Wyoming MACHINE.  But we are only as strong as the Sum of Our Whole.

Best to all as we each deal in our own ways with the next two weeks of having the fates of our 2012 in the hands of our judges.  They've got their work cut out for them... whether you've footage of the governor, touching stories of men who build their dreams, revisiting the classic Western, or casting the little girl you used to babysit as a zombie spanking some other kid you just met.

Well met, y'all.  Reach out if you want to play together this fall.  And, as always...

Let 'er buck,
K. Harrison Sweeney
 

Your Daily Shorts, Part 7

In an attempt to help you, the viewer, watch all 42 entries in this year's Wyoming Short Film Contest, here are you daily six. Head on over to wyomingshortfilmcontest.com to register for an account and cast your vote. Remember, you've only got until next Thursday, April 26th to cast your ballot.

• Wyoming Triumph: Yellowstone National Park
  A skiers' history of the world's first national park.

• Carter Country
  An intimate look at the Carter family from Ten Sleep, Wyoming.
  

• I Only Cry in the Rain
  A documentary about teen suicide in Wyoming.
  

• My Heart Belongs to an Alien
  A science fiction author has a close encounter.

• The Great Wyoming Jackalope Hunt
  There's a controversy brewing in Wyoming, and it's all about a hunt for a mythical creature.

• The Bear Switch Project
  
  Ted encounters a mysterious teddy bear that changes his life.

If you have any trouble with the voting process, or if you'd just like to leave a comment, hit us up at info@filmwyoming.com.

Your Daily Shorts, Part 6

In an attempt to help you, the viewer, watch all 42 entries in this year's Wyoming Short Film Contest, here are you daily six. Head on over to wyomingshortfilmcontest.com to register for an account and cast your vote. Remember, you've only got until next Thursday, April 26th to cast your ballot.

• Western Wandering
  Mark Pedri takes his camera and survival gear on a 700-mile mountain bike ride around Wyoming to discover what truly defines the state he was born and raised in. From the desert to the mountains, sunshine and rain, he sets out with an idea about what he thinks defines his state, only to find out that he only knew half of the real story about Wyoming

• Back to Fort Russell
  In 1870's Wyoming, Marshal Foster tracks down a young woman accused of murder. On the journey home he learns the details surrounding her crime and finds himself conflicted with the idea of justice vs. self-defense. The stakes are raised as he confronts his own personal demons and must make a decision that will effect both of their lives.
  

• The Illustrated Jackson Hole
  With song and with illustration, this short shows a haunting vision of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
  

• Indian Oratory
  A marble sculptor carves speeches of seven great Indian Chiefs

• Broken Dreams
  A socially awkward teen finds friendship and fatherly love in an unlikely place.

• Lady and the Llamas
  A hiker takes her two llamas and border collie for backpacking adventure into Wind River Mountains.

If you have any trouble with the voting process, or if you'd just like to leave a comment, hit us up at info@filmwyoming.com.

Your Daily Shorts, Part 5

In an attempt to help you, the viewer, watch all 42 entries in this year's Wyoming Short Film Contest, here are you daily six. Head on over to wyomingshortfilmcontest.com to register for an account and cast your vote. Remember, you've only got until next Thursday, April 26th to cast your ballot.

• From Valley To Peak: Day and Night in Grand Teton
  In Day and Night in Grand Teton, New Thought Media explores the breathtaking anomalies that accompany the suns orbit over Grand Teton National Park. Heliotropic flower movement, alpenglow, and the Shadow Range phenomena are all profiled in this episode.

• The Summer of '81
  A touching film by filmmaker Preston Randolph telling the unique life and struggles of Wyoming local, Bob Taylor.
  

• The Last Gift
  A short film about Mark, a teenage boy whose grandfather dies on his birthday. He is completely depressed until he finds his grandfather's birthday gift to him.
  

• Pieces of the Hindenburg: Treasure Hunting in Wyoming
  A documentary about the surprising, previously undiscovered treasures that the filmmaker found in the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming.

• Undead Lovers
  A Cowboy and Cowgirl come to clean house at a zombie brothel, but get their clocks cleaned when the Frontman of the band gets distracted from playing the soothing tunes that keep the undead escorts' appetites at bay.

• Maggie and Drake in Kindergarten
  Two Wyoming Kindergarteners experience school disipline.

If you have any trouble with the voting process, or if you'd just like to leave a comment, hit us up at info@filmwyoming.com.

Your Daily Shorts, Part 4

In an attempt to help you, the viewer, watch all 42 entries in this year's Wyoming Short Film Contest, here are you daily six. Head on over to wyomingshortfilmcontest.com to register for an account and cast your vote. Remember, you've only got until next Thursday, April 26th to cast your ballot.

• Message in a Bottle
  Messages in bottles, and romances, are a little different in Wyoming.

• A Tiny Day in the Jackson Hole Backcountry
  A ski video shot at JHMR, this entry features trick photography to make the mountain appear miniature.
  

• What Fest - Clark, WY
  WHAT FEST is primarily a music festival; however, throughout the years there are a number of artists and craftsmen using WHAT FEST to expose their products and wares to a wider audience. We went from a small festival to a full blown arts community, effectively networked via online social media. WHAT FEST is ‘as grass roots as it gets!’
  

• Louis Lake
  A trailer for the "slasher victims in the woods horror film, "Louis Lake."

• We're the Band
  This documentary explores the lifestyle of Chad Lore, an artistic adventurer who makes a living as a musician in the bars of Casper and around the state of Wyoming.

