NFI rolls into funding phase

SANDPOINT — The founders of the nascent Northwest Film Institute think they have found a way to let the community know about their vision of creating a world-class film school in this community — make a movie that stars the community itself.

On April 27-28, director Ted Parvin, cinematographer Jim Matlosz and production designer Don Goodman will set turn the Chimney Rock Bar & Grill at Schweitzer Mountain Resort into the filming location for a feature called “Harvey’s Place.”

The end result, these industry veterans promise, will be more than just a community movie. They are calling it “a 21st Century ‘Our Town’ for Sandpoint.”

With a cast of nearly 100 actors and a crew of almost 40, the 96-page script will be shot over the course of two very full days.

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“It’s a chance for people who’ve always had a desire to be part of a production to come out and work with professionals who will teach you and let you see what it’s all about,” Goodman said, adding that bystanders also will be welcome to observe the process of filming a movie on the fly. “Everybody that wants to be there, we’ll find a place for them — nobody gets turned away.”

Since the Northwest Film Institute concept was first rolled out in 2006, a core group of advocates has remained both active and in place. The group came out of the blocks with a casting call for local talent. According to NFI member and producer Mitchell Fullerton, the group prepared for a turnout of about 15 people, but was contacted by more than 50 prospective actors, camera operators and crewmembers.

By the time the community film “Punch Line” was completed in 2007, a total of 300 people had thrown their hats into the movie ring. The robust level of interest, coupled with the burgeoning number of good-paying jobs in the film industry, led to a 2010 feasibility study that pointed to the viability of a national film school with roots in Sandpoint.

 After completing their training, students’ enrollment would culminate in a one-year internship designed to build a network of contacts — something Parvin called critical to building a career in the movie trade.

“In the film industry, you do not get a job with a resume,” the director said. “You get a job through contacts. That was true even for the job I started with, which was wheeling the already used costumes from film sets into the fumigation room.”

Those were the days when directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks and Otto Preminger — all of whose names show up on Parvin’s own resume — wielded an iron fist of control on the set. And though he expects to run a tight ship in order to get “Harvey’s Place” filmed under such a tight schedule, Parvin eschews his mentors’ tyrannical approach to getting things done.

“This is my philosophy,” he said. “If it isn’t fun, we shouldn’t be doing this.”

Goodman and Matlosz, the other two professionals leading the charge, come from a more recent training ground in television and advertising, respectively.

In Goodman’s case, the curriculum vitae includes work in major studio productions such as “Walk the Line” “Planet of the Apes” “Man on the Moon” and the Austin Powers comedy, “Goldmember.”

On television, his set work has been seen on “E.R.” “3rd Rock from the Sun” “Friends” and, most recently, “The Mentalist.”

Goodman is an example of how North Idaho can act as a magnet for industry experts who, in turn, could share their knowledge with students attending film school in Sandpoint.

“I work in L.A., but we live here,” he said. “NFI would give me an opportunity to still be creative and do what I do, but spend more time with my family.”

Like many fledgling organizations, NFI has the vision, but needs funding to make it work. Its business plan is built on a timeline that calls for between $250,000-$500,000 to get the doors open and an overall budget of $3 million to reach profitability in five years. The biggest costs would be associated with equipment and national advertising — a must if enrollment is to reach the kinds of numbers needed for success.

“Regardless of what Kevin Costner says, you can’t just build it and expect them to come,” said Parvin. “You have to let them know you’re here.”

The time is ripe for a film school, the director added, because “the industry is booming with work right now.”

That assessment is supported by job growth statistics, said longtime cinematographer and NFI founding member Pat Ficek. Between feature films, shorts, documentaries, television, corporate and medical training films and Internet videos, film-related paychecks have been growing at an annual rate of 20 percent over the past few years, he pointed out. And if the film school concept takes off, Ficek continued, some of those paychecks would originate in Sandpoint.

“It’s not going to bring Hollywood here, but it would create 26 jobs and bring in over 100 students per year,” he said. “Those are people who would live, shop, eat and, in some cases, buy homes here — that’s millions of dollars coming into the community. A lot of this stuff is already in place. The school could be up and running in six months if we had the funding.”

One of the ingredients that now exists is what Fullerton described as a core group of cinematographers, effects and production specialists, sound and lighting technicians and screenwriters who call the Sandpoint area home, but often travel for work in places such as Hollywood and New York.

“I’m kind of the guy who keeps track of these folks and tries to get them involved in NFI,” he said. “It always surprises me how many of these people are already here.”

If everything goes as planned, “Harvey’s Place” could be the catalyst for further involvement from industry professionals, as well as grassroots support from the local community.

Contributors can jump in for as little as $10 and get a rolling film credit, or make a more substantial move and get prominent screen time as a presenting sponsor, executive producer or title sponsor for contributions of $250, $1,500 or $2,500, respectively. Larger sponsors also receive listings on posters and print advertising, tickets to the premier, DVD copies of the film and, for top sponsors, VIP seating and the possibility of product placement in the movie.

The NFI founders are keeping their fingers crossed that this community film will open the doors — and fill the coffers — for their seven-year dream of establishing a training ground for future film pros.

“We want to create a relevant, multi-media film school in Sandpoint,” said Fullerton, adding that NFI plans to work with regional non-profits to help them produce promotional materials as art of the training process.

“Our concept is to get these students out in the field making real movies.”

For more information on participating in “Harvey’s Place” or to learn more about the film school concept, call (208) 290-2717, visit NFI on line at: www.northwestfilminstitute.com or find them on Facebook.