Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

S

scenedirector

Well-known member
Hey my fellow dvxusers! I am just trying to get some honest straight-forward advice from my fellow peers.

My wants are most likely like yours: striving to become a filmmaker. Here's my dilemma. I live in Kansas City where the film scene is VERY SMALL and not really thriving. I DON'T want to move to L.A. because I feel it is too cutthroat, and I have no interest in N.Y.C. I'm into the indie scene, anyway.

I had visited the northwest awhile back and fell in love with it. I have NOT been to Portland yet to check out their scene, but from what I hear, it is a great, tight-knit community for indies, which is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. Now I'm not asking anyone to be a "Dr. Phil" or anything, but I want to know if it is worth moving 1800 miles away from everything and everyone I know to see what's going on there.

The kicker is that I will be leaving my 8 month daughter with here mother here in Kansas City. I WILL visit OFTEN and still support her financially.

Help me guys, it's tearing me apart. Tell me there is a great film scene up there and it's worth at least checking out. Thank you for your time and ALL of your guys' advice will be considered.
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

Well dude.

I am a father and cannot even fathom for a second being away from my son. You gotta do what you gotta do and whats best. But if the film thing aint happening for you in KC what makes you think its going to happen for you anywhere else? We live in the 'internet' era. Anyone can make films, anyone can make things happen.

I dont know man. You're willing to bail on your daughter?
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

I don't think I would leave my daughter (if I had one), but Portland is a great place.
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

Is there a reason you can't put together your own projects at home? [or have you already tried?] Funny thing about Hollywood movies, they travel all over the world to make them! I'm not sure where you live is paramount. [considering what you plan to give up] If you were a single college fella I would say "pack 'er up"

You know what they say.... If you build it they will come....

Robert Rodriguez built an empire around himself in San Antonio.
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

It's a hard one to answer. If you were in the forces and sent overseas to serve...No one would bat an eye at leaving your daughter behind. If you resoning is sound and you think you can set up shop in Portland then bring your Daughter out later then It's not a bad decision in my estimation. many children have been left in the custody of granparents, nothing new there. If your resons are unsound and you are intending only to run from problems in Kansas try a new place and hope for the best, then maybe you should fight where you stand and make it happen where you are. I think there is room for pesonal growth by making these kinds of sacrifices and she is your mother after all. Actors with kids are on location for long periods of time and thier children remain at home. If you do it, check your reasoning real close. Hope this helps
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

It is hard to know how to answer your request for advice. I have relatives in Portland, it is a great place to visit and if I thought I could make a living there I would probably try it. That would certainly make my wife’s family very happy. It is a very liberal community and if you are not liberal, it can be very difficult. That is not intended to be a political statement.

One of our relatives tried for several years to produce content in Portland and just could not get it done. Maybe it was the way he went about it there. He moved to Arkansas and did much better.

I live in Southern California and it is true that it is very competitive, but that often works in your favor. It is a target rich environment for filmmakers with enough resources to help you do anything you might want to do. In addition, the probability that you can work in the film industry while you work on developing your own projects is good.

I’m not sure how much better the film market is in Portland than it is in Kansas.

Good luck…
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

The grass is always greener...

I would not move to another scene without checking it out first hand and at least talking to a dozen people about pros and cons about it.

If I were in your shoes I would seriously think about whether or not I wanted to leave my eight month old daughter to go shoot indies. Instead I'd probably be shooting and documenting her with my DVX.

Before making a big decision to move, you might want to outline the goals you want to achieve from a move to Portland:

Are you interested in the community aspect? Do you want to make films in a collaborative environment? Are you trying to make personal films on a small level? Or are you hoping to make a groundbreaking piece of work that will garner the attention of big studios? Are you drunk on the illusion of film? Are you pretending?

I know these questions may sound kind of direct and rude, but at some point I've asked myself these questions and am still asking them. What kind of films do you want to make? I don't think it's enough to say you want to be a fillmmaker. Are you going to wake up one day a filmmaker? Or are you going to build experience, become a more rounded person, raise your little girl, figure out what appeals to you and what stories make you feel alive.

I think questioning your own motives and being very clear and upfront about what you want to do and why is important. Tough decision you have there.
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

Hey, I live in Portland. As far as the whole indie film making scene goes, I know it exists, but as of yet, I haven't become engrained in it. I have just recently began making stuff. I haven't even graduated high school yet. I know of one local producer named Todd Korgan that has made some pretty good stuff. That's just one though, I am sure there are more. The city itself is awsome. I don't mind the liberals at all. The northwest is indeed a great place to be. The cool thing about portland is that it only takes an hour to be in the mountains, another hour to be at the beach, another hour to be in the columbia river gorge. I love it personally, and I believe that there is alot of potential here, it just may be untapped as of yet. I don't think that anywhere you go there is going to be some magical movie scene going on that will make anything easier, but I do know that Portland is a great city. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions!
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

I say stand and fight.

You do not provide enough information for us to make a choice for you.

"advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise, and all courses may run ill"

Only you have enough knowledge of the situation to determine what the right course of action would be. You have to determine first and foremost what matters most to you. Figure out your priorities and then analyze the situation based on these and the answer should be fairly clear.
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

WOW!!! THANK YOU ALL for your honest, and even blunt advice! I am a VERY OPEN person and I appreciate it ALL. I like to try and get a different opinion from many view points.
I feel good that we all aren't just a bunch of techno gear heads and can apply REAL WORLD problems to our goals and aspirations.

Let me please stress on the fact that I AM NOT ABANDONING my little girl. If I do this, I am not leaving her, I'm just going to be a long distance father.
I know that becoming a filmmaker doesn't happen overnight. I have thought about building something right where I am. It will be hard, but the plus is that I would be in close driving distance from my daughter.
Even if I don't move, I won't be living with her, unfortunately because her mother and I just can't seem to get along. But her mother and I BOTH feel mutual that we can get along being separate.

I say Portland because I actually grew up in California, in the bay area. I moved to Kansas City in 1994 when I was 14 and have been here the last 10 years.
The only place I was, in the Northwest, was Vancouver. LOVED IT!! But not ready to leave this wonderful country of ours.
I wanted to live somewhere where I got the geography similar to California (moderate temperature, beach, forest, mountain, desert, country, city) for a close vacinity, great variety of different locations settings. I have done research and I DO plan to at least visit before actually moving, it seems, so far, Portland is a great answer.
I'm not excited to move back to California and there isn't ANYTHING out here.....but that 14 pounds of pure heaven I have.

I have weighed the fact with this wonderful technology explosion we are having with filmmaking democracy, unleashes the power to us "common folk" and helps us avoid the "kiss-ass rat race" of Hollywood.
So. Do I build my talents here and get a film that I would be proud to enter in some acclaimed festivals, or do I pack my bags and do it somewhere else, becoming a long distance father.
I know I am the ultimate person that can answer this, but I DO appreciate the advice.

You guys are great. Thanks for listening. God Bless.
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

I hope you make a decision that works for you (and your family). Good luck!
 
Re: Should I move to Portland, Oregon?

Hi,

I'd like to comment on this very interesting thread because I can definitely relate--My daughter is nearly a year old and I sold my DVX in her early days.

First of all, don't let your dream slip away. It's easy to get caught up in family things and forget that what's best for the child is for the parents to be happy and successful. The last thing you want is for a child to think you gave up your dreams because they came along. (My dad had this syndrome and broadcast his misery for years--I actually wanted my parents to get divorced, it was tortuous). There's no way kids can deal with that guilt and they shouldn't have to. Some people weren't meant to be together and can be better parents when separated.

That said, they also say that a first child is the most stressful thing a couple will face, so keep that in mind when things don't go too hot. Supposedly it's more stressful than a death in the family, or even a divorce. (This comes from a Child Development Psych class so take it as you will...)

It's funny because I have a few similarities to you beyond even our newborns. I'm from the middle of nowhere in the Midwest and even made a short little video in Kansas City about ten years ago. I didn't live there, we were just passing through and so we shot something quick. I must say that Kansas City in mid-Summer is really a desolate area, from what little I saw back then. I can't imagine much film activity going on there at all, or any art, for that matter...so although you don't need to go to Hollywood, you might want to leave KC. (Where does George Brett live nowadays?)

The other thing is that I live in N. Cali. You and I must have crossed paths going separate directions. It was easier for me to go from Midwest to Cali, I suppose, than for you to go from Cali to the Midwest. It has gotten so expensive here in Sac area, ($450,000 for a new home), that I, too, have considered a Portland move for the same reasons as you. Nice and like N. Cali, yet more affordable, and supposedly with a hip, younger artist population in some parts--an up and coming film area.

But one thing you should be honest to yourself about, (and no judgments here at all, I swear...), if you move to Portland, you really will not be seeing your daughter that often. I know you said you would, but for a distance like that, halfway across the country, even seeing her once a month would be A LOT, not to mention very expensive, and seeing your kid 12 times a year is not much. Realistically, you will probably see her every 2 months, (flying out from Portland), and 6 times a year is basically being aloof.

I don't envy your decision. It's hard to be overwhelmed with love for your child and in a rocky relationship with the child's mother all at once. Yep, about the hardest thing there is.

Just do your best.
 
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