BRIDGES FEATURED FILM & TV

A lot of local bridges have been featured in film and TV productions in the region over the past 20 years. None have been used as much as the Kingston–Port Ewen Suspension Bridge, better known as The Wurts Bridge.

• In 2019, the Wurts Bridge was used for THE UNDOING.
• In 2018, the Wurts Bridge was used for SKIN.
• In 2016, the Wurts Bridge was featured for GROWING UP SMITH.
• In 2015, the Wurts Bridge was featured for SUPER DARK TIMES.
• In 2012, the Wurts bridge was used for THE SISTERHOOD OF NIGHT.

According to Wikipedia, the Kingston–Port Ewen Suspension Bridge, sometimes known as the "Rondout Creek bridge", "Old Bridge" or "Wurts Street Bridge," is a steel suspension bridge spanning Rondout Creek, near where it empties into the Hudson River. It connects the City of Kingston to the north, with the village of Port Ewen to the south. Completed in 1921, it was the final link in New York's first north-south highway on the West Shore of the Hudson, and is considered an important engineering accomplishment associated with the development of early motoring.

The Wallkill Rail Trail Bridge has also appeared in several big productions including A QUIET PLACE (1&2) and the HBO seriesI KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE.

A few other bridges that have appeared in specific film and TV productions, include:
• Breakneck Tunnel (Pumpkinhole)
• Esopus Bridge (Audrey, Fighting Fish)
• Mid-Hudson Bridge. (IKTMIT)
• Moodna Viaduct (Michael Clayton, The Half of It)
• Rosendale Trestle (Super Dark Times)
• Rip Van Winkle Bridge (Z: The Beginning of Everything)
• Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park (High Maintenance, IKTMIT)
• Wilbur Bridge (The Plot Against America, Doomsdays)
*Did we forget anything. If so, let us know.

Three fun facts:

1) When the production manager of A QUIET PLACE asked the film commission to convince the county to delay renovations so they could use of the bridge as it was, Ulster County Exec Mike Hein and Suzanne Holt said no in about two seconds flat. We suggested they have the production designer make it work. It worked out!

2) For I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE, a robotic monkey (inside a bag) was thrown off the bridge.

3) What similarity is there between the bridge scene in THE UNDOING and A QUIET PLACE? Answer: Both fathers (played by Hugh Grant and John Krasinsky) are accompanied by their son, who is portrayed by the same actor, Noah Jupe.

Links for all the above mentioned film and TV productions are available online at www.hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/streamfest

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The Hudson Valley Film Commission is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that helps productions secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more! Since 2000, the film commission has supported and worked on over 500 productions, helping to create thousands of jobs and over $250 million in regional economic development. The Hudson Valley Film Commission is supported in part by Dutchess Tourism, Markertek and the Wood Dock Foundation.

Please support our  efforts with a tax-deductible contribution @ hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/support

GIVING TUESDAY

2020 has been a difficult year for non-profits and many individuals. Our organization is no exception. Much of our funding was lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

With determination and thanks to several key individuals and foundations, we persevered under an austerity budget. We look forward to working with many more film productions as film and TV production return to work. Five films recently wrapped in the region under strict Covid-19 guidelines, and we are speaking with many production companies (including Paramount and HBO) regarding projects for 2021.

Your tax deductible donation will help us sustain the directory and continue our mission

to secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more!

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS CAN BE MADE USING:

FACEBOOK @ <https://www.facebook.com/donate/414978073007296/10218166004571502>
*100% of contribution goes to non-profit.

PAYPAL GIVING FUND @ <https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4138282>
*100% of contribution goes to non-profit.

CHECKS can be sent made payable to:
Hudson Valley Film Commission, Inc
2 Sawood Lane, Woodstock, NY 12498

The primary goal of the Hudson Valley Film Commission has always been to refer LOCAL vendors,

crew members and actors with the aim of CREATING JOBS and regional economic development.

In order to provide information about local residents and businesses that work in the film business,

an extensive FREE directory is available and updated regularly at www.hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org


Thank you for your kind consideration.

Laurent Rejto
Hudson Valley Film Commission

The Hudson Valley Film Commission is a 501c3 non profit organization (under EIN 85-2021435) that helps productions secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more! Since 2000, the film commission has supported and worked on over 500 productions, helping to create thousands of jobs and over $250 million in regional economic development.

SELECT Hudson Valley productions:
To view full list or to stream regional films, visit www.hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/streamfest
The Green Veil • Linoleum • The Sixth Reel • Diaries of an Exchange Student • Werewolves Within (Ubisoft Film) • Things Heard and Seen (Netflix) • Billions (Showtime) • Monsterland (Hulu) • Audrey • The Plot Against America (HBO) • Silent Retreat (Miramax) • Black Bear • Lapsis • Foxhole • The Undoing (HBO) • I Know This Much Is True (HBO)• Save Yourselves • I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Netflix) • Scare Me • A Quiet Place 2 (Paramount) • Can You Keep a Secret? (BCDF) • Panic (Amazon Prime) • High Maintenance (HBO) • Shirley (Killer Films) • Driveways • The Dead Don't Die (Focus Features) • Avengers: Endgame (Marvel Studios) • The Irishman (Netflix) • The Climb • Swallow • Skin • The Mountain • A Quiet Place (Paramount) • Fabled • Then Came You (BCDF) • Furlough • A Vigilante • Nancy • Diane • The Miseducation of Cameron Post • La Devotee by Panic at the Disco! • It Comes at Night • Super Dark Times • The Seagull • HAPPYish (Showtime) • The Ticket • Growing Up Smith • Cold in July • Katie Fforde Films • True Story • The Sisterhood of Night • The Better Angels • We Are What We Are • The Bourne Legacy • Frances Ha • Our Idiot Brother • First Winter • The Last Keepers (BCDF) • Francine • Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding • Martha Marcy May Marlene • Higher Ground • Rocksteady • Bitter Feast • Stake Land • Man on Wire • Taking Woodstock (Focus Features) • American Gangster (Imagine Entertainment) • Michael Clayton • The Human Footprint (National Geographic) • The Night Listener • Stephanie Daley • War of the Worlds (Dreamworks) • Down to the Bone • Personal Velocity

POST NEWS, PART II

Written by Rosie Felice

Post production remains alive and well in the Hudson Valley, despite significant challenges faced by the industry in the midst of COVID-19. Two local professionals, Tim Miller and Fiona Otway, have each stayed exceptionally busy during the pandemic working on exciting projects in the Hudson Valley area. Among other work, both filmmakers have been in post production on feature documentaries: Miller and his team at Big Chief Studio are currently editing their documentary “We Remember: Songs of Survivors,” a film that follows songwriters who express and honor the stories of Holocaust survivors through music, while Fiona Otway was working earlier this year on the edit of a film tentatively titled “Going to Mars,” a biographical documentary on the life and work of the American poet Nikki Giovanni.

