More on Brokeback's Tourism Effect

The Chicago Tribune also comments on the tourism effects of Brokeback Mountain:

Erica Backus of the Savannah Convention and Visitors Bureau witnessed firsthand the phenomenal interest created in the Georgia city a decade ago by the book, then the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

"It's amazing," she said, "what cinema can bring out in a person, how the need to go see and touch and hear scenes from their favorite movies can really influence their vacation decisions."

and:

There may be no more beautiful stretch of mountain scenery in the world than the Rockies from Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which straddles the Montana-Alberta border, through Banff and Jasper National Parks.

Unlike most of Wyoming's Bighorn region, the Rockies along the Alberta-British Columbia line have been a serious tourist draw for generations, spawning world-class hotels, spas and ski resorts. Diversity, of all kinds, is nothing new.

"There's always been a gay-friendly community here," said Judy Love Rondau, representing Travel Alberta. But she insists the increased interest in her region has little to do with the gay story line.

"The beauty of the scenery actually overwhelms the story," she said. "Everybody I know who's seen the movie, whether they like the story line or not, says, `My gosh, it looks like it goes on forever.'

"I don't think people realize there's countryside like this left."

Calgary, major airline port of entry for the region, is excited.

"It'll help our tourism a ton," said Joe Connelly of Tourism Calgary. "People are already talking about seeing that movie and that fact that the vistas are absolutely beautiful, and we want to make sure nothing impedes individuals from having a look at that."

The article also mentions the negative image some Wyoming residents feel they are receiving, as well as how inspirational locations are just as favorable for tourists as the actual filming locations.

OhmyNews Interview Revised

The OhmyNews International interview I participated in for reporter Todd Kipp regarding Alberta film production has been revised. One paragraph, if it stood on it's own could have implied that I held resentment to the Alberta film locations and productions. This is in fact not the case.

The wonderful thing about the Internet and publishing on the web is being able to do revisions rather quickly. Todd revised the paragraph so it reads as follows:

"Despite Hollywood's occasional bitterness towards the productions and often the locations they choose, Chad Kerychuk, who operates The Alberta Movie Guide, says interest in Alberta film production is rising. He recently received a request from a Convention and Visitor's Bureau executive in St. Joseph, Missouri regarding The Assassination of Jesse James."

Thanks Todd! Full article at this link.

Brokeback Mountain Could Spark Tourism Boom

Billings Gazette discusses the effect of Ang Lee's latest film on Wyoming's tourist industry:

Fans of Brokeback Mountain don't seem to care the movie was actually filmed in Canada.

They want the Wyoming experience.

The Wyoming Business Council's travel and tourism department has received hundreds of calls asking about scenery in the movie, which is based on Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Proulx's short story about two gay Wyoming cowboys.

"When we tell them it was shot in Canada, they're still interested in Wyoming," said Michell Howard, manager of the council's film, arts and entertainment office. "They don't hang up and call Alberta. They're intrigued in the story."

Wyoming Business Council spokesman Chuck Coon said he hasn't seen a movie generate this much interest in the state during his 15 years with the travel and tourism department.

"In terms of phone calls and Internet requests, it's usually slow this time of the year," he said. "This movie has changed that."

The article also talks about Wyoming's attempts to increase film production within the state and train more local residents to work on film sets.

I'm betting that Brokeback Mountain will also have a significant impact on Alberta's tourism industry. In fact, the stats I've analyzed from this blog (including searches performed by visitors) seem to back up my guess. Add the list of past films producted in our province, the diverse scenery within short driving distances, and amazing people, and we can expect more movie fans to flock to Alberta hoping to be a part of the magic of movies.

Ang Lee Wins DGA Award

Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee has received the award for Oustanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2005 from the Director's Guild of America. It is his second DGA award. The previous honors came for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which Lee directed in 2000. He was also nominated for Sense and Sensibility.

Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven) also received the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award for "Leadership and Extraordinary Efforts in Enhancing the Welfare and Image of the Directors Guild of America and the Industry."

Even More Brokeback Mountain Links

The Age

altpress online

azcentral.com

The Celebrity Cafe

The Daily Telegraph

Daytona Beach News-Journal Online

Forbes.com

Hollywood.com

iFMagazine.com

NBC17.com

Polytechnic Online

Star-Telegram Online

Sydney Morning Herald

Taipei Times

The Tartan Online

The Western Herald Online

Touch the Top of the World

Photos of Sunshine Village by Gerald Vander Pyl.

The Banff Crag & Canyon reports on the filming of Touch the Top of the World at Sunshine Village. Erik Weihenmayer, who climbed Mount Everest in 2001, and played by Sean Johnson, is the subject of the television movie:

Eda Lishman, co-producer of the American film starring mostly Canadian actors, was pleased with both Banff National Park and the ski resort as a location for filming.

“It’s an amazing location,” Lishman said, inside the comfort of the Sunshine Inn.

Weihenmayer himself was on the set for some of the filming at the ski resort, and made quite an impression on Lishman and others involved in the filming.

“It’s really hard to describe someone that you are completely humbled by,” Lishman said of working with Weihenmayer.

“There are these special people that come along in the world and I guess Erik is just one of them. He is so down to earth, so self-deprecating.”

Lishman noted Weihenmayer’s sense of humour and positive attitude about life as his most notable attributes.

“He catches us off guard when he makes jokes about his own disability. Within a minute of meeting him you completely forget that this man has an impairment of this magnitude.

The cast and crew were also set to film at Fortress Mountain and Calgary. Full article at the above link.