• Alone
  A short film about a teenage boy, Jim, who is abandoned in the Wyoming mountains. When it seems like all hope is lost, he finds a boy that's about his age who is willing to help him find his way home. However, when all is said and done, Jim must come to the conclusion whether the boy is real or just a hallucination.

If you have any trouble with the voting process, or if you'd just like to leave a comment, hit us up at info@filmwyoming.com.

Your Daily Shorts, Part 3

In an attempt to help you, the viewer, watch all 42 entries in this year's Wyoming Short Film Contest, here are your daily six. Head on over to wyomingshortfilmcontest.com to register for an account and cast your vote. Remember, you've only got until next Thursday, April 26 to cast your ballot.

• Preserve
  A very Wyoming sort of drama, all about the land and the people who call it home.

• Let The Land Speak
  If you could unplug and listen to the land, what would it say? Follow a girl as she's transported from the busy city into Wyoming. Let The Land speak takes you into a world pictures barely describe, featuring Wyoming and Nature like you've never seen it before.

• Marg Bar Wyoming
  A narrative of Iranian immigrants in Wyoming.

• Fall
  The leaves in Jackson were particularly vibrant this day. This dance film shows what kind of trouble can happen in Teton Valley when its' just too nice to take life seriously.

• The Chamberlin Inn
  A short documentary telling the historic story of the Chamberlin Inn of Cody,WY.

• Parallel
  A phone call home. A street kid trying to make it in Wyoming. 

If you have any trouble with the voting process, or if you'd just like to leave a comment, hit us up at info@filmwyoming.com.

Your Daily Shorts, Part 2

In an attempt to help you, the viewer, watch all 42 entries in this year's Wyoming Short Film Contest, here are you daily six. Head on over to wyomingshortfilmcontest.com to register for an account and cast your vote. Remember, you've only got until next Thursday, April 26th to cast your ballot.

• The Fiery Narrows - Following the Path of John C. Fremont
  An original documentary honoring John C. Fremont / Fremont Canyon, Wyoming. 

• A Summer in Wyoming
  In the filmmaker's words: "Here is my Summer in Jackson Hole and Yellowknife. The video features many activities available in Wyoming."

• From Valley to Peak: Glacial Lakes in Grand Teton
  In Glacial Lakes and The River System in Grand Teton, New Thought Media turns their cameras on the unalienable power of water over the Grand Teton National Park landscape. High mountain lakes, waterfalls, and the infamous Snake River are all showcased in this short documentary.
  

• Cody Wyoming War Memorial
  September 10th, 2011; Patriotic crowds gathered together in Cody, Wyoming for the dedication of the Freedom Memorial Monument in Veterans Memorial Park.

• Wyoming - Forever West
  This documentary takes a closer look at Wyoming and its people. The question at hand? "Why do you live in the Cowboy State?"

• One Day in Wyoming's January Thaw
  A family is forced to embrace the warmer temperatures during the annual thaw Wyoming experiences in January.

If you have any trouble with the voting process, or if you'd just like to leave a comment, hit us up at info@filmwyoming.com.

One One Week Left to Vote!

With over 2,100 votes cast so far, the voting round of the 2012 Wyoming Short Film Contest is in full swing. Only three votes separate 10th and 11th place,  and that all important cut to the top 10 is coming at midnight next Thursday, April 26th.

So in the interest of helping you, the viewer, watch all 42 entries from this year's contest, we will be linking you to six films every day from now until voting wraps next Thursday. Now without further ado, and in completely random order, here are your first six films:

• Cheyenne
  A message in a bottle winds up along the shore line of Vancouver. Inside, a picture of a gorgeous girl, and a note.

• Brewstravelers
  Join Brother Ted and Tofte as they travel to Colorado to search for the heart and soul of beer culture in order to make Wyoming a better beer state.

• Terror in the USA
  Bumbling terrorists? Check. Comedy? Also check.

• Matchless
  Alan, a concert pianist, is moving to Chicago. Alan's Girlfriend Sarah doesn't know how to ask him to stay and he doesn't know how to tell her that everything will work out. In the end we discover what makes the two of them and Wyoming home.

• The Newsboy
  A newsboy from Cheyenne 1912 travels to 2012 to sell his newspapers.

• Slicker 'n Ectoplasm
  A fictional documentary about a slippery stretch of road .

So tell your neighbors. Tell your friends. Yell at us if they have trouble creating an account. We've got $25K up for grab, and this thing is coming down to the wire.

If you have any trouble with the voting process, or if you'd just like to leave a comment, hit us up at info@filmwyoming.com. 

Updated Photography: Turtle Ranch

If you want trained animals in Wyoming, you hit Turtle Ranch. Want them to come to your location? Turtle Ranch. And oh yeah, they have some pretty great locations too.

Photography courtesy of Kate Wiltshire. If you want more images, hit up the listing on  Reel-Scout. If you want to get in touch with Turtle Ranch directly, check out their website.

Updated Photography: Shoshoni

Shoshoni, WY is the quintessential broken down western town. It boasts a partially abandoned "downtown" area, murals on its walls, and the finest milkshake shop in the state. Significantly, the tiny town has easy access to the Riverton Regional Airport, just 25 minutes away.

The most recent photography comes courtesy of Audrey Eaton, resident PR person at the Wind River Visitors Council. See the rest of the file here.

Jackson Hole Film & Food Series

Well this is a cool idea. Also, is it lunch time yet? 

Indie film and culinary art meet-up this off-season with the Jackson Hole Film and Food Series. The spring series will dish-up three evenings of film paired to a chef's gastronomic creations.  Curated to deliver an innovative taste every time, each event will have a different format and feature lively interaction between film guests, the chef, and the audience.

Tickets and info here.