MovieMaker The Art and Business of Making Movies » Login | Register  

May 22, 2008

ABOUT | CONTACT | NEWSLETTER | Search

locations

Email
Print

Virginia’s Indie Film Revolution

Virginia's vibrant history and dynamic, growing population make it an ideal setting

(Page 2)

In one of God’s greater paradoxes, he made Virginia home to both Pat Robertson and a strangely independent and rebellious breed of filmmaker.
—Nan Byrne, Writer, M2 Pictures, www.m2-pictures.com

The historic locations in Virginia always inform the production and message of every project I direct. Working as an editor for Griffith Films and on projects for the Virginia Film Office, I am in a unique position to learn and share the history and future of the Virginia motion picture industry.
—Todd Raviotta, Director-Producer, Natural Science Productions, www.naturalscienceproductions.com

Virginia’s intimate community of prod­uction professionals has a vast knowledge base that aids filmmakers in accomplishing their vision. The diverse landscapes and seasons inspire creativity throughout the film process—from writing to post-production. Virginia’s wealth of American history and its close proximity to the nation’s capital make for one of the most unique film locations in the country.
­—Andrew Carnwath, Writer-Director (Bloodscout), www.bloodscout.com

As a filmmaker, it’s important to have your community informed and involved as much as you can in getting big studios and productions to come to your state. You cannot do that without incentives. It is too easy to replicate a state or area, so you need those incentives to lure those films to you. Virginia has so many gorgeous landscapes to utilize for multiple productions. We also have D.C. and Williamsburg to choose from when it comes to visual aesthetics for historical and espionage films and productions. Our state is full of lush and vibrant colors to match our rich history.
—Jonathan Plante, Director-Producer

The Virginia Production Alliance is a fantastic resource for all moviemakers in Virginia, providing useful information on local productions and upcoming seminars that educate filmmakers in a variety of ways. The Virginia Film Office, which is funded by the state government, runs this great internship program for college students and gives you a firsthand feel of what the industry has to offer. The state is active in developing young artists in their home state, which garners a lot of attention on the east coast. When production companies look to film historic epics that deal with the founding of our great country, such as Terrence Malick’s The New World, they turn to Virginia. Sets such as these educate not just moviemakers, but citizens of Virginia and the United States.
—Abraham Vilchez-Moran, Writer-Director (Beast of Mine, The Prophet)

As a 25-plus-year Virginia filmmaker, I’m editing my third documentary on moviemaking in Virginia. It has underscored the treasures of Virginia’s geography, history, people and film community. Additionally, work with the Nature Conservancy and Chesapeake Bay Foundation allows me to address broader issues of ecological balance and preservation of natural resources. Why move?
—Robert Griffith, Director-Producer (Moviemaking in Virginia)

2 of 3


SHARE THIS STORY

Del.icio.us this itemDel.icio.us

Reddit this itemReddit

Yahoo this item Yahoo

TAGS

COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT

POST A COMMENT

OUR PRIVACY POLICY | We will not publish or sell or share your email address or other personal information. Read more.

Name:  
Email:  
URL:  

Type the word you see below:

Comment:

MovieMaker Magazine

Magazine cover: Summer 2007This story was published in the Summer 2007 MovieMaker Magazine. The headline was:

On Location: Virginia

View this issue

Order this issue | Subscribe to MM

 

Blog/Forum/Poll navigation

Blog Forums Polls

Latest from the blog:

These Are Free, Right?

I'm a relentless truth teller (by "truth" I do not mean the eternal truths of the universe, I mean my personal and completely self-righteous opinion). I will blurt out my truth at the drop of a hat with complete disregard for the impact it has on others. I try not to upset people, but the sad truth is… I kind of enjoy irking those who dare to disagree with me. Knowing my nasty rebellious tendencies, Tim Rhys, publisher of MM, asked me to write a bi-weekly blog. He'd read a cheeky article I wrote for a friend's blog, www.hotinhollywood.tv, and found it somewhat amusing. My initial answer was a gracious "not in a million years." I was terrified that I'd write something incriminating or embarrassing. I think that's what he was counting on. Finally, I relented.

Posted 05.20.08 | Notes From Movieland | No comments yet...