TIM MILLER
Tim Miller is the executive producer and creative director of Big Chief Studio, a digital media production company located in Kerhonkson, NY. Big Chief works with clients to create a broad range of video content, including global corporate adcampaigns, commercial marketing, and promotional videos for local businesses. Some of their best known televised work includes 'Sideshow:Alive on the Inside' (TLC), 'The White House: Behind Closed Doors (History) and ‘Buried Treasure’ series (FOX).

Independent of Big Chief, Miller has had an extensive career as a Creative Director and VP for networks such as NBC and HBO. His work as a director and producer spans across several iterations of visual media, including television, news, and music videos, garnering him two Best Director/Best Video awards from the Academy of Country Music for the Garth Brooks music videos “We Shall be Free” and “The Change.”

Tim Miller, Deirdre Reckseit Miller, Tim Guetterman (sitting)

Miller lived and worked in New York City for 20 years before falling in love with the Hudson Valley and moving upstate with the editorial side of his production company approximately six years ago. Big Chief now does all of its post production through four edit bays at their 10-acre property in Kerhonkson, which Miller refers to as a “digital farm.” 

 “We have a virtual staff now of about 10 creatives – some staff, some free-lance – working on projects,” said Miller on the current post production process of Big Chief. “Most of them have been working remotely, some even through remote access to our editing systems, which is interesting when you’re there alone and suddenly the computers light up and start editing!”

Though the pandemic has significantly complicated production for Big Chief, Miller and his team have remained busy creating video content for clients. Much of their recent work in the past year has been for multinational corporation and pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, who are currently on the front lines of trying to develop a Coronavirus vaccine. Big Chief is also working closely with ABC on advertising promotion and commercial projects, in addition to doing pro-bono work for SUNY schools, including the local SUNY Ulster. 

“I can’t lie, it’s been tough for us, but we’ve never ever been as busy as we’ve been over the past nine months,” said Miller.

Currently, Big Chief is in post production for the PBS feature documentary, “We Remember: Songs of Survivors,” a poignant film which follows the process of local musicians who connect with Holocaust survivors and create songs inspired by the survivors’ stories. Through the organization Sage Arts, songwriters and musicians spent months with elders in the community to create music that would reflect and honor their experiences, finally culminating in an inspirational concert at Mount Saint Mary’s in May, 2019. 

"It’s been a life-changing experience, bringing such joy to me and all those involved," said Miller. "My hope would be that we could finish the film sometime before the spring."

In addition to being edited locally, "We Remember: Songs of Survivors" was set in the Hudson Valley and included many local crew members and staff.

"The process was just extraordinary," said Miller on the production of the film. He went on to say, "It’s a film that involved a lot of very talented local people in the Hudson Valley, and that makes me proud. Shooters, musicians, music directors, mixers, sound mixers - it really brought the community together in a real meaningful way, and I'd love to be able to keep seeing that happen down the line for us.”

FIONA OTWAY
Fiona Otway is a Kingston based editor and filmmaker who is known for her work on “Hell and Back Again,” “Iraq in Fragments,” and “Kiss the Paper,” among other projects. Over the past several months, Otway has been busy working locally as an editor, story consultant, and educator. 

Fiona Otway. Photo courtesy of Marie Hinson

“2020 has definitely been a strange year! I am based in the Kingston area and have been working remotely for many years, so covid-19 has suddenly mainstreamed that approach and made it easier in a lot of ways,” writes Otway. “But it goes without saying that there is still a lot of uncertainty in the film world these days and my conversations with other filmmakers always come back to a cautious outlook on how covid-19 will affect our industry long term. For now, I feel grateful to have kept busy this year.”

Fiona has been working on a biographical documentary film going under the working title, “Going to Mars” - about Nikki Giovanni from Brooklyn-based directors Joe Brewster (‘American Promise’) and Michele Stephenson (‘American Promise,’‘A Conversation on Race’). 

“I have been working off and on for a long time on a documentary edit about one of America’s foremost living poets, Nikki Giovanni, an icon who rose to prominence during the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and who has contributed immeasurably to an ongoing cultural conversation alongside other luminaries like James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Novella Nelson, Sonia Sanchez, among others,” writes Otway. “Nikki Giovanni has had an enduring influence spanning generations, and her legacy is particularly relevant right now.”

Sam Green

In addition to her work on “Going to Mars,” Otway has been working in post on a narrative, dark comedy short from academy Award winning director, Cynthia Wade (‘Shelter Dogs,’ ‘Freeheld’) and has been collaborating on an experimental edit with documentary filmmaker Sam Green (‘The Weather Underground’) on a film that Otway projects will be in production for many years.

“This project was really fun for me because I’ve been able to exercise new creative muscles, working outside of my typical documentary genre,” Otway writes on the short film with Cynthia Wade.

Outside of editing, Otway has also been doing exciting work as a story consultant. Some of the filmmakers she has consulted for recently include Lindsay Lindenbaum on her debut feature “Tomboy,” Raul Paz-Pastrana on the documentary film “Border South,” and Stefan Forbes on his upcoming documentary “Hold Your Fire,” which though still in post production has already been honored with the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize.

Otway has also been working since 2016 as a Visiting Artist in Residence at Bard College and is passionate about educating a new generation of filmmakers. 

“I really love being able to combine my creative efforts as an editor with my work supporting and sometimes mentoring other filmmakers,” writes Otway. “Most recently, I taught an intensive year-long class on start-to-finish documentary filmmaking with a social justice emphasis. It was an ambitious course, because some of the students had no prior experience with filmmaking, so we covered everything from nuts and bolts to deconstructing metanarratives and strategies for decolonizing documentaries. In a year that won’t be forgotten, it’s inspiring to watch these students grapple with the complex social issues that their generation is inheriting and put their whole hearts into films that explore these issues inside and out.”

As of November 11, several productions are back at work under new strict Covid-19 guidelines, so it looks like post production professionals will continue working on new projects as they are delivered for picture editing, sound design, scoring, mixing, VFX, and more. The Post-Production Tax Credit program is designed to strengthen the post-production industry in New York State and its positive impact on the State’s economy. With so many post production professionals in the region, the Hudson Valley Film Commission hopes and looks forward to reporting on their work. Stay tuned for more post-production news.

