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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us August 24, 2005 Oregon rolls out red carpet for movies Staff and wire reports Earlier this week, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski passed House Bill 2191, aimed at improving the state’s appeal to the film and television industry. Called the Greenlight Oregon program, it will offer tax and sales rebates to movie and TV production companies that spend more than $1 million in the state in one year. The governor praised lawmakers for their bipartisan support for the passage of the bill. Producers will receive a 10 percent discount on goods and services in Oregon, along with a 6.2 percent income tax rebate on wages paid in Oregon. Kulongoski stated that “If we are going to compete with Canada and states from Louisiana to New Mexico, and hold on to our crews and the infrastructure of this industry, here in Oregon, we had to invest.” The governor went on to say that incentives for the film industry will bring more jobs and tourism to Oregon, along with sustaining a solid base of experienced industry workers needed to providing support for production companies. Stephen Simon, director and producer of “Conversations With God: The Human Story” said that the film’s projected cost is $2 million, and every dollar spent on a movie brings two into the local economy. It is the intention of the production company to film in Ashland and the surrounding Rogue Valley, and the company will need the necessary approvals and permits from different city and county administrators. As well, the movie will be edited entirely in Oregon by Jackhammer Films, which is based in Ashland. According to CWG’s press release, the bulk of the 60-person crew will be Oregon-based; some actors from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival have already been cast in the film, and others will audition. Simon said that filming at a particular location only works “if the locals want you to be there, and we will need permission to shoot in Ashland and other spots.” He went on to say that when he was involved with the making of “Somewhere in Time,” starring Christopher Reeve, it was filmed at a hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., and generated millions of dollars in revenue for the area due to the publicity generated by the successful film. Neal Donald Walsch, whose books are the basis for the movie, commented that “CWG,” once released, will attract worldwide attention to Ashland. Oregon was the location for such movies as “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Free Willy” and “Animal House.” As well, Simon directed the film “Indigo,” which was shot in Ashland and surrounding locations and premiered last January in 100 Digital AMC Theaters and more than 600 New Thought churches around the world. Veteran actors Ed Asner and David Ogden Stiers, who both have ties to Oregon, were on hand for the signing of the bill. Asner said that the Greenlight Oregon program would be a way to maintain one of the brilliances of America: moviemaking. “I thank you for doing this for actors, for craftsmen,” Asner said, “and I thank you for doing it to preserve American heritage.” DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams