I may be going out there to do some work (non video related) and was wondering about the lifestyle and independent movie community out there.
Any info is appreciated.

Also best/affordable rental costs (low crime rate, access to metro area...)

Hello Joe,
I relocated 5 years ago from Los Angeles to Portland and for the most part I love it here. They say nationally that Portland has one of the strongest independent film communities with a lot of activity. I would say that individual expression and rogue filmmaking are alive and well here, but in regard to commercial film I have seen little going on.

If you want to get your hands dirty there are plenty on small projects going, but trying to find seasoned people to engaging in the spirit of collaboration a little hard to find. Or maybe it’s just my experience.

I imagine your last question is in regard to real estate rentals. The city is divided into quadrants, each offer a range of economic choices. They all offer something special and each one seems to cater to specific cultural and political ideals. You would have to explore to find which one suits your tastes. All of these areas (including former ghettos) have been successfully gentrified so that all white people are insured safe travel and a gourmet cup of coffee on every corner.

Thanks, though the racially oriented reponse was not what I was looking for. Blacks and Asians hate crime too, and from the last time I was there, there were plenty of both.

aifv has a salon and welcomes everyone to monthly screenings. They have a yahoo group too.

Don't know what you mean by rogue though.

I'm hoping to find a nice house, maybe in the country, or along the river. I've heard good things about the quality of life out there.

Anyway, I'll know tonight or tomorrow what will happen.

The racial comment was a smirk. The people that are most politically concerned with gentrification are the same ones guilty of it. Sorry, I can’t look past the irony…. The rogue filmmakers are people concerned with challenging convention and status quo.
A very good thing.

Yes, the lifestyle is very good, with a high degree of social awareness. I can’t think of a better place to be in America while national/ world politics really begin heating up over the next years. There are many surrounding communities that are just a short drive from city center. And traffic (comparably) is not a problem.

I figured it was a smirk, just smirking back.
I like the envrionmentally concious attitude of the place. As far as seasoned, I guess I will have to 'make' myself seasoned with a few projects. I'm all about a few like minded individuals creating a movie. Self disipline and team work not a problem. Just would like to meet others who are into making movies. I've no problem being a simple PA if thats what it takes. My Ego is shrinking with age.

Well, keep me posted. Let me know if you need any other info on the surrounding Portland area. I'm also on the look out to find like-minded people to work with.

We (my girlfriend and me) are selling our house this spring so that we can buy equipment -- film, art studios, etc. We have made the decision to pursue our life long dreams of being independent with the necessary tools for the job. I realize the older I get, the more difficult life changes become.

Yes, I hear that. I'm nearing 50 (yech) but not afraid to start something new and vibrant. I'm planning on getting equipment too, but plan on renting the expensive stuff. How much is liablity insurance out there. Around DC area about 800.00 for 1 million in coverage for a year for a low budget character based narrative or a low budget zombie movie.

Not sure with insurance in Portland, I have only done small projects here.

In Los Angeles on bigger projects I have always piggybacked on other policies to get better rates. I need to get some new homeowners insurance to cover equipment, -- not too keen on the idea of losing 50k in the event of a break in.

I'm pushing 40 and that little nagging voice of assurance and stability keeps getting a better foot-hold as the days pass. It’s getting more and more difficult to maintain the position of flakey artist but I’m doing my best.

portland like seattle is too close to vancouver, canada that offer producers tax refunds and lower wages ( union crews = $exchange = get more for your $) ...

Portland does have some excellent animation companies ... there's the old vinton studio's now owned by T Knight ( of Nike) - the name changed to ??? but just ask persons where's the old vintons. -anyway they are doing a animated feature and plans to do 2 more. last time i knew they were making offers to some of the key personal at Pixar, ILM, and a few LA company's ...

there's also Bent image lab that does hi end commercials ( animation, stop motion ,CGI with real persons )

many of the persons that work for these companies also do their own projects between/during jobs ...

price of liability insurance also depends on budgets and if it's documentary/experimental, or dramatic = dramatic cost more .. last time i bought 1 mil liability it was 900 year for doc and 1500 year for dramatic = under 50k budget

I'm currently shooting a short film in Portland. The trick to making movies in this town is to ignore all the people that talk about filmmaking and go out and make films. If you start, like minded people will show up. I sold one of my businesses and bought a camera and some accessories and I'm gonna have at least a doc and 2 short films done this summer. I'm now also making a significant income off video.

Joe, you nailed it. That's what I was hoping to hear.
If this works out, I hope to meet you and all the others offering advice.
Wonder if I can handle the overcast all the time, hehehe.