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The Hudson Valley Film Commission is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that helps productions secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more! Since 2000, the film commission has supported and worked on over 500 productions, helping to create thousands of jobs and over $250 million in regional economic development. The Hudson Valley Film Commission is supported in part by Dutchess Tourism, Markertek and the Wood Dock Foundation.

Please support our  efforts with a tax-deductible contribution @ hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/support

MINIATURE HALLOWEEN

Today's streamfest recommendation features the world famous NYC Halloween Parade, which has deep roots in the Hudson Valley, specifically Dutchess County, where this years extravaganza was filmed.

"Over the years, I've had the pleasure of taking part in the NYC Halloween parade, dating back to the 1980s when I lived in NYC," recalls film commission director Laurent Rejto. "I never figured then, that 30+ years later, I would count the artistic and producing director of the parade as a close family friend, and neighbor. This year, I was honored when I was invited to get a behind the scenes glimpse at the parade in the making at a local artist studio in Rhinecliff."

I hope you will join me in enjoying The World Premiere of the First Ever Double Magnificent Intergalactic MINIATURE Halloween Parade.

Produced by New York’s Village Halloween Parade, this first annual online MOVIE event is hosted by Basil Twist’s famous Spider puppet, Zohra. Click here to view.

The Parade features the puppet work of 30 artists from the history of New York’s Village Halloween Parade.

Conceived during a time when other events were finding adaptations of their cancelled events due to Covid, this event is original, unique and stands on its own as an international (indeed, intergalactic: viz. aliens accepted) event of LARGE import, but miniature scale.

These small figures are made by Giants of the puppet world as well as doll makers and costumer designers.

Set against a background created by Broadway Set Designer and Painter, Richard Prouse these “avatars” are displayed against a moving “cranky” image of NYC. They walk past all of NYC’s iconic buildings from the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center to the Apollo Theater and the Cloisters.

With no NYPD route restrictions, this Halloween Parade takes ALL of NYC!

The Mini Parade features Grand Marshall, Pinocchio, along with live commentary by actor Donald Corren to a soundtrack of the On The Lam Band, the Original Halloween Parade band!

Puppet artists included:
Mavin Ambrose (Flesh), Ken Ard (Dandy), Julie Atlas Muz (Alan the Alien), Jay Bell (Lord Papillon), Kate Brehm (Mummy Mommy!) Machine Dazzle (COVID Nanobot), Andrew Diaz & Richard Prouse (Till We Meet Again), Andrew Diaz( Tribute to Broadway), Gary Gewant of Leela Puppet Theatre (Pinocchio), Brandon Hardy (Monster), Joanna Hess (La Contessa de la Mare), Serra Hirsch (The Photing Booth), Cait Johnson (Baba Yaga), Processional Arts Workshop (Snake), Suzy Morris (Melania Antoinnette), Paul O’Connor (Squid), Paul O’Connor & Susan Bissonnette (Fish), Sara Peattie of Puppeteers Cooperative (J. Jumpin’ Spider), Mark Perez (Shkreli), Tarish Pipkins (Aunt Nancy), Richard Prouse (MC), Richard Prouse (Mourning Mother), Kalan Sherrard (Triumphant Spirit of Decay), Lake Simmons (Weathervane Fool), Elissa Stein (Victory), Amy Trompetter (Black Lives Matter), Basil Twist (Jefferson Library Spider), Sergio Velez (Samhain! & Wendigo)

Puppeteers and Crew included:
Jeanne Fleming (concept and co-director, artistic and producing director of the Village Halloween Parade), Martha Ross Tobias (co-director and production manager), Sky Gewant (editor and cinematographer, Richard W. Prouse (Set and Backdrop) Donald Corren (Host), Helene Silverman (Title Design), Matthew Fass (Social Media and Web Design), Grace Schultz, Stabilize) Basil Twist (Muse), Douglas Baz (Photography) and puppeteers Susan Bissonnette, Joanna Hess,Sarah Bissonnette, Tessa Miller, Lauren Smith.

Watch the parade online at https://halloween-nyc.com/miniween

POST NEWS, PART I

In mid-March of 2020, film and TV production came to a complete standstill. Two first quarter productions, ‘Werewolves Within’ by director Josh Ruben, and the Brazilian production of ‘Diaries of an Exchange Student,’ luckily ended without any infections. A few days after those movies wrapped, the entire industry shut down worldwide due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Over the next eight months, most local industry professionals  filed for unemployment and/or scrambled for other work.  Conversely, many post production professionals were kept busy preparing films and TV shows for release.  As a result, many local post production professionals worked through the pandemic. The Hudson Valley Film Commission has been staying in touch with several of them, and will be writing about their work and the interesting projects they were involved with. This initial blog, features three editors; Woodstock based John David Allen, Saugerties based Blake Gingerich, and Kingston based Chad Smith.

JOHN DAVID ALLEN
‘That Animal Rescue Show,’ which is executive produced by five-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater (‘Boyhood,’ ‘Before Sunrise,’ ‘School of Rock’) and two-time Academy Award winner and documentarian Bill Guttentag (‘You Don't Have to Die,’ ‘Twin Towers’), provides a window into this captivating world through moving, humorous, and powerful stories of animals and the humans who love them, in Austin, Texas. 

Richard Linklater

Although both are based elsewhere, Linklater and Guttentag, both have local connections. In 2015, Austin-based Linklater, executive produced ‘I Dream Too Much,’ starring Eden Brolin (‘Yellowstone’) and Diane Ladd ('Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'). The film was directed by Saugerties based Katie Cokinos. Thanks to film commission director Laurent Rejto and help from Cokinos, while at SXSW in 2008, Linklater accepted to be  honored as the WFF Maverick Award recipient for 2009. San Francisco based Bill Guttentag previously worked with Allen on the 2019 documentary ‘Sublime.’ In 2002, the film ‘Twin Towers,’ which he co-directed with Robert David Port won best short documentary honors at WFF and the Academy Awards.

For ‘That Animal Rescue Show,’ the production team turned to John David Allen for editing.

John David Allen

“What a great show to work on!” Allen exclaimed. “It’s funny, extremely warm, family-friendly, and as much about Austin TX as it is about animals. And there’s a twist — it’s often the humans who are rescued by the animals. My episodes cover a Farm Animal Sanctuary, a husband/wife Bat Rescue team, Austin’s own singing cowboy and a young man who moved to Austin to become a goat doula.”

