Governor Kitzhaber’s annual address to Oregon’s Film, TV and Media communities last week was an excellent re-cap of the success that Oregon had in 2012. The largest crowd to date filled the 400 seats, stood along the walls and crouched in the aisles. The audience was treated to a clip from Portlandia’s third season (introduced by Carrie Brownstein), as well as a clip from Redwood Highway (introduced by Gus Van Sant). Film industries across the entire state were able to come to gether via live feed. Mid Oregon Production Arts Network (MOPAN) in Eugene, Southern Oregon Film and Television (SOFaT) in Ashland and Eastern Oregon University in Le Grand were part of the annual review.
The OR Film Office honored individuals from Clackamas County and the Portland Police department with Film Advocate Awards for their dedication to the film industry by going above and beyond to streamline and assist the various productions that come to Oregon. Leverage, and all those at Electric Entertainment, were thanked for four great years by planting four trees in neighborhoods in Portland. What a “Portland” way to say thanks, huh? It was a successful review, reminding us that we are all working toward great things!
Pacific Grip & Lighting promises to continue to help the community grow and thrive in all the ways we can. My favorite course of action? Buying locally! Check out the video to learn about PGL’s relationship with Oregon vendor, ATI.
Welcome to the New Year! 2012 was great, but we have a feeling that 2013 is going to be bigger, badder and better! We are bursting with pride for the first-rate city we live in. More times this year than any other, we heard about what a helpful, kind, resourceful, flexible, encouraging, fun and talented community Portland has, from people all over the country. From New York to Philly to Los Angeles, envy for Stumptown is flourishing. In 2012 , Portland helped to create three awesome TV shows, multiple indie features and commercials galore. Darn straight we did. And the strength of our community will allow us to build on our success and continue to grow and learn. But, let’s not get too big for our britches, alright? We don’t want to be *those guys* who stop practicing the basics. Of course, Pacific Grip is here to help! Watch to learn (or re-learn) how to fold a bag it. Yes, that is a skill! Happy New Year!
From Vince Porter, Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Film and Television:
First I hope all of you are having a nice holiday break either here in Oregon or somewhere in a warmer climate. I wanted to take a quick second to update you on one or two things from the film office.
Friday night it was announced by TNT that “Leverage” will not be renewed for another season. There had been rumblings about this for a little while so it should come as no great surprise. I was contacted by Jose Behar late Friday to reiterate Electric’s commitment to Oregon and he even referred to other projects that they plan to immediately bring to Oregon. We have not finalized anything nor have they made any firm guarantees but their intent is to keep a presence here in Oregon. Had “Leverage” been renewed we had a deal in principal for the 6th season but it would have eaten up our available incentives into 2014. With this news we have a small amount of money in 2013 available and will look to lock that money up in the New Year with a project.
No matter what I do not see this as a setback. We continue to get a flood of calls about filming in Oreogn (thanks to some of you landing projects) and I’m sure we will always land work if we have the incentives to offer. There are even one or two projects out there that would be very high profile for our state if we could land them.
For that reason I want to stress the importance of our annual meeting on January 15. To some, the end of “Leverage” will be looked at as a reason to not move forward with the Governor’s plans for expansion. At the annual meeting my expectation is that the Governor will emphasize his commitment to expanding the incentives. In case you don’t already know his budget for the next budget cycle includes an expansion of OPIF. He will need the industry’s support and positive energy to make this a reality. The best way you can show your support in January is to show up to the meeting (with as many friends as possible). Remember that the 15th is just two weeks before the legislature opens its session so the timing is great.
The meeting will be one hour long and we’re working out details for a mixer after the event. I’ve booked Lincoln Hall at the PSU campus which means we have between 350-400 seats to fill. I hope you all can help me fill them and maybe some of you could bring a legislator or two! Here are the specifics of the night so far.
We hope to make a good event out of the meeting and have a few surprises planned. I hope to see all of you there.
Please pass on the annual meeting info to everyone you know as the event is open to the public.
Vince Porter
Executive Director
Governor’s Office of Film and Television
1001 SE Water Ave Suite 430
Portland, OR 97221
(503) 229-5832 http://oregonfilm. org/ vince@oregonfilm. org
Pacific Grip & Lighting is proud to announce the addition of four new LED lights into our rental family! Aadyn Technology’s Eco Punch LED light is not the typical soft source LED you are used to seeing. This puppy packs a Punch (yes, pun intended). The output of this daylight balanced light is equivalent to a 2500w HMI. You get all that brightness with no head feeder, no cumbersome ballast, no spare globe to keep track of, and all the while drawing less than 5 amps. Yep, at 539 watts each, you can put all four of these on one 20A circuit. The *bonus features* for this light are that it comes with built in lightning and strobe effects, no color shift while dimming, DMX compatiblity, no multiple shadows and quick change glassless lenses to go from flood to spot. And don’t forget the *regular features* of low heat output and energy cost savings that make it friendly for your crew, talent and wallet. And the coolest thing of all? This LED light is designed, devoloped, engineered and assembled in the USA. Hells yeah!
