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Posts with tag Wisconsin

Wisconsin Tax-Break to Boost State Moooovie Industry

Filed under: DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Politics »

Starting in 2008, movies are going to get a whole lot cheesier. At the beginning of that year, a new tax incentive in Wisconsin will draw film productions to the state in hopes of building a stronger movie industry there. With one of the more generous breaks out there, Wisconsin will be competing with other states that have benefited from such programs -- and they seem to work. After Louisiana offered an incentive, Hollywood produced a great number of movies there (think of how many New Orleans-set films you saw in the past few years).

Aside from being attracted to the savings, though, filmmakers don't have a lot to look forward to in Wisconsin. There is a lack of soundstages, a lack of crews and a lack of good hotels. Plus, I hear it gets so cold in parts of the state that they have school closings on low temperature days. There have been some memorable films shot in Wisconsin, of course: Back to School; Mr. 3000; The Omen II and III (aka Damien and The Final Conflict, respectively). Well, producers, at least remember the state if you have any scenes calling for a surplus of dairy cows.

SXSW Review: Summercamp!

Filed under: Documentary », Independent », SXSW », Cinematical Indie »


Summercamp!
is a fun documentary—not dense with thought-provoking material, but the kind of movie where you just relax your brain and let the images and sounds wash over you. At times it feels like a feature-length Flaming Lips video, which is not at all a bad thing, except I kept wondering if Wayne Coyne would pop out from behind a tree and start somersaulting or building sandcastles. Co-director Bradley Beesley has directed several Flaming Lips videos, as well as the documentary about the band, Fearless Freaks.

Summercamp!
follows a few kids and counselors around a summer nature camp in Wisconsin. A lot of the film's appeal is nostalgia: the campers sing the same songs and do the same things most of us did in summer camp, whether we were at a Scout camp or a Bible camp or a weight-loss camp. (Although none of the campers in this film had to suffer through a summer of leftover sun-melted Girl Scout cookies like I did when I was a camp counselor.) The gorgeously saturated colors throughout the film support that feeling of nostalgia.

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