For film pros, this year’s International Wildlife Film Festival (Missoula April 19-26) offers pleasant oasis

Annual fete begins Saturday

This year’s International Wildlife Film Festival may be the 26th in a line of similar events, but much has changed in that time – both for the festival, as well as for the art form it celebrates.

By JOE NICKELL of the Missoulian

For more info on the Festival: http://www.matr.net/events.phtml?showdetail=381

"Today, you can do things, see things, show things – good and bad – that were not even conceived of 25 years ago," says Janet Rose, director of the festival. "We’re trying to keep a finger on the pulse of what’s going on in society, in ecosystems, in technology and in the art of filmmaking. It’s a tall order, really."

Tall, indeed. Twenty-five years ago, wildlife films were exactly that: films. Today, most are shot on digital video. That transformation alone has saved filmmakers thousands upon thousands of dollars. One hour of 16 mm film costs about $1,350. Compare that to about $45 per hour for digital format, and it’s clear why film is on the way out.

Cameras and projection systems, too, have become cheaper, even as they’ve gotten better. And entire films can now be edited on consumer-grade desktop computers.

Taken together, the shift to digital technology has caused a precipitous drop in the price of producing films – wildlife, and otherwise.

Just as important for wildlife filmmakers is the burgeoning marketplace for films. A quarter-century ago, there were practically no wildlife films on TV, aside from National Geographic specials and Marlon Perkins escapades. But with cable TV came myriad outlets, most notably the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.

It might start to sound like today is an easy time to be a wildlife filmmaker. But according to Rose, the positive changes also have created new challenges for those who wish to make their living chasing animals with a camera.

"It’s definitely a double-edged sword," says Rose.

For example, the same new technology that makes it possible to enhance images digitally, can also make it possible to fabricate or manipulate scenes in ways that are unethical or misleading. "It’s so easy to do those things now, in a way that looks so real," says Rose. "Ethics become that much more important to the entire field."

And while there may be many more commercial opportunities on television for wildlife films today, the trend has clearly shifted toward dumbed-down products – the tired variations on "When Animals Attack" and pet antics caught on home video.

"There’s a lot of trash on television," laments Rose. "And there are a lot of filmmakers who are gonna do whatever sells. That makes for a real challenge, for those filmmakers who hope to produce high-quality work."

And that’s exactly why Rose believes the International Wildlife Film Festival is so important today.

"With so many new outlets, new kinds of technology, and so many people flooding the marketplace, it plays up the importance of a judging process that’s very rigorous," says Rose. "You have to hold the filmmakers’ feet to the fire; you need to hold the producers’ feet to the fire; the programmers’ feet to the fire. There are certain standards that must be maintained and you have got to keep pushing the envelope."

The past year has seen numerous changes for the IWFF. Having settled into its new digs at the Roxy Theater on Higgins Avenue, the organization has amped up its year-round activity schedule, with film showings, educational events, and lectures. "These days, we’re busy year-round," says Rose. "I go to bed working on the computer, get up in the morning at 7:30 and dive back in. At least I’m still dreaming about horses," she laughs.

This year’s festival features several unprecedented events. Chief among them is an underwater film workshop, featuring three of the industry’s top practitioners: Rick Rosenthal, director of photography for the award-winning BBC series "Blue Planet;" Al Giddings, the director of photography for "Titanic" – both the documentary and the feature; and John Brooks. The workshop will be as hands-on as possible given the environs: it’ll take place in the University of Montana’s Grizzly Pool.

"We were thinking about throwing some rubber duckies and wind-up sharks in there so people can have something to shoot," jokes Rose.

Also new this year: a host of parties and events aimed at highlighting western Montana’s local color. There’ll be a bash punctuated by rodeo demonstrations at Fire Creek Ranch in the Ninemile Valley; a western barn dance at Trotting Horse Stables; guided fly-fishing trips; and a party at the Art Museum of Missoula.

"Our aim is to create an environment where the veterans of the business can come and talk with each other – as opposed to just a marketplace where people are making deals," says Rose.

And of course, the festival will provide some great entertainment for local folks who don’t have any interest in actually making their own films, but who may want to rub elbows with some of the best wildlife filmmakers in the world.

"It’s so exciting to bring all the players, the audiences and the filmmakers and producers and musicians, together in one place," says Rose. "People have said after they come to the festival, they feel renewed. It helps them think again about the big picture of what they’re doing and how they’re doing it."

