On the surface, Idaho appears poised to become the next prime cinematic
community. The state is home to a sizable technical industry, several
Tinseltown titans and a thriving local arts community. And the signs
are all there to indicate that the Gem State is ready to embrace a more
active role in the filmmaking business. Idaho has a rich and friendly
history with both studio and independent productions, and many of our
state's media professionals are hoping for continued public support as
the industry begins to mature.
But celebrity sightings and earnest well-wishes aside, Idaho has a long way to go to earn the title of Hollywood North.
In many ways, the filmmaking scene in Idaho is at a turning point,
both enjoying some of its highest recognition and best reception in
decades. But it's also facing severe sustainability challenges from
both in and out of state.
The competition for support and to bring film projects to Idaho puts
the state in direct conflict with neighboring states Utah and Oregon.
Despite the recent passage of legislation aimed at luring film
productions to Idaho and a strong statewide commitment to promoting and
showcasing the art form, the struggle to develop an Idaho cinema
industry remains an uphill slog. But the concerted efforts of many
individuals and associations are starting to see their dreams come to
fruition.
ALLURING LEGISLATION
On April 1, Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed House Bill No. 592, offering
qualified film productions a 20 percent rebate (capped at $500,000) on
expenditures in Idaho when at least 20 percent of the crew is made up
of Idaho residents. The required local workforce increases by 5 percent
each year until the measure sunsets in 2014. After the termination of
the program, the Idaho Department of Commerce will evaluate the
economic impact of the program and submit a report to the state
Legislature, which will determine whether to continue offering the
incentive.
"This legislation establishes a program to grow the media production
industry in Idaho," the text of the bill reads. "The Department of
Commerce would utilize the program as an economic stimulus and to
develop a media industry workforce ... Idaho is seeking to compete and
build an industry in a global market."
Kathleen Haase, an industry specialist at the Idaho Film Office,
believes the incentive is a critical step toward developing a valuable
industry that is lacking in Idaho, but additional effort is needed to
make the state a competitive market.
"We have to make up some time because we're coming to the table so late in the game," Haase said.
With 45 other states already implementing similar measures, Idaho
will be vying for contracts with established film communities. The High School Musical
series generated more than $13 million in revenue for Utah, which put
in place a similar incentive in 2004. Oregon has hosted 13 feature
films in the last two years since the state's rebate program began in
2005. These successes have encouraged Idaho's neighboring states to
increase their programs and develop new avenues of attracting industry.
A 2008 press release issued from the office of Utah Gov. Jon
Huntsman indicated that increasing incentives would be a top
legislative priority in 2009.
"If we want to be the premier film destination in the [United
States], we need a premier motion picture incentive program," the
release stated. "We need our incentives to be more competitive to
encourage the Utah production of all sizes of films."
Although a late contender in this cinematic boxing match, the Idaho
Film Office hopes our state's celebrated scenery and enticing rebate
incentives will bring film productions back to Idaho, which hasn't
billeted a big-budget movie since Dante's Peak was filmed here more than 10 years ago.
"The film offices in individual states are economic development
agencies," Haase said. "What we try to do is create an attractive
environment in the state to lure productions to come to the state,
spend their budgets, which are sizable ... and hire our crew here. We
hope to create jobs, and we bring in economic activity in [the] form of
investment in the state from outside the state."
The passage of the bill represents a major coup for the filmmakers
who call Idaho home, but the battle is only half won. Although the
measure has been approved, financial backing for the rebate still has
not come through.
"We're still hoping to have ours funded," Haase said. "We're at the
mercy of the governor, our department and the Legislature as to
funding."
Initially, the Idaho Film Office received a flurry of calls in response to the adoption of the bill but interest has waned.
"We had to be very clear that indeed we have not yet been funded, so
we're sort of in a bit of a holding pattern until that does happen ...
[We're] ready to go out there in anticipation of it being funded
sometime," Haase said.
There is hope that financing for the measure will be approved by
next summer. Because the incentive is funded through the Idaho
Department of Commerce's budget, which in turn is approved by state
government, passing the measure is merely the first step in
implementing the program. Haase encourages local voters to call their
legislators in support of budget approval. While the bill received a
good deal of support from local filmmakers and public figures, she
hopes that the public will now take an active hand bringing the backing
necessary to expand Idaho's film industry.
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Another key component to luring film productions to Idaho is offering
an educated workforce. The Idaho Film Office holds regular workshops
around the state, helping introduce the public to the business of
movies.
"Here, we're still working on developing our crew base," Haase said.
