Oregon is a state with a rich history in film production and one where a personal touch and the underlying culture make it uniquely helpful to independent filmmakers as well as a draw for mid to large scale productions. 

Today, we’re shining a well deserved light on the state. We’ll show how productions can save money as well as how to set up shop without having to compete for the best talent and equipment in the Pacific Northwest.

To learn more about film production in Oregon, we spoke with Tim Williams, the Executive Director at Oregon Film, AKA the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & Television.

Tim has a long resume in film production, having worked as a producer in the film hubs of Los Angeles, London, and New York. A production brought him to the Beaver State, where he fell in love with California’s northern neighbor. 

Tim brings a unique perspective running a state film and television office, where he takes a very “hands on” approach as you’ll soon see. 

Oregon’s rich film history

Oregon’s history on film is much deeper than some might realize. Some of the most famous films to shoot in Oregon include Goonies, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Stand By Me, The Ring, Kindergarten Cop, Twilight, and Halloweentown.

In fact, much of the first Twilight film was shot in St. Helen’s, Oregon. Oregon’s history with the film and television industry is so long, that Oregon Film and Video is actually the oldest state film office in the United States.

They also take great pride in their place in film history. The Oregon Film Trail program creates a series of markers for famous places in Oregon film history, such as the Goonies house, or the Bridge of the Gods from Reese Witherspoon’s film Wild.

This creates what Tim likes to call a “Tourism Annuity.” 

He explained with an example from Wild.

“…at the end of the movie (Wild) Reese walks across this bridge and that's the end of the movie. It's called The Bridge of the Gods and it goes across the Columbia River out just east of here. That bridge charges one dollar to walk across it. The year after that movie came out. pedestrian traffic on that bridge went up by 500%. It's a clear indicator that movies have an impact on the local economy.”

Tracking the Tourism Annuity has helped Tim convince local legislators that investing in film pays off for the people of Oregon. This helped increase the Oregon Production Investment Fund (OPIF) in 2022, which has offered financial incentives to productions filming in Oregon since 2006.

Production savings in Oregon

✅ Understand the state incentives

Oregon subsidies come in the form of a 25% cash rebate on production-related goods and services paid to Oregon vendors and a 20% cash rebate of payroll’d wages for work done in Oregon. You can combine the labor rebate with the Greenlight Oregon program for an effective labor rebate of 26.2%. 

These rebates will be received 4-6 weeks after wrapping production. Just in time to help fund post-production. Tim likes this system because it’s an easier, faster process that gets money into filmmaker’s hands.

“If you're a 10 million dollar movie and you go to, say, Georgia. Yes, you're gonna get a piece of paper at the end of that for three million dollars. But you're gonna have to hire a broker and you have to pay them 5-8% to sell it. Then you'll have to find someone to buy it. So Coke or Delta will give you 80-89 cents on the dollar. If you're lucky. And that’s not even the end of it. It's probably going to be between 2-5 years before you get the money… Whereas I'm gonna give you 25% a month or two after you're done. So sometimes with cash flow issues. That's very important.”

Larger studio films can eat those expenses and wait because of their massive cash reserves. But for a larger indie or a smaller studio film, a quick rebate turn-around can pay for editing, sound design, and even some reshoots. 

That’s why Oregon’s film incentives make it a perfect home for those smaller-budget indie darlings.

Oregon also has an annual tax credit auction through the Oregon Production Investment Fund (OPIF) with this year's taking place between September 23rd to the 27th.  

From the Oregon Confluence blog, "Each year, Oregon Film and the Oregon Department of Revenue auction off $20M of Oregon state tax credits in $500 increments at a minimum bid of 90% of face value. This means you can purchase a $50,000 Oregon state tax credit at auction for as little as $45,000."

✅ Take advantage of Tim Williams’ budget review

You’re not just getting a 25% cash rebate with Oregon. You’re also getting the advantage of Tim’s experience as a producer to get the most out of your dollar.

Tim knows his way around a script breakdown. Working with him, you can submit your budget for an Oregon Budget Review. He’ll go through your budget with a fine-tooth comb and tag it for expenses that qualify for Oregon production subsidies.

“The key thing I do is twofold. One, I go through your budget and tell you what you're incentives are going to be. I give you a budget back that then tracks your incentives going forward. And two, I connect you with somebody on the ground in Oregon that's going to get you people and equipment and deals and that's the first connection and the best connection I can give you because there is a ton of talent here that doesn't work here.”

He’ll calculate how much money you can save shooting in Oregon and offers help in finding local crew and equipment, which saves time.

Tim also tells us that he’ll be straight with productions on if filming in Oregon actually makes the most sense for that production. 

“I think that's my big thing. I want to be user-friendly. I want to bring production insight to the process so that people feel comfortable that we're listening to the problems and dealing with them on that level.”