“Originally the edit team for ‘That Animal Rescue Show’ was LA-based,” Allen added, “but when the pandemic hit everything moved to remote and I was offered two episodes to cut from my home in Woodstock. I worked with three other editors, six producers, and a dozen support people spread across the country, all through online streaming.  Edit reviews were through the Evercast platform which enabled everyone in the “room” to see my avid real-time and discuss as if we were in the same space. I hope everyone will check out the show on CBS All Access!”

Click here to watch the trailer for ‘That Animal Rescue Show.

Allen stayed busy with more work in 2020. He also edited a series of testimonials on the difficulties with the American Healthcare system for GoodRx and he is currently editing the feature film ‘Ida Red’ for local director John Swab out of Utopia Studios in Bearsville with assistant editor Eric Jacobs. Mixing and local sound design will be handled by Coll Anderson.

Swab, Travolta, Pitt and Rosen at Rome Film Festival

“This is the third film that my producing partner, Jeremy Rosen, and I have done,” said director John Swab. “All three films were shot in my native Tulsa, Oklahoma, but post production on all three films was handled in the Hudson Valley where I live. It’s my second film with local editor John David Allen, and third with the legend of Upper Pond Road, Coll Anderson - both of whom were referred to us by my good friend, and Hudson Valley Film ambassador, Laurent Rejto. This year we are operating out of the old Utopia Studios and very much enjoying it. We’re very blessed to have so many talented people locally and be able to work from home."

Swab’s first film ‘Run With The Hunted’ was edited by Woodstock filmmaker John Greenhalgh (‘Team Foxcatcher’). The film stars three actors who have all worked on regional productions – Michael Pitt (‘I Origins’), Ron Perlman (‘The Escape of Prisoner 614’)  and Mark Boone Jr. (‘Frozen River’). The film made its Showtime premiere on October 25, 2020, and can be streamed on Showtime. Swab’s second film ‘Body Brokers,’ stars Frank Grillo (‘The Grey,’ ‘Avengers’), Michael Kenneth Williams (‘The Wire,’ ‘Boardwalk Empire’) and Hudson Valley based Academy Award winner, Melissa Leo (‘Frozen River,’ ‘The Fighter’), who Rejto also introduced to Swab. Stay tuned for news about its impending release.

BLAKE GINGERICH
When the Covid-19 lockdown hit New York State, Blake Gingerich was working as the assistant editor on Neil Burger’s upcoming sci-fi thriller ‘Voyagers,’ which stars Colin Farrell, Tye Sheridan, Isaac Hempstead Wright, and Lily-Rose Depp. The movie is set for release in 2021 via Lionsgate. Burger is best known for his work on ‘Billions’ (Showtime), ‘The Illusionist,’ and ‘Interview with the Assassin,” which tied for best feature film at the 2001 WFF.

Blake Gingerich with assistant editors

“The Covid-19 lockdown changed my work life dramatically on Thursday, March 12,” writes Gingerich. “We had just been doing visual effects reviews on the feature that I was assistant editing, ‘Voyagers.’ We got the news that everything was closing, and so I packed the project onto a couple of drives & we all headed out with no idea of when we would return. The film was mostly cut at that point, but we were still waiting on something like 500 visual effects shots. So I came up to my house in Saugerties & the editor took the other drive to her house in Brooklyn, and we managed to finish the rest remotely with a lot of help from facilities in NYC.” 

In the wake of his work on ‘Voyagers,’ Gingerich has been working in recent months on post production for nonfiction work, including as the editor of the MTV quarantine special, ‘2020 Code.’ He has also just started as the assistant editor on Michael Lewen’s new movie, ‘Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between.” 

Writes Gingerich on the new project, “I'm still doing all of my work in Saugerties, and the editor is at home in Brooklyn. They send the footage out to us every morning & then we do our thing with it pretty much as usual. The plan is to work remotely with the director once shooting wraps, but we'll have to be very flexible with how the end of this goes since none of us really have an idea what we'll be dealing with come 2021. Obviously, the biggest issue with working this way in our neighborhood is the shaky reliability of our broadband access, and also, sometimes, our electricity. But we're happy to be working again!”

CHAD SMITH
Kingston based Chad Smith of Massive Clouds on Wall Street, recently finished on EPK on the new Ryan Martin record ‘Wandercease,’ which was recorded at Kenny Siegel’s Old Soul Studios in Catskill.  Click here to view the EPK.

Laurent Rejto with Chad Smith

"I really had a good time up at Kenny’s  shooting a behind the scenes with Ryan and the band,” says Smith.  “We were also able to capture some music video performances of ‘I Just Wanna Die’ at the same time.  There was so much talent in that room, and it was my privilege to capture folks doing what they do best, making great music. “

Production clip from ‘A Reckoning in Boston’

When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, Smith was unsure how the company would be affected, but he quickly realized they would stay busy with picture editing and color correction work on several projects including some internal content for BMW of North America, and the feature documentary ‘A Reckoning in Boston,’ from directorJames Rutenbeck. The film will air in 2021 on PBS’s Independent Lens.

Additional work  included editing for Project ALS on their ‘Tomorrow is Tonight’ Virtual Family Dinner. 

“The only thing we’ve missed is having our directors in session,” added Smith, “but doing Zoom edit sessions has been the next best thing.” 

Massive Clouds Film and Video Post Productions  just moved into a larger space at 318 Wall Street in uptown Kingston.  The added space has made it easier to  properly social distance with clients when needed.  

As of October 28, several productions are back at work under new strict Covid-19 guidelines, so it looks like post production professionals will continue working on new projects as they are delivered for picture editing, sound design, scoring, mixing, VFX, and more. The Post-Production Tax Credit program is designed to strengthen the post-production industry in New York State and its positive impact on the State’s economy. With so many post production professionals in the region, the Hudson Valley Film Commission hopes and looks forward to reporting on their work. Stay tuned.... 

Blog written in part by Rosie Felice for Hudson Valley Film Commission

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The Hudson Valley Film Commission is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that helps productions secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more! Since 2000, the film commission has supported and worked on over 500 productions, helping to create thousands of jobs and over $250 million in regional economic development. The Hudson Valley Film Commission is supported in part by Dutchess Tourism, Markertek and the Wood Dock Foundation.