The agency has offered diverse courses, training professional film
workers in location scouting, screenwriting, editing and working as
production assistants.
Although there is no full-time film school in Idaho, there are
production classes available through several universities. Northwest
Nazarene University, in particular, offers a B.A. in mass
communications, a major focus of which is film production. Boise State
offers a similar program, although the emphasis is on documentary work.
But the Treasure Valley is not the only part of Idaho crafting new
filmmakers. Just outside of Driggs resides the Idaho Film and
Television Institute, founded by Dawn Wells—best known as Mary Ann from
the TV show Gilligan's Island.
The institute holds annual boot camps—crash-course training sessions
with industry experts who instruct in all aspects of production.
The increase of film industry work in Idaho will eventually require
more educational opportunities for students who are looking to join the
field. But like so many other new and growing business markets, the
demand is not yet high enough for the universities to develop stronger
programs. While the Idaho Film Office is also working with educational
systems to offer film degrees, the advent of a full film program seems
to still be a long way off.
YOUNG INDEPENDENTS
Like many young artists, Boise filmmaker Jason Willford wears several
different hats. A university student who moonlights as a barista, he is
part of a new generation of self-starting movie makers who are
capitalizing on the decreasing costs of high-quality digital cameras
and editing equipment. Whereas the film gear used for big-budget studio
films can cost thousands of dollars a day to rent, DIY filmmakers
nationwide are utilizing relatively inexpensive digital cameras, the
majority of which cost no more than a studio camera's single-day rental
price.
Chad Mathison, president of The Idaho Movie House hopes to expand opportunities for Idaho films.
Joyce Alexander |
This technique has actually been used by several mainstream
filmmakers to emulate a distinct low-budget look and feel, as seen in
such movies as 28 Days Later (2002) and the recent Rachel Getting Married (2008), but the technology has facilitated a huge boom in the production of independent films.
"The whole digital revolution is a good thing because it's no longer
specifically for the elite," Willford said. "It's for the common man so
people can start making independent films really cheap."
With the availability of professional-quality tools to those on a
budget, it's no wonder that young filmmakers—both hobbyists and those
hoping to develop a career—are popping up everywhere. They're the ones
foaming lattes while dreaming of plausible dialogue, calculating
shooting budgets based on this month's commissions at the electronics
shop and mentally scouting locations as they bike around town.
"Digital cameras and equipment have made it possible and accessible
to do a great deal of video work," said Chad Mathison, a local producer
and director. "Independent filmmakers and videographers can showcase
those works online, which is amazing. We weren't exactly there, five
years ago ... [It] shows that there's a whole new market that needs to
be expressed."
Although a significant portion of the local filmmaking community
networks through the many film festivals held throughout the state, the
majority of networking occurs online, another important modern amenity.
"In general, at this point, there really is not a centralized or
physical meeting place," said filmmaker Greg Bayne. "I think most of
the connections these days are going on virtually. It's that way for
me, connecting with artists and filmmakers from within the state and
across the globe via the Internet."
Hoping to provide a physical gathering hall is a fledging theater
called the Idaho Movie House. Still in the development stages,
organizers have been looking at space in the Linen District in downtown
Boise and are working to develop a viable business plan. They hope to
offer filmmakers a networking outlet while increasing public awareness
of the Idaho film industry.
"The Movie House is committed and dedicated to the local filmmakers
and the local film scene," said Mathison, who also serves as president
of the organization. "Networking can be developed through a constant
stream of showcasing of locals films to the public, giving them the
opportunity to get to know what our film scene's bringing. As for what
type of community would be built by that: a flourishing one."
What the Idaho Movie House organizers hope will differentiate them
from other community-friendly theaters such as The Flicks and the
Egyptian Theatre is its focus.
"'Idaho only' cinema is an initial concept; one which we've expanded
on, yet we also believe we're retaining the essential thrust that makes
the theater so vital, retaining the necessity for the local filmmakers,
as well as the local film scene," Mathison said.
He is hoping that other theaters in town will welcome the Idaho
Movie House and help support the mission of providing an ongoing home
for Idaho film. Theater founders have also talked with Tom Trusky of
the Idaho Film Collection about screening classic Gem State cinema.
Although the online community has expressed enthusiasm for the project,
the best current opportunity to hang out with fellow artists is at one
of the numerous local film festivals.
LIFEBLOOD OF AN INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER
The myriad of film festivals that have sprung up over the last decade
is one of the healthy life signs of the Idaho filmmaking community.