Think you can't deal with the overcast? Wait 5 minutes. It'll change. Portland spring mornings are sunny as all shit until 11am when it gets gloomy. Early afternoon we ge another 5 minutes of sun. Shoot then. I ride a bike 365 days a year. The weather hasn't got to me yet.

Well, I have to say that I don't understand the world of indie film - how do people make money in it and contribute support towards their families?

Or maybe it's not about an income at all?

Check out the directory section of ompa.org for an industry guide. Mostly this is people who do video and film for a living, corporate, commercial, and the occasional feature that comes to the region. oregonfilm.org is the state commission trying to bring features to Oregon, there's some interesting stuff on their website too. nwfilm.org is a great place to hook up with indies.

Welcome to Portland, I've been a working pro in video, sound, multimedia and webcasting here since 1984. Portland has been very good to us!

I was supposed to get final info today, but it's been postponed till tomorrow.
First my rep tells me it's a lock, now he says 99.99 percent and only if I can get there by apr 17 even though I told the client it would be a month. Such is the world of software consulting. Oh well, I can wait another day.

Thanks for the info Seth.

question about housing? Hardly any houses have Air or central heat, mostly forced heat with gas? and ceiling fans...Any info on construction quality issues? Seems like the older houses are better priced. Most of the new stuff I saw pictures of were flat out ugly.

Air conditioning is not much needed, IMHO. Temperatures are pretty moderate in general, though most summers there are a couple weeks when I'd turn on the AC if we had it.

Forced air gas and forced air oil are central heat. For the homeowner, in-ground oil tanks are somewhat of a liability, as if they leak the state Department of Environmental Quality mandates remedies that can be expensive. We have one, it's not (yet) been a problem.

Ceiling fans just save energy by forcing hot air out of the peaks in ceilings back down into circulation, and we're all about environmental responsibility here :-)

Many post WW2 homes are kind of uninspiring, to my taste the Craftsman homes of the early to prewar 1900's are very nice, but I've never lived in a house that old, I'm sure they have their own problems. My area is all post-WW2 except for a couple old farmhouses. Later construction of the 70s and on tends to be good... at least in interior stuff. Curb appeal can be pretty bad, yes.

What do you like?

Hmm well I don't particularily like vinyl siding, but that seems to be everywhere these days. Prefer single family home. I've been searching the various reatestate sites for greater portland area all the way down to wilsonville (seems very expensive in that area). I don't know the neighborhoods (or quadrants) as to what areas are good. Schools are not important. Something with a few acres in the country , but not isolated would be ideal but probably too expensive. Based on what I've looked at so far I'm keeping my range at 250 to 400K. Living in the city is not required, reasonable access to the lite rail is fine. No desire to live in Washington state at this time. I'll take quality construction over land if necessary. I lived in a well built zero lot line home in FL.

btw, as it stands I'm at an impasse with the account on starting date. I will not leave my current client hanging. The less they care, the less I do, so not sure if actually going to be out there for the moment.

Well, Portland has a little of all that. Lots of choices in your budget range.

Wilsonville is more recently developed, some of it with high-end homes on acreage, a good place to spend a lot more than your budget!

Portland is a great place to be 40-60 minutes out of town on acreage, I'd look at the communities NW of Portland off Highway 30.

You mentioned software engineering, much of that work takes place west of Portland proper, south of Hwy. 26. If that's where you're headed, you might look at some of the communities/neighborhoods north of 26 such as Cedar Mill.

The light rail system is mostly urban except the west side line, that goes west to Beaverton & Hillsboro.

Thanks Seth. I'll check out that way. The client is in Wilsonville. Can't say any more than that.

I'm looking at Beaverton listings and they appear to be much better than what I've found so far.
Many have Fiber Cement exteriors (Composite Cement panelling instead of vinyl, much better IMHO).

I know that two weeks is stale in list terms, but I thought I'd pipe in.

My $.02...

Joe, if you're looking for bang for your buck and some property, Yamhill county was recently given the top honor in a real estate survey in the Oregonian newspaper. Wilsonville is part of Yamhill county. I don't have specifics, but it should give you something to look at. If you've been looking at Beaverton, you've probably found that property tends to max out at 10,000 sqft. I live in a 1965 Beaverton ranch, and it has cedar siding.

There is a lot of independent production here, but there isn't much income in it. Most profitable production work done here is commercial and industrial. The individual hobby projects are where the passion is, though.

My perception (repeat, my perception) of much of the local Industry is that, while there are a lot of local producers that have recognizable names, this segment of the industry tends to be insular, so you find more difficulty working in conjunction with those individuals. Some are more open than others, but overall, my recommendation would be to earn your income on your own client projects and pursue the creative stuff (if that's your direction) on a hobby basis. You will find MANY creative film and video people in the area.