Apr 9, 2015
(April 9th, 2015) Michael Madsen and Larry Bishop return to the Buffalo Niagara International Film Festival which starts this Friday starting at 6:30 at the Tonawanda Castle. They will be in attendance for a special engagement of the Quentin Tarantino presented Hellride, in which they starred at 1:45 pm at The Adam’s Mark Hotel on April 14th. Larry Bishop wrote and directed this biker classic which also featured the original easy rider Dennis Hopper.
Many more screenings and symposium information can be found at Buffalo Niagara International Film Festival Website or call 716-693-0912.
Mar 21, 2015
(March 20th, 2015) Empire State Development today announced that Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies’ TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2 has chosen to film in New York State, in New York City and Buffalo. The sequel to last summer’s blockbuster TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is expected to spend an estimated $70 million statewide, resulting in more than 1,000 New York State jobs.
“New York has cemented its role as the top destination for productions from across the nation due to the plethora of talent, resources and locations that we have to offer,” Governor Cuomo said. “The production of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2 will generate new jobs and economic activity from Buffalo to Brooklyn, which is great news for our local communities and fans of the franchise.”
“From production assistants to work behind the cameras to textiles and lumber for set design to local restaurants to feed crew members, New York City knows how to host block-buster films,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We welcome TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2 to New York City, and look forward to the many jobs and millions of dollars this will bring to our local economy.”
“The Ninja Turtle movie will bring an economic boost to the City of Buffalo,” said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. “The movie crew will be staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants and hiring local people to be part of the production team. We look forward to seeing the Queen City highlighted in this sequel to the original blockbuster.”
“Thanks to the State’s strengthened and enhanced Film Production Tax Credit Program, the Turtles are grabbing their longboards and heading back to New York State,” said Empire State Development Acting President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky. “There is no place like New York when it comes to making blockbuster movies, which require diverse locations and ample resources – and the Big Apple and Queen City deliver both in a big way. By shooting the second installment of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles here in New York, the production team is getting a world-class environment and unrivaled workforce, while Buffalo and New York will see millions of dollars invested and more than 1,000 New Yorkers put to work.”
Principal photography is slated to begin in late April in New York City, with scenes taking place at Marcy Armory in Williamsburg and other locations throughout the city. Overall filming will continue throughout the summer.
Production is expected to commence in Buffalo in early May for two weeks. The production expects to spend approximately $7 million in Buffalo, while investing extensively in local equipment rentals, including trucks and generators.
“Our office has been working discreetly with Paramount Pictures for several months to solidify this production for Buffalo.” said Buffalo Niagara Film Commissioner Tim Clark. “We’d like to thank Mayor Byron Brown for his commitment to this project. In his recent state of the city address the Mayor reaffirmed his support for the film industry, and with TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, he and his department heads have delivered on that support.” Clark also noted how the professional crew base in Western New York has expanded it’s proficiency with numerous recent feature film projects. “This made the decision to come to Buffalo an easy one for the Paramount production team.” Clark added
“Shooting TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES in New York State was a wonderful experience so we are thrilled to be returning to make the sequel,” said Lee Rosenthal, President, Physical Production at Paramount Pictures. “We are thankful for New York’s continued generous support and hospitality and look forward to another successful collaboration.”
Many major film productions have touted New York State’s Film Production Tax Credit Program as a major factor when choosing the Empire State as the location to film. Since 2004, 1,169 film and television projects have participated in the program and are estimated to have generated more than 871,000 new hires and over $17.3 billion in new spending in New York State. In 2014 alone, 194 film and television projects applied for the program and are projected to spend approximately $2.6 billion while hiring more than 162,500 individuals in New York State.
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies’ TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2 is directed by David Green. Michael Bay is producing alongside his Platinum Dunes partners Andrew Form and Brad Fuller, with Galen Walker and Scott Mednick also producing. Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec are writing and will executive produce with Denis Stewart.
The film will be released by Paramount Pictures on June 3, 2016.
Mar 10, 2015
Photo: Richard Henry Herbeck on the set of “Emelie” in downtown Buffalo this past October.
(March 10th, 2015) Shot entirely in Western New York with a screenplay written by Buffalo’s Richard Henry Herbeck, the feature film “Emelie” will make it’s debut at the Tribecca Film Festival this April. The festival runs from April 15-25th, and there will be 3 screenings throughout the festival.
Complete Festival Line-up from The Wrap: http://www.thewrap.com/tribeca-film-festival-announces-films-in-spotlight-midnight-and-special-screening-sections/
Feb 6, 2015
Photo – Will Gadd makes his way up a frozen Niagara Falls (CREDIT: © Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool)
(February 3rd, 2015) After a successful experience with their Lockport “Pop The Locks” wakeboard film shoot over the summer, Red Bull looked again to the Buffalo Niagara Region and the assistance of the Buffalo Niagara Film Office for their next extreme sports demonstration, as they set their sights on a frozen Niagara Falls. This time it was for a first ever ice climb on the frozen section on the US Side of the Horseshoe Falls with the world renowned Fearless Planet Host Will Gadd.
After weeks of preproduction and planning and the initial hesitation of state park’s officials, Red Bull and Will Gadd finally made their way up the base of the falls on Monday January 26th for a rehearsal, and then on Tuesday the 27th for the full climb. The result was another world class production in Western New York with worldwide attention from outlets such as the BBC, CNN, USA TODAY, and National Geographic within days of it’s occurrence.
See the full video here: http://www.redbull.com/en/adventure/stories/1331701943766/will-gadd-ice-climbing-niagara-falls
Jan 15, 2015
(January 15th, 2015) If you saw the last season of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire you witnessed the work of WNY’s newest post production house, Empire Visual Effects. Located in the Tri-Main Center on Main Street. Empire was tasked with creating ocean backgrounds and other post production visual effects to make the Boardwalk’s scenes shot in Brooklyn look like 1920’s Atlantic City, New jersey. You also saw the work of some Daemen College Visual Effects Graduates getting paid to apply their skills on a very high profile project. All of this happening in the same building they received their training in, Daemen’s newly completed 2 million state-of-the-art visual effects facility which had it’s ribbon cutting this past December.
This training combined with access to professionals with resumes including The Matrix and Harry Potter make Daemen the place to be in Buffalo for future jobs in the growing post production industry. Combined with the recently expanded post production tax credit implemented by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, this program and facility will be extremely competitive in the immediate future.
For more information:
Daemen Visual Effects Program
Empire Visual Effects
Empire web reel 2014 from Ben Porcari on Vimeo.
New York State Post Production Tax Credit
Dec 29, 2014
(December 29th, 2014) One of the most exciting aspects of the work that the Buffalo Niagara Film Office does, is helping to create that moment of discovery that happens when out of town producers, crew, and talent explore the beauty of the Buffalo Niagara region for the first time. This was certainly the case with Irish Actress Sarah Bolger (“In America,” ABC’s “Once Upon a Time”) as she came to town for a 30 day shoot as the starring villain in the feature film “Emelie” this past fall. Over 120,000 followers on Twitter and Instagram experienced her Western New York enthusiasm through tweets and posts as she visited Niagara Falls State Park, a Bills game, and more. Thank you Sarah! We can’t wait to to see you again on the big screen in 2015.
Sarah Bolger: Twitter, Instagram, and IMDB
Lastest on Emelie: Variety