Since 2000, at least seven new film showcases have debuted across the
state, from Driggs to Coeur d'Alene. While each is committed to the
mission of exposing Idaho audiences to rare and diverse films, what
differentiates them all are the particular niches they seek to fulfill.
The Sawtooth Mountain Film Festival screens films about the outdoors
and extreme sports, while the Sun Valley Spiritual Film Festival
screens cinema that celebrates the human spirit.
As any passionate filmmaker will attest, an artist's true reward is having his or her movie screened for an audience.
"The thrill or charge of having it on a big or larger screen. That's
something nearly all the filmmakers work towards, at every moment,"
Mathison said.
Tom Trusky has scoured the world for rare Idaho films, helping build the Idaho Film Collection.
Joyce Alexander |
Festivals not only provide the venue and advertising for films, they
expose projects to distributors and other producers, forming vital
networks for the success of any filmmaker. Additionally, they help
foster a public awareness of independent film and create a greater
consumer demand. But the blood, sweat and tears required of a filmmaker
is also necessary for those who produce these festivals, sometimes
prohibitively so.
In September, the True West Cinema Festival—a volunteer-based labor
of love—proved too laborious for its architects, and they announced
that the festival's fifth year would be its last. Having showcased
nearly 200 productions, many from local and regional filmmakers,
cofounders Gregory Bayne, Josie Pusl and Travis Swartz (all active
industry members) decided it was time to step back and refocus on their
own business prospects.
"Running a festival is very time consuming and expensive," Pusl
wrote in an e-mail. "We are all filmmakers and have other projects and
career objectives and the festival was becoming a full time, basically
volunteer, job for us."
But the growing and eager audience stands as a testament to the
impact of True West: a community both more aware and more appreciative
of the spirit of independent film.
"For four days and nights we created a little family that spent
nearly 100 percent of their time together watching films, discussing
films and partying," Bayne said. "Our mission was to do something that
was relevant to our community in form and function, and I think we
succeeded at that."
The organizers consider its final year the most successful, both
artistically and in attendance, and they expressed their appreciation
that the festival ended on a high note.
"I think people are really disappointed to see the festival end,
which makes us feel like True West was indeed a success," Pusl said. "I
hope that everyone who has been so supportive of the festival will
continue to be as supportive of our future projects."
The i48 Film Festival—another Bayne production along with Andrew
Ellis—is an annual Boise event. It's an entry-based competition in
which teams are given a genre, a required prop and a single line of
dialogue that must be incorporated in their film. And they have only
two days to complete it.
While the quality of the films produced through the competition is
mixed, the festival's real success is in gathering new participants,
many of whom have never been involved in a film project before. The
festival provides a unique opportunity for those who have lacked the
time or opportunity to create a movie, and lets them try on the
different caps worn by working filmmakers. After last year's festival
the community was abuzz with a newfound excitement for local filmmaking
and an eagerness to become more involved.
Similarly committed to showcasing and encouraging local cinema, the
Idaho International Film Festival offers free workshops during its
annual weekend run, giving instruction on such topics as finding grants
and working with green-screen technology. While the scope of this
festival is more expansive than others and screens features from across
the globe, it harbors a similar dedication to education and exposure
for Idaho filmmakers.
A robust festival circuit and committed audiences are encouraging
signs of the public disposition toward film in Idaho. These weekend
showcases foster a communal spirit of support for the industry. Whether
the enthusiastic vigor that these festivals engender can take root in
the long run, growing into a viable industry for Idaho filmmakers,
remains to be seen.
NEW FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
A good portion of the credit for the growth of the filmmaking
community is due to a fairly recent influx of several movie
professionals into the state. The energy of this new blood has helped
galvanize much of the filmmaking community.
Haase has only lived in Idaho for two years, yet her work with the
Idaho Film Office has not only helped secure the recent legislative
support for filmmakers, but also has been instrumental in working to
develop film studies programs at the state's major universities.
Boisean Heather Rae won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic
Feature at this year's Sundance Film Festival for her most recent
production, Frozen River. She has served on local film festival boards and lobbied for the new legislation as well.
Jason Willford is one of a growing number of independent filmmakers calling Boise home.
Joyce Alexander |
But working as a filmmaker in Idaho is a difficult task. Without an
established industry or a widely accessible education program, not only
does the state lose many younger filmmakers, but it also risks the
departure of established media professionals who must spend long
periods away from their homes and families in order to work. Some
choose to stay, though, grateful for the benefits of Idaho living.
