Progress

This week I met with Ian McCluskey at NW Documentary to go over the project. It was my first time visiting their loft on 115 SW Ash Street, and I got a feel for the environment there, which was really quite amazing considering how little physical space they actually have:



The first photo shows the "classroom" area, as well as the screening room for student work. Next are the editing stations, all stocked with Final Cut Pro (additional laptops are available for editing and can be checked out, complete with hard cases). The relatively small loft also hosts an audio recording booth for voiceover work, a book and video library containing many resources for documentary production, and an equipment room that houses the various audio and video equipment available for rental.

Ian and I discussed the state of documentary filmmaking and education in Portland, both agreeing that the film world here can be a bit insular and lacking in collaboration, much less awareness of the resources that are available. We discussed ideas for the festival, including how submissions would be handled and judged, how NW Documentary would be presented at the event, and the idea of prizes in the form of free camera rentals for the winners in order to both promote NW Documentary and to use existing resources to motivate filmmakers. I also brought back several pamphlets for the organization that will be distributed throughout the PSU campus in addition to promotional materials for the festival itself.

I still have not heard back from the PSU Film Committee in regard to hosting the event at 5th Avenue Cinema, but intend to track down a direct number in order to get things better organized. I am also looking into the possibility of booking the Whitsell Auditorium at the Portland Art Museum. This week I will hopefully be finalizing the event date and venue, allowing the next step of creating promotional fliers and beginning to organize the event itself. Until next week...

The Plan

The Portland Short Documentary Festival (placeholder) will ideally be a collaboration between NW Documentary and the Portland State film program, designed to increase awareness of the resources available to Portland filmmakers and develop a better working relationship between them. By including works from a variety of Portland film students representing NW Documentary, Portland State University and the Northwest Film Center, the event will showcase the work being produced throughout the city, highlight the educational resources that made the films possible, and foster an active community between the various institutions.

I am still waiting to set up a meeting with the folks at NW Documentary, but earlier this week I spoke with Steve Amen (host and producer of OPB's Oregon Field Guide, and currently the instructor of a three-part documentary production course at PSU) about the possibility of his collaboration. Steve seemed enthusiastic about the project and suggested I talk to Ian McCluskey, a producer on NW Documentary's award-winning film Eloquent Nude. I'm hoping to visit NW Documentary this week and hopefully get a chance to discuss the festival with Ian and anyone else available, but in the meantime, Steve seems willing to host the event, which would be a terrific fit.

I will also hopefully get a chance to speak with the PSU film committee about booking 5th Avenue Cinema as the venue. A friend and recent graduate of the PSU film program, Bryn Hubbard, previously produced the 2009 edition of the annual Visuals Film Festival for his capstone, so I will also be discussing the project with him in order to better understand the logistical aspects of the project. This week will hopefully see a lot of progress in regard to the community partner(s) and determining the foundation of this project.