Pacific Grip & Lighting has the newest light from Kino Flo on demo! The Celeb 200 is Kino Flo’s venture into LED lighting. And boy, did they hit the ball out the park on this one! The Celeb 200 offers flicker free, dead quiet operation. There are five Kelvin presets on the control panel, offering color temp change on the fly. The dial on the side allows for finite adjustment of color temperature, as well as output. That’s right, it also dims. And if you need control while in the air, DMX operation makes it easy. Two louver options, 60 and 90 degree, give you focus and even more control. The Celeb 200 ships back to Kino Flo on Novmber 14th, so stop by our showroom Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm for a chance to play!
The 2012 Olympics have come to an end and Pacifc Grip is proud to have been a part of it! The Olympic Trials for track and field took place at Hayward Field in Eugene Oregon, June 21st through July 1st. Not only did the event draw 20,000 spectators from outside the area, it drew production companies from all over the United States. From broadcasting the events to creating highlight reels of Olympic hopefuls, Pacific Grip had a helping hand in many areas. Our cable crossovers, 3-ton truck, Kino lights and grip gear helped both NBC and Comcast Sports broadcast the events to viewers everywhere. This picture was taken by our friends at Hollywood Lighting, who had an active role in keeping the Olympic Trials running smoothly. Now that the excitment has come to a close, we are preparing ourselves for 2016…40″ arms for hurdles, Porta Jib weights for discus, 50′ banded for track lanes and, as always, Pabst Blue Ribbon as our official PGL beverage.
We may not be a typical business, but like many other offices, we enjoy the typical practical joke. Denis recently took a trip to Maui with his lovely wife, Lisa. The rest of us thought this was desperately unfair. So, the day before he came back we plotted to foil his desk. Literally. The next morning, we all serendipitously arrived at the same time. Denis saw the glow of the desk before we even turned the lights on. I think he was pretty surprised and impressed. We foiled not only the computer, desk and phone, but his notepad, card holder and his hat collection. At 8am, the phones started ringing before he had a chance to tear down our handiwork and we got a shot of him in action! Now, I wonder who leaves town next…
All dolly sleds use skateboard wheels that develop flat spots very quickly when the dolly comes to a stop. Pacific Grip’s new Porta-Glide dolly troughs from Losmandy solves this problem! The wheels sit on the track so that all wheels are touching simultaneously, and just like other sleds, they will flatten slightly. What makes the Porta-Glides unique is that each of the wheels has a different diameter. As they turn, instead of 16 flat spots hitting in unison, each of the Porta-Glide wheels gets to it’s flat spot at a different time, making the spot undetectable. The Porta-Glide sleds are also ideal when using a tight radius curve track, such as 10′ or 14′. Each sled has one locked and three pivoting wheel blocks. This allows the dolly to be centered on the track for a smoother, safer ride. Feel free to call us with any questions! And check out Losmandy’s website for more information on the Porta-Glide and Porta-Jib Series: www.porta-jib.com
If you haven’t had a chance to watch Grimm on NBC, then you are missing out! A drama series inspired by Grimm’s Fairytales, Grimm started filming in August 2011 and the first seven episodes have been such a hit for the network that they have returned to film another nine episodes. You will burst with pride when you see the swollen cadaver in the park blocks, the local street names and districts fly by during heart racing chases, dance parties on the street car and the myriad of Portland talent, both on screen and off, that make Grimm such a thrilling show. Pacific Grip & Lighting is proud to be providing the electric, generator, dolly and distro gear used on the show. Hulu.com is currently showing past episodes and the latest episode in the series is tonight Friday February 10th at 9pm. Get cozy, turn the lights down low and don’t forget to lock your doors!
It’s more like Santa’s got a brand new Transit! Santa knows that times change and if you want to stay competative, you’ve got to update your look. The new PGL Ford Transit Connect is a zippy 1/4 Ton grip truck that doubles as a PGL delivery vehicle when not working on your job. It offers excellent fuel economy, a cavernous cargo space with a small footprint and a smooth ride. Let’s just say the ladies love it. Call today for a list of equipment or stop on by if you’d like to take a look!
This picture was taken by our friends at Hollywood Lighting, who had an active role in keeping the Olympic Trials running smoothly. Now that the excitment has come to a close, we are preparing ourselves for 2016…40″ arms for hurdles, Porta Jib weights for discus, 50′ banded for track lanes and, as always, Pabst Blue Ribbon as our official PGL beverage.