"At one point, I may have convinced myself that living in Idaho was
a disadvantage," Bayne said. "But in the long run, it has kept me
grounded and influenced my ideas, my aesthetic, my stories and has made
me forever grateful to have the opportunity to work without the
pressure of 'industry.'"
For others, the decision to stay in-state requires constant
re-evaluation. Should the funding for the recent legislation come
through, not only would it attract outside productions, but it also
would allow filmmakers already living here to bring their projects to
Idaho, providing for their security and allowing them to invest more
time in their families and communities.
THE WRAP-UP
The Idaho filmmaking community is made up of a series of strange, and
sometimes uneasy, symbiotic relationships. While the work of the Idaho
Film Office is designed to create an environment that would lure
non-Idaho productions into the state, it also allows the established
industry professionals living here to bring in their productions,
rather than work elsewhere. The office provides education to the local
filmmaking workforce, which it needs to entice productions. In turn,
the industry professionals work to foster local filmmaking through the
development of festivals and providing jobs in-state.
But there has been some opposition in the local community to the new
legislation. While its adoption has encouraged some filmmakers,
especially those who work out-of-state, others are concerned about how
the incentive will affect local cinema.
"Once everything passes, you're going to need a location release in
order to use a building, image permits, etc. It's going to trickle
down, and you're going to have to go through all that paperwork,"
Willford said.
Although the Idaho Film Office expressed belief that these policies
would arise naturally without the new legislation, they also indicated
approval of such requirements, which would help them to track a film's
expenditures.
"We would totally support that," Haase said. "[It's] a great way to
keep tabs on the productions that do come here, and monitor how much
they spend and where they're spending it."
Willford and others have voiced their concern that the legislation
will not only require extra policy—a hassle for any low-budget
production—but that large out-of-state films will draw attention away
from local filmmaking, which already struggles to produce work.
"What Idaho really needs is the right mentality and to be more
prolific," he said. "If we're already making films, it's going to show
the outside investors and crews that there is something going on, and
that people are willing to be dedicated and spend all that time on a
film."
It's a tricky balancing act that is being played. As the closure of
the True West Cinema Festival indicates, many of the venues of public
exposure for the filmmaking community have been built on the backs of
working professionals. If the state loses its industry experts because
it can't support them, those opportunities disappear. When the film
office encourages policies that hinder younger filmmakers, it risks
alienating them although they make up the workforce needed to bring
outside productions. This same workforce benefits from the education
offered and developed by the film office, and indirectly by the support
it offers established filmmakers.
And then there's the public, who seem enthusiastic but not entirely informed about the local film scene.
"In general, I think the public feeling about local film is clouded
by the marketed idea of what independent film is perceived to be, ie.
whatever comes out of Sundance." Bayne said. "I do think there is a
will in the community to support the arts, including independent film,
absolutely. But it really is built upon the individual filmmakers and
their projects."
The great hope is that the populace will continue to support local
film even in the wake of a glitzy Hollywood fleet invasion. The Idaho
filmmaking industry is entering uncharted waters, and the journey
doesn't promise to be smooth sailing. With the makings of an attractive
incentive, a developing educational system and a burgeoning body of
independent filmmakers, Idaho may yet develop a strong and sustainable
industry, one both committed to the progress of local film, as well as
to opening our borders to outside productions. But it will require some
careful navigation.
Idaho Film Festivals founded by date
2000
Sawtooth Mountain Film Festival
2003
Idaho International Film Festival
2004
True West Cinema Festival
i48 Film Festival
Spudfest (Driggs)
2005
Sun Valley Spiritual Film Festival
2006
Schweitzer Lakedance International Film Festival (Sandpoint)
2007
Coeur d'Alene
Film Festival
Notable dates in Idaho film history
1915
The Cowpuncher is filmed in Idaho Falls. First recorded Idaho feature.
1922
Idaho produces its first indie, Miss Lewiston, directed by the town theater's owner. Nell Shipman sets up a studio on Priest Lake.
1925
Walt Disney marries Spalding native Lillian Bounds in a Lewiston church.
1936
First Idaho film Oscar awarded for Walter
Brennan in Come and
Get It.
1937
Wallace native Julia Jean Turner debuts on the silver screen as Lana Turner
1941
Sun Valley Serenade puts the titular resort on the map as a Hollywood
hot-spot.
1942
Bing Crosby and Buhl native Marjorie Reynolds debut the song White Christmas in the yuletide classic Holiday Inn.
1952
20th Century Fox releases photos of Marilyn Monroe dressed in an Idaho potato sack.
1956
Monroe films
portions of Bus Stop in Sun Valley.
1965
Sun Valley ski slopes become the new beach party site with two forgettable films.
