By Neil Cohen
Filmmakers in the Valley are having a gay old time, despite a struggling economy and a short-sighted Legislature, whose members have cut the Arizona Film Commission's budget in half. Still, independent auteurs are getting their work seen, produced, and onto the festival circuit.
Just a sampler of what's been shot or developed in the Arizona desert recently: Cindy Brown's gay western,
Out West, should rustle up a lot of interest, as should Joey Michitsch's follow up to his funny documentary
Drag Racing. Not one to repeat himself, Michitsch's new film has to do with a neighborhood overrun with chickens (real chickens, not the male kind in search of a sugar daddy!). MC (Cait)
Brennan just won a prestigious honor from the Arizona Film Commission for her screenplay,
The People's Choice, a dark comedy about Arizona politics.
Despite the sobering words Linda Peterson Warren, head of the Arizona Film Commission, had to say about Arizona's ability to compete for Hollywood's location dollars, she was proud that in a way, 2001 was one of the best years they'd had in terms of measurable profit.
Eight-Legged Freaks, filmed in Glendale and Superior, brought a lot of revenue into the state, as do commercials for high-profile products such as Nexium.
Still, she worries that the 50 percent reduction of her commission's budget, more than was cut from any other state agency, will not allow them to seek out new projects. Rather, they will simply have to concentrate on providing necessary services for the production companies that just happen to stumble onto the state as a location. With the emergence of Canada as a cheap place to film, Peterson Warren is afraid that all levels of businesses in the state will suffer economically. She also worries that the trades people and designers necessary to work on films will move out of state to where the work is, eroding our filmmaking infrastructure. Still, she's very proud and excited that PBS has decided to film their first
Mystery! project outside of England here in Arizona. It's an adaptation of Tony Hillerman's
Skinwalkers, which she hopes will be the first in a series. Adam Beach (
Windtalkers) stars in the miniseries, set on the Navajo Reservation. Perhaps if we as a community appeal to the Legislature, they will restore the Commission to its former glory, thus helping us keep Arizona on Hollywood's radar.
Short subjects
Valley filmmaking
links:Phoenix Film Festival and the
Phoenix Film Project:
www.phoenixfilmfestival.com
Arizona Film Commission:
www.commerce.state.az.us/Film/
Phoenix Film Office:
www.ci.phoenix.az.us/FILMPHX/
Scottsdale Community College
Motion Picture and Television Program:
www.sc.maricopa.edu/film
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What does Brennan think of Arizona as a location choice? "It's a great place to make films," she explains. "There's such a variety of locations, and it's so much cheaper to shoot here than in LA. I also think that there's a bit of a renaissance happening in terms of a valley film community. The success of the OutFar! Festival, as well as the Scottsdale International and Phoenix Film Festivals, demonstrates there's an audience here for new and innovative work. There's an indie film scene that's beginning to thrive. And, I can't speak for the other colleges in the state, but I know that out at the Scottsdale Community College film program, there's an incredible pool of talent."
"One thing about Arizona, it's a state where you get mavericks," Brennan noted, "from Goldwater to Spielberg to Wallace and Ladmo — people who don't fit in neat little boxes. I'd like to think I'm made from the same stuff."
Director Chris LaMont, executive festival Director of the Phoenix Film Festival, who already has such indie successes as
Writer's Block and
The Best Movie In the World to his credit, echoes Brennan's enthusiasm.
"The number of filmmakers who are locally making movies has increased dramatically in the last few years, and we hope that the creation of the Phoenix Film Festival has had something to do with that," he explained.
To further the development of home-grown movies, the PFF preparing to launch the Phoenix Film Project, a networking group, to bring filmmakers together to meet and learn from each other, to share experiences and equipment, and to create a sense of community among the filmmakers in the Valley of the Sun.
LaMont says that the City of Phoenix is issuing more film permits to indie producers than ever, and that the digital revolution has really helped independent
filmmakers realize their vision. "Here in Phoenix, you can't buy film, expose it and process it. But you can shoot a movie with a Digital Video (DV) camera, edit it on your PC and show it on DV to the world."
LaMont also asserts that the digital revolution will change filmmaking for everyone, everywhere.
"Soon, the word film won't be a noun, it will be a verb," he said. "You will film your movie with digital video, and everyone will be able to enjoy it. You can stream it on the internet, put it on DVD, and send it to all the important film festivals in the country. Even Sundance is taking films shot digitally."
"It's a great time to be a filmmaker, because you aren't constricted by budget and equipment, only by your own creativity," LaMont said.
Copyright © 2002 Echo Magazine. Reprinted Without Permission Of Any Kind--but with M.C.'s thanks!
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