Ear: Film

Recently, variety.com featured a story about how filming is expanding in Oregon. “The locations are diverse, and we have a 25% cash rebate, and it’s payable as quick or quicker than any other state that I know,” said Tim Williams, executive director of the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & Television in Portland, aka Oregon Film.

Oregon Film has a large database of photos available to production offices. They will even put together a “lookbook,” and help connect producers with permitting agencies and local location scouts. Williams, who has been a producer, can even analyze a film’s prospective budget.

Oregon started offering a payroll rebate to 16.2% in 2005, which attracted several feature films, but the film business has waned since then. TV productions picked up a good deal of the slack, but commercials “have sustained Oregon’s production community.” Keep your eyes open for glimpses of local places.

Oregon has also been a “force in the animation world for decades,” with studios such as Laika in Hillsboro, and Bent Image Lab and ShadowMachine. “… (Animation) was one of the few things that drove us through the pandemic,” Williams recalled.

For fun, check out the filming location database at bit.ly/reelscout. (Photo: Oregon Film)