✅ Leverage Oregon’s zero sales tax

Another element of Oregon that can save a production money is its lack of a sales tax. Most budgets don’t factor sales tax into their estimates, so Tim feels he can’t accurately say it will reduce production cost. 

Instead, he likes to think of it as taking your budgets further. You’ll still spend, say, $10,000 on set decoration. But all $10,000 will end up on the screen, without anything being eaten up by the state. That can make a huge difference, especially on those larger indies and smaller studio films. 

The advantages of filming in Oregon

✅ Find everything you need with Oregon’s equipment rental and production facilities

Oregon’s biggest competitor for its biome isn’t even in the United States. It’s Vancouver, the largest production hub in Canada.

The advantage of going to a massive hub like Vancouver is that there is a deep bunch of crew, equipment, and locations. The disadvantage is that you’re fighting every major production for it, including juggernauts like Marvel. 

Oregon has less competition while still having excellent facilities, like Picture This Production Services and Vision Studios, which recently hosted Nathan Fielder’s HBO show The Rehearsal. Even more impressive are their equipment rental houses, including Pacific Grip & Lighting, Gearhead Grip + Electric, and Koerner Camera. No need to bring anything from LA to Oregon for your film shoot. 

Of course, all that equipment won’t be of any use if you don’t have anyone to use it.

✅ Quality Crew

Thanks to Oregon’s history in film production and reputation as a beautiful place to live, there is a deep bench of Oregon film crew waiting to help you. Tim told us a story of a producer who came to town looking to film an Amazon series.

“I saw him last night. He was like, ‘I gotta say every department is world-class. I’ve worked in LA, I've worked in Berlin, I've worked in Georgia. Your costumes, your construction, your grip, and electric rival anybody in the world.’ I would say 90% of the Productions that come here are always very surprised by how experienced and qualified our crews are. I'm proud of the fact that there’s world-class talent up here. And that's because it's a great place to live, so there's a ton of talent that live here by choice.”

The crew members of Oregon are covered by IATSE Local 488. Some are homegrown, others are LA refugees looking for a cooler climate. But Tim knows he can’t just rely on Oregon’s wonderful culture and quality of living to keep the best crews in Oregon. He has to think about the next generation.

✅ Pathways Program and Oregon Film Opportunities

When OPIF was passed, Tim carved out $375,000 annually to help grow Oregon’s film community. Specifically, he funds existing programs such as grants for Oregon filmmakers and the Pathways Program.

However, it’s the Pathways Program that Tim is especially proud of. The program is administered by their partners at Outside the Frame, a non-profit that teaches filmmaking to at-risk and homeless youth. The Pathways Program sets up PA training programs for that community and places them in Oregon film productions.

The best part, for producers, is that the PA’s salaries are being funded entirely by the state of Oregon. All you will need to pay are payroll fringes. 

In other words, you get a free PA, and a kid from the Oregon streets gets a shot at a career and a better life.

✅ Sustainability

Of course, we can’t talk about Oregon without talking about sustainability. Oregon has a well-earned reputation for being eco-friendly, and it expects its film productions to live up to that reputation.

“Oregon is Oregon, so sustainability and green and environmentalism is baked into our state. It has always been baked into our state and we had green production protocols before I even came here.”

You can learn more about their Green Production protocols at the Oregon Film website, including searching for Oregon Green Vendors.

Animation in Oregon

You can’t talk about Oregon film production without talking about animation. Oregon is America’s hub for stop-motion animation. Its only real rival globally is the home of Wallace & Gromit, Bristol, England.

Tim credits the culture of stop-motion animation to the illustrators who called Oregon home in the 60’s and 70’s. Out of that scene came Will Vinton, whose short Close Mondays won the Oscar for Best Short in 1975.

After that, he took the contract to create California Raisins. Later, Travis Knight bought Vinton’s studio and turned it into Laika Studios, the storied creator of Coraline and ParaNorman.

More recently, Oregon based ShadowMachine produced the Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro stop motion film Pinochhio.

In a way, Oregon’s stop-motion animation scene has become a virtuous circle. People interested in the art flock to the state, because it’s where everyone who’s done it lives. They stay and produce more great works of stop-motion film, which attracts more prospective animators.

That’s a wrap

Oregon’s world-class crews, generous subsidies, and white glove service make it the perfect destination for small-to-mid-budget films and series.

If you’ve got an indie you’re thinking about shooting in the Pacific Northwest, drop Tim a line for a budget review. He’ll help determine if Oregon is the right destination for you, how much you can save, and the best places you can film your script.

Tell him we said hi.

➡️ ALSO: Don't miss our production spotlight articles on Arizona and New Mexico!