Reporter Joe Nickell can be reached at 523-5358 or at [email protected]

http://missoulian.com/articles/2003/04/17/news/top/news01.txt

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Wild things
by Mike Keefe-Feldman The Missoula Independent

Judges with the International Wildlife Film Festival sorted through 267 films for this year’s international competition. Forty-four will be screened at the Wilma Theatre from April 19–26.

A Q&A with the Wildlife Film Festival’s Janet Rose

On April 19—26, Missoula’s International Wildlife Film Festival will draw wildlife filmmakers and fans from around the Northwest and the world. After heavy fundraising efforts, the festival has finally found a permanent home at the Roxy Theater on South Higgins. The festival is not only a time for screening wildlife films, but an opportunity for the world’s wildlife filmmakers to exchange ideas and concerns through daily workshops. The Independent sat down for a talk with the executive director of the International Wildlife Film Festival/Media Center Janet Rose to discuss the event.

Indy: I know that the Roxy was in a state of disarray during last year’s festival. Are things more under control this year?

Janet Rose: The first year [under my direction] was ‘Can you pull it together in three months with no money?’ ‘Well, okay.’ The second was last year when we were trying to figure out if we could do the Roxy and that was all when we were moving from Fort Missoula to the Roxy right before the festival. So this is the first year that we really feel like we’re on solid ground. This year, all of the workshops, seminars and panel discussions will be at the Roxy, even though all the films are at the Wilma, because it has the capacity.

Indy: I thought the whole point of buying the Roxy was to have the film festival there.

JR: The Roxy, with its three theaters, can accommodate three different seminars or workshops at the same time while the Wilma can accommodate 1,000 people watching films. If we did the films here [at the Roxy], then there’d be no place for the panel discussions that make up the other part of the festival.

Indy: What, if anything, will make this year’s festival different from those in years past?

JR: This year, we’re going to have a panel session on the global impacts of war and the economy and what effect that will have on film and television commissions. So, we’ll have people like Mark Johnson from the Montana Foreign Affairs Council and other political people participating, including a federal prosecutor who specializes in wildlife trade issues and poaching issues. We try to really look at policy, conservation, the whole spectrum of things related to wildlife and the environment, not just film.

Indy: Is the festival not usually so political or is this a trend?

JR: Probably, it’s increasing a little bit because [politics] has an impact on the films that we see. They’re no longer just what we call ‘blue chip films’ that look great but don’t have any kind of message. A lot of people are concerned about where the industry is going…And all of that is impacted by what is going on in the world, so we try to have a pulse on what’s happening in society at the time and make that a component of the festival. Look at television, for example. Last year, after 9/11, National Geographic produced more films on Afghanistan, so they may cut back on some of the natural history and wildlife films and put more of their resources and airtime toward political issues.

Indy: How many wildlife films were entered in this year’s festival, and how many of those will actually be screened at the Wilma?

JR: Two hundred and sixty-seven were entered. Forty-four will be screened at the Wilma.

Indy: What are the criteria for the winning films?

JR: The main criteria are scientific accuracy, ethical filmmaking practices and treatment of wildlife and creative use of the medium.

Indy: Who are this year’s final judges?

JR: This year, we have the head of natural history for the Discovery Channel, the vice president of DDE, which is a big distributor of wildlife films, an independent filmmaker from New York City, a film professor at the University of Idaho who’s also a filmmaker, and a supervising producer with National Geographic.

Indy: Who comes to the IWFF?

JR: Our understanding is that the festival and the films attract about 10,000 people to downtown Missoula throughout the week. They may come from Montana or the region or they may come from around the world. We have someone coming from Kuwait, Germany, England, Africa, from around the U.S., Australia, New Zealand. So really, almost every continent is represented.

Indy: How many volunteers go into putting the IWFF on?

JR: From start to finish, it’s about 100 volunteers.

Indy: Are the volunteers mainly students?

JR: Yes. Both from UM, MSU-Bozeman’s film school and a number of high school students, too, from Frenchtown, Hellgate—all over the region. We also have people who come from overseas just to volunteer for the festival.

Indy: Aside from the bragging rights of putting Missoula on the map as the host city, how does the IWFF benefit the city?

JR: I think it’s a tremendous economic boon to the city because you have approximately 300 people who come from outside of Missoula to stay in hotels, to eat, to buy drinks and other items. They spend money and a lot of them come back year after year, so you have a high return rate.

Indy: What do you hope people who come to the festival from out of town take away from both it and from the city of Missoula?

JR: That this is a magical festival in one of the most beautiful environments in the world. It’s a place where people can come together and celebrate wildlife and feel good about the beauty, the awe and excitement that wildlife and wild places represent.

http://www.missoulanews.com/News/News.asp?no=3183