Filmmakers, industry converge on Butte for ground-breaking conference

The Montana landscape, from mountains to prairie and quiet untouched forests to badlands, beckons filmmakers anxious to capture its vastness, storylines and romance.

High-profile Hollywood filmmakers are welcome, but it was Montana resident directors, producers and commercial industry specialists converging on Butte Tuesday.

In a first for the state film industry, the two entities met for a conference designed to bond filmmakers and technology. The pairings, common in other states, debuted at the Mother Lode Theater.

One challenge is finding qualified applicants willing to pay their dues, said J.P. Gabriel of Filmlites Montana http://www.filmlitesmt.com/ .

Gabriel said hiring crew members disciplined enough to learn the craft and understand the hierarchy of the film world is "kind of a deficit now."

Renata Birkenbuel [email protected]

Full Story: http://mtstandard.com/news/local/filmmakers-industry-converge-on-butte-for-ground-breaking-conference/article_b235f344-5a39-5efe-9ccf-0696fbc451a6.html