Locals invited to participate in film
March 2, 2013
Have you ever wanted to be in the movies? Or learn what goes on behind the scenes? Now’s your chance! Join the film and media professionals from Northwest Film Institute in the production of the community film, Harvey’s Place.

Specifically written to include numerous local people and businesses, Harvey’s Place was created by 40 year film veteran and North Idaho resident Ted Parvin, along with the Sandpoint Comedy Group.

Participation in the project is free and open to all community members.

So whether you’d like to audition for one of the 75 on-screen acting parts or help out on the crew and learn the art of filmmaking from some talented pros, plan to stop by the Rude Girls Room at the Sandpoint Branch of East Bonner County Library on March 5 between 5 and 7:30 p.m. and meet the producers.

When Harvey opens the doors to his lounge at Schweitzer Mountain Resort, a convention descends and rocks the lives of not only Harvey, but also his assistants, the locals, and Scott and Margaret, a married couple on the verge of extinction due to the failing economy.

Harvey’s Place is a comedic look at life in Sandpoint, with many of the characters recognizable, and many of the businesses peeking through the cracks of its humorous plot. Notable throughout will be the many local residents of Sandpoint that will be giving freely of their time to portray caricatures of people we all love and admire, as well as those we love to make fun of. The feature length film will be a twenty-first century look at Our Town.

The project as a whole serves a number of purposes according to Harvey’s Place Producer and NFI President, Mitchell Fullerton.

“First and foremost, it’s an outreach for NFI to remind people we’re here with a shovel-ready, non-profit business plan that can be a big boon to our local economy. At its core NFI is a one-year intensive media production school that when fully up and running will create 26 living wage jobs and generate local income from amenities serving upwards of 100 students annually. Altogether we’re talking about a positive economic impact of around ten million dollars annually to Sandpoint and Bonner County. It may not be Litehouse or Coldwater numbers, but we feel it’s still significant.

“It’s also about NFI taking another step to demonstrate our curriculum which was modeled after the best film schools in the country, primarily the American Film Institute. At the heart of the NFI model is hands-on, practical experience guided by proven and credited industry professionals. And of course most importantly, Harvey’s Place is about bringing the community we all love and enjoy together to have some fun. It’s a bonus that we can create something long-lasting at the same time.”

NFI has put together a fantastic group to work alongside and learn from including Writer-director Ted Parvin, (also the founder of NFI), who has worked with some of film’s greatest names including Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Zemeckis, Howard Hawks, Otto Preminger, John Wayne, Robert Taylor, Sean Connery and Tom Hanks.

Then there’s cinematographer, Jim Matlosz, one of the hottest on-the-rise commercial directors in all of advertising. Jim’s solid career as a DP includes cutting edge high-speed work for national advertisers like Sprite and most recently he directed spots for Nike.

Then there’s production designer Don Goodman, whose film credits include Planet of the Apes, Gattaca, Man On The Moon, Austin Powers Goldmember, and Walk the Line.

Don’s current day job is on the set of hit TV show, The Mentalist.

“I’m thrilled that we have such a high-quality key group driving this year’s production,” said Fullerton. “This is a learning opportunity that generally doesn’t visit North Idaho. If you have any interest in learning filmmaking or media production you should participate in this fantastic project.”

Anyone interested in acting or learning about filmmaking is encouraged to participate in Harvey’s Place, which includes over 75 speaking parts, 30 extras and 30 crew members.

Participation is free and open to all community members.

If you’d like to participate in Harvey’s Place, please plan to stop by the Rude Girls Room at the Sandpoint Branch of East Bonner County Library located at 1407 Cedar Street in Sandpoint on Tuesday, March 5th between 5 and 7:30pm and meet the producers.

If you are unable to attend this event and would still like to participate, please contact Producer, Mitchell Fullerton, via email at Mitchell@idahojones.com.

Northwest Film Institute is a 501 (c3) non-profit educational organization run entirely by an all-volunteer board and staff. In addition to the potential economic impact of the school when ultimately complete, NFI currently contributes to our community by regularly donating media production to local non-profits for video promos, video press releases and presentations to aid them in their fund raising efforts. They also provide high-level commercial production to local businesses at a fraction of market value, in exchange for their tax-deductible donations to the institute.

For more information, please visit; http://northwestfilminstitute.org.