Alberta's Oil Sands on 60 Minutes

Alberta's oil sands were documented on 60 Minutes as noted in this Globe and Mail article:

Normally, a visit from the 60 Minutes film crew isn't exactly a good omen, unless you enjoy getting sued or going to jail.

But the CBS program's glowing take on Alberta's oil sands may have been just the push Canada's stock market needed to soar to a fresh record yesterday.

Portraying the vast oil sands as the answer to America's energy woes for decades to come, the program quoted one energy executive, Shell Canada boss Clive Mather, predicting the region could ultimately hold two trillion barrels of oil, or roughly eight times the reserves of Saudi Arabia.

Full article at this link.

Brokeback Mountain Wins Producer Award

Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain was named Best Picture of the Year by the Producer's Guild of America:

In 11 of the past 16 years, the winner has gone on take home the Academy Award for best picture. Last year was an exception with The Aviator winning the Producers Guild Award but losing the Oscar race to Million Dollar Baby.

This recent award for the Alberta-filmed movie looks like it should help solidify its Oscar status. Full article can be found here.

OhmyNews International Alberta Film Interview

Todd Kipp, a Calgary filmmaker and writer, recently interviewed me for OhmyNews International, an online Korean news publication. In the article, Todd and myself discuss the Alberta film industry:

Ideally located where the prairies roll into the foothills and rise into the Rocky Mountains, a wide range of rugged settings provide breathtaking backdrops.

"From extraterrestrial looks of Northern Alberta's oil sands projects, to arid, prehistoric Badlands of Drumheller, to fast-paced metropolitan life of Edmonton and Calgary, to the epic, chilling mountain ranges of Banff and Kananaskis, and the amber waves of grain in central Alberta, all locations are within a few hours of each other," said Kerychuk. "If a film production requires snow for one scene and blistering heat for another, Alberta can provide that, sometimes even offering both at once and with or without the help of Mother Nature."

You can read the full article at this link.

Brokeback Mountain and Lost Win at Golden Globes

Producer James Schamus, screenwriter Diana Ossana and director Ang Lee celebrate Brokeback Mountain's Golden Globe wins. 63rd Golden Globe Awards ® 2006 - © MMVI Hollywood Foreign Press Association®.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association handed out the 2006 Golden Globe Awards last night. There were a few Alberta connections to the winners.

Brokeback Mountain claimed honors in:

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Best Director - Ang Lee

Best Screenplay - Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana

Best Original Song - "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" - Gustavo Santaolalla, Bernie Taupin

The feature film was also nominated in several other categories. Ang Lee was presented the Best Director Award by Clint Eastwood, who shot his award-winning western, Unforgiven in Alberta.

The ABC series Lost (which just commenced airing of the second season) won for Best Television Series - Drama. Alberta-born Evangeline Lilly stars as Kate in the riveting show about survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious island.

Sir Anthony Hopkins (who starred in the Alberta-shot Legends of the Fall and The Edge) received the Cecil B. DeMille Award, honoring his outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.

Event: Prizefighter Productions Fundraiser

Calgary-based Prizefighter Productions will be holding another Feature Film Fundraiser.

The event will feature performances from Simeon Ross of Members of the Press, Cryptomaniacs, The Wet Secrets and The Vertical Struts.

Great Door Prizes from sponsors including Broken City, Steam Whistle, Bird Dog Video, The Uptown, Stage West....and more.

LOCATION/TIME:
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Broken City
932, 17th Ave. S.W.
Calgary, Alberta
Doors open: 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $10.00 in advance at Megatunes

CONTACT:
E-mail: prizefighterfilms@gmail.com

If you or your company would like to sponsor this event please contact Prizefighter Productions. Your generosity will be greatly received!

**Broken City is open from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m., and can be found at 613 - 11th Ave. S.W.

HD Production Conference Follow-up

This weekend, I was fortunate to attend the HD Production Conference here in Edmonton. I understand nearly 300 attended the 2-day conference in Calgary and around 200 packed the sessions in Edmonton. It was great to see a lot of familiar faces, meet some new ones, and learn about all the new HD productions from Albertans. And the two fantastic lunches were a bonus!

It was a little daunting to see some of the financial figures people were dealing with but since HD is a relatively new media, a higher production cost can be expected. The quality available through HD is outstanding and for those productions that want that clarity, detail, rich colors, and an immersive experience, HD is definitely the way to go.

A few key points surfaced during the various presentations and breakout sessions:

If you've shot on film or continue to shoot on film, you're already working in HD. The resolution provided by film is still one of the highest quality formats available.

With 16x9 HD productions producers, directors, and cinematographers need to think cinematically. With HD, producers and directors are back in the movie business.

The picture is wide...the sound is wide. If you're thinking cinematically, you can't forget the whole experience, which includes sound, hopefully in 5.1 digital audio.

Not only is the picture wide, but deep. Because of the clarity of the HD, viewers are able to see deeper into the picture, showcasing a world not seen in Standard Definition broadcasts.

Expect to see more dramatic recreations of historic events. Archival footage from older film video productions may not hold up to HD's standards. Of course, it depends on the footage and viewers will be forgiving if the story is compelling, but broadcasters are demanding the highest quality material.

Not everything needs to be shot on HD. If your production has a planned short shelf life, there is no need to spend the extra cost to produce in HD.

It was also clear that despite the different format variables, HD will allow for great distribution globally. Expect to see a lot more HD productions surface in 2006 with Albertans forging ahead.

Hopefully I will also have a production to add to the growing list.