Other recent posts:

Posts people are talking about:

Blog

SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

  1. Food Film Festivals
    A new wave of film festivals are taking the tried and true "dinner and a movie" combo to a whole new ... read on
  2. Cook Up Your Own Food Film Festival
    Have you got a hankering to cook up a food and film festival close to home? Here’s some handy information about the dollars and cents you’ll need to make it all ... read on
  3. Mixed Reviews: Guilty Pleasures
    From 1970s Euro sleaze to Italian Neorealist classics, it's time to admit some guilty pleasures. DVD and book ... read on
  4. Virginia’s Indie Film Revolution
    Whether you’re aiming to make the next Revolutionary War epic or just need a film-friendly rural locale for your low-budget indie, Virginia will welcome you with open arms. Here, a few members of VA’s independent ... read on
  5. Master of the Movie Prop
    Just about anything an actor touches in a film that isn’t nailed down is a prop. Props serve to enhance a character’s backstory, improve the look of a location or, in the case of fake projectile vomit, simply gross ... read on
  6. Classic Movie Title Sequences
    Take a closer look at some of the most memorable title sequences of the past few years. ... read on
  7. Using Movie Title Sequences Effectively
    Released in the mid-1950s from the relatively static role of simply assigning credit, title sequences have evolved into an art form in their own right. ... read on
  8. Neil Jordan's Golden Rules of Moviemaking
    "Never tell the truth on a junket" and other lessons from the director of The Brave One and Interview with the Vampire, Neil ... read on
  9. All the Right Moves: Stabilizing Your Camera
    Not every director likes to move the camera. Some simply can’t afford it. Go back and look at Kevin Smith’s Clerks, for example. Almost every shot in that movie was a locked-down tripod shot—no movement at all. At ... read on
  10. Julie Delpy's 2 Days in Paris
    After sharpening her multi-tasking skills with Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy is writing, directing, producing, editing, scoring and starring in her own take on cross-cultural romance with 2 Days in ... read on
  11. Random Thoughts From the Set of Jeff Garlin's I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With
    From soundless filming to nausea on the set, Jeff Garlin relives the experience of writing, directing and starring in his directorial debut, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese ... read on
  12. Silent Movies Are Still Creating an Echo
    From Griffith and Eisenstein to Chaplin and Keaton, MM revisits the 15 greatest directors of the silent era. ... read on
  13. The Robert Rodriguez Effect
    When it comes to getting an education in film, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all option. But apparently the same can’t be said for a film school’s “model ... read on
  14. Ethan Hawke Grows Up in The Hottest State
    When I was 21 and under the influence of books like James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain, Jack Kerouac’s The Subterraneans and Larry McMurtry’s All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers, I started writing a ... read on
  15. John Carpenter’s Business of Insanity
    In Hollywood these days, it sometimes seems easier to find an actor who’ll admit to having had plastic surgery than it is to find an original idea for a movie. Case in point: Legendary horror director John Carpenter. ... read on
  16. Halloween, Too
    Given his predilection for stepping behind the lens it shouldn’t have been a surprise when Rob Zombie announced his foray into feature moviemaking with 2003’s House of 1000 Corpses. But Zombie remaking John ... read on
  17. David Levien & Brian Koppelman: Ocean’s Two
    Brian Koppelman and David Levien are among the movie business’ most sought-after screenwriters. If all falls into place, they’ll soon be turning their attention to scripts for Robert De Niro (he’ll reportedly star ... read on
  18. Moviemaking: The Eternal Balancing Act
    ... read on
  19. Jodie Foster: The Brave One
    An Oscar nominee at 14 and still at the top of her game after more than four decades, Jodie Foster knows how to get what she wants--like director Neil Jordan and a killer script for her latest thriller, The Brave ... read on
  20. The Signal: A Collaboration in Three Parts
    A hit at Sundance, The Signal offers a new chapter in the world of cinematic collaboration as three directors each take a turn in the director's ... read on

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE ARCHIVES

  1. 5/16/2008: Lights! Camera! Geritol!
  2. 5/13/2008: Last Exit to Film Geekdom
  3. 4/30/2008: Harry Potter’s World Comes to a City Near You
  4. 4/25/2008: Iron Man Comes Out Fighting in London
  5. 2/22/2008: Arthur Max Sets the Scene in American Gangster