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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2002)
Big screen finds Eugene Independent films are on the rise and artists are cutting costs by filming in Oregon Ryan Bornheimer Senior Pulse Reporter Hollywood is still the filmmaking capital of the world. But the “movie factory” may want to look over its shoulder to see what’s sneaking up from behind. The world is getting smaller, and homegrown filmmak ers are turning up all over. Eugene is no exception. Oregon has always been an attrac tive area for the film industry; it is near California and offers a wide va riety of locales. In the 100 years of producing this relatively young art form, Hollywood has often ventured into the North west to shoot movies. Everyone from Robert Mitchum in 1939’s “Rachel and the Stranger” to River Phoenix in 1985’s “Stand By Me” has wan dered through Eugene to make their mark on film. It doesn’t take a long visit to Eu gene to recognize its artistic spirit. And anyone who’s seen a movie at Bijou Art Cinemas knows this movie theater’s celebration of independent film is an extension of that spirit. But these movies, though unlikely to pop up at the local cineplex, are still com mercially released films. If there are audiences in Eugene for independent movies, one has to assume that there exists a desire to take an active role in them as well. Though a distinct network of inde pendent filmmakers may appear elusive, there is reason to believe that at any moment, the talk of the film industry could spring up from our own backyard. Oregon filmmaker Erich Lyttle is a perfect example of that possibili ty. Lyttle and his producing partner Dan Wilkins operate Legacy Films, a production company with offices in Eugene and Portland. Their docudrama, “Have You Seen Clem,” was filmed partially in Eu gene and shown this summer at Mc Donald Theatre to a crowd of 500 people. At the moment, the film is making its way to movie houses across the country as the filmmak ers seek a distribution deal. Lyttle, a southern California na tive, says there are many benefits to making movies in Eugene. “One of the good things for us was the benefit of avoiding union entan glements that exist in California,” Lyttle said. This is a huge cost-saver for an independent filmmaker. “Clem,” originally budgeted at $250,000, eventually cost approxi mately $900,000 — still well below the ever-escalating cost of higher profile films. Mark McCambridge Emerald The artistic spirit of Eugene fosters a burgeoning independent film community. Lyttle employed the same 16 millimeter camera used to film “Leaving Las Vegas” as well as a dig ital video camera. He not only saved money but used the various formats to heighten the film’s “dual identity” theme. In addition, the crew consisted of basically five peo ple, all from Eugene — evidence that Hollywood’s filmmaking mo nopoly continues to dissipate. Ralph Gonradt is a local filmmak er who sees the future of filmmak ing everywhere. “In this day, anyone with a $2,000 DV camera and 81,000 PC can pro duce a high quality film for theatri cal distribution,” Gonradt said. “It's a great time to be a filmmaker.” Though his work is mostly in pro ductions for the National Institutes of Health, Gonradt is currently making a documentary tracking his son’s recovery from a catastrophic brain injury suffered in a high school football game. The Mid-Oregon Production Arts Network offers further evidence of Eugene’s burgeoning film communi ty. This important resource for local filmmakers is a non-profit associa tion of over 200 professionals work ing in film, television and video, as well as in audio and multimedia. The organization works to promote local media professionals. Their Web site, mopan.org, contains a directory of its members and includes listings of everyone from local casting directors to camera rental houses. Networking is the key to working in independent film. Austin Storms, a Eugene native now living in Port land, was the sound recordist for “Clem” and says he never would have discovered these opportunities without the connections he has made in Eugene. “If I were to offer any advice to in dependent filmmakers in Eugene, it would be, get to know people,” Storms said. “Eugene is a growing city with a lot of opportunity. It’s fun ny. When I lived in Eugene, I was al ways going to Portland to find work. Now that I live in Portland, it seems like I’m shooting something in Eu gene every other day.” Anyone thinking about rushing off to big cities to make their break in movies should take note of these film makers. It may not be Hollywood, but Eugene offers more than meets the eye, and the seeds are being sown for the future of the art form. 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