Please support our  efforts with a tax-deductible contribution @ hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/support

THE UNDOING PREMIERES ON HBO

The biggest Mid Hudson Valley production of summer 2019 featured HBO’s THE UNDOING, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. The series was created by David Kelley (THE WIRE, TREME) and directed by Danish director Susanne Bier (BIRD BOX, AFTER THE WEDDING). Edgar Ramirez, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Matilda De Angelis, Lily Rabe, Noma Dumezweni, Noah Jupe, Sofie Gråbøl, and Donald Sutherland also star in the limited series.

From writer David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, The Wire, Treme) and director Susanne Bier (Bird Box, The Night Manager, After the Wedding), THE UNDOING focuses on Nicole Kidman’s Grace Fraser, a successful therapist, and her devoted husband, Jonathan (Hugh Grant), and their young son who attends an elite private school in New York City. A chasm opens in Grace's seemingly perfect life: a violent death, a missing spouse and a chain of terrible revelations.

The premier of THE UNDOING was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic and rescheduled for Oct 25..

“2019 was a fantastic year for film and TV production in the Hudson Valley with three HBO productions, including THE UNDOING,” recalls Laurent Rejto from the Hudson Valley Film Commission. “Other production included I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE and THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA. In addition, we worked on several productions with Netflix, Amazon Studios, Paramount, Hulu and many others. Revenue topped $46-million.”

“The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has been brutal,” Rejto added, “Regional production came to a standstill in mid March after Ubisoft’s WEREWOLVES WITHIN and the Brazilian production DIARY OF AN EXCHANGE STUDENT. Local crew, cast members and vendors went without work and revenue for months. The film commission also lost an enormous amount of funding due to Covid-19, but we’re making every effort to come back stronger than ever.”

Film and TV productions have adopted strict zones and guidelines. Several films are currently in production, and the film commission is working with HBO on two potential limited series for 2021 and with Showtime for something that will hopefully land here late fall.”

The ability to film on Route 209 was the primary reason that this HBO series moved production to Ulster County for a week. In addition to filming on Route 209, production also took place in the Town of Esopus, and on the Kingston–Port Ewen Suspension Bridge (also known as the Wurts Street Bridge). Tech City in the Town of Ulster was used as a base for filming on Route 209, and also served as the set for a massive blue screen that was used for helicopter shots. HBO made a charitable contribution to all three towns involved.

More than 250 crew members were involved with thousands of rooms nights booked at area hotels. Several key crew members were from the region including production designer Lester Cohen, and part time resident Ellen Chenoweth. Executive producer Celia Costas last worked in the Hudson Valley region on A QUIET PLACE.

To stream THE UNDOING tune to HBO Sundays at 9pm at https://www.hbo.com/the-undoing

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The Hudson Valley Film Commission is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that helps productions secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more! Since 2000, the film commission has supported and worked on over 500 productions, helping to create thousands of jobs and over $250 million in regional economic development.

Please support our  efforts with a tax-deductible contribution @ hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/support

RUN WITH THE HUNTED SET FOR RELEASE

On Friday, June 26, Vertical Entertainment is set to release RUN WITH THE HUNTED, directed by Hudson Valley resident John Swab. Filming took place in Swab’s native Oklahoma, but post production was handled primarily in Woodstock, Bearsville and Washingtonville by John Greenhalgh (picture editor), Coll Anderson (Supervising Sound Editor, Re-recording Mixer), and Jay Peck (Stepping Stone Foley). Producer Jeremy M. Rosen (Roxwell Films), a native of Delmar, NY, helped score amazing songs for the soundtrack including The Air The I Breathe (The Hollies), Out In The Woods (Leon Russell).  The Hudson Valley Film Commission worked closely with the project to make post production referrals. CLICK HERE for case study details.

UPDATE –– On October 25, RUN WITH THE HUNTED will premiere on SHOWTIME. Watch this EXCLUSIVE deleted scene at https://vimeo.com/471793974

The digital release includes most streaming platforms including Apple, Google, Amazon Prime and satellite providers). Theatrical release will include select traditional and drive-in theatres, along with Virtual Cinema from LA’s Laemmle Theatres, and physical Blu Ray & DVDs. 

RUN WITH THE HUNTED features Ron Perlman (Hand of God), Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire), Dree Hemingway (Starlet), Mark Boone Junior (Sons of Anarchy), William Forsythe (Raising Arizona), Slaine (Gone Baby Gone), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (The Wire) and Sam Quartin who also lives in the Hudson Valley, and is lead singer of the band The Bobby Lees. Their song Radiator is featured in the soundtrack.

RUN WITH THE HUNTED follows Oscar, a young boy who commits a noble murder and is forced to run away from his rural hometown, leaving Loux, his best friend behind. Fifteen years later, he has forgotten his past and become the leader of a band of lost children, but Loux is determined to find the boy who saved her life.

Writer/Director and Tulsa native, John Swab, ran away from home at the age of fifteen. He lived on the streets amongst criminals and became addicted to crack and heroin. John is now 5 years sober and lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife and dogs. John’s films are based on themes from his life such as addiction, abuse, and crime. His credits include JUDAS CHARIOT, LET ME MAKE YOU A MARTYR, RUN WITH THE HUNTED, the recently completed BODY BROKERS, and forthcoming IDA RED.

“While the film has a pulpy vibe, there are relevant social themes: class divide, poverty, the flaws in what “a man should be”, and despair,” writes John Swab. “There are also themes regarding choices and how one decision can sometimes lead us very far away from who we really are. Where I am from, middle or “lost” America, opportunities to leave or achieve beyond what is available are very limited. I wrote this based on themes from my own life; abuse, running away, and being taken in by people who were born without a chance, thus resorting to extremes to survive. My biggest influences as a storyteller are writers like Jim Thompson and Elmore Leonard, cult 70's cinema such as: Out of the Blue, Straight Time, The Getaway, Electra Glide in Blue, The French Connection, and contemporary filmmakers like Jeff Nichols. They often don’t have one theme to their work, but rather present a window into a forgotten part of our society that has been overlooked or forgotten and explore humanity through their flawed characters.”

For additional information, contact
Hudson Valley Film Commission
Laurent@hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org

Rogers and Cowan PMK in Los Angeles
Margaret Gordon – Margaret.Gordon@rogersandcowanpmk.com
Daniel Coffey – Daniel.Coffey@rogersandcowanpmk.com

Rogers and Cowan PMK in New York 
Susan Engel – Susan.Engel@rogersandcowanpmk.com
Nina Baron – Nina.Baron@rogersandcowanpmk.com

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Funding has been severely impacted due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support our continued efforts during these difficult times.