1973
Idaho Transfer is not filmed in Sun Valley, but at Craters of the Moon.
1980
The Being—Idaho's first creature-
feature—is filmed in the Treasure Valley.
1985
Clint Eastwood. Pale Rider. 'Nuff said.
1997
Dante's Peak, filmed in Wallace, kills that "other volcano film" at the box office (Pierce Brosnan or Tommy Lee Jones? Not a tough choice).
1998
Smoke Signals wins Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.
2004
Napoleon Dynamite makes gift-shop
T-shirts cool.
Six Degrees of Idaho Bacon
In 1994, actor Kevin Bacon announced that he'd worked with everyone in
Hollywood, either directly or by extension. Given this logic, Bacon has
appeared in every Idaho film. Here are some of those connections.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004) starred Jon Heder who was in The Benchwarmers (2006) with Robert Harvey who was in Rails & Ties (2007) with Kevin Bacon .
The Grub-Stake (1922) starred Nell Shipman who was in The Fires of Conscience (1916) with William Farnum who was in Hollywood Story (1951) with Tony Barr who was in Murder in the First (1995) with Kevin Bacon.
Ibid (2008) featured Heather Rae who was in Disappearances (2006) with William Sanderson who was in Stageghost (2000) with Dana Barron who
was in Saving Angelo (2007) with Kevin Bacon.
Pale Rider (1985) starred Clint Eastwood who was in Space Cowboys (2000) with Marcia Gay Harden who was in Rails & Ties (2007) with Kevin Bacon.
Ski Party (1964) starred Frankie Avalon who was in Casino (1995) with Vinny Vella who was in In the Cut (2003) with Kevin Bacon.
The Duchess of Idaho (1950) starred Esther Williams who was in Easy to Wed (1946) with June Lockhart who was in The Big Picture (1989) with Kevin Bacon.
Come and Get It (1936) featured Walter Brennan who was in How the West Was Won (1962) with Eli Wallach who was in Mystic River (2003) with Kevin Bacon.
Breakfast of Champions (1998)starred Bruce Willis who was in Hostage (2005/I) with Kathryn Joosten who was in Rails & Ties (2007) with Kevin Bacon .
Or
Breakfast of Champions (1998) featured Lukas Haaswho was inBrick (2005) with Matt O'Leary who was in Death Sentence (2007) with Kevin Bacon.
Smoke Signals (1998) starred Evan Adams who was in Toby McTeague (1986) with Stephanie Morgenstern who was in Taking Liberty (1993) with Eric Close who was in Saving Angelo (2007) with Kevin Bacon.
Indiana Jones of Idaho Film
Tucked in a back office of the Hemingway Western Studies Center at
Boise State, Tom Trusky has spent 20 years gathering and preserving
early and modern examples of Idaho filmmaking. The Idaho Film
Collection now boasts the world's largest accumulation of Gem State
film pioneer Nell Shipman's productions, many of which had been lost.
The collection also houses posters, correspondence and even a
promotional T-shirt from the nearly 100 years of Idaho film history.
Joyce Alexander |
Begging, bartering and, when funded, buying, the accumulation of
these relics has been no easy task. Many of these films had disappeared
from the United States, and sleuthing them out worldwide required tact,
diplomacy and perseverance. In one instance, Trusky had to wait for the
end of the Cold War to get hold of a set of reels tucked away in
Russia. Even after the onset of the glasnost era, the archivist seemed
reluctant to copy and send the film, until Trusky bribed him with a
print of the famous Marilyn Monroe "potato sack" photo. The reels were
released shortly thereafter. Sadly, only half of the film was
preserved.
"It's so funny," Trusky said,
recalling the hassle. "Moscow, Russia,
to Moscow, Idaho."
Dealing with older productions printed on perishable film requires
adopting a thick skin. "Some films are incomplete, but I'll take what I
can get."
Besides their cinematic import, the collection's films have been
used by the U.S. Forest Service to measure old forest growth and lake
levels as well as studied by attorneys to settle land disputes.
"Who would think litigation would depend on some sort of Hollywood
cowboy and Indian story?" Trusky said. "That's what convinces me that
the films are interesting for what they show about the state."
While rumors of missing or presumed destroyed films at times come to
nothing, Trusky remains hopeful that they someday will come to light.
"There is a chance that some of these films are in private hands,"
he says. "I really suspect that someday in a private collection we'll
find that missing print."
And when that day comes, you can be sure he'll be there, ready to bring it home to Idaho.
— Jeremiah Robert Wierenga