Production companies reach out to the local nonprofit FilmDayton for help in securing the best locations for commercials, films and television program. Now FilmDayton is reaching out to the Miami Valley for help in learning about more film-friendly homes, businesses and locations.
Are you excited by all the buzz about the growing film industry in Ohio? Do you want to support it without FilmDayton launched the Reel Treasures of the Miami Valley contest for you!
You don’t have to be a glamorous movie star or an award-winning filmmaker to get in on the growing film industry in Ohio. The old cliché that “Everything in life is location, location, location” is true for those in the business of film making. Setting the scene is an early step in projects from television series to a critically-acclaimed indie film to a major summer blockbuster. FilmDayton wants that step to be taken in the Miami Valley, and you can help make it happen.
“Our region has so many possibilities – cozy houses to large mansions, unique restaurants and shops, great classic cars and antique farm equipment, interesting warehouse districts and cutting-edge medical centers, and urban, suburban and rural treasures. This diversity of locations can help our region attract film productions and put money in the pockets of some property owners,” says Megan Cooper, Director of FilmDayton.
FilmDayton, a regional non-profit organization seeking to foster the local film making community, has announced a competition to find the varied locations in the greater Dayton area. The competition is open through November 17. If you are the owner of a home, business, property or facility and like the possibility of seeing your location in a movie, this is the contest for you.
FilmDayton serves the entire Miami Valley; submissions from Montgomery, Darke, Miami, Shelby, Clark, Champaign, Greene, Warren, Preble and Butler Counties are encouraged. It’s vital that the locations database be able to accurately reflect the diverse landscape across our region to be competitive and give all people across the Miami Valley a shot to be considered.
How important is the right location? Multiple reality shows seeking businesses, restaurants, exotic pools, interesting homes, and haunted locations are interested in filming in the Miami Valley – but they need to find the right spot. Feature filmmakers are currently in conversation with FilmDayton and looking for the perfect location.
We’re Doing Fine, by acclaimed New York-based filmmaker Djuna Wahlrab, will film in the Dayton area in Spring of 2013 and the team has begun the search for the right locations. A furnished side-by-side double and a hospital setting are high on their list of location needs.
Helping build up the region’s locations database is a vital step for our growing film community. Cooper says, “When FilmDayton gets the call that a production is looking for a farm house near a stream, an office in a high-rise, or a thriving local business – having a photo to get to the director immediately will make us more competitive with our colleagues across the state.”
Often requested locations include furnished houses of all sizes, medical centers and schools. But Cooper says that being prepared for anything requires a complete database of photos from all people willing to welcome a film production to their property.
When True Nature, the drama and supernatural thriller written and directed by Patrick Steele, filmed in Dayton familiar locations like a beautiful historic mansion, a downtown office building and a local restaurant were featured.
There’s benefit in it for the property owner, too. Typically, productions pay for use of the house, property, land or object. But beyond the financial benefit – you may get to see your place on the big screen.
Ree
l Treasures of the Miami Valley – How to Submit
The process is simple, but please note that ONLY the owner (and the person who grants permission) of the property, item or location has the authority to submit to the contest.
First, take a clear, low-resolution photo from a solid angle. Include your name, physical address of location and contact information with the photos. Here are some photo taking tips!
To encourage some friendly competition, FilmDayton will invite industry insiders to review the submissions and select top submission from the following categories. Top photos may be featured on the FilmDayton web site. Categories include:
- Industrial/Warehouse
- Arts (galleries, theaters, auditoriums, etc)
- Open Spaces (parks, gardens, farms, water, etc)
- Residential (homes of all sorts – include a second shot of special features)
- Businesses (offices, storefronts, restaurants/bars, etc)
- Medical/Hospital
- Era Location Shots – Examples include office from the 70s with authentic furniture and shag carpet, a fully-furnished kitchen from the 50s, etc
- Special Props – antique cars/farm equipment, unique kitchen items, etc…
Thanks to partner Dodd Camera, two overall winners will get our top prize of a digital camera. In addition to their many Dayton stores, Dodd Camera
is now open in Cincinnati near the Kenwood Mall with a gigantic selection of cameras, lenses and accessories plus a rental department including a rental studio.
More information can be found at www.FilmDayton.com. The contest ends on November 17, so grab your camera today and show the rest of the country that locations all across the Miami Valley are worth immortalizing on film.
Submit your photo to:
Include your name, physical address of location, and contact information.
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