Since 2000, the Hudson Valley Film Commission has worked on over 500 FILM & TV productions to refer and help secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more! The results have created thousands of jobs, education & training opportunities, regional promotion & marketing, and over $250 million in regional economic development.

SELECT Hudson Valley productions include:
To stream regional films, visit hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/streamfest
Werewolves Within • Things Heard and Seen • Billions • Monsterland • Audrey • The Plot Against America • Silent Retreat • Black Bear • Lapsis • Foxhole • The Undoing • I Know This Much Is True • Save Yourselves • I’m Thinking of Ending Things • Scare Me • Can You Keep a Secret? • Panic • High Maintenance • Driveways • Shirley • The Dead Don't Die • Avengers: Endgame • The Irishman • The Climb* • Swallow • Skin • The Mountain • A Quiet Place • Fabled • Then Came You • Furlough • A Vigilante • Nancy • Diane • The Miseducation of Cameron Post • La Devotee by Panic at the Disco! • It Comes at Night • Super Dark Times •  The Seagull • HAPPYish • The Ticket  • Growing Up Smith • Cold in July • Katie Fforde Films • True Story • The Sisterhood of Night • The Better Angels • We Are What We Are • The Bourne Legacy • Frances Ha • Our Idiot Brother •  First Winter • The Last Keepers • Francine • Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding • Martha Marcy May Marlene • Higher Ground • Rocksteady • Bitter Feast • Stake Land • Man on Wire • Taking Woodstock • American Gangster • Michael Clayton • The Human Footprint • The Night Listener • Stephanie Daley • War of the Worlds • Down to the Bone • Personal Velocity

NYS FILM PRODUCTION UPDATE

Please find the following production update from Acting Executive Director Yoni Bokser at Governor’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development

In preparation for Phase Four of the New York Forward regional phased reopening plan, New York State has released industry-specific guidance for Media Production during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (“Interim COVID-19 Guidance for Media Production”). The precise timing of when regions will enter Phase Four has NOT yet been determined.

This industry specific guidance includes:

•Summary Guidance (https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/MediaProductionShortGuidance.pdf)

•Detailed guidance with an affirmation link (https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/MediaProduction_MasterGuidance.pdf)

•Business safety plan template (https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/NYS_BusinessReopeningSafetyPlanTemplate.pdf)

Each business or entity must develop a written Safety Plan outlining how its workplace will prevent the spread of COVID-19. A business may fill out the New York Forward Safety Plan template to fulfill the requirement or may develop its own Safety Plan. This plan does not need to be submitted to a state agency for approval but must be retained on the premises of the business and must made available to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) or local health or safety authorities in the event of an inspection.

Businesses are encouraged to look up their specific business functions and needs via the NY Forward Business Reopen Lookup Tool. This tool was designed to help businesses understand whether they can operate based on the nature of their business activity and the current status of the region(s) in which they operate. One can look up a NAICS code that most appropriately matches the specific activities in question via the federal searchable list here.

Please refer to the New York Forward website for all information, guidance and restrictions in order to operate legally and safely in each region. Please refer to the regional monitoring dashboards to check as regions may move between phases. Each of the phases on the website are continuously updated with guidelines and information on specific business activities.

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Funding has been severely impacted due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support our continued efforts during these difficult times.

Since 2000, the Hudson Valley Film Commission has worked on over 500 FILM & TV productions to refer and help secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more! The results have created thousands of jobs, education & training opportunities, regional promotion & marketing, and over $250 million in regional economic development.

SELECT Hudson Valley productions include:
To stream regional films, visit hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/streamfest
Werewolves Within • Things Heard and Seen • Billions • Monsterland • Audrey • The Plot Against America • Silent Retreat • Black Bear • Lapsis • Foxhole • The Undoing • I Know This Much Is True • Save Yourselves • I’m Thinking of Ending Things • Scare Me • Can You Keep a Secret? • Panic • High Maintenance • Driveways • Shirley • The Dead Don't Die • Avengers: Endgame • The Irishman • The Climb* • Swallow • Skin • The Mountain • A Quiet Place • Fabled • Then Came You • Furlough • A Vigilante • Nancy • Diane • The Miseducation of Cameron Post • La Devotee by Panic at the Disco! • It Comes at Night • Super Dark Times •  The Seagull • HAPPYish • The Ticket  • Growing Up Smith • Cold in July • Katie Fforde Films • True Story • The Sisterhood of Night • The Better Angels • We Are What We Are • The Bourne Legacy • Frances Ha • Our Idiot Brother •  First Winter • The Last Keepers • Francine • Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding • Martha Marcy May Marlene • Higher Ground • Rocksteady • Bitter Feast • Stake Land • Man on Wire • Taking Woodstock • American Gangster • Michael Clayton • The Human Footprint • The Night Listener • Stephanie Daley • War of the Worlds • Down to the Bone • Personal Velocity

THE POLLINATORS PREMIERES ONLINE

OUR COMPLEX FOOD SYSTEM RESTS ON THE WINGS OF THE HONEY BEE AND THE COMMERCIAL BEEKEEPERS THAT MOVE THEM FROM FARM TO ORCHARD POLLINATING THE CROPS THAT PRODUCE THE FOOD WE EAT.

The award-winning documentary THE POLLINATORS, will be released across all digital platforms on June 16, 2020, right ahead of National Pollinator Week (June 22 – 28).

THE POLLINATORS is a cinematic journey around the United States following migratory beekeepers and their truckloads of honey bees as they pollinate the flowers that become the fruits, nuts and vegetables we all eat. The many challenges the beekeepers and their bees face en route reveal flaws to our simplified chemically dependent agriculture system. We talk to farmers, scientists, chefs and academics along the way to give a broad perspective about the threats to honey bees, what it means to our food security and how we can improve it.

