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CLOUDY Temp: 56 °F Wind: NW at 8 mph Saturday, June 21, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend May 20, 2003 Filmmakers will seek out region’s talent By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune If you’ve always wanted to be in the movies, dust off your audition shoes for the week of June 16. That’s when an open casting call goes out for "Indigo," a film to be shot in Southern Oregon. "Does the area want film-making?" producer Stephen Simon asks. "We’ll know from the cooperation we get." Simon says the independent film’s small budget — less than $1 million — rules out using a lot of Hollywood talent. He expects many of about 30 speaking parts plus technical and crew jobs to be filled by area residents. Simon’s associates in the project are "Conversations With God" author Neale Donald Walsch and singer-songwriter James Twyman, both of Ashland. Walsch and Twyman co-wrote "Indigo," Twyman will direct and Walsch will star. Twyman, the author of "Emissary of Love — the Psychic Children Speak," is also financing the picture. Advertisement The movie is the story of a man (Walsch) and his 10-year-old granddaughter, who go on the road to flee a would-be kidnapper. The girl is an "Indigo," one of a new generation of psychic and gifted children. Her mother has made a mistake and is in jail. The girl’s gifts will change the lives of those she meets. Shooting will begin in August, Simon says, with distribution set for early in 2004. The script calls for locations from cities to parks to highways, most of which he says are in good supply in Southern Oregon. "There’s very little you can’t find here," he says. Simon says "Indigo" exemplifies a type of film he calls "spiritual cinema." He says the genre asks two questions: Who are we, and why are we here? "They empower, inspire and uplift," he says. Examples range from "It’s a Wonderful Life" to "Field of Dreams" to the "Matrix" movies, he says. Veronica Rinard, executive director of the Oregon Film and Video Commission, a state agency that promotes film-making in the state, says economists estimate that each dollar a film company spends in a community turns over about 2.2 times. "It’s exciting to have someone like him moving in," she says of Simon. "He has major connections." Simon practiced law for two years before he began his career in film production in 1976 when he was hired by veteran producer Ray Stark to acquire and develop "Smokey and the Bandit." In 1979 he worked with Stark on "Somewhere in Time" for Universal Studios with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. He made "Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure" and worked in the ’90s as president of production for Dino De Laurentiis Communications. Simon moved to Ashland about a year ago after making 25 films in 25 years. "I wanted to leave L.A.," he says. "The film I want to make is not a film I want to make within the traditional Hollywood system. And I was sick of the traffic and anger and pollution." He says in large part it was Walsch who sold him on Ashland. "Neale is one of my best friends," he says. He says he was inspired to make the picture by the budget cuts he saw his daughter Heather, 16, struggling with as Oregon schools continue to struggle with budget deficits and school cuts. He says Universal’s "Somewhere in Time," set on Mackinack Island, Mich., has generated tourist business there since it was made in 1980. The problem with making a movie in Southern Oregon is that there is no home-grown film community. But Simon says the area is rich in talent due to the presence of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and others. "The challenge is to put a crew together experienced enough without importing lots of people," he says. He says that’s not so daunting, then adds, "Check with me in a couple months." For more information, visit www.IndigoTheMovie.com . Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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