Regarding production, director, cinematographer and producer Peter Nelson wrote: "We filmed THE POLLINATORS for over a year and travelled across the United States to tell this story of migratory beekeepers and their essential role in our food system, but we produced this documentary right here in the Hudson Valley and there are many beautiful images and important scenes filmed locally. Living here and being able to film locally whenever we needed to was an incredible opportunity to showcase the stunning and diverse landscapes and agricultural stories that we told in our film and provided amazing visuals everywhere we went.“

To screen THE POLLINATORS, visit https://geni.us/ThePollinators

For additional info, visit THE POLLINATORS

THE SAFE WAY FORWARD

A Joint Report of the DGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and Teamsters’ Committees for COVID-19 Safety Guidelines

This document represents a path for employers to provide a safer workplace for cast and crew members in a pre-vaccine COVID-19 world. Taking action based upon these guidelines is an essential and necessary element of any such return to work.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT

SHIRLEY SET TO STREAM

The feature film SHIRLEY will be released on June 5 via NEON (Parasite). The production is directed by Josephine Decker from a screenplay by Sarah Gubbins, based on the book by Susan Scarf Merrell.

"Shirley Jackson was a wildly unorthodox human and storyteller," stated director Josephine Decker, who received a special jury award at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival for Auteur Filmmaking. "Encountering her work was like finding a map towards becoming the kind of artist I would like to be. Daring. Intimate. Structured yet dreamlike."

Renowned horror writer Shirley Jackson is on the precipice of writing her masterpiece when the arrival of newlyweds upends her meticulous routine and heightens tensions in her already tempestuous relationship with her philandering husband. The middle-aged couple, prone to ruthless barbs and copious afternoon cocktails, begins to toy mercilessly with the naïve young couple at their door.

For a full list of local partners streaming the film, visit https://neonrated.com/virtual-cinema. The film will also be available on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, FandangoNow, Vudu, DIRECTV, DISH and longtime NEON partner Hulu. A special screening is scheduled for June 4 at 8:45pm at Overlook Drive-In, a family-owned 750-car DRIVE-IN located at 126 Degarmo Road,(Between Routes 44 & 55), Poughkeepsie, NY 12603.

The film features actors Elizabeth Moss (The French Dispatch, The Handmaid’s Tale), Odessa Young (The Stand, Assassination Nation), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, The Shape of Water), and Logan Lerman (Indignation, Fury). Indie powerhouse Killer Films and the Los Angeles Media Fund produced. Producer credits include Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, Sue Naegle, Sarah Gubbins, Jeffrey Soros, Simon Horsman, and Elisabeth Moss. Executive Producers credited include Martin Scorsese, Allison Rose Carter, Lisa Tager, and Cher Hawrysh.

Production on SHIRLEY took place during the summer of 2018, and included ten scouting days, twenty four production days at ten locations, including the Captain Joseph Allen Home in Catskill, the Delaware & Ulster Railroad in Arkville, Sam's Point in Cragsmoor, the Mohican Trading Post in Leeds, the Reed General Store in Coxsackie, the Unification Theological Seminary in Barrytown, Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, and Woodstock Film Studios. The Film Center in Woodstock was rented for production design. A thousand room nights were rented at local lodging establishments. More than 250 extras were hired and thirty local crew members, including Amy Hutchings Casting and Timothy Bruno.

"Working in the Hudson Valley affords both an incredible variety of locations and many knowledgable crew members,” commented co-producer and production supervisor Jon Read. “It's always worth our while." Other regional projects Read has worked on, includeThe Mountain, Diane, A Vigilante, and Francine.

"It was an amazing experience watching the hair, makeup and wardrobe departments transform the background actors from 2018 into college girls from 1948," remembers Hutchings. "The challenge was finding girls with no piercings, tattoos, or hair with highlights -- indeed, styles have changed. Every detail was meticulous. The outcome was phenomenal. Period films are such fun."

“It was a pleasure working with a great art department team to create period sets and props for Shirley’s intimate world,” said construction coordinator Timothy Bruno. “We have a lot of very talented crew members in the region and for Shirley, we got to work out of The Film Center and Woodstock Film Studios, which made work super convenient.”

Other recent distribution highlights that feature films and TV shows produced in the Hudson Valley, include SWALLOW (March 6 via IFC Films), THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA (HBO), UPLOAD (May 1 via Amazon Prime), BILLIONS (May 3 via Showtime), DRIVEWAYS (May 7 via Film Rise), and I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE (May 10 via HBO). Release dates for THE UNDOING (HBO) and A QUIET PLACE 2 (Paramount) were postponed from spring to fall 2020.

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Funding has been severely impacted due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support our continued efforts during these difficult times.

Since 2000, the Hudson Valley Film Commission has worked on over 500 FILM & TV productions to refer and help secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more! The results have created thousands of jobs, education & training opportunities, regional promotion & marketing, and over $250 million in regional economic development.

SELECT Hudson Valley productions include:
To stream regional films, visit hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/streamfest
Werewolves Within • Things Heard and Seen • Billions • Monsterland • Audrey • The Plot Against America • Silent Retreat • Black Bear • Lapsis • Foxhole • The Undoing • I Know This Much Is True • Save Yourselves • I’m Thinking of Ending Things • Scare Me • Can You Keep a Secret? • Panic • High Maintenance • Driveways • Shirley • The Dead Don't Die • Avengers: Endgame • The Irishman • The Climb* • Swallow • Skin • The Mountain • A Quiet Place • Fabled • Then Came You • Furlough • A Vigilante • Nancy • Diane • The Miseducation of Cameron Post • La Devotee by Panic at the Disco! • It Comes at Night • Super Dark Times •  The Seagull • HAPPYish • The Ticket  • Growing Up Smith • Cold in July • Katie Fforde Films • True Story • The Sisterhood of Night • The Better Angels • We Are What We Are • The Bourne Legacy • Frances Ha • Our Idiot Brother •  First Winter • The Last Keepers • Francine • Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding • Martha Marcy May Marlene • Higher Ground • Rocksteady • Bitter Feast • Stake Land • Man on Wire • Taking Woodstock • American Gangster • Michael Clayton • The Human Footprint • The Night Listener • Stephanie Daley • War of the Worlds • Down to the Bone • Personal Velocity

I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE PREMIERES ON HBO

In October of 2018, production offices were opened on IBM Road in Poughkeepsie for HBO’s I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE. Based on the bestselling novel by Wally Lamb, written and directed by Derek Cianfrance, this limited six-part limited drama series stars Mark Ruffalo as identical twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey in a family saga that follows their parallel lives in an epic story of betrayal, sacrifice and forgiveness. The series, set in the fictional town of Three Rivers, Connecticut, shows Dominick and Thomas at different stages in their lives, beginning in their present in the early 1990s with both brothers approaching middle-age, filled in with Dominick’s flashbacks to their young adulthood and childhood. The series also features Melissa Leo, Juliette Lewis, Kahthryn Hahn, Rosie O'Donnell, and Archie Panjabi.

As the production office opened, the Hudson Valley Film Commission was contacted by several departments for a variety of referrals including locations, crew, cast and vendors. Pre-production lasted through March of 2019. Over all, there were 130 scouting days tallied, and over 115 production days. The production offices closed in November 2019.

The local economic impact included more than $15-million in direct spending. That includes more than 27,500 rooms rented at local lodging establishments. Data collected by the Hudson Valley Film Commission does not include "multipliers," but indirect spending, which results from shopping, tourism, dining, recreation, new home buyers, new businesses, and services, is an important factor.

“We started making location and crew referrals right away in October of 2018,” recalls Hudson Valley Film Commission director Laurent Rejto. “What made communication super convenient was the fact that several key crew members had transitioned over from the Jim Jarmusch movie THE DEAD DON’T DIE, which had wrapped production in August.”

Casting call at Mid Hudson Civic Center

The Hudson Valley Film Commission sent daily reminders referring industry professionals who lived within a few miles of the production office. More than 50 local crew members and over 1500 local background extras were hired. Work regarding background extras started in March 2019 when the film commission worked with the Rita Powers Casting Group to coordinate an open call at the Mid Hudson (Majed J. Nesheiwat) Civic Center. Over 3,000 people showed up for the casting call. The film commission received more than 1-million hits a day on the social media posting. 

"The Hudson Valley Film Commission was amazingly helpful with the production," wrote Rita Powers. "I can say my team could not have done it without their guidance. We needed thousands of extras. Without their assistance in posting, guidance and resources, I’m not sure we could have accomplished this."

Filming took place in four counties including Delaware (Arkville), Dutchess (Fishkill, Millbrook, Pleasant Valley, Poughkeepsie, Red Hook, Wappingers Falls, Wassaic), Orange (New Windsor, Newburgh) and Ulster (Ulster, Esopus, Gardiner, Kingston, New Paltz, Town of Ulster). 

$2-million was spent on locations alone. Approximately $750,000 was spent on local and state police, and contractors providing services such as painting, plumbing, electrical, cleaning, paving, engineering, environmental testing, landscaping, remediation, and more. 

Select locations that viewers may recognize while watching the six part series that covers seven decades from 1920-1990, includes many private homes, roads, All Sport Health and Fitness, The Bleachery, Delaware and Ulster Railroad, Ellenville Regional Hospital, The Falls Theatre, HealthAlliance Hospital: Mary's Avenue Campus, Lake Minnewaska, Montrepose Cemetery, Rokeby, Route 209, Stewart Airport, Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Umbra Sound Stages, Vassar College, and the Wallkill Valley Railway Trail, which was also used for the 2017 production of A QUIET PLACE.

Rokeby Photo: courtesy of Laurent Rejto

“The location department was amazing,” adds Rejto. “They ended up knowing the region better than anyone, but I’m happy we were able to make some good initial suggestions.”

The Hudson Valley Film Commission helped point us in the right direction countless times,” wrote location manager Steve Grivno. “[They] provided valuable local knowledge and communications between locations and the production to get the ball rolling. The assistance I experienced saved us a lot of time in a business where time is always of the essence.”

“The location department was amazing,” adds Rejto. “They ended up knowing the region better than anyone, but I’m happy we were able to make some good initial suggestions.”

The Hudson Valley Film Commission helped point us in the right direction countless times,” wrote location manager Steve Grivno. “[They] provided valuable local knowledge and communications between locations and the production to get the ball rolling. The assistance I experienced saved us a lot of time in a business where time is always of the essence.”

One specific referral was The Bleachery in Wappingers Falls. 

Bleachey Photo: courtesy of Yves Bouzaglo

“It's a home run,” wrote Grivno. “We are renting space from them for production (Set Dec Storage, Scenic shop, Construction, etc.). Also, I think it's pretty much a given that their old building will be our old mill in the 1920s where our Hero's grandfather gets his first job in the USA.”

Other referrals included introductions to town officials including Town of Ulster Supervisor James Quigley who made sure the production would spend as much time and money in the region by making specific locations available including some very dramatic scenes on that were filmed on Route 209. Dutchess Tourism was also instrumental in making things easier across the board.

“Before and during filming, I could hear the word of mouth spreading between location managers and producers in New York City and various networks and studios, celebrating the accommodating and beautiful communities in the Hudson Valley,” added Grivno. “If filming is to seriously grow in the region, which most certainly seems to be the case, resources like the Hudson Valley Film Commission will be crucial for the facilitation of location and crew needs.”

“Film & TV production offers a way to invest both financially and personally in the creative potential of a burgeoning industry that generates billions of dollars in annual economic activity,” says Rejto. “When production crews come to the region, they require broad support and involvement; from location searches, participation in casting calls and crew referrals, to accounting, transportation, catering and technical support. It’s economic boon for the entire region.” 

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Funding has been severely impacted due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support our continued efforts during these difficult times.

Since 2000, the Hudson Valley Film Commission has worked on over 500 FILM & TV productions to refer and help secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more! The results have created thousands of jobs, education & training opportunities, regional promotion & marketing, and over $250 million in regional economic development.

SELECT Hudson Valley productions include:
To stream regional films, visit hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/streamfest
Werewolves Within • Things Heard and Seen • Billions • Monsterland • Audrey • The Plot Against America • Silent Retreat • Black Bear • Lapsis • Foxhole • The Undoing • I Know This Much Is True • Save Yourselves • I’m Thinking of Ending Things • Scare Me • Can You Keep a Secret? • Panic • High Maintenance • Driveways • Shirley • The Dead Don't Die • Avengers: Endgame • The Irishman • The Climb* • Swallow • Skin • The Mountain • A Quiet Place • Fabled • Then Came You • Furlough • A Vigilante • Nancy • Diane • The Miseducation of Cameron Post • La Devotee by Panic at the Disco! • It Comes at Night • Super Dark Times •  The Seagull • HAPPYish • The Ticket  • Growing Up Smith • Cold in July • Katie Fforde Films • True Story • The Sisterhood of Night • The Better Angels • We Are What We Are • The Bourne Legacy • Frances Ha • Our Idiot Brother •  First Winter • The Last Keepers • Francine • Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding • Martha Marcy May Marlene • Higher Ground • Rocksteady • Bitter Feast • Stake Land • Man on Wire • Taking Woodstock • American Gangster • Michael Clayton • The Human Footprint • The Night Listener • Stephanie Daley • War of the Worlds • Down to the Bone